Woke Up this Morning with my Mind Stayed on Freedom - PDF document

1 Woke Up this Morning with my Mind Stayed
Woke Up this Morning with my Mind Stayed on Freedom This weekend we celebrate Independence Day in America, a day in history when the 13 colonies declared freedom from England. This was the event that eventually led to the formation of the United States. This year, while we are in various stages of quarant ine, we will have time to think about what independence and freedom really means. Independence Day is a civic holiday , not a religious one, although it is celebrated in many churches. Our church is a global one , and our American Independence Day is a celebra tion just for the United States. We also need to recognize, as difficult as it is, that independence is an idea that is not present in our scriptures or in our lives of faith – at least not in a good way. Our life of faith reminds us that we need help, w e need each other, we need God . We can not and should not try to do this life on our own. In our life of faith, we celebrate INTERdependence, relying on the community of faith and our savior to guide us through our lives. The rugged individualism that i s so celebrated in our culture is actually contrary to our faith . We are all linked together in everything that we do , like a family, like a body. This virus has certainly reminded us of that if we use our independence to just do whatever we want to do, we put other and ourselves at risk. W e need to work together and take care of each other for any of us to survive. Freedom, however , is another matter altogether. Freedom is an idea , not an event or a one - time occurrence. It is an idea that we have be en working on for a long time. It is a goal, a hope. Throughout our history people have continued to seek their freedom. We see it even today in the cry for justice in our streets. Unlike independence, freedom IS an idea that is at the heart of our fait h. God has always been bringing us out of oppression, starting with release from the reign of Phar ao h, to release from our corporate sin , and our own destructive ideas and behaviors. Jesus said in his very first sermon that he had come to set free those who were oppressed. Our freedom is a gift for which we should be incredibly grateful. It is also a responsibility. We are not just free d from oppression. We are freed for a life of faithful obedience to God and loving our neighbor. In our hearts and i n our streets, t he hope for freedom for all God’s children continues. Until we are all free, none of us are truly free. What will you do with the freedom you have been given? Love and peace to you, Sally Reminders . . . ➢ The Diner is still serving car ry out lunches Monday thr ough Frida y for only $5 . ➢ The East Lake Market is open every Satur - day from 8 - 12. ➢ The church still needs your tithes and offer - ings eve n while we

2 are closed. Mail them in or drop th
are closed. Mail them in or drop them by the church office. Music Notes ’midst Organ - izing: I think I mentioned recently that the organ’s most important stop is its room. Some of you will remem - ber, right before we got ready to turn the organ on at our church for the first time back in 2007, we got the material above the beams in the choir loft replaced. The original plans for the organ in the sanctuary, back in 1950, called for using the four chambers originally prepared, two below the beams on each side, which we now use, and two above them, which we don’t. The material stretched over the beams was a copper “grill cloth.“ (Sadly, it allowed both heat and sound to escape.) We gave more support to the beams and replaced the cloth with hard sheet rock. The cei ling went from a sponge to a dome! The entire room’s acoustics improved. But at home, not so easy? Love, Barry ow July Birthdays Geraldo Carey – July 1 Alan Godwin – July 2 Rodarius McKinney – July 3 Paula Boggan – July 4 Sara Wright – July 7 Carol Hay – July 10 Woni Lawrence – July 18 Shelly Ann McDonald – July 18 Larry Knedlik – July 22 Melinda Adkins – July 24 Connie Stone – July 24 Melissa Patrick – July 30 The Downstairs Diner . . . Now featuring meatless Mondays! Monday, July 6 – Macaroni and cheese, butter beans , greens , dessert Tuesday, July 7 – Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad, bread, dessert Wednesday, July 8 – Chicken , Italian vegetables, au gratin potatoes, dessert Thursday, July 9 – Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, vegetables, dessert Friday, July 10 – Baked or fried fish, cole slaw, lima beans, dessert “Keep on praying for the saints . . .” Ephesians 6:18 Please continue to pray for the members of our church family who need our prayers: Don Brice Billie Buchanan Doreen Duley Larry and Susie Knedlik Eva Sharp Vernon Wilson Please remember those who have re centl y lost loved ones and keep them in your prayers during this time of grief: Gary Sandridge, whose aunt recently passed away in Tennessee . Food Needs: EACM Snack Bags Item for July: Paper lunch bags Macaroni Plastic spoons and N apkins Cheese Peanut butter or cheese crackers It Ne ver Hurts to Laugh . . . or Groan! - The only jokes allowed during the coronavirus are inside jokes. - This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, told my dog — we laughed a lot. - Finland just closed its borders. You know what that means. No one will be crossing the finish line