Sunday, March 20, 2016

West Tokyo Union Church Weekly - Sunday, March 20, 2016 worship 

Pastor:  Rev. Teresa Thompson Sherrill     wtucrev@gmail.com

11:00 AM – Rev. Dr. Jim Sack will bring the sermon “The Lord Needs it” from Luke 19. He will also share a Children`s Message. Kazuko Sacon will lead us on the organ. Communion will be served. Our delightful robust fellowship time will be after the service. After fellowship time, Susie will lead us in a Acapella Sing-a-long, all interested gather together and enjoy!

palm-sunday

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This blessing

can be heard coming

from a long way off.

This blessing

is making

its steady way

up the road

toward you.

This blessing

blooms in the throats

of women

springs from the hearts

of men

tumbles from the mouths

of children.

This blessing

is stitched into

the seams

of the cloaks

that line the road,

etched into

the branches

that trace the path,

echoes in the

breathing of the willing colt,

the click of the donkey’s hoof

against the stones.

Something is rising

beneath this blessing.

Something will try

to drown it out.

But this blessing

cannot be turned back,

cannot be made

to still its voice,

cannot cease

to sing its praise

of the one who comes

along the way

it makes.

— Jan Richardson, American author and artist, from her blog, The Painted Prayerbook.

***

about the preacher – Jim and Carol Sack have been long term missionaries in Japan with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Japan since 1982. Jim teaches clinical psychology classes in the undergraduate and graduate school as well as pastoral counseling classes in the seminary. Carol is director of “Lyra Precaria,” a ministry that provides harp music and voice at the bedside of the dying. 

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Upcoming Preaching Ministry and Community Events

March 20th – Palm Sunday Worship, Rev. Dr. Jim Sack preaching, March of the Palms, Communion will be served. Organ: Kazuko Sacon. Acapella Sing along after fellowship with all who are interested – Susie will be leading us in song.

March 25th – Good Friday Service at 6:30pm, in the Sack`s home.

March 27th – EASTER WORSHIP, Easter Egg Hunt, Robust Easter Fellowship.

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GATHERING GIFTS FOR March 27th EASTER SUNDAY

Looking for musicians, thespians for a skit, liturgist, flowers to decorate the altar, folks to prepare the Easter Eggs, and those to hide and manage the Easter Egg Hunt. We are asking all to prepare yummies for our robust EGG-CITING Easter Fellowship Time. Please bring a finger food of something eggy, yummy or Eastery to share = )

Please let Pastor Teresa wtucrev@gmail.com know of your gifts and interest.

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Looking for mentors for our wonderful confirmands

This church year Aidan, Anna Z, Emma, Kai, Karen, Ken, Matai, Sophia and Tristan have been meeting monthly to prepare for confirmation on Pentecost, May 15th. They will be preparing their “creed” to read during the service. WTUC matches up a mentor with a confirmand to continue their journey of spiritual formation and growth. If you would like to be one of these grand kids mentors, please let Pastor Teresa know. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

***

Little Kidz: Please go with Allie to learn about The Two Builders.

Confirmation Class: Good Friday service at the Sack`s from 6:30pm. Pastor Teresa will be sending information about writing “your own creed” for you and your families to look at.

HS Youth: Still gathering cloth to continue with quilting projects, so please give your usable material to one of the Youth.

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MULTIGENERATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL!! ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL!! 

We have Multigenerational Sunday School from 9:30AM in the cafeteria the second and fourth Sundays of the month. Who is welcome? All ages. We  will be creating, discussing, playing games, acting out bible stories and more. At the same time, the Sacks host the Adult Sunday School, also at 9:30AM in their living room. The method used is the, “Swedish Bible study method,” interacting with the texts for the service through our own life experiences. Their home is right across the Lutheran Campus from our sanctuary. Best coffee in town = ) Come and enjoy! (At times Adult Sunday School is held in the Upper Room, hosted by Dr. Toshi Sasao, on the 2nd floor above the Sanctuary.) All are welcome. Need more information, contact wtucrev@gmail.com any time = ) Next Sunday School – Easter Egg hunt on March 27th! All friends invited!

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WTUC  Announcements:  *Questions or concerns?  Feel free to email wtucrev@gmail.com anytime *Please enjoy and refer our website https://wtuc.net/ and FB page (West Tokyo Union Church) to others. Please make any suggestions for additions to the Pastor Teresa and/or Steering Committee. If you’d like to be added to the WTUC church email list, are interested in baptism or membership, please contact Pastor Teresa *If interested in joining the WTUC Prayer Chain, let Pastor Teresa or Prayer Chain Coordinator, Kayo Ozawa, know of your interest. Please submit prayers to wtucrev@gmail.com or Kayo. *Sign up for snacks for fellowship time with Ann or Jill. We appreciate your contributions to our community life!

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Text for the sermon – Luke 19:28-40

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’