10805 Main St. Huntley, IL 60142
     

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Photo: 10:45 am Worship Band—Online View

February Note

From Pastor Mark

The parable in Luke 11:5-13 text immediately follows the account of what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is a parable about persistence in prayer and only Luke tells this story.

Its message is that if you are going to pray to God, be bold. Audacious. Persistent.

In this parable, someone’s in need. He knocks on his neighbor’s door late at night. Of course, the neighbors don’t hear him! They’re sleeping.

Have you ever experienced someone knocking on your door or making a lot of noise late at night? How did you react? Would you get up late at night to answer the door? Is there a difference between a late-night emergency and noise with no apparent purpose?

In this parable, the knocking has a purpose. A need is being expressed. Yet the neighbor is irritated.

He gives excuses; he doesn’t want to be bothered. But eventually, he does respond. He comes to the door and gives his neighbor what he needs.

Jesus teaches that we can be audacious and bold in our prayer. Asking boldly for what you need is like knocking on your neighbor’s door late at night in search of bread to feed someone who’s hungry.

This parable also implies that the asleep neighbor is motivated to help you rather than harm you.

God wants to help us, to respond to the needs expressed in our prayers.

God isn’t going to give us poisonous snakes or scorpions instead of bread. God desires to hear our prayers and to help us.

So, when we pray, we should not doubt God’s good will and purpose, even when it’s the dead of night and our cries for help seem disregarded.

The King James translation reads: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.”

“Ask, Seek, Knock.” That’s what it’s all about. Keep praying. Be bold.

Approach God as a loving parent. Though I must admit, being older as I am, I wonder if God doesn’t take out his hearing aids at night, sometimes.

I say that with the hope that God has a sense of humor. God must, God created us, right?

So, let’s keep pounding on the door and I’ll look forward to being with you in worship!

Pastor Mark

Email Pastor Mark:  pastormark@sotpmail.com

Ministry Musing

By Donna Kelly

A Story From A Stephen Minister:

One cold December evening a pastor was leading a meeting of his congregation’s Stephen Ministers.  As they began to end their meeting with prayer, the door opened, and a street woman hobbled in wearing torn clothes and shoes with so many holes they were falling apart.

She apologized for interrupting and said she was looking for a church that could give her a pair of shoes.  The minister closest to her asked her what size she wore.  When she replied she wore an 8.5 the Stephen Minister bent down, untied one shoe and gave it to the woman to try on.  The woman did so and said it felt wonderful.  The minister then took off the other shoe and gave it to her as well.  The woman remarked that she couldn’t take this minister’s shoes but was assured by the minister that she had another pair at home.  The street woman took the shoes, thanked her and said, “God bless you”.

As the street woman left, the room was filled with stunned silence.  Another Stephen Minister asked the one who had given up her shoes how she was going to get home as it was cold and wet outside.  She replied that she had on thick socks and that she did have a pair of shoes to wear.  She then put on the tattered shoes the woman had left behind and proceeded to walk outside.  The shoes were badly worn and caused her to limp as she walked.  The other minister warned her to be careful and to not fall and get hurt.  As she hobbled out, she remarked, “Now I really know what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes”.

What else is there to say?  May God help us to be as generous and caring as this woman was to share God’s love and grace with our neighbors.

“I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.” Matthew 25:35-36 (The Message)

 

Donna Kelly 

email Donna at: donna@sotpmail.com

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T-Coil - Hearing Loop System

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Ask your hearing care professional how. Some hearing aids are set up where they might have an app on your cellphone that says “telecoil mode”, and you’ll activate that. You might have the ability to adjust the volume up and turn down for the microphone level. But again, talk to your hearing care professional, they should be able to show you all those options, and then play around with it, when you’re in church.

We also have two headsets to use while you are in the sanctuary.  These are in our Welcome Center desk if you don’t have a compatible hearing aid.

Link to video with more information:  www.bit.ly/SOTPloop 

 Contact: your hearing aid professional

 

 

 

 

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