“Open your Bibles to the exact center. There you will find the Psalms.”
Hello Gloria Dei,
I had a teacher who used to love to say to us, “Open your Bibles to the exact center. There you will find the Psalms.” That teacher was right. Try it. Open up to the middle, and there you will find the prayer book and the hymn book called Psalms.
It is quite fitting that the Psalms are at the center of the Bible because they speak to us about all that is at the center of our lives. They give us voice when we are filled with praise. And they give us voice when we are hurting. The Psalms paint pictures of real-life situations, and they give us words to express what is going on our in our lives and in our relationship with God.
I want to let you know that I will be leading a Study of the Psalms on the four Thursday evenings in February. We will look at the different types of Psalms. Each week we’ll read together a couple of Psalms from each type or category. Psalms of Praise. Psalms of Lament. Psalms of Trust. Psalms about the beauty of Creation. Psalms of Wisdom. Pilgrimage Psalms. They speak to us when we’re at the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
I invite you to come join me from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on February 2, 9, 16, and 23. If possible come to all four. But if you can’t make all four, come when you can. We will have fun together and learn some things along the way. We will meet in the office commons area at Gloria Dei.
A few other items to mention.
The Gloria Dei Annual Meeting takes place this Sunday in the sanctuary at 11:45. Please make every effort to attend. We anticipate the meeting lasting no more than one hour. You can find the 2022 Annual Report on our website.
As I mentioned last week, our new Executive Pastor, Heidi Binstock, will be present with us in worship on Sunday and at the Annual Meeting. Please give Pastor Heidi a warm welcome when you meet her.
I also need to inform you that Holly Brunick, our Business and Facilities Administrator, has announced her retirement. Of course, we are happy for Holly and her husband Rick, but sad for us at Gloria Dei. She will be retiring on June 1. We have posted a job description on our website and are now beginning with a search for possible candidates. If you or someone you know may fit the bill and are interested in applying, please use our online application to upload a cover letter and resume.
For this weekend’s worship, please read Luke chapters 22 – 24.
See you in worship,
Pastor Tim
