Doing What Matters 

God's Purpose for the New England Synod

 to go where love leads

 to serve where love calls 

"Doing What Matters" Devotions

Session 6: Asking Purposeful Questions

Bible Passage

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, "Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John" -- although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized -- he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."  (John 4:1-15)

Guided Imagery 

Let's Pray -- Ignatian Examen 

• Make yourself comfortable.  Rest in silence for a few moments.
• Pray that the Holy Spirit will direct your thoughts.
• Think back on this day.
• What one moment brought you joy today?  What happened in that moment that made it life-giving?  Savor that moment -- thank God for that moment.
• What one moment would you change today?  What made that moment so difficult?  Reflect on that moment in the light of God's love -- ask God for healing for that moment.

Prayer 

Mothering God, we give you thanks for always being with us -- in the joyful moments and in the difficult moments of our days -- and for always listening to our questions.  Give us courage to keep questioning, as we seek to know you more deeply. We pray in the strong name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

God's Hands at Work after Hurricane Irene

After all the news reports and videos about the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene, Pr. Peggy Yingst, Trinity Lutheran Church, Brattleboro, Vt., has a different story to tell. And it's one that made her cry, but in a good way.

In a reflection he emailed two days after Hurricane Irene, Pr. Geoff Sinibaldo, St. Michael's Lutheran Church, New Canaan, Conn., writes: "Christ is at work among us as we count on each other, too. The Spirit, a mighty wind more powerful than any storm of life can ever be, continues to raise us from the dead."

Click here to read both.

Was your congregation among those impacted by Hurricane Irene? If so, we would love to hear your story, and perhaps even publish it on our website. Click here. 

The Deaconess Community of the ELCA offers mission support grants for new programs being developed by congregations and non-profit organizations. Several congregations, as well as Lutheran Social Services, are past grant recipients. The program must have:

• A gospel-centered purpose that proclaims and furthers the reign of God among us
• A prophetic diakonia that commits itself to risk taking and innovative service on the frontiers of the church's outreach
• Cooperative partnerships that invite participation, bridge divisions, and accompany others in mission
• Inclusivity in mission that affirms the individual gifts of all people
• Stewardship that respects God's gifts of time, talents and resources 

The Deaconess Community provides funding, prayer support and guidance. Letters of intent are due Jan. 15, 2012. Click here to learn more or contact Sister Virginia E. Strahan or Sister Carol M. Weaver, the two deaconesses serving in New England. 

Since the early church when Paul made his living as a tent maker as he also pastored churches, bivocational ministry has played an important role in the life of the church. Bivocational ministry is where a rostered leader -- pastor, associate in ministry, deaconess or diaconal minister -- works part time in the parish and part time at other work, usually outside the church. If you currently do bivocational ministry, are interested in doing it, or want to talk about how we can make it a more intentional form of ministry in the New England Synod, then contact the Rev. Karen Safstrom or Kathy Read. We are looking to get interested people together to discuss this exciting form of ministry and to see where it leads! 

Save these dates for retreats sponsored by the New England Women of the ELCA: 

1) Feed the Woman: The Third Course, a day to feed and refresh the mind, body and spirit, Saturday, Oct. 1, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m at Trinity Lutheran Church, Worcester, Mass. Learn about Rejoicing Spirits, an alternative worship for people with disabilities; share in bible study -- one traditional, one not; explore the Worcester Art Museum; eat, laugh and worship. Cost $25. Contact Stephanie Sherry or Kristin Fredrickson, co-chairs. 

2) Region 7 Women's Spiritual Retreat, "Angels among Us," April 27-29, 2012, at The Purdy Center at Camp-of-the-Woods, Speculator, Contact O'B Rock.

3) The 2012 biennial convention of the New England Women of the ELCA Oct. 26-27, 2012, at Calumet Lutheran Camp and Conference Center, Freedom, N.H. Contact Elizabeth Burgess or Denise Puisto, co-chairs.