July 15, 2014
If you live by a sporting calendar the World Cup is over, the Tour de France is in full swing and the All Star Game is upon us. If you live by the traditional calendar it is the middle of July. Whatever calendar you live by I trust you live with the faith that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ.
The central Scriptures in our worship this coming Sunday will be Psalm 86: 11-17 and Romans 8: 12-25. Both of these texts are hopeful in tone. The Psalm is confident that God’s love will see the writer through a difficult time; it exults in the abundance of God’s mercy and care. Paul’s letter to the Romans teaches that hope is our inheritance as the children of God.
The great philosopher and theologian, Augustine of Hippo, taught that this essential gift of God, hope, did not exist independently or abstractly. His vision was that “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”
In my sermon I will share some of my thinking about anger, this dangerous, yet essential, partner of hope. Likely, I will quote Malcom X, “Usually when people are sad, they don’t do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.”
Prayers of the Congregation
- Kimberly Williams as she mourns the death of her father
- Sheila Sims for her father in Kaiser Hospital, San Leandro
- Larry Sims as he recuperates at home
- Chuck Johnston for his sister in law on the death of her sister
- All who are traveling
- Georgia Upshaw for Irene Jennings
- Karen Hopkins for her friend Connie and all who are looking for jobs
- Paige Bence and John Lee for Rick Zavala
- Thanksgiving with Kay and Jamie Reid for a good week and for Stacey’s visit home
- Celestine Bennett as she cares for her sister
- Connie Hector as she cares for her mother in law
- Ann Fields for her family
- Helen Roberson and family
- Barry Breaux for his mom
- Phil and Gloria Meads for June and Billy
- Dwight Dickerson for his family
- Al Johnson and Roy Browner (stability)
- The Milcoff family
- Peg Shaw (Piedmont Gardens SNF)
- The peace of our city
- Toni Daniels and all who are incarcerated
- All our college age and young adult members
- Sandra Dunn for her father
- Virginia Cheatham (hospice care)
- George and Sylvia Lee
- Helen Harrison for the Buchanan family
- Mary Karne for her daughter Maryla
- Shirley Jones
- Steve and Carol Leichter
- Katrina Lau for her grandmother
- Margaret Oladoja and family
- Charlene Wolf for her mom
- Crena Alexander for her mom and dad
- Jan Scott recuperating from surgery following a fall
- Joan Thatcher recuperating from eye surgery
- A prayer for Iraq – may the chaos of civil war be replaced by the shalom of civil society
- Ken Kirkey for his father Ken Kirkey Sr., recuperating from cancer
- The immigrant children (and their families) being held at the border and at centers around the country
- All who are traveling
- Peace in the Middle East and comfort for all the grieving families. May the cycle of atrocity upon atrocity be broken.
- Thanksgiving for the strong financial support of the ministry of Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church
- The Onwubuariri as they move to Wisconsin and for Marie as she begins her ministry as the Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin
- Kay Washington and Joshua Bonette and their families as they prepare for their August 2 wedding
- Legacy Lee and Lauren Vandam and their families as they prepare for their August 8 wedding
- Don Johnson and Nicole Pallios and their families as they prepare for their August 31 wedding
- The Kachin people as they seek justice and freedom
- President Obama as he leads in troubled times
- The Evans, Edwards and Leche families
- All who are leading and all who are attending this week’s Vacation Bible Camp
- Thanksgiving for the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America and its annual Peace Camp (Alice and Dale Edmondson are attending)
- Thanksgiving for the charitable work of Kiwanis International. Jesse Lucas is attending the Kiwanis International Convention in Tokyo this week and next.
Announcements
A young man (recently graduated from college) from the Alliance of Baptists will be coming to the Bay Area on August 9-12 to do some research for the history of the Alliance he is writing. He is hoping someone from LABC can provide him with lodging while he is in town. Please let me know if you can help in this regard.
I will be taking a week of vacation beginning Wednesday July 23. The Midweek Message will return on August 5.