In this E-pistle:
FIRST FOOD AND FRIENDS – REMEMBERING WHO WE ARE
WE’VE A STORY TO TELL
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Park’s First Food and Friends Saturday is tomorrow (meet at the church no later than 8:15 a.m.; call John Carr for details). In my Extra! Extra! Read All About It (click here) posting yesterday, I referenced the law of gleaning from Deuteronomy 24. Gleaning – leaving the margin of the field unharvested – was demanded of the people entering the Promised Land as and act of justice and an act of remembering. The grain left at the edges of the field was to be used by the alien, the fatherless and the widow. The abundance of the land is a gift from God, and while the worker of the land was to reap its benefits, God reserved a portion for those who had no land to work. It was a matter of justice. It was also a matter of remembering. “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this,” God said. Our work at First Food and Friends is always a privilege as we serve our guests. It is also a matter of justice. These “marginal” people have a just claim to a portion of the abundance of the land. And it reminds us of who we are: unworthy recipients of God’s amazing grace. Why not join the First Food crew tomorrow morning?

“We’ve a story to tell to the nations” the old hymn declares, “A story of truth and mercy, A story of peace and light, A story of peace and light.” Of course, the story we have to tell is God’s story of creation, redemption, and hope. But is also our story as we become a part of God’s story. There are some great stories being told through and among Park People these days. We heard some wonderful stories at our Wednesday ABCs and there are reports of some pretty amazing tales told in the Lenten small groups, as well. Next time you’re with some Park folks, why not ask, “So what’s your story?”

Sunday’s worship will be centered around God’s Word proclaimed in lesson and sermon and God’s word sealed in the Sacrament of Baptism administered to Isaac Matthew, son of Jeffrey and Marcie, and Hannah Marie, daughter of Dave and Tracey Miller. See what love the Father has for us that we should be called children of God, and so we are!