Good morning church,
Today I meditated on a passage from Luke 19 where the character Zacchaus says, “Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” How many of you have heard that story in church or in Sunday school? It features a man who was rich, not very well-liked in the community, and collaborating with the Roman occupiers. He was met with hatred. After he makes this statement, which was not in any way forced on him, Jesus proclaims that “today salvation has come to your house.” It is one of the great stories found in the gospel of Luke. Most Bible stories are told in several of the gospels, but not this one. Two things I find worth noting and meaningful for all of us: Number one, “salvation” is not a purely religious thing. In this case, it was about a man doing right in his community and people making peace with him. Number two, most people have an innate sense of what is right and wrong, and when they come to the proverbial fork in their road, they know exactly what to do, just like this guy. He had an awareness that he could and should help the “less fortunate” in his community. He also knew deep inside that he had cheated on some people. It was time to make up. In the past, salvation has often been portrayed as a thing between you and God, or you and Jesus, but the truth is much more complex. In the same way, as the cross is a meeting of a vertical and a horizontal beam, salvation is about both our relationship with the power that created the universe and our fellow people. Jesus’ teachings are very consistent in that both aspects of life belong together. The greatest commandment is not simply about loving God, but also about loving your neighbor.
Which brings me to the wonderful community food drive put together by our local churches for the last three days of May (May 29/30/31). Attached is the flier that we are all using. If you have a color printer at home, it will be easy for you to print and share it with some of your neighbors. I will also ask Lisa to leave a box with copies outside of the church under the roofed entrance where people can get them. They will be ready for tomorrow’s food drive and after that. The intent behind this major initiative is, of course, to give all of our local food pantries a big boost as demand for food has increased exponentially. More people are out of work. More people are in need. But we also want to increase the pool of donors and the pool of people showing goodwill in the community. People of faith are often at the forefront of charity because it is built into the teachings of all meaningful religions that I’m aware of. Giving is part of living your faith or ‘salvation’ (see above). The times and locations for drop off are all listed in this flier. Most churches are open all three days from 7 in the morning until 7 at night, including ours. If you can help us on any of those three days with a few trips to the church to bring the food into the fellowship hall, please contact the church. Thank you all! (By the way, as you will see on the flier, monetary donations to the food banks are just as welcome…)
In the attached picture, please meet Evelyn K., one of our homebound members with her daughter Pam and two more generations of girls. Evelyn joined our church a number of years ago along with her daughter, son, and daughter-in-law. As for so many people, aging has not been easy. I met her as an energetic retiree who was always full of spirit and joy. She lived with her husband Bill K. Sr. in Lansdale. A few years later they had to leave the house where they had lived for probably half a century and had raised four children and move to a care facility. Evelyn was developing dementia and she was no longer safe at home. The decision was incredibly difficult for her husband and children but it was the right one. She and Bill Sr. moved, and Evelyn’s health and memory continued to decline, even with great care. She was recently diagnosed with COVID 19. And here is what’s difficult for me when I hear these stories and pray for people like Evelyn. I am not sure what is worse for her, being afflicted with THE VIRUS or the social distancing from her family whom she still recognizes at this point. I really can’t tell you which is worse, but frankly, I am leaning toward social distancing as the tougher of the two for Evelyn. I know it’s a struggle for a number of families with aging parents. So far, her symptoms are not that bad. I ask you to please keep not only Evelyn and Bill Sr. but their extended family in your prayers. It is not an easy time for them. And if you are one of the other families affected in a similar way, may God bless you today!
I would like to promote the beginning of our online Children’s Hour with Mrs. B., every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. The Children Hour will start on June 7. We encourage our families with young children to take advantage of this interactive program and to tell your neighbors with children about it.
Also, please don’t forget the Red Cross Blood Drive on June 8. Specific precautions are being taken and have been described in recent emails. For more questions, reach Diana at
Drive Details: Date: June 8th, Times: 2 – 7 PM; Contact the church for more information.
TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE GO TO WWW.REDCROSS.ORG, ENTER SPONSOR CODE St. Peters North Wales or CLICK ON
Today is the birthday of Riley G. Happy birthday, Riley!!!
Today is also the Baptism day of Austin H. Happy Baptism Day!
As always, be blessed and be safe! Pastor Andreas Wagner