Salt - A Vital Element of Spiritual Life
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What does the Bible teach us about seasoning with salt?
And why should we care?
With all the practical challenges we face and crises in the world, what difference does it make how Biblical people used salt?
Because it has symbolic meaning that can help us improve the way we handle our challenges and how we respond to crises.
Jesus called His disciples, "the salt of the earth" in Matthew 5:13. Our Lord wants us to be spiritually "salted."
The Apostle Paul urged the Christians in the town of Colosse, "Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:6
So what does salt symbolize for us spiritually, and why is it such a vital element for our spiritual daily bread? Come this Sunday to explore why it's so important to season our lives and conversations with spiritual salt.
Holy Supper this Sunday, Nov. 3
This Sunday will be our next regular opportunity to celebrate Communion or Holy Supper together. We incorporate it at the end of our Sunday service on the first Sunday of every other month.
The next "public" celebration will be the first Sunday of January. Di you know that I am also able and willing to offer the Holy Supper privately or in small groups on request? Sometimes people like to celebrate the completion of a small group series by doing something special. I am happy to help by facilitating an informal service of Holy Supper at the church or another location of the group's
choice. Just let me know in advance so that I can plan on it.
Join a Small Group for Spiritual Growth!
Consider joining one of our small groups to focus together on one spiritual growth task per week. Each task can help you deal with some of your challenges and turn them into opportunities for experiencing heavenly joy!
There is beauty and power in sharing this precious work in a safe small group.
Wednesdays at 6:30 pm, led by Frank Rose in the Chapel
Sundays at 9:15 am, led by Kelly Woofenden in the Library
In progress: "Sunrise Chapel 101" aka New Church Foundations Small Group
Last Wednesday we took up the subject of Living and Growing Spiritually. This week we'll focus on Chapter 5 in the text: The universal nature of the Lord's Church and the importance of building spiritual community.
If you have participated in this course in the past but missed some sessions, feel free to join us! Wednesdays at 2 pm.
With love and respect,
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ANNOUNCING:
Special Church Meeting & Special Guest - November 16 & 17
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Our Semi-annual Sunrise Chapel meeting for all members and friends will be held on Sunday, November 17 during the luncheon. We are required by our Corporate By-Laws to have two such meetings a year, and our semi-annual meeting is held in the Fall.
Special Guest - David Frazier
I am happy to welcome a key administrator from the financial offices of our church's headquarters in Bryn Athyn, PA, Mr. David Frazier. He will meet with our treasurer, Bill Smith, and our local Board of Directors on Saturday, Nov. 16. And he will attend our church service and our semi-annual meeting on Sunday, Nov. 17 so that he can get to know us and we can get to know him.
I am so grateful (and I trust you are too!) for the financial support that our church headquarters has given Sunrise Chapel over the decades. This is an opportunity for us to share our mutual appreciation for the generosity and to work collaboratively towards financial sustainability.
Please help welcome him with your presence at the church service and the meeting during our luncheon. ~ Nathan
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Livestream and
Archive Videos of our 11 am Worship Services
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Thank you to our volunteers in the sound booth every Sunday for helping make our livestream happen. We are finding that it is a long learning curve to get all the sound levels tuned, so thank you for your patience. And please give me input based on your listening experience.
If you subscribe to our YouTube channel, you can get an alert when we go live on Sunday morning. If you bookmark the link in your favorite browser, you can also easily view any available archived service anytime.
There is really no substitute for worshiping together in person with all the nuances of community, personal connection, and interaction, but modern technology does provide a great window into the experience.
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THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL
9:15 am Spiritual Growth Group, led by Kelly Woofenden
10 am Music rehearsal
11 am Worship Service - Nathan Gladish, preaching
Holy Supper toward the end of the service
12 noon Luncheon
MONDAY 11/4/2018
11 am Tai Chi class (Basic)
6:30 pm Bereavement Support Group
WEDNESDAY 11/6/2019
9:30 am Worship Team mtg
2 pm "New Church 101" meeting, led by Nathan Gladish
6:30 pm Spiritual Growth Group, led by Frank Rose
THURSDAY 11/7/2019
11 am Tai Chi class (Yang 24)
Women's Group - Contact Elise Gladish for details
FRIDAY 11/8/2019
4:30 pm Teen Time at the church
11 am Worship Service - Nathan Gladish, preaching
12 noon Luncheon
Here's a fun incentive to donate to charity
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THE 2019 JIM CLICK RAFFLE benefits Tucson charitable organizations
Purchase one or more chances to win one of three great prizes
If you buy one or more tickets through our Spiritual Growth Foundation, the entire purchase price will help with operational expenses for the Arizona Spiritual Growth Foundation and for Sunrise Chapel. You can buy one chance for $25 or 5 chances for $100.
See Kelly Woofenden or Carol Craft for tickets and more information. Or write to kelly@woofenden.net
You can purchase with cash, or write a check to AZ Spiritual Growth Foundation, or use a credit card, or use PayPal.
Purchase tickets any time this month. You don't have to live in the area to participate. You don't have to be present to win. The ticket stubs will be collected until December 1 and then delivered to the Jim Click Raffle headquarters on December 2. The drawing will be held on December 13, 2019.
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Thanks to a generous grant from the Asplundh Foundation!
The paved sections of the Sunrise Chapel parking lot will be resealed and the parking spaces repainted next Thursday and Friday, November 7 & 8, weather permitting. The original amount granted for this job is less than the actual amount we will owe on completion. In other words, it will cost more than we expected. If you feel called to make a special additional donation to Sunrise Chapel for this
job, please speak with our treasurer, Bill Smith. FYI, the difference is $3,000.
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Readings for this
Sunday's 11 am Worship Service
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A Salt Miracle
2 Kings 2:19-21
The people of Jericho said to Elisha, “Look, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”
Elisha replied, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.
Jesus Teaches about Salt
Mark 9:50
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
What Does Salt Symbolize?
Secrets of Heaven §10300 Swedenborg
The symbolism of salt is the longing a love of truth has for goodness. Something salted is something that holds such a longing.
Truth should have a longing for goodness because such a longing is capable of uniting the two. The more truth yearns for goodness the more it unites with goodness.
The union of truth and goodness is what is called the heavenly marriage, which is heaven itself with us. So when a longing for this union is present in the worship of God and in all aspects of that worship, heaven and therefore the Lord are present in all aspects of it.
Salt takes this symbolism from its connective nature, because it bonds everything together—which is how it makes everything taste good.
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Your church home for partnering with the Lord and each other in the practice of cultivating spiritual growth and choosing heavenly joy www.sunrisechapel.org nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245 |
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