THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Nov. 21, 2021, Gathering and Devotion on Zoom this Sunday, the Reign of Christ Sunday. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com.
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Dear Community of Pilgrims!
The old year is soon over, and a new year begins in the life of the Church. This Sunday is the Reign of Christ Sunday, or what we used to call “Christ the King Sunday,” created by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Next Sunday is the beginning of a new church year, with the first Sunday of Advent. In using the Revised Common Lectionary, we move forward in the cycle of readings for the year. While Mark was our primary Gospel reading for the past few months, we will now turn to Luke, the Physician, as our primary Gospel text for the coming year. So, Happy New Year!
This week’s Scripture focus is Revelation 1:4b-8. What really stood out in my reading this passage and thinking about the Reign of Christ Sunday is the focus on the time of God, or where God is in terms of time. Granted, we know there is “chronos” time, or human time, set by watches and calendars to remind us of what day it is and what time it is. Then there is “Kairos” time, or God-time, in which, well, God knows what this means. God does not set time according to dates and chronological time. In vs. 8, there is this statement from God: “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” While this day has been filled with images of sacrifice, kingdoms, and a sense of the imperial since it was created and set aside in the 1920s, this passage from Revelation reminds us that God is not just beginning and end, Alpha and Omega, but is the divine presence of days gone by, today, and tomorrow, which cannot be erased from our human experience. What the book of Revelation does is lift the veil of our shrouded existence, in which we sometimes can only think one day at a time, and remind us that our future is in God, with God, by God, and God with us. Join us this Sunday as we celebrate that we live in the presence of the God who is, who was, and who is to come.
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Just a reminder. Please consider how you can support us the Community of Pilgrims in 2022. We sent out pledge forms this week, and ask that you return them to Bill Kinsey, our Treasurer, by Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021. Thank you for considering this request.
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Events!
Nov. 21, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom! Pledge Sunday! Reign of Christ Sunday.
Nov. 28, 4:30 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom! First Sunday of Advent.
Dec. 5, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom! Second Sunday of Advent.
Dec. 12, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom! Third Sunday of Advent.
Dec. 19, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom! Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Dec. 24, 7 pm, Christmas Eve service at Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church.
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Prayers of Celebration and Concern
We pray to the Creator of all creation:
· Hal Lee who has Alzheimer's and who is not doing well following the passing of his wife Anna Lou Lee this past week.
· Philip Cuomo, friend of Arlena and Bill's, who has progressive lymphoma and just moved into hospice.
· Celebrations for reduced pain for Yarrow who has metastatic cancer.
· The one million children who were able to get the COVID vaccine.
· Younger children will soon be able to get vaccinated.
· People in Ethiopia living through a civil war, as well as other countries caught in this same spiral of violence.
· Widower Ross Fraser and the family of Joan Grimm who died from complications of surgery.
· The family of Ron Frase, Whitworth Professor, who died last week.
· Celebration that Marge Stockwell has moved into a memory care home closer to Patty and she is able to get around.
· Celebrations for Christian's Birthday on Saturday.
· Celebrations for Linda's friend Lynn whose tests showed no signs of her colon cancer.
· Lorinda's friend she visited in California last week.
· Gratitude from Joan Goldhammer, Roxanne's friend, for attending our gathering today and gratitude that she joined us.
· A long-time friend, Sheryl Palmatier, died after complications from a fall.
· For Caroline Blackburn, who is dying of cancer.
“God, in your love, attend our prayers…”
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Poem
Christ the King, by Malcolm Guite
Our King is calling from the hungry furrows
Whilst we are cruising through the aisles of plenty,
Our hoardings screen us from the man of sorrows,
Our soundtracks drown his murmur: ‘I am thirsty’.
He stands in line to sign in as a stranger
And seek a welcome from the world he made,
We see him only as a threat, a danger,
He asks for clothes, we strip-search him instead.
And if he should fall sick then we take care
That he does not infect our private health,
We lock him in the prisons of our fear
Lest he unlock the prison of our wealth.
But still on Sunday we shall stand and sing
The praises of our hidden Lord and King.
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Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.