Redeemer Lutheran and St. Theodore

On Sunday, Nov. 2, the congregations of Redeemer Lutheran Church and St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church will celebrate All Saints Sunday. Rev. Murray D. Finck will preside over the 10:30 a.m. holy Communion service at 13564 St. Andrews Drive.

All singers are welcome to join the choir practice each Sunday at 9:15 a.m.

Fellowship will be held after the service in the downstairs Fellowship Hall with coffee, tea, cookies and snacks.

The first part of the Annual Congregational Meeting will be held Sunday, Nov. 9, immediately following the Service.

The Fellowship Hall will once again be turned into a Holiday Bazaar on Thursday, Nov. 13, and Friday, Nov. 14, from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Join church members for fun, food, fellowship, and holiday shopping. For more information or to sign up for a table, call Carmen Leslie at 562-430-6950.

The midweek Bible study held on Wednesdays is currently studying women of the Bible led by Rev. Finck. The next meeting is on Nov. 5. All are always welcome. A study guide will be distributed. People are welcome to bring a lunch, and drinks available and usually some baked goods for a small dessert.

The gospel lesson for All Saints Sunday is from Luke 6:20-31.

On All Saint’s Sunday, believers will remember those who have passed to the Church Triumphant.

The gospel for this day calls believers to a radical love. It starts with a shorter version of the Beatitudes but includes a warning to those who do not live out Jesus’s love. He again states that following him, living in his radical love, will not give believers an easy life. God’s call to love requires more. He calls believers to love their enemies and do good for those who hate them. In fact, he calls believers to pray for these people.

Many people’s first reaction to this might be “I’m not going to be anyone’s doormat. I’m going to stand up for myself, hit back harder, hit back faster, teach that person a lesson.” But Jesus is asking his followers to do no more than what he did. He did exactly that on the cross. He prayed for those who were killing him, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

Jesus ends with, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” He calls believers to do more than they would ever expect another person to do for them. The challenge with Jesus is to live in his radical love for others and go beyond societal norms to reach heavenly norms.