[amc] a note from the pastor
- From: Garland Robertson <pastor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Austin Mennonite Church <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:19:28 -0500
Members and Friends of Austin Mennonite Church
I pray your experience in the recent past has enriched and encouraged you.
Whenever we hear the word sacrifice a kind of reverence arises within
us. The term ‘sacrifice’ suggests an esteemed capacity to incur a loss.
The name identifies a valuable thing intentionally given up. Sacrifice
is more than just being without something that could be used for
personal benefit and pleasure. In order for some loss to qualify as a
sacrifice it must be at our disposal to manage as we choose. So the
purpose for which some valuable item is given away must be more
important to us than keeping for ourselves the value sacrificed. Human
history is filled with examples of persons offering valuable things
including their animals, their children, and their own lives for
purposes they value more than their offerings. And in many of these
instances the item sacrificed is killed in the hope this will accomplish
the intended purpose. It seems that Jesus did not participate in the
sacrificial killing rituals that had become the practice of his
religious community. And it was not because he had no sin. His idea of
sacrifice differed from the customary understanding that sacrifice can
atone for offenses against God. For Jesus sacrifice was not a death to
redeem sinfulness but rather a life to honor what the creator God has
intended human life to be like. Doing this consistently was the
sacrifice of Jesus.
The scriptures suggested for next Sunday are Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Mark
12:28-34; and Hebrews 9:11-14. Thoughts prompted by these passages will
compose the sermon, 'The ultimate sacrifice.'
We will celebrate Communion together during the worship service this
next Sunday. And we will share our community meal together.
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS THIS WEEKEND. Remember to set your clocks
backward before Sunday morning to recover the hour we lost last spring.
May it go well with you. Sincerely,
Garland Robertson
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Austin Mennonite Church, (512) 926-3121 www.mennochurch.org
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