Hi all,
            Where my head is headed.  I usually know the passages from scripture that will be the basis of my sermons weeks in advance.  I normally start thinking about next Sunday’s sermon the evening of the previous Sunday.  I read and research early in the week.  Then I pray, watch life unfold, and listen.  Most weeks, thanks be to God, a sermon emerges.  I write the sermon Friday through Saturday.  It is not really as zen-like as it might sound.  Sermon preparation is a practice of meditation.
            All to say, a couple of questions are emerging as I begin to put my sermon thoughts on paper.  Does God evolve?  Or is that in contradiction to God’s very being?  Does our understanding of God evolve?  If it does, were our previous understandings of God wrong?  Can we really ever understand God?  (“He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. Psalm 18:11)
Though these questions are deeply theological in nature, the sermon will not be a boring, twenty minute academic treatise….I promise.  The Bible is full of stories, not propositional truths.  If you want to look ahead, see if you can find the story behind Jeremiah 2: 4-13 and John 4: 7-15.
See you in church.
Pastor Michael
 
If anyone wants to share any thoughts on the questions I ask in this email – go ahead.  I’d love to hear from you.

Hi brothers and sisters of the FPCE fellowship,
            I gaze upon a bright sun, sky blue sky, puffy clouds, and proud, forest green cedars through the window of my den as I write.  This is the day the Lord has made (it is a characteristic of God to shower us with loveliness) let us rejoice and be glad in it!  It has taken me decades to uncover the blessing of God’s creation.  (Sadly, I thought I always had more important things to do.)
            Inspiring music…a cooled room…warm fellowship await your presence.  Come to worship this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the Gathering Place.  We are going to talk about the times God has turned to the millennials to fulfill his will.  For a sneak preview, read Jeremiah 1: 4-10.
See you in church,
Pastor Michael
 
Thank you Jeff Nine for your worship leadership and preaching while I was on vacation these past two weeks. 

​Pastor Michael

​You don't want to miss this Sunday's service! It will be a blockbuster that makes Jason Bourne look like a chump and Indiana Jones like a weekend warrior.

CAUTION: Rated PG-13 for Intense sequences of action and peril.

Oh, and there is a good measure of faith thrown in. So come, bring your Bible, your friends and family to enjoy a time of fun and fellowship.

See you Sunday.

​Dear FPCE Family -
We are planning a great celebration on Sunday morning. It will be the first in a two-part sermon series on the life, faith and hope of Abraham and the "cloud of witnesses" that surrounds us. I assure you it will be an exciting journey with our Old Testament ancestors and saints (as well as our New Testament apostles). This Sunday we will also be celebrating the Eucharist. So come and join us, and bring along a friend or two.

The Adult Sunday School class will be finishing up our series on Gifts from God with the second part of Spiritual Gifts. Those that are in the know - make sure you do your homework!

Grace and peace,
Jeff