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EPUMC WEEKLY MEMO
You Are WELCOME AT EDEN PRAIRIE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Empowered by God's love, we are a community of Christ's disciples, centered in worship and fellowship with:
OPEN HEARTS to live and serve with compassion and to share God's love OPEN MINDS to seek spiritual formation and encourage each person's faith journey OPEN DOORS to invite and welcome all to join in discipleship
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Weekly Memo from Prairie Church – January 6, 2008 Christmas Blessings to
you. This Sunday we celebrate the 12th
day of Christmas, more commonly known as Epiphany.
As the magi traveled the roads to visit the Christ, may you also travel
the roads, streets, highways and freeways to meet the Christ in worship
this Sunday. This Sunday we return to our regular worship schedule – 9
a.m. and 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. Our scripture readings for this Sunday conclude the Christmas story with the visit of the magi as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 2:1-12. The title of my message is: “New Vision for A Familiar Life”. The chancel choir will
sing. Meet the Christ as you participate in the sacrament of communion.
Because this is the first Sunday of the month, children will stay in
worship throughout the entire worship service. The intention of doing
this is to help them learn about communion and about the corporate act
of worship. Mittens,
winter hats and socks are still being collected through next
Thursday. These warm gifts will be given to the guests at Simpson
Shelter on January 10th when our congregation
serves the evening meal. Our Annual Church
meeting is scheduled for January 20th after the second
worship service. We will celebrate the past year of ministry, affirm
those who have agreed to serve as spiritual leaders for the coming year
and review membership information. You are invited to bring food to
share for a potluck dinner. Details about what to bring are in the
January Tumbleweed Newsletter. The meeting will be chaired by our
District Superintendent, Rev. Liz Lopez. She will also speak at both
worship services in the morning. Thanks to your
generosity, we were able to pay all of our expenses and budget items for
2007, including our apportionments! This is the 6th year we
have done so. It is a blessing to serve a congregation who appreciates
the ministry of the greater church as we reach out in ministry and
mission around the world. Here
is an Epiphany prayer. It is from
our United Methodist Hymnal, #255:
O God, you made of one blood all nations, and,
by a star in the Easter,
Revealed to all people him whose name is Emmanuel.
Enable us who know your presence with us so to proclaim his unsearchable riches
that all may come to his light and blow before the brightness of his rising,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Amen. See
you in the sanctuary this Sunday, January 6th, at 9 or 10:30
a.m. Blessings, Pastor Mike Miller Weekly Memo from Prairie Church – January 13, 2008 Grace
and peace to you and your household.
During the dark days of January we remember that Jesus is the
light of the world. He calls us to be his light with our lives. This
Sunday we will light the candles to remember the presence of Christ as
we gather to worship at 9 and 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. Our scripture readings for this Sunday focus on the baptism of Jesus. We will be reading from Isaiah 42:1-9 and Matthew 3:13-17. The title of my message is: “A New Beginning”. As part of the story telling of Jesus’ baptism a short drama between Mary and Jesus will be presented by Serra Dewey-Vickery and Brian Dimberg. You will be invited to remember your baptism during worship by coming forward to receive the sign of the cross with water on your forehead or the back of your hand. The
Praise Singers will be providing music for our worship service. Children
will go to Sunday school after the Children’s Time. Our
Annual Church meeting is scheduled for next Sunday, January 20th
after the second worship service. We will celebrate the past year of
ministry, affirm those who have agreed to serve as spiritual leaders for
the coming year and review membership information. You are invited to
bring food to share for a potluck dinner. Details about what to bring
are in the January Tumbleweed Newsletter. The meeting will be chaired
by our District Superintendent, Rev. Liz Lopez. She will also speak
at both worship services in the morning. I
have noticed that after the Christmas lull many people are feeling
extremely busy and rushed once again. Yesterday I received a newsletter
from the Loyola Spirituality Center and on the back of their newsletter
the following blessing was included. I hope you will find it meaningful
for your own busy life as I did for mine. It is from the writings of St.
Therese of Lisieux.
May
today there be peace within.
