Give Thanks!

                           

 

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

  

 

The Feast of the Father

Why do feasts show up so often in the Bible? Why does Jesus so often compare the Kingdom of God to a feast? How many feasts in the Bible can you identify?

This week is our last lesson in our fall semester study of The Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller. We focus on the feast of the Father, thrown to welcome the wayward son back into the family.

But what about that elder brother, still standing outside arguing with his father.....?

See you:

Monday, 5 - 6 p.m.

Student Center 160

We will also make plans for getting to the Ryland home a week from Monday for our last meeting of the year--and our own semester-ending feast!

 

"The Right Fight"

In one of our meetings leading up to Interfaith's accountability session last week, the elected official we were meeting with labeled our agenda of issues "the right fight." We adopted that label as our theme for the accountability session.

I was the clergy person who gave a short homily on the faith basis of Interfaith's agenda and methods, and I've just put my comments on my sermon blog. It goes like this:


Reading from the Hebrew Scripture, Nehemiah, Chapter 2, verses 17 & 18 (NRSV):

Then I, Nehemiah, said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace." I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, "Let us start building!" So they committed themselves to the common good. 

Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem by C.F. Vos

Ladies and Gentlemen, member institutions of Northern & Central Louisiana Interfaith and guest institutions, elected officials and citizen leaders in our communities… 

Today you see the trouble we are in! Unlike Jerusalem of Nehemiah’s time, the trouble we are in.. is not wild animals entering the city through burned gates. It is NOT a lack of walls to protect us from marauding enemy tribes.

Rather, today the trouble we are in.. is threats to the availability of affordable health care for all.

Today the trouble we are in is public education that does not prepare too many of our children for college or the workforce—even when they finish high school.

Today the trouble we are in is rising college tuition rates, even as our institutions of higher education struggle to survive deep and devastating budget cuts by cutting middle class jobs, and courses and programs our city and state need to produce the workforce of the future.

Today, the trouble we are in is more and more of our youth stagnating in jail instead of contributing to the common good.

But, my friends, TODAY Northern and Central Louisiana Interfaith says, Let us start building!


Read the whole thing here. 

 

INTERFAITH--Thursday Evening

Northern & Central Louisiana Interfaith Accountability Session

Thursday, November 7, 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

on the east side of No. 18th St.

between Louisville & Washington Avenues.

Interfaith leaders will present an agenda of concerns and ask Monroe City School Board members and representatives to the Louisiana House and Senate to commit to working with us to address problems in education at all levels, health care, workforce development and mass incarceration. 

For the first time, higher education is on the agenda. Interfaith is deeply concerned about the devastating budget cuts ULM and other colleges and universities across Louisiana have suffered. The ULM faculty and staff senates will be represented at the meeting to call for support sustainable access to affordable, high quality secondary education.

This is an opportunity to see democracy with a small "d" in action as a diverse coalition of institutions that cross traditional boundaries of religion, race, social class and geography come together to speak with one voice! We will demonstrate strictly nonpartisan politics at its best.

Oh, and BTW, your Canterbury Chaplain will speak to how our Interfaith method is grounded in Holy Scripture. Be there!

Coming Up!

So.... Die Fleidermaus is history and Garrett Boyte put in a fine performance as the much-maligned lawyer who kept getting booted out of scenes. Rosine Bowobda has completed her comps, I assume with flying colors!
                                                       
Thus after a 1-week hiatus, Canterbury@ULM is back in business.

Monday, 5 - 6 p.m.

Student Center 160

We will see what more we can learn from a close focus on the elder brother and the concept of idolatry, then move on.

See you there!

Ever wonder....

...where the hymns, prayers and litanies in the prayer book come from? Here's a lovely little video about a short hymn that is sung or said as part of Evening Prayer. Our Lutheran folks will especially enjoy this!