Walk in Love, as Christ Loved Us....

Aloha! This coming Sunday we begin our new “church year.” It’s the time right after
Labor Day when some of us are back in school and back at work after summer
travels… the time when we refocus our efforts to worship and serve together… and the
time to have fun and fellowship as God’s ‘ohana at St. Timothy’s. One aspect of this
new year is new adult Sunday school classes, including one I’ll teach on “Science and
Faith,” which starts on September 15, and a new Daughters of the King class that’s
being planned.

This Sunday also launches our stewardship season, and I’m very grateful for the
diligent work that our stewardship team, led by David Caldwell, has done over the past
few months in preparation. Our theme this year is “Walk in Love,” and over the weeks to
come we’ll think carefully and prayerfully about how we do that here at St. Timothy’s. I
hope all of us will consider how we might strengthen St. Timothy’s and its varied
ministries through the wise and generous management of our time, talent, and treasure
as stewards of all that God has so generously given us. David will get us started this
Sunday, and in weeks to come you’ll hear from other members of our ‘ohana about how
and why they support St. Timothy’s.

Donate to St. Tim's

Last Sunday in worship, we explored what the Apostle James said about faith in
James 1:17-27— “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers”—and what that might
mean for our daily lives. And in the gospel lesson, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, we saw
Jesus blast the religious leaders who were so focused on “doing” the minutiae of the law
(like washing hands before eating) that they missed the part about “being” godly. I
encourage us all not only to hear God’s Word, but to put it into action in our everyday
lives.

In the sermon this Sunday I’ll share the story of a big surprise at a church I attended that helped change its understanding of what it means to live our faith. We’ll explore what James 2:1-17 and Mark 7:24-37 say about the balance of faith and works, with a bonus focus on our theme verse for stewardship from Ephesians 5:1-2: “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.”

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday at 9 a.m. in church or on Facebook Live! Dear sisters and brothers, you are in my prayers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders, and for your vicar. May God bless you all. 

Aloha Ke Akua!
Fr. Pete+

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