Redeemer Lutheran and St. Theodore Canterbury Episcopal

On Sunday, June 28, the congregations of Redeemer Lutheran Church and St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church will celebrate the fifth Sunday after Pentecost. The Holy Communion service will begin at 10:30 a.m. at 13564 St. Andrews Drive. All are welcome to join.

The Rev. James L. Proper, a retired pastor and former director of Lutheran retreats, camps, and conferences; will preside over the June 28 and July 5 services.

People can stay after service for fellowship with coffee, tea, cookies and snacks. The congregations collect donations of canned food for those in need.

A meeting to prepare crafts for the holiday bazaar will be held on Monday, July 6, at 10 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The group will meet every first and third Mondays of the month. There will be preplanned projects with directions, guidance, and all the materials.

The Gospel lesson for this week is from Matthew 10:40- 42 Jesus uses the word welcome six times within these verses, consisting of two sentences. It is a call for believers to go out of their comfort zones and be welcoming to others.

Jesus ate with the sinners, cured the sick, addressed the poor, called the common, and blessed the children. Believers are also called to go and do the same.

It is easy for people in their comfortable lives to say they are welcoming, but the believer should ask themselves: “Do I actually welcome those who are dirty, needy, lost, unhoused, hungry, or living a life contrary to my own? Do I welcome those who disagree with me or have a different background?”

There is much to think about as Christians go through their daily lives and how they treat people they see as less than or different. Jesus saw no one as less than, different, or unworthy, and believers must go and do the same.