“I deceive myself, as a monk and as a writer. Trying to do things that are beyond me. Trying to have something to say about everything. Not enough mistrust of my own opinion.”
– Thomas Merton

Do you ever read or hear something and get caught up short because the comment or insight is just a little too spot on? I felt that tug of conviction when I came across this Thomas Merton quote recently. Merton was a catholic monk and influential writer on issues of spirituality from the first half of the 20th century. While he never preached weekly or lived in a social media world where people randomly shout out their opinions, he captured the self-deception of out time: thinking we need to share and have valuable opinions on every subject imaginable.

I have 9 years of post-high school education in both management and theology. I am pretty knowledgable about theology and church administration, but even in my study for sermons I will frequently come across a commentary that I do not have the background knowledge to follow. They use words and reference other sources with which I am unfamiliar. Even where I have some expertise, I run into the limits of my knowledge often.

In a culture that encourages us to have an opinion about everything, I appreciate Merton’s reminder to mistrust our opinions more, to be cautious of thinking we understand an issue more than we really do.

Besides, I think our world does not need more opinions, but more compassion and love. It needs less anger and shouting and more humble listening.

Our world needs more people reaching out and caring for people like the Rissley family who are grieving the loss of their daughter and sister Ruby. If you want to support them, you can still sign-up for our spaghetti dinner tomorrow night here. Seriously, signing up will help us plan and cook more efficiently and get you your food a little faster. 🙂

Our world needs more people praying for Steve Landstra and feeding hungry kids and mentoring kids struggling in school and making sure families have the basics necessities of life.

Our world needs our love way more than our opinions. So, I’m trying to stick to what I do know and, even more, stick to how God has called us to live: loving our neighbors.

It’s one of the values of Zion I appreciate the most. We desire to love and care for our local community.

– Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather in person at 9 am and online at both 9 and 11 am. You can find the services either on our Facebook page or at zionreformed.online.church. We will also rebroadcast the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.(I heard recently WCET has been having problems with the audio on several of their broadcasts. We have been in contact with them and hope they can resolve the issue.)

Christianity at its core is not about thinking the right things about God or knowing our Bibles inside and out, but about following Jesus. The earliest believers were called Christians because they looked and acted like little Christs, little Jesuses. In Mark 7, Jesus has a conflict with the Pharisees about their marks of the people of God. Is it about following the right rules or the attitude of their heart?

If you have not responded to the survey about Palm Sunday and Easter attendance, please do so soon. Your responses will help our Consistory determine how to enable everyone to gather for worship in ways that make sense for them, align with any health directives, and inspire us all on these great celebrations in the church year. You can fill out the survey here.

This week we are also asking people to consider giving to our benevolence fund. Over the last year, we have been intentional to care for those in financial distress and our benevolence fund is running low. Thank you for your continued generous support of the ministries of Zion.

Grow in Community
If you would like to keep up with Steve Landstra’s health journey as he battles lung cancer, the family has set up a CaringBridges page and you can find it here.

In the last decade, a giant cultural wave has swept the North American church into a brand new world — a pluralistic, complicated, high-tech/low-touch world that has only been accelerated during this Covid-time. Facing the challenge of engaging a jaded world, a fresh expression has emerged alongside the traditional church. If you have any interest in church planting or how to reach new generations, join us for a 3 week discussion led by Andrew Moore of the book Fresh Expressions of the Church. You can sign-up for this book discussion by e-mailing Pastor Greg at gbrower@zionreformed.org.

We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below (and thank you to everyone who reminded that Luke only has 24 chapters and not chapters 25 and 26 I included in last weeks e-mail):
Monday: John 3
Tuesday: John 4
Wednesday: John 5
Thursday: John 6
Friday: John 7

You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.

Serve the World
Many of you have heard the story of Ruby Rissley who tragically lost her life last week.  A GoFundMe page has raised money for her family and some of you may have even donated there already, if so thanks for supporting them.  So why are we doing a spaghetti dinner as a fundraiser?

Some of you may know that Bursley elementary (where Ruby attended) was the first location for Zion Reformed Church.  A couple years ago this school was put on our hearts to create a partnership that has crossed paths with the personal care pantry and Camp Zion.  Recently we have extended our relationship with Bursley by mentoring students (Kids Hope) and often writing cards and bringing snacks for the staff as encouragement.

We now have an opportunity to show God’s love, care, and support to the Rissley family, Bursley staff, students, and parents as they deal with many emotions and questions.

If possible please come through on Friday night (March 5th) from 4:00 pm  – 7:00 pm. You can sign-up for a pickup time, place your order, and make a donation here: https://zionreformed.breezechms.com/form/09e71c

If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Chip Harkes, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is chip@harkeslandscape.com and his phone number is 616-299-4804.

Administration
We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.

Fiscal Year to Date Budget:  $409,744.92
Fiscal Year to Date Contribution: $400,118.47
Giving Last Week: $6,743.00