May you trust God that
you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the
infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and
pass on the love that has been given to you. May
you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let
this presence settle into your bones and allow your soul the Freedom
to sing, dance, praise and love. It
is there for each and every one of us. I
look forward to being in worship with you this Sunday as we allow the
strong love of God to settle into our bones. Blessings, Pastor Mike Miller Weekly Memo from Prairie Church – January 20, 2008 Grace and peace to you
and your household. This Sunday we welcome Metro
West District Superintendent Rev. Liz Lopez to our church.
She will preach at both worship services and following the second
worship service will conduct our Annual Church
Meeting. Our noon meal is potluck. Bring food to share and
enjoy the company of your church family as we break bread together. Our scripture readings for this Sunday focus on life in the early church as recorded in the book of Acts 2:43-47; 4:31-35. The title of the morning message is “Are We Dancing Yet?”. This Sunday is Human Relations Sunday. Each year on the Sunday before Martin Luther King Day the United Methodist denomination invites us to give a gift to support this special offering which is used for work with at risk youth and social justice in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Communion will be served in worship. The Chancel
Choir will also sing at both worship services. The weekend is going to
be cold. Here is a prayer by Richard Foster that can warm your hands as
you pray. It is called “A Prayer at Coffee Time”: Somehow Jesus, I like praying with a cup of coffee in my hands. I guess the warmth of the cup settles me and speaks of the warmth of your love. I hold the cup against my cheek and listen, hushed and still. I blow on the coffee and drink. O Spirit of God, blow across my little life and let me drink in your great Life. Amen. I
look forward to being in worship with you this Sunday as we allow God to
warm our hearts. Worship at 9 or 10:30 a.m. The heat will be on!! Blessings, Pastor
Mike Miller Weekly Memo from Prairie Church – January 27, 2008 Warm greetings to you
in these cold winter days. Each day we gain a minute or more of
daylight. In winter darkness we long for more light. The scriptures for
this Sunday offer the hope brought by light. From Isaiah
9:2 the prophet declares: “The people who walked in darkness have seen
a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them
light has shined”. The Christian community believes that
Jesus is the longed-for light. We give thanks for the light of his life
and love in the church season of Epiphany.
Through his life and ministry Jesus became the light and hope for
others. This work cannot be done alone, so he calls disciples in every
age to embody and share his light and hope with the darkness and trouble
of the world This Sunday our worship service is centered on Jesus’ calling the disciples. We will read the Gospel story from Matthew 4:12-23. But the story is also a call for disciples and followers of Jesus’ way in our own time. The title of my message, based on this scripture is “A New Calling”. Special music will be
provided by the Men’s Quartet. This Sunday, Pastor
Lisa will be on retreat with 45 women from the church. Together they
will be spending the weekend at the Dunrovin Retreat Center north of
Stillwater. Keep them in your prayers as they spend time developing
friendships and centering their lives more fully in Christ. This week our organist,
W. Zachary Taylor, gave us notice that he will be taking a job in
a church closer to his home in St. Paul. His last Sunday with us will be
February 10th. I have appreciated Zach’s wonderful talent
in leading singing in worship and his contributions to the Choir and
Praise Singers. We will miss him but wish him well. The Staff Parish
Relations Ministry Team along with Don Prestly, Director of Music
Ministry and myself, will begin the search for a new person to provide
accompaniment for worship music. As we think about
discipleship and the call to follow Jesus this Sunday, I offer you the
following prayer that is credited to Joe Seramane of South Africa: You
asked for my hands that you might use them for your purpose. I
gave them for a moment then withdrew them, for the work was hard. You
asked for my mouth to speak out against injustice. I
gave you a whisper that I might not be accused. You
asked for my eyes to see the pain of poverty. I
closed them for I did not want to see. You
asked for my life that you might work through me. I
gave a small part that I might not be too involved. Lord,
forgive my calculated efforts to serve you only when it is convenient
for me to do so, only in the places where it is safe to do so, and only
with those who make it easy to do so. Forgive me, renew me and send me out as a usable instrument that I might take seriously the meaning of your cross I
look forward to being in worship with you this Sunday as we allow God to
challenge us to be disciples who bring light to our world. As always,
worship is at 9 or 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. Blessings, Pastor Mike Miller
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