Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Greetings to all!

Observing RENEW, Week 5, March 18-25

We are in the midst of RENEW, Week 5:  "God calls us in our

neighborhoods."  In his book, Jesus Today, Albert Nolan reflects

on a "change of consciousness" required in loving our neighbor.

Our neighbor may have no love for us at all.  In fact, while loving

those who do love us is natural enough, the real issue has to do 

with loving our enemies...or even loving those who are very 

different from us, those we don't know at all or those we do know 

but who irritate us to no end.  How do we come to love them?

We could say...that if God loves all our neighbors unconditionally,

then we should love them too.  But it still takes an effort of will to 

do that.  How do we learn to love our fellow human beings 

spontaneously - as Jesus did?

The clue to genuinely spontaneous love of neighbor is to be found

in the words "as yourself":  love your neighbor as yourself.  If I 

could learn to see my neighbor as a self like me, or an extension

of my self, a greater self, loving my neighbor would be as natural

and spontaneous as loving myself.  What is required is a 

fundamental change of consciousness - how we see our fellow

human beings.  

Looking ahead to RENEW, Week 6, March 25 - 31

Focus:  God calls us to build a future based on trust.

Scripture:  John 1:35 - 42;  John 15:12-16

Our Sunday Conversations, Sunday School, and Morning Worship

will focus on the Week 6 RENEW theme.

Children's Choir, Sundays, 10am, Trinity Hall

Children through elementary age are invited to gather for music and

singing on Sunday mornings, 10am, in Trinity Hall.  The children will

be working on a presentation for a Sunday later in the spring.

Holy Week, April 1 - 8

Mark your calendars for these Holy Week observances and

activities at Walnut Hill Church.

Sun, Apr 1 - Palm Sunday, 11am

-Holy Communion and Procession of the Palms.

-Egg Hunt after worship.

Thu, Apr 5 - Maundy Thursday, 6pm

-Simple Meal Fellowship

-Evening Prayer and Children's Activities

Sun, Apr 8 - Easter Sunday

-Sunrise Service, 7am, Walnut Hill Cemetery

-Morning Worship and Holy Communion, 11am

Peace to all.

Mike Ward