Brothers and Sisters, Sanctified!

 

Greetings Sisters and Brothers Proclaimed by Jesus…

Hebrews

2:10 It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

2:11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,

2:12 saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you."

The first four Sundays of October I will preach from the Book of Job…

Yes, much of the book deals with the suffering of Job. We will discuss that suffering.

Please note in verse 10 of this chapter 2 of Hebrews that Jesus, the pioneer of our salvation, was made perfect through sufferings.

As we seek and approach Christ-like perfection it is to be expected that we too will suffer. It isn’t that I enjoy that particular aspect of Christian experience, it’s just that it seems to be inevitable.

For sure, there is no reason for any of us to intentionally create our own sufferings so that we may show how pious we are.

Satan, the saboteur of our faith, is fully capable of providing all the suffering we need, as we shall see in the Book of Job.

In the Book of Job, we may find some encouragement.

For now, hang on to this promise stated in here in Hebrews…

For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters.

As we prepare our hearts for Holy Communion this Sunday, let us regard each other as does Christ…sisters and brothers sanctified!

Lori Caskey-Sigety and Poetry by Autumn Sunset October 23rd

 

poet Lori Caskey-Sigety

Mishawaka Willow Creek United Methodist Church invites you to poetry reading and workshop presented by Lori Caskey-Sigety on Saturday, October 23rd from 6:30 PM Until 8:00 PM (Eastern)

Lori is an artist, author, editor, educator, librarian, musician, poet, and writer. She lives in Mishawaka, IN, with her husband, Steve, and four pampered cats. Lori is also inspired by her memory garden that she created in 2010.  Her newest collection, Home: Poems & Drawings 2020-2021, is scheduled for release on October 26, 2021.

This event will be held outside on the campus of Willow Creek in our pavilion in the Valley Retreat.

Enjoy the poetry of Lori as the autumn sun sets and we are warmed by a pit fire and nourished with pumpkin bars and spiced cider.

A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Mishawaka Willow Creek is located at:

14010 Jefferson Blvd, Mishawaka, IN 46545

Celebrate National Punctuation Day, September 24

 

    Earlier this year on Facebook, yes, that ” know-it-all, free- for- all, last word of all things” reported the story of a student asking a teacher if a word needed a “flying comma”, referring to an apostrophe.

    The story inspired me to consider that the use of a “flying comma” would be quite glidingly appropriate when discussing aeronautics.

 However, if we were to have a discussion regarding the art and application of magic then perhaps “Levitating Comma” might insinuate a more conjuring impact.

If we are in the sanctuary and working with ceremonial, sacred, and liturgical matters, I would encourage the use of “Comma of Ascension” so as to invoke a sense of divine ephemera.

In the field of Olympic Gymnastics perhaps we could jump to “Acrobatic comma” to give the sentence the excitement of a “Mary Lou” tumble and twirl.

And in the academic field of physics, we may imbue our sentence with an Einsteinian attribute with use of a “Gravity resistant comma”.

Of course, we could leave it with its conventional and historic nomenclature without any pretentious descriptive accoutrement and allow it to retain its humble persona as a down-to-Earth “non-condescending apostrophe”.

Whichever you choose to use, take care to not confuse, as I assert…

Happy’ National, Punctuation’ Day!

Article VII is for for the detail-diligent!

 

Oil on canvas by Junius Brutus Steams National Archives

Here’s a fun Constitutional Moment for you…

Article VII reads…

“The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.

The Word, "the," being interlined between the seventh and eighth Lines of the first Page, The Word "Thirty" being partly written on an Erazure in the fifteenth Line of the first Page, The Words "is tried" being interlined between the thirty second and thirty third Lines of the first Page and the Word "the" being interlined between the forty third and forty fourth Lines of the second Page.

Attest William Jackson Secretary

done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independance of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,’

followed by the signatures of the signatories.

It’s that second paragraph to which I draw your attention, the one which begins The Word, “the”.

These fifty-five people worked for about four months (hot summer months without air conditioning) in 1787 to argue, devise and frame a government which would address and remedy the grievances mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.

As one reads through the Constitution, I encourage you to remember that this was not a “thrown together” document.

Much diligence and attention to detail were attended this document.

If they paid attention to the placement of such words as “the” and “is tried” I am convinced that the document is danged accurate to the agreed upon intentions of the signatories.

You can read more about the composition of the Constitution here:

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution/how-did-it-happen

Celebrate Citizenship Day September 17

Celebrate Citizenship Day September 17

 

George Washington is about to receive the draft of the Constitution from James Madison in this mural by Barry Faulkner in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC (National Archives)

September 17 is U.S. Constitution Day. It was on that day in 1787 that the Constitution was signed by the various representatives of the States. It is also celebrated as Citizenship Day.

For many, patriotism and American identity is affixed to some cultural set-point which America experienced at some point in the past. For some it may have been the way things were in the 1950s, for others the 1970s.

In contrast, my sense of patriotism rests in the Declaration of Independence and its promise of a democratic republic as fashioned in the U.S. Constitution.

And so, I wanted to highlight and celebrate the Constitution on September 17 much as folk celebrate July 4.

When a person joins the military, police force, elective office, even as poll worker, the first and foremost part of the oath that we take is to this Constitution.

It seems that good citizenship and authentic patriotism require at least a familiarization of the various elements of the Constitution.

I invite you to visit this link to the National Archives and explore information about the Constitution!

https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/constitution-day