Twice a year we receive a special offering to benefit our local mission efforts.  Our second and final special offering for this purpose is on Sunday.  We are dedicating this offering to support our commitment to and partnership with an ecumenical construction effort currently underway in Delaware; Apostle Build III.

Apostle Build III is (as the name implies) the third Habitat home constructed in this area as a collaborative effort of local churches. It is the first such project in which Zion has been an active partner.  We hope you can help with this Sunday's special offering.

We have already raised $2,000 of the $3,000 Zion has committed to the project. Help us reach our goal! 

Not only are we raising funds to support this important project. We also hope members are excited about working on the site.  There are volunteer orientations already being scheduled for those who would like to work on the site.  See our Ministers of Mission (Mike, Nancy or Konrad) for details.

Was the sabbath day, from the beginning, a day of rest? Was it originally a day of praising and worshipping God? That doesn't appear to be the case.  In fact its origins appear to support almost an opposite conclusion.  It was a deference to evil, not to good, that precipitated the early observance of a sabbath; a day not necessarily of rest but a day where activities and occupations were sharply curtailed in order that evil spirits were not awakened to harm humanity.

That is certainly not our understanding today.  By the time early Jewish populations settled in Canaan they had adopted, from their predecessors on that land, a sabbath observance.  It had been changed over time, however, to "a day of positive worship of the Deity, characterized not only by complete abstention from all ordinary occupations and activities but also by assemblage in temple or synagogue and sacrifice or prayer and ritual observance there." (New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible).

The nature of the sabbath observance had changed over many, many centuries.  By the time of Jesus, it was deeply engrained within the Jewish consciousness and religious observance of the sabbath was to be strictly observed.  

Jesus had a different idea of the sabbath.  Rather than being strictly bound by the laws, rules and regulations of centuries of tradition, Jesus' actions contravened the law when it was appropriate.  When was it appropriate?  When God's love demanded it.  We see that clearly demonstrated in our text this week which recounts the story of the "bent over" woman who was "straightened" by the healing touch of Jesus.  You know the story.  Jesus was criticized by those within the synagogue for "working" on the sabbath day.  (Luke 13:10-17).

These changing understandings brought into our minds and into our hearts by God's love are still happening.  God is still speaking.  What examples of this do you see in your own life?  By the power of the Holy Spirit, our hearts have been opened and Jesus has entered.  This will be the focus of our attention on Sunday.  I can't wait to see you to hear your stories. 

Acolyte