COUNCIL REFLECTION ...
Peace be with you ... and also with you
by Jill Fedje
Many of us felt some anxiety the days before and after the recent election . These feelings left me pondering the greeting we share with friends , family , and strangers each Sunday during worship . We turn to each other and “ share the peace ." We do not say “ good fortune to you ." Nor do we wish one another good health …. we wish peace . So what is it about peace that is so important ? Personally , I don ’ t think we are talking about physical peace . We are not advocating simply the absence of physical violence . Rather , we are talking about a state of being . The Hebrew word for peace is shalom . It refers to a “ complete peace ” including contentment , wholeness , completeness , well-being and harmony . Shalom connotes the absence of agitation or discord . Absence of agitation or discord ?? Now that sounds good !
When we share the peace with each other it serves as both a confession of our human condition , broken , sinful , with a fair amount of agitation / discord . Confessing that we , too , have unrest in our hearts despite knowing what God has done for us . But sharing the peace is also an affirmation of where we find true contentment and ultimate peace and that is through our faith in Jesus Christ , our Lord and Savior . When we reach across the pew to a stranger and say “ peace be with you ” and she responds “ and also with you ,” we are acknowledging both who we are ( woefully flawed human beings ) and whose we are ( children of a loving and gracious God ). It is a beautiful and grace-filled moment .
“ I have told you these things , so that in me you may have peace .
In this world you will have trouble . But take heart ! I have overcome the world .” - John 16:33
YOUR GIVING MAKES A DIFFERENCE by Pastor Bob Wertz , Pastor of Stewardship and Planned Giving
As one of your pastors , I celebrate the support people give on behalf of charitable causes , including Bethlehem Twin Cities , under any and all circumstances . Whether it ’ s directed to the Humane Society , Minnesota Public Radio , St . Olaf College , or a hundred and one other organizations , the common good is advanced every single time a charity gets the attention of a donor and the donor makes a gift . Minnesotans should be proud to be in the top ten states in the nation for percentage of citizens who are charitable . Our high quality of life here is a function , in part , of how people we know and don ’ t know contribute time and money to help improve the quality of life of their neighbor .
I also want to commend the people who were responsible eight years ago for creating Give to the Max Day , the 2016 version of which took place a few weeks ago . Last year over 62,000 donors contributed over $ 18M to some 5,700 nonprofits , including Bethlehem . All that giving helped advance all the good things that were possible by virtue of that gift-giving . But every year when Give to the Max Day rolls around , I do some serious wondering . For seasoned Christians , isn ’ t every day intended to be a “ give to the max ” day ? Isn ’ t God hard at work trying to shape us into the kind of givers who embrace generosity not as an occasional practice but woven into the very fabric of who we are , who God intends us to be ?
THANK YOU to all Bethlehem Twin Cities members who have completed and filled out a commitment card to support our 2017 annual fund . Members can pledge online at bethlehem-church . org ; simply click on the “ 2017 Annual Commitment ” under the Giving tab at the bottom of the home page .
I look around at the people in our congregation on any given Sunday and in so many cases , I see people whose giving to their beloved Bethlehem requires great personal sacrifice and discipline . I see people who give exceptional amounts to their church , often times with little relation to their income , and do so gladly and without hesitation . I see people whose greatest joy is derived from being generous , people who practice generosity on a daily basis by how they carefully steward their time and money . These saints don ’ t wait around for someone else to tell them that Give to the Max day has arrived . They live it , boldly and faithfully , 365-days-a-year .
We celebrate God “ giving to the max ” to us in a few weeks , as we behold the Christ Child , Emmanuel — God with us — given to humanity in the most unlikely of circumstances . May our embrace of such a lavish gift continue to find expression in how we spend what God has placed in our laps .
Treasure in Clay Jars Campaign Concludes December 31
More thanks to those of you who over the past 35 months have supported the three-year Treasure in Clay Jars capital appeal ! While our outreach commitments to Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry ( LPGM ) and Holistic Ministry of Children of the Horn of Africa ( HMCHA ), have been fulfilled , a final $ 300,000 investment in another property with Urban Homeworks is in the process of taking shape . A full report detailing our accomplishments will soon be made available . Help us to push our giving past the $ 2M mark by year ’ s end with your contribution today ! Contact Bob Wertz , bwertz @ bethlehem-church . org , for further details .
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