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Gift of LifeJohn 13:1-17 - Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet Before the Passover Feast1Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." 9Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" 10Jesus said to him, "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you." 11For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean."
If you have been following along with the church year, you might have heard this text just over a month ago on Maundy Thursday. It's a piece of scripture that has had a powerful impact on me for years and continues to do so. This story of how our Lord, in an act of humility, takes off his robe and washes his disciple's stinky toes shapes much of how I view Christian Discipleship as we are called to do as Christ to meet the needs of the world. Acting out of generosity and care for the other is something I have always strived to do, even before officially joining the church, but never did I think I would get the opportunity to do so in such a big way as I did recently... A few months ago, I received a call saying that I had matched with somebody to be a stem cell donor! I promptly signed up for my initial appointment where they draw blood to double check to see if I am indeed as close of a match as they think... and I was! At this point, I brought many of you in on the journey,y and the prayers started flooding in. Here I would like to share my reflection I shared with Bishop from the hospital room: "Years ago, my step-mom was diagnosed with a blood cancer. She has enough other stuff going on that she isn't a candidate to receive stem cells... but that didn't stop me from doing my research that led me that getting onto a registry to possibly help somebody else!! Fast forward to 2025... 2 months ago I got a call that I was a potential match. After a few phone calls and appointments... it was confirmed that everything was looking good!!
The whole process takes about a week away of intense labor and has been pretty painful. But the community at Bethany has rallied behind me: two of my members who are nurses volunteered to give me my injections leading up to the donation, words of prayers have poured in, and stories of those whose lives have been saved by stem cells with words of thankfulness.
I can't help but feel joy and give thanks to God for giving me this opportunity to give of myself in this way. So, I'm sitting here in the hospital bed, with 180 mins left on the timer (if all goes smoothly), sharing with you because Bishop... because Marie... we all just need a little bit more hope and sharing where we see God is a great way to do that."
I want to thank everybody, once again, for all of the prayers throughout this journey. And a big shout out to Emily and Jeremy Olson for the amazing nursing care!
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The Good Shepherd's VoiceThe gift of new life, of eternal life, is the gift of the risen Christ. It is the promise of Jesus. It was true for Dorcas in Joppa. It was true for those “who have come out of the great ordeal” in the Revelation vision. It is true for us and for all the baptized: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 1 The Lord | is my shepherd;
I shall not | be in want. 2 The Lord makes me lie down | in green pastures and leads me be- | side still waters. 3 You restore my | soul, O Lord, and guide me along right pathways | for your name’s sake. 4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall | fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they | comfort me. R 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence | of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is | running over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days | of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the | Lord forever. R John 10:22-30
22 At that time the Festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me, 26 but you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, in regard to what he has given me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
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Yard SaleWe are planning the Bethany yard sale for Saturday June 7. This is also a day that Bowman House is open and the library is having a book sale. If you have items to donate we have a large closet in fellowship hall to store them before the sale. If you would like to put a price on it that is appreciated. We are looking for household items, decor, toys etc. No clothes or large furniture . Proceeds will benefit the church.
Thank you from the Social Committee
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Equal Exchange Coffee and Tea |
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Synod NewsRegistration for the June 22 - June 27, 2025 SCSW Pilgrimage to The Dwelling is now open! On March 3 an email was sent to rostered leaders and congregations with information about The Dwelling, costs, and more. Click here to view the email.
Click the button below to visit the registration page for The 2025 Synod Pilgrimage to The Dwelling.
This page includes a wealth of information about the week and what to expect. Please read through this carefully as you prepare to register yourself or your group.
General questions about the SCSW Pilgrimage may be referred to Marie Leafblad, Associate to the Bishop for Leadership Support. |
