November Newsletter

Sunday, November 1^st @ 5 pm on All Saints Day there will be a Choral Evensong at St. Andrew’s in Madison that all the Madison churches are presenting.  Bishop Miller will be presiding and all the Madison pastors will be vested and sitting together.

 Our fall fundraiser is a wine and cheese tasting along with an art show and sale November 7^th from 7 to 9pm. Tickets are available from Jackie Datka.

 The Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, November 8th @ 11:15am. Child care will be available.

 Foundation class is going to meet next Sunday, November 8^th; the topic will be Church Music.

 The next youth event will be laser tag on November 15^th.  Please sign up in the narthex.

 November dates for parish visits are available.

  Good Shepherd Church will be collecting shoeboxes filled with Christmas presents to be delivered to needy children throughout the world. A shoe box filled with gifts such as toys, school supplies, hygiene items, hard candy and gum is much appreciated. We will need to have the shoe boxes in the church by November 7th, specifying if the contents are for a boy or girl and the age category (2-4, 5-9 or 10-14). 

A “Turkey” donation basket will be located in the Narthex. We would like to collect all contributions as soon as possible so that we can provide the funds in a timely manner to the Food Pantry

October Shepherd’s Call

Wish List

Church Hall Mtg Presentation 9-13-09

The Church hall meeting is next Sunday, September 13 at 11:15am with lunch provided. Please try to attend this very important meeting.

 We need to finalize our Church Development team by this Monday.  Please talk to Fr.  Mike if you are interested.

 Sunday school starts next week on September 13^th.

 Signup sheet in the narthex for Mentors and students of the mentor program.

 Sept 11^th there will be a community service at the vet’s memorial at 6pm.  Please see Fr. Mike if you would like to help.

 Please plan on attending the Park Crawl on Sunday September 20^th. All activities begin at 1:00pm. We need volunteers to help with the Park Crawl and a signup sheet is available on the table in the narthex.

 The Altar flowers were donated by Marge Wentworth in memory of her husband, Bill, and son-in-law, Curt’s birthdays.

Mark 1:40-45
40 A leper* came to him begging him, and kneeling* he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ 41Moved with pity,* Jesus* stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ 42Immediately the leprosy* left him, and he was made clean. 43After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, 44saying to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ 45But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus* could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.Why is it that we are more than ready to believe that we could win the lottery or we can take a pill and be skinny or watch a DVD and be rich but when it comes to God if it’s to easy we are skeptical. It appears from our old testament reading that humans have been this way for a long time.
The line from the Gospel pierced my heart today. The leper says if you choose you can make me clean. Moved with pity, Jesus reaches out and touches the man and says, “I do choose, be made clean”
I was thinking this week about the little things that we never even think about and how each of us plants seeds in each other. On Friday my daughter Ann came home and when she was telling about her day at supper said that Mrs. Johnson had given her a high five for doing so well on her packet. Annie’s toothless smile beaming from ear to ear jumping up and down as she told us. If Mrs. Johnson had given Ann a check for $1000 it wouldn’t have even come close to that high five. It meant the world to Ann. How many hearts do you think Mrs. Johnson touches every day without her even noticing? It was in 1st grade that I was held back because my teacher told me that I tried hard I just wasn’t as smart as every body else. Ann doesn’t think she is smart she knows she is smart, it took me almost 40 years to figure the same thing out. Now that’s impact. How many opportunities a day do we have to be uplifting, to be and extension of Christ love? It is in the little things and not just the big. Some are called to go to the Sudan and feed the hungry but most of us can impact the world no less by the gentle touches in others lives that are available to us every day.
I was reminded of the story of the man sitting on the beach where thousands of starfish had washed up on the beach and he sat throwing one at time back in the ocean, someone walked up to him and said you can’t possibly make a difference for all these starfish and he said no but I just did for that one.
Is the world impacted any less if we do seemingly insignificant intentional acts of kindness and love that extend the love of God into the torn and battered parts of peoples’ hearts, into the forming parts of a child’s heart? Does God smile on us more if we go to Africa and feed the hungry than if we fed the hungry here or feed someone’s spirit?
The love of God is easy, being held by Christ is easy, and seeking the Holy Spirit is easy. It’s living that can be hard.
Go then and give 7 high fives, go then and save 70 cents and give it to the food pantry, go then and collect in a couple Sundays 2 huge boxes of soup so hungry people can feel warm in their stomachs and their hearts. Go them and win the race because Jesus does choose for us to be made clean and he works through incredibly powerful relationships, he works through Mrs. Johnson, and your can of soup and your phone call or hug. God says to us today in the name of Jesus Christ be healed and then go into the world carrying His light and being his love.
In the name of God

