Guest preacher Frank Rose |
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New Years Eve service at 11 am Sunday Frank Rose, Pastor Emeritus, will lead the service this Sunday - New
Year's Eve day at the normal time - 11 am. His topic is "It's About Time." See below for some readings for reflection on the topic.
New Activities for a New Year
I am looking forward to this new year
together as a church! We have a lot to do and a lot to offer. For instance, we start a fresh Journey of Spiritual Growth at the end of January - on the very important topic of FORGIVENESS - and right after that 5-week series, we host a booth at the amazing Festival of Books on Choosing the Joy of Spiritual Growth.
And every day, something significant is happening at "the church with the heavenly view" - whether it be a small group, a
meeting, a worship service, counseling, a wedding, a celebration of life, or some other service to the community. Sunrise Chapel is an active place for supporting spiritual growth in all sorts of practical ways. And I appreciate every person's involvement! And this week Elise and I are thoroughly enjoying getting to know our newest grandchild, Alder, born on Christmas Day!
Thinking of you with love and respect,Nathan |
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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL
SUNDAY 12/31/2017 NEW YEAR'S EVE 11 am Worship Service - Frank Rose, preaching 12:00 pm Luncheon - Everyone Welcome!
NO Tai Chi today - will resume January
4 TUESDAY 1/2/2018 6:30 pm
Bereavement Support Group
WEDNESDAY 1/3/2018 No Worship Team meeting this week - will resume January 10 Nathan returns to Tucson at night
11 am Tai Chi resumes today 6:30 pm Global Chant in the Chapel
11 am Worship Service + Holy Supper 12:00 pm Luncheon - Everyone Welcome!
Welcome our newest
grandchild! |
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Elise and I are delighted to announce the arrival of our newest grandchild, Alder Nathan Smith! We are with his family and some of our other kids in Mitchellville, MD. He and his mom are doing great! Getting lots of love. |
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Last Sunday's Christmas
Services |
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What a delight to be with everyone who showed up for each of the 4 unique services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
We started with a small group at 11 am on Sunday
with a focus on the interplay of planning and spontaneity in the Christmas story. The Lord planned His birth for thousands of years, and yet He also allowed for the spontaneous response of those who experienced His advent.
The 5 pm Christmas Eve service featured the theme of
EXCITEMENT, including an over-the-top interview with two shepherds who had just seen baby Jesus! Thank you Danny and Lily! Also, "Sunrise Sammie" blessed us with a delightful slideshow for the lyrics and background visuals - featuring her creative artwork. Plus, we enjoyed a beautiful solo by guest singer, Rayna - "Mary Did You Know?" A wonderful collection of gifts for the children were provided by Christine Morey and Linda Waddell. Refreshments by Elise were enjoyed after the
service.
At 8 pm we had another small group experience surrounded by candlelight, with reflective readings and a tender video about the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit on Mary and on each of us in our own lives.
Christmas morning focused on innocence - the Lord's innocence in being willing to be born into our world for the sake of leading each of us - and the whole world - to spiritual health and happiness.
Thank you to everyone for making each of our Christmas services enjoyable and meaningful - the decorations, the music, all the volunteers that make each service run smoothly, and everyone for your participation.
Nathan |
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A Beautiful New Resource for Spiritual
Growth |
It is with excitement and delight that I share news of a new product from the Spiritual Growth Foundation - a professionally designed and produced deck of 52 spiritual growth task cards to help individuals and groups with their ongoing joy of spiritual living!
This is a
fresh approach to "choosing joy now" that’s been in the works for about nine months. It’s a set of 52 task cards plus instructions for how to use them individually or in a group. This is the first phase of the project. The next step is to add supporting information for each task on the ChooseJoyNow.org
website. These cards are ready to use for individuals or group leaders. Thanks to Sammie Alijagic for her design and artwork and to Kelly Woofenden for her leadership in getting them produced and to Frank Rose for creating the content.
They are available at the church for $10 per deck (not including
postage if you want it shipped - we are still working on that). We only have about 24 decks left out of the 100 that we ordered! Talk with Kelly Woofenden to get yours! And let us know how you use them!
Gratefully, Nathan Gladish
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Our friend Bronwen Henry from New Church Outreach has this announcement about a new book written by a colleague of mine - Derek Elphick:
I'm happy to announce our newest book: "Daily Bread 365 Readings & Inspirations for Living Well" by Rev. Derek Elphick. Available to order online today at www.newchristianresources.org
In 1999 I was in England and came across an old leather bound daily reader of Bible quotes and quotes from the Writings (I think it was called "All the Year Round"). Though I loved this book, the translations were challenging for me. Then in 2007, I was talking with Derek Elphick at an outreach training event and he
mentioned his interest in developing a daily reader. I was so thrilled to hear this and told him I'd help him produce it when he finished it. I'm grateful he worked so diligently on this for years...and here we are! Perfect timing as a gift for Christmas and you can start reading in the New Year.
As Derek writes, “My
prayer is that you will find something to help you experience the daily care, comfort, hope and insight that the Lord provides in His Word. Whether you are in between errands, on a lunch break, waiting at a doctor’s office, finishing your day or having a morning quiet time, I warmly invite you to engage the ideas here with an openness for how the Lord will lead you today.”
Daily Bread is available to purchase at www.NewChristianResources.org for $19.99. Use coupon code: MANNA365 for $5 off until the end of the year This book makes a wonderful gift!
With gratitude, Bronwen Henry
Program Manager New Church
Journey
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Readings for Reflection on this Sunday's
topic |
Psalm 90:1-4, 10-12
A prayer of Moses, the man of God
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all
generations.
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Luke 12:13-21
The Parable of the Rich Fool
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an
arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But
God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Divine Love and Wisdom (Dole) n. 73
Space in the physical world can be measured, and so can time. Time
is measured in days, weeks, months, years, and centuries; days are measured in hours; weeks and months in days; years in the four seasons; and centuries in years. The physical world gets these measurements from the apparent circuit and rotation of earth's sun.
In the spiritual world, time is not divided into segments the way it is in our world because their sun is always in its east. It never moves. It is actually the Lord's divine love that angels see as their sun.
This means that they do not have days, weeks, months, years, or centuries, but states of life instead. It provides them with divisions that cannot be called divisions into time segments, only divisions of state. This is why angels do not know what time is, and why they think of state when time is mentioned. Further, when it is state that determines time, time is only an appearance. A pleasant state makes time seem brief, and an unpleasant one makes it seem
long.
“Blessed is everyone who hears the Word of God and keeps it.”
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Helping people experience heavenly joy through spiritual growth www.sunrisechapel.org
nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245
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