February 4, 2020
Family,
This poem was quoted in “Ten Minutes of Torah,” a blog I subscribe to . It helps me express what it means to worship God alone.
“When men were children, they thought of God as a father;
Ruth Brin, Mishkan HaNefesh, Yom Kippur, p. 109
When men were slaves, they thought of God as a master;
When men were subjects, they thought of God as a king.
But I am a woman, not a slave, not a subject, not a child who longs for God as father or mother.
I might imagine God as a teacher or friend, but those images,
like king, master, father or mother, are too small for me now.
God is the force of motion and light in the universe;
God is the strength of life on our planet;
God is the power moving us to do good;
God is the source of love springing up in us.
God is far beyond what we can comprehend.”
Many good things await us in the days ahead. Wednesday night is the second Justice Jam pertaining to housing and the housing crisis in our community, 6:30-8:00 in the Sanctuary. Forever Young gathers for lunch and a program on Saturday at 12:30 (Please RSVP to Alodia or George). Pastor Matthews will preach on Sunday as we celebrate the second Sunday of African-American History Month.
Jim H.
Prayers of the Congregation
Jeanette Paige and family as they mourn the death of her dad; Pam and John Claassen as they mourn the death of their friend Mr. B.; Roxanne Jones as she mourns her niece; Hallie Randel for her mom; Jewelle and James Gibbs; Jeanne Robinson; Mary Karne for Maryla; Zondra and Marty Martin; Katrina Lau; Jesus Portillo for Jude and Tish; Karen Hopkins for Georgianne, Connie and Lou Ann; The people (and animals) of Australia; Rick McKillop for his family; Roy Browner and Al Johnson; George Cummings; The people of Puerto Rico; The people of Nigeria; The people of Iraq and Iran; Those affected by the coronavirus and those responding to the epidemic; The Young Adults of LABC; The Retired Ministers and Missionaries Offering; Thanksgiving for the apparent resolution to the Moms 4 Housing action; All caregivers; The United States Senate as it conducts the impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump; Paige and John for Cordia Lee; The Scott Gattey Family; Jim Jeffery; The Thaker family; Robert Wilkins; John and Laura Landgraf; Gloria Meads for Simon, Bob, Phil, Marty and Paris; Tyrone Mack for his family; Kay Baxter and family, All who are celebrating the Lunar New Year; The homeless of our community; Rebecca Irwin-Diehl (American Baptist Churches) and family as they grieve the tragic death of their son
Sad News from The San Francisco Kachin Baptist Church – Ma Lu Thu, a member of their church, was killed and her husband, Brang Li, was critically injured in an automobile accident on I-580 on Sunday afternoon. They were on their way to worship. Let’s all be attentive to ways we can stand with our Kachin friends in this time of overwhelming grief.