July 11, 2024
Genesis 32:24-28
Scripture readings
for Sunday, July 14
Amos 7:7-15
Psalm 85:8-13
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29
24Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." 27So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed."
• For our community of faith as we seek to do God’s work in the world.
• For those in our congregation and community who suffer silently with illness, financial burdens, and family obligation.
• For people affected by coronavirus, their families, essential workers, doctors, nurses, aides, those working in nursing homes, etc.
• For Ann Saar, Kay Marker Magneson, Roy Pihl, George Balcom, Thom Shagla, Norm Wolff, Deb Pierce, Father/Pastor Richard Elberfeld, Lois Rumfelt, Nick Johnson, Eileen Beichner, Tom Dellapenta, Pastor Karen Larson, Pastor Gerry Zimmerman, James Dieter, Joe Gauvin, Emerson Allaby, John Gingrass, those serving in the military and law enforcement and their families, including Sean Pecuch, and Ben Wickerham, those caught up in violence and war who have no safe home in which to live.
• For the ELCZ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe and ELCZa Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Names will remain of the Prayer List for a month - at which
time it will be taken off unless, or course, there is still a continued need
for our prayers and we’re asked to keep the name on.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALENDAR
July 14 Worship
July 15 Dog Lessons 4:30 pm
MORE sessions for Carly's dog lessons coming in July and August. STAY TUNED
Mondays at 4:30 pm
Contact Carly Davis at (716) 268-1421
JOURNALING IN JULY
Have you ever done journaling? I have in the past and it really helped me to focus my ideas and I could better hear God’s voice. If you’re interested, here is a resource from WELCA.
https://www.womenoftheelca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Journaling.pdf
Peace,
Pastor Ivy Gauvin
St. Timothy Lutheran Church
*** Plastic cap and lid collection. We have offered to help Love School collect plastic lids, container tops and pill bottles for a Buddy Bench designed by the students. Please review the chart below for what is acceptable and join in the effort to help out the students. A container will be available in the Narthex and also in the entryway marked BUDDY BENCH PROJECT. Thank you! WE ALREADY HAVE 1 FULL BIN!! KEEP GOING!
New names on our Prayer list
By Ray Gauvin
You may have noticed two new names on our Congregational prayer list, and included in the prayers of the Faithful last Sunday and this most recent Sunday.
For those of you who were not in church on June 23rd, I asked for prayers for Deborah Pierce. Deborah is the wife of my Good Friend, Ed Pierce, he is my friend from New Hampshire that I talk about from time to time. I met Ed and Deb back in 1992, when Ed and I started commuting on the same bus to Providence, RI. Deb was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis around 1994, and as typical with M.S. Deb has had periods of exacerbations, and remissions. Shortly after Memorial Day, Deb had a major flareup of her M.S. Her doctor put her on a new medication; and after two weeks, he doubled the dosage, as it seemed that it wasn’t helping. As of my conversation with Ed on June 29th, Deb’s situation has not improved much at all.
The next person that needs your prayers, is my friend from high school, Norman Wolff. You may recognize his name, as he was on our prayer list last year. Norm was in need of a kidney transplant; a donor was found; he had the operation last Spring, (2023); and has been doing well until a couple of weeks ago. He went to his doctor for a regular checkup, and he complained that he was having pain in his left foot. After examining his foot and taking an X-ray, His doctor discovered that he had an infection in his foot and that the infection has gotten into a few bones in his foot. As of this writing, June 29, Norm, is still in Rhode Island Hospital, in Providence, RI.
5 Loaves & 2 Fish Backpack Ministry
23/24 School Year
Yes, school is on summer break, BUT we contiuously collect food items for the 5 & 2 Ministry. Bring your donations and place in the black bin in church narthex. Lists detailing items needed are also available in the narthex. Monetary donations welcome! Contact Gale-Svenson-Campbell for details gales1949@gmail.com
If you can volunteer, please contace
Gale Svenson-Campbell at the link below. Thank you!!
Anyone that has any pictures or stories that they would like to share? Send them to sttimothy2015@gmail.com
Thank you
Marge Fiore
Administrative Assistant
REFLECTIONS
Pr. Ivy Gauvin
A Trickster is Transformed
Jacob, Jacob, Jacob. His name means “he cheats” or “he steals.” It all began at his birth. As one of the twins was being born, Jacob grasped his brother's heel, resulting in his being given the name Jacob, which can also be translated as "supplanter." Throughout their lives, Jacob was always trying to get the upper hand. He even went as far as tricking his father into giving him his brother's blessing, which went to the eldest. Esau was born first and would receive the inheritance, but that Jacob!
Jacob didn’t play things straight until this unusual encounter with God in Genesis 32. It’s an odd story. There are many things we do not understand about it. Even in this scenario, Jacob wants a blessing.
For whatever reason, this struggle needed to be wrapped up by daybreak. That’s when Jacob insisted, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me” (v. 26). The blessing was in the name change from Jacob, “he cheats, he steals,” to Israel, “God fights.” “This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him” (New English Testament, notes).
We may think, What a nice, strange, or weird story, and what in the world does that have to do with me? Jacob’s encounter with God changed him forever; it changed his very nature.
Have you ever had such a life-altering experience? God calls us to himself to change us. It’s as the Apostle Paul wrote, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jacob became Israel. A trickster was transformed into the father of a nation. What does God have in mind for us?
Pastor Ivy Gauvin