Mark 1:14-20
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 16As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea-for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
People, who know me, know that I love reading labels and I love catchy slogans. Well I was in the bathroom closet after my shower and another great slogan caught my eye, this one on my wife’s antiperspirant. The slogan said, “Dare to wear Black.” In this age of vocation shortages in all the major church denominations’. I have often said the reason men and women aren’t going into ordained ministry is because we never tell them how cool our job is.
I also began to think of our task as a church family for 2009. We had another budget meeting this last Wednesday. Coming away from the meeting I was filled with an overwhelming feeling of doubt. I have prayed hard since then and the message in my heart, which I believe is God’s answer to my prayer, is Dare to imagine, Dare to dream, Dare to rest in trusting in God to show us the way.
The Test – I believe that life is full of tests, and this is a test. How bad do we want to be a vibrant expression of God’s love? How hard are we willing to work to find ways to be more efficient in our use of God’s gifts to us? Walls are there to keep the people out who don’t want it badly enough.
The Opportunity – A young Israelite Rabbi came up to a bunch of middle class working people and dared them to dream of a different way of doing business. He gave them a test and an opportunity. They all passed the test, not with their great knowledge but with their great faith. How has that changed from Jesus’ time to ours?
If ever their was a time when the church had a relevant message, if ever there was a time when our families needed to support each other in a Holy way of life, if ever there was a chance to teach our children what is really important or possible it is now. At 5:45 this morning I dropped my parents at the Airport for their trip to Hawaii and I for the 1st time in my life, had a small taste of How God feels when God longs for something for us. I have been planning this trip and celebration of my parents love for each other and for all who touch their lives for over a year and I have sweated and longed and anticipated and waited for today for a long time and I won’t be completely at ease until they’re home with us again. That, I think, is what God feels like when he knits us in the womb with all the possibility, not completely being at ease for us until we are home with Him again.
As he holds us and walks with us on this part of the journey God says, Dare to dream, Don’t fear the test, I will give you the answer just keep asking the question, and use the opportunities I give you to spread my Love. That’s the job and I can’t think of anyone I would rather be on the road with other than you. May to God go the glory. In the name of God.

Mark 1:4-11
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I Have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
con•ver•sion
Pronunciation:
\kən-ˈvər-zhən, -shən\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin conversion-, conversio, from convertere
Date:
14th century
1: the act of converting : the process of being converted2: an experience associated with the definite and decisive adoption of a religion3 a: the operation of finding a converse in logic or mathematics b: reduction of a mathematical expression by clearing of fractions4: a successful attempt for a point or points especially after a touchdown or for a first down <a 2-point conversion> <a third-down conversion
We celebrate today the Baptism of the Lord. Baptism is the gate for us. Once we pass through the waters of baptism we say and believe we are called and claimed by God. I.E we are on the team. We call the process of accepting this love and calling the process of conversion. The Bible churches call it being saved. It is about the on going process of giving your heart and Soul to God.
I found it ironic that under Merriam Webster’s definition of conversion was 10 the association and adoption of a religion and also an extra point conversion in football.
So being that it we are in Packer Badger country I though a good ole football prep talk may be in order.
(Blow Whistle and grab the football)
It is time to convert for the extra point. It is time to be on the team or off the team. It is time in our new year to up our reps. If we are going to win this game, this battle. We are going to need to up our reps. Do some spiritual weight lifting. Read our scriptures say our prayers and put our nose and our eye on the goal.
This is no time for spiritual slackers. It mean out there and our opponent is big and mean and sneaky. It is time to bring out the armies.
Connie Ott from St. Dunstan’s sent this little poem in my Christmas Card. I think it sums it up nicely. It’s a poem by Howard Thurman
When the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and the princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins. To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the Hungry, To release the Prisoners, To bring Christ to all, To make music in the heart.
I do believe that it is time to up our game and to realize that team means together everyone achieves more. Together we can do battle against the darkness. Times are going to be tight for a while and in tight times great opportunities present themselves. It all comes down for me to does our baptism mean something or not. Does being on God’s team mean something to you? As the Notre Dame Coach in Rudy says. No excuses do the work. I think the image of being in the trenches is a good one. In hard times we need to stay close together, pray hard and be ready for the opportunities that God sends our way. So we can continue to convert our heart to God’s love and score the extra point for Jesus when it is our turn.
In the love of God

Matthew 2:13-23
13Now after they had left, (the Wise men) an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
16When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 18″A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
19When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20″Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 21Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”Just when you thought it was safe to get back into the water or to skate on the ice to use a more appropriate for today. That crazy priest uncorks that radical hospitality stuff again.
I have been thinking about radical hospitality and how we so it here at Good Shepherd as I think about Jesus and more particularly Mary and Joseph and how they were treated and how they treated others. Here are some questions to ask. Are we the inn keeper in Bethlehem or the Anna and Simeon? Are we Mary and Joseph in the stable or in Egypt or are we the Herod in fear of losing what we have? Which model of hospitality do we want to be known for?
I was thinking about the little touches, the cards the notes the thanks you the details. I also thought about the giants you as st chad Good shepherd have had as models of gracious and radical hospitality. Fr. Tom. Fr. Max Brown, Fr. Dean, Deacon Rick.
Again the question is what are they going to say about us as our legacy. Deacon Rick who will go home any day now didn’t know that he inspired any body with his faith.
Let be Radical hospitality giants in the tradition of this parish