Jesus for Everyone

This blog is to supplement the current teaching series through the Gospel of Luke at Beaverton Foursquare Church, in Beaverton, Oregon. We are providing weekly self-study/digging deeper questions for those desiring to go beyond the scope of the sermon in your exploration of the complete passage. We are also providing links to the sermon introduction videos filmed for this series on-location in Israel. Our prayer is that we can better learn how to live and love like Jesus this year!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!


This weekend as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, our teaching will not part of our series from the Gospel of Luke. Instead, Pastor Grant will be bringing a message from John Chapter 1.

For those of you out of town with family, Pastor Randy led our traditional Thursday morning Thanksgiving Service with a look back at the healing of the 10 Lepers in Luke 17:11-19  (which we covered a few weeks ago) as we entered into a time of Communion.
His devotional teaching called "The Returner" on how:
  1. Gratitude generates generosity.
  2. Ingratitude can shut something down.
  3. Unexpressed gratitude Is interpreted as ingratitude (and has the same result as rejection).
Borrowing a line from And Stanley, that had spurred Pastor Randy's thinking recently,
"A returner is a person who goes back to say thanks, which enables him to go forward."
We will be back next week with another teaching and video filmed on location in Jerusalem. Then we will be saving the rest of our Luke teachings to use in March in a run up to Resurrection Day entitled "Jesus’ Passion For Everyone". After the new year, we will begin studying through Ephesians...an important series for the church. Then after finishing our Luke series during the time surrounding Lent, Palm Sunday, and Easter we will travel back to Ephesus and spend spring there! We hope you will join with us in the journey!

In the spirit of gratitude, I am including the following Thanksgiving-related poem,
 
          November
 
November's chill wind
Strips away
Autumn's bright wrappings.
Temporary, beautiful things
Leaves, flowers,
Even the birds, are gone
Revealing iron-grey skies
Encroaching winter.
 
November's diluting rain
Tones down the brightness,
Color of creation,
Removing distractions
That we might take a moment
To be thankful for the important,
Eternal things that remain--
God our Savior, Shepherd,
Family, friends, memories of
What God has done
In our lives.
 
November's early darkness,
A time to nestle down cozily
As best we can.
A terrible lonely, homesick time
If we live separated
From what is
Truly important.
 
Gratitude leads us home.
 
                                  © Greg K. Dueker
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