We had a lively discussion for our last Saturday morning retreat until September. After a delicious breakfast and introductions, we had a brief liturgical calendar update and learned that we are in Ordinary time, theme color Green, and this lasts until Advent!
Our theme was from 1 Timothy 6:6 “Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment”.
The encouraging message of God lifting us up and restoring us to health was from Psalm 30. We pondered the eternity of God’s love, which “turns wailing into dancing” and found personal meaning in the verse “Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Proverbs 25 gave us many lessons for leading a life of wisdom, including moderation and self-control, and how to relate to others in our world – neighbors, friends, enemies. We talked about the pain that can be inflicted by thoughtless or faithless words. 1 Timothy centered on God’s many riches and blessings in our lives, and our obligation to steward and generously share our gifts with others. Truly this is how we “may take hold of the life that really is life”. In Matthew’s gospel we found the parable of the weeds of the field. We discussed the fields sown with the seeds by the Son of Man, which related to the recent sermon about seeing the Whole and seeing ourselves as parts of the Whole.
Our special guest Bill Forbes presented information about emergency preparedness and the Epiphany Madrona HUB, located in the “LOVE” container in the parking lot behind Christie House. The HUB will be a communication and resource center, able to get messages to other HUBS in the city.
Remember the first thing to do if there is an earthquake: put on your shoes!!
Summer Meet and Tag Ons:
JUNE 12 at 5:30 pm Sander Windows: Steve Sander and Fr. Doyt will teach about the windows in the balcony of the Church. Social time following; open to spouses, friends, etc.
JULY 12 6:30pm Concert in the Courtyard with Honey Babe: come at 5:30pm to meet together to enjoy this great concert. We will have a special area for our gathering. Food can be ordered from the Ukrainian Church menu, or bring your own.
Next Meeting Saturday, Sept 7th, 2024
