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Midweek Blast of Epiphany Light

June 1, 2016

Searching for Sacred
Not too long ago Gina (my wife) and I had slipped into a bad habit  Anytime we were in the car or bored, we would call each other on our cell phones.  We didn't have anything specific or important to talk about; we just used the call to pass the time.  Where this became a problem was when we were home or out together (just the 2 of us - as rare as that was) we struggled to talk with each other.  We had so cheapened our conversations by using the other as a way to pass the time that when it became time to connect, we had conditioned ourselves to see these conversations as just a way to pass the time.  They were no longer sacred.  
 
Just a few years ago there were three words that would stop time as we knew it: It's long distance!  When I was a kid my parents usually called their parents on Sunday (I guess it was cheaper that way) and when their parents would call, whoever answered the phone would furtively whisper those three magic words which was code for don't move and don't speak!  Those were sacred calls and we, the entire family, treated them as such.  Now we have things like Skype where not only can we call someone for free but we can talk to them over video from opposite sides of the globe.  Those were sacred moments.
 
If you are younger, this might sound like the stone-age, but there was a time when families only had 1 TV!  (Did you gasp?)  And when there was an annual or significant program on, the entire family gathered around the TV and watched it together.  They didn't have their personal screens or TVs in the bedrooms, just 1 TV in the entire house!  These moments became events that everyone was a part of, together, united.  These events no longer exist.  We now have DVRs, clouds, streaming, and on-demand.  We are in control and we watch what we want, when we want to watch it.  These once sacred moments have become extinct.
 
I worry that nothing is sacred anymore.  We don't have to wait for anything and we have our personal everything.  One of the things we have lost over time is sacred time with others.  Churches have even gone this route too with virtual services and live streaming worship.  From the beginning we were instructed to keep one day sacred, the Sabbath.  Jesus routinely took the disciples away, where they found sacred time.  They would gather around a table and break ordinary bread and drink common wine, but, in those moments and with the presence of the divine, they became sacred.  They were filled and changed by these experiences.  The sacred was essential to who they were.
 
What is sacred in your life?  That thing that you will always take time out for, that thing that you will bring your life to a screeching halt to give it your complete and undivided attention?  If the only thing that comes to mind is something in your pocket that beeps and buzzes, I challenge you to find something that actually matters.  If you are a parent, are you modeling for your kids what it means to have something sacred in your life?  We can't go back in time and make things the way they were (no one is going to throw out their extra TVs and leave only 1), but we can reclaim those sacred moments and rediscover something holy.  Will you do it?  How?

Peace,
 
Chris 
 
Wednesdays at the Well tonight
Wednesdays at the Well icon
Wednesdays at the Well is our midweek service. Come worship with us at 7 p.m.!
Community meals at 6 p.m. and Imagine children's choir will resume on August 17th.

Pastor Chris will begin a study of the Book of Psalms in June. 

Come, be refreshed at the Well!

Register NOW for VBS! Invite friends!
"Surf Shack" Catch the Wave of God's Amazing Love
Visit the table in the lobby and sign up soon! Our vacation bible school will be held June 27-July 1 from 9-12. All children ages 3 through 5th grade are invited. Register here:http://2016.cokesburyvbs.com/epiphanysuwanee

 
The Experience Touring Choir
Coming to Epiphany June 24, 7 p.m.
Pastor Chris's former church, Christ Lutheran in Charlotte, NC, is bringing 62 high school students to our church to complete their summer tour. The Experience program, At Your Command, focuses on the 10 Commandments and their meaning for our life today. It is their mission to tell the story of Christ to the world through contemporary song, drama, dance, visual arts and much more!

Come and enjoy a family friendly night of laughter, music, and worship. This performance is free and open to the public. 

Invite your friends and neighbors!
 
Rainbow Village Summer Lunches
Please donate a $20 Publix gift card!
To help with Rainbow Village's summer programming, Epiphany will be providing one week's worth of sack lunches for their children attending day camp in June. That's 250 sack lunches! Our children and youth added a personal touch to these lunch bags by decorating them during the formation hour on May 8th.  Please bring your gift cards to church by June 14th!
 
 A new playground is coming!
June 1
Epiphany is breaking ground on a brand-new outdoor playground! This fantastic play area will be fenced in and safe for children. 

Stay tuned for more information on how you can be a part of this by donating a swing, slide, or tunnel. 
 
Car Wash for Haiti Summer Camp
Car Wash art Father's Day, June 19th
Get Dad's car washed (and yours!) Sunday, June 19th. Our youth traveling to Haiti this summer will be washing cars at church before and after services. Freewill donations will support their trip!
 
We need your plastic bottles!
Save your plastic bottles for VBS!
Please save your clean, empty plastic juice bottles (Naked, Bolthouse) with lids, 16 oz. Pepsi product plastic bottles with lids, or ICE plastic bottles with lids. Place in bags and mark VBS. Thank you! 

Epiphany tip: Bring your own cup to Wednesdays at the Well dinner and coffee cup on Sunday to reduce plastic and styrofoam waste.
 
Epiphany Lutheran Church
1350 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Suwanee, GA  30024
770-831-1966