Zion E-News (1-13-2022)
A year ago yesterday, my older sister’s father-in-law died after a long journey with Alzheimers. Wayne Leys was a friend and mentor to me for many years. When I lived in Chicago, he was pastoring a church in the suburbs and he and his wife Christine let me stay with them when the lease on my apartment ran out a week before my job ended. When we were living in Colorado, I spent 4 days with Wayne, my dad, and brother-in-law hiking the Grand Canyon from the North rim to the South rim. He gave me some wise counsel on some perplexing issues. It was hard watching this wise, well read, and thoughtful man lose so much of what made him uniquely Wayne.
But this morning, my sister posted a picture of Wayne with his arms raised by Lake Michigan in a posture of worship with pure joy etched into every line of his face. The one thing he remembered almost all the way to the end was worship songs, hymns and contemporary praise songs. He simply loved to worship God.
It reminded me of my Grandma Brower’s last few years. She died of Alzheimers while I was in seminary. Several times in those last few years, I would visit her while visiting shut-ins from the church at which I interned. She frequently did not remember me or even that she had grandchildren. Often, I would tell her I was a pastor from her church, which seemed to help her feel safe and comfortable. My favorite visits were on the afternoons when they would sing hymns in the nursing home. She may not have remembered me, but she knew every word of every verse of Amazing Grace.
I am thankful for two things as I reflect on these memories today. First, I am thankful for wonderful mentors and spiritual leaders who went before me and prayed over me in people like Wayne Leys and my Grandma and so many more. The support, wisdom, and prayers of older generations for teens and young adults are a gift to God’s church.
And second, I am thankful for all those who lead God’s people in worship. Our worship teams and audio/visual teams are not simply making music for a service, they are orienting our hearts to God. They are furrowing spiritual grooves in our brains that shape how we see God and ourselves. Music disciples and shapes us spiritually. That is why I am also thankful for the care Jeremy Zoet takes in choosing new songs for our congregation.
The music we sing shapes how we follow Jesus.
– Greg
Connect to God
This week we will gather for worship at 9:30 am. The service will be live-streamed and replayed again at 11 am. This weeks service will be at zionreformed.online.church and streaming on our YouTube channel. We will also rebroadcast a version of the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.
This morning, we continue a sermon series entitled Upside Down Kingdom. This series draws from the gospel lectionary readings, predominantly in Luke, to help us see the counter-cultural values and ways of God’s kingdom. Our text today comes from the gospel of John as Jesus begins his public ministry at a private wedding. In this surprising story, Jesus defiles holy objects to turn water into wine and keep the party going. We rightly wonder what is happening here and what might it mean for us to live in a kingdom that turns sacred objects secular for the sake of a wedding.
Grow in Community
As Covid cases have risen significantly in the past few weeks, please join me in praying for the many people in our church who are or have been quarantined, the kids missing out on school, the teachers and substitutes filling in the gaps, and the hospital staff caring for the many who have been hospitalized. We can be very thankful as this new strain spreads quickly that it is also fairly mild for many and continue to hold up those affected by more severe cases.
Following Kent County Health Department guidelines, we are no longer be requiring children to wear masks in Zion Kids as of last Sunday, January 2, 2022.
Serve the World
Thank you all for your generous donations of money, clothing, diapers, and prayers for Threads clothing ministry. Since Threads opened at Zion in September, we have given away 2,943 pieces of clothing! On average, we give personal care products to 18 families each month and provide diapers for 25 families each month. Currently, we are in need of new underwear and new socks for all ages / sizes, and also in need of plastic white shirt hangers and pants hangers.
Threads will be having a semi-annual sale, which will be open to the public, on Saturday, March 12 from 9am – 1pm. Each and every item in the boutique will be priced at $1. The money raised from this sale is used to self-fund our ministry and purchase needed items. All are invited to come in and shop!
Every fifth Sunday of the month City Chapel, our church plant, celebrates Embrace Sunday. On Embrace Sundays they go out into the community to bless downtown Grand Rapids in some way. City Chapel invites you to join them on their next Embrace Sunday, January 30th, at Degage Ministries where they will be making birthday party kits. If you would like to join them and learn more about this important church plant partner of Zion meet them at 11:15am, Sunday, January 30th at Degage Ministries 121 Sheldon Ave SE, GR.
If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Jerrod Holzgen, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is Jholzgen@yahoo.com and his phone number is 616-520-1771.
Administration
The remodel of our bathrooms began this week. Fixtures are being removed. Walls knocked down. It is a little noisy at times in the offices! You can check out the progress this Sunday when you come for worship. As a reminder, during the remodel, the only restrooms available on the main floor of church can be accessed through the doors at the front of the sanctuary. They are single stall uni-sex restrooms.
