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Eastertide at Christ Church
Friday, May 20, 2011
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Whoever you are, and wherever you
find yourself on the journey of faith, you are welcome at Christ
Church, as you are, to receive the blessings of God so freely given.
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| Friends:
"Do you believe that Gandhi is in heaven or hell?" is a question pastors, myself included, are often asked. Folks have asked more recently because of the book Love Trumps by evangelical pastor Rob Bell who rejects, to the consternation of many Christians, a literal hell. Theologically, the question is an important one: Did Christ's sacrifice on the cross make possible all of humanity's salvation, regardless of a personal faith in Christ, or is faith in Christ necessary? It is a question posed by the gospel reading for this Sunday from the Gospel of John: "Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.'" I'll grapple with this in the sermon this Sunday and make my case for an inclusive Christianity.
Have you noticed how abundant the new vegetable garden is in the North Garden, lovingly planted and tended to by a trove of volunteer gardeners? Today, George and Helen Niedermayer are harvesting and bagging lettuce and radishes and delivering them to the St. Peter's Food Cupboard, and tomorrow these fresh vegetables will be in food distribution packets. The garden volunteers meet next on Saturday morning, June 11 at 9 AM, and your help is always needed. I keep reading that the fastest way to end food insecurity, which is rampant in Philadelphia, is to cultivate small vegetable gardens in unused areas. Possibly, we are onto something important, transformative and godly.
Speaking of godly work, I was very moved this past Wednesday to join a dozen tutors from Christ Church as they completed an afterschool course on the art of writing college essays for students at the nearby charter high school (CHAD). Gail and Eliot Larson report that we'll need even more tutors this fall to meet the demand for the two programs we staff, so please consider your volunteering next September now. You can be in touch with the Larson's here.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week on churches offering assistance seeking employment. Our group, led by Mike Landis, meets Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM. Details in the weekly announcements.
Marianne Lipson, soprano in the Christ Church choir, offers a recital in the Great Hall, Tuesday May 24, at 7:30 PM, accompanied by Parker Kitterman. Music will include opera, American songbook, Berlin, Rossini and Mozart. Admission is free.
Timothy Safford
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Sunday, May 22--The Fifth Sunday of Easter
9 AM--The Holy Eucharist, Hymns and Sermon
10:10--The Forum: Where Scripture Meets Real Life
11 AM--The Holy Eucharist, Sermon and Choral Music
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For this Week's News and Announcements. . . .
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