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 2021/22 Budget: $358,728.64
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Contributions: $315,455.75
Giving Last Week: $21,400.65
Zion E-News (1-6-2022)
Recently, I was reading through the book of Genesis and spent some time reflecting upon the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18. The story itself is fascinating as Abraham has the audacity to negotiate with God over the future of these two cities. God is going to destroy them for their terrible sins. These sins are illustrated in the story, as Isaiah describes them, as a lack of hospitality and concerns for the foreigner or sojourner. The story is a bit more graphic and involves attempted violence and assault. Abraham first asks God if he will save the city if there are 50 righteous people in the city. Eventually, he gets God down to saving the city if there are only 10 righteous people.
Fifteen years or so ago, Tim Keller observed that Abraham backed down too soon. He should have pushed God to save the city for the sake of one righteous person. A righteous God clearly shouldn’t destroy a righteous person for the sins of others. But Abraham stops at 10. Perhaps, Keller posits, Abraham knew there were no righteous people in that city or the whole world. There was no one righteous enough to save the city. The story then clearly points to our need for the one true righteous person to come, Jesus, who would deliver us from the death to which all sin leads. This is a great point and it preaches so well!
My reflection may not be quite big enough for a whole sermon. What struck me in reflecting on the passage was that Abraham intercedes for his enemies. In chapter 14, Abraham had just gone to war with these kings.They had kidnapped Abraham’s nephew Lot and Abraham had to rescue his nephew. The people of these cities are not friends, they are not even neutral strangers, they have been active attackers and threats to Abraham, and here is Abraham praying (that’s what taking with God is after all) for God to have mercy on his enemies and save them.
In a society that is so quick to give us enemies and divide us from others, the Christian faith offers another way. Even when someone is actually our enemy, we pray for them. We seek their good. We love them as God first loved us. It can be hard to do so. It takes intentionality and some spiritual grit. It is not the way our world chooses to operate, but it is the way of God’s kingdom.
– Greg
Connect to God
This week we will gather for worship at 9:30 am. The service will be live-streamed and replayed again at 11 am. This weeks service will be at zionreformed.online.church and streaming on our YouTube channel. We will also rebroadcast a version of the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday. (I heard recently we WCET has had some difficulty on Sundays and our service has not played at 4. I apologize for the confusion that may have caused. I have been in contact with them and they are unsure what the problem may be. I am hopeful we can get it straightened out soon.)
This Sunday, we begin a new sermon series entitled Upside Down Kingdom. This series will draw from the gospel lectionary readings, predominantly in Luke, to help us see the counter-cultural values and ways of God’s kingdom. In our text today, Jesus begins his public ministry in the most obscure way: baptized in the wilderness by a fringe prophet as just another face in the crowd. But this is the way of God’s kingdom , it starts small, quietly even, but it ultimately changes the world.
This Sunday, we will also be celebrating Communion, also called The Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist. It is the family meal of Christians. We invite all committed followers of Jesus Christ to partake of this sacrament: those who are baptized members of a congregation that proclaims the gospel, who are at peace with God and with their neighbor, and who seek strength to live more faithfully for Christ. If you are not a Christian, or if you are not prepared to share in this meal, we encourage you to spend this time in prayer. We hope that this time is helpful to you as you consider your relationship with Jesus Christ and with His people, the church.
Grow in Community
Our youth are collecting recyclable cans and change to raise money for their Alaskan Mission Trip. Any money raised through change or cans donated by this Sunday, January 9 will be matched dollar for dollar up to $3,000. You can drop off any $.10 recyclables at Zion’s garage on Sunday mornings. The door will be opened. Thank you for your generous support of our youth financially, through words of encouragements and in your prayers.
Following Kent County Health Department guidelines, we are no longer be requiring children to wear masks in Zion Kids as of last Sunday, January 2, 2022.
Serve the World
If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Jerrod Holzgen, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is Jholzgen@yahoo.com and his phone number is 616-520-1771.
Administration
The remodel of our bathrooms in the Education Wing will begin on Monday! Until the remodel is complete, please plan on using the uni-sex bathrooms at the front of the sanctuary.
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 2021/22 Budget: $347,518.37
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Contributions: $294,055.10
Giving Last Week: $19,692.50
Payment Dates ’21-’22
Winter Retreat (Spring Hill Camps – Jan 28-30, 2022) – Full Cost: $150
$50 Deposit- due Nov 21
$100 Early Bird Rate- due Jan 16 (after Jan 16: $110)
High School Alaska Mission Trip Payment Schedule – Full Cost $700
June 11-19, 2022
$50 Deposit Due November 21
$100 Early Bird Rate Due January 16 (after Jan 16:$110)
$150 Early Bird Rate Due February 13 (after Feb 13:$160)
$200 Early Bird Rate Due March 20 (after March 20:$210)
$200 Early Bird Rate Due April 24 (after April 24:$210)
