Blessings for Thursday, May 16

Blessings for Thursday May 16

THE STORY OF TWO POTS AND ELDERLY WOMAN

An elderly woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream

to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For full two years, this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its

accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. 'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my

side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.' The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?' 'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. ' For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'

Moral of the Story:

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've

just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

Holy Eucharist Service

celebrated by

The Rev. Rob Gieselmann

Sunday May 19

Day of Pentecost

9:30 am

Music by Lisa Pettit

Parish Life for May is Carol Shanahan 208-721-3958

UPCOMING CALENDAR

Saturday May 18 - Spiritual Retreat in Salmon - contact Rebecca for more info - 208-309-0577 OR Click here for flyer.

Saturday & Sunday - May 18th and 19th

Caritas Chorale Spring Concert ‘On the Sunny Side’ The concerts will be held at St Thomas Episcopal Church. The Saturday concert - 7 PM and

Sunday concert - 2 PM. Free and open to the public.

Sunday May 19 - WEAR RED! Holy Eucharist - The Rev. Rob Gieselmann

Sunday May 26 - Morning Prayer - Laura Primrose

NEW!! - starting June 2, Rob Gieselmann will lead a discussion on the first Sunday of each month. The first class will include a discussion about what topic or book to consider going forward. Join Rob following church service - bring your coffee and treats with you!

Thrift Shop OPEN on Saturdays 10-2

Bible Study - every Wednesday 2:00 PM at church.

All are welcome. Contact Janet 208-721-8933

Lectionary Calendar

Blessings for Thursday May 16

Ephesians 4:29. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

As someone who is active on social media, this verse from Ephesians is convicting. Whether talking or typing, expressing ourselves is innate and can also be impulsive. The desire to make a joke or comment on a current event in a cynical or denigrating manner might get likes, but it does not meet Paul’s criteria for being useful for building up.

While Paul was addressing life and relationships within the local church community, current technology means that the whole world has access to our words and thoughts—and us to theirs. It is often overwhelming, and yet we also feel compelled to say our own piece lest no one know what we think. Though I have certainly regretted things I have said, I rarely regret when I’ve held my tongue. Paul encourages us to be mindful about our speech that we might be instruments of God’s grace and love wherever we go and encourage one another in faith.

Hello, Emmanuel Church!

May Help needed!

Calling all parishioners to help with worship during the month of May.

Do you want to be more involved with the Church, maybe even volunteer, but don’t know what the different duties entail? Read on…

Fellowship coffee hour – Are you the hostess with the mostess - bring treats to share after church - these don’t need to be homemade, it’s just nice to get together and visit.

Flowers – This is a great opportunity to be creative. You can make your bouquet or purchase a premade bouquet. And with summer approaching, you can even use flowers from your garden. We have Vases at church. This is always nice to do in honor of a special person or occasion.

Altar - Want to join a “club”? Join the Altar guild! This behind-the-scenes duty is a beautiful way to help our church. The altar guild members prepare the sanctuary for service and clean up afterward. If you’re interested, we are happy to help you get trained.

Usher –This is a great job for all your friendly faces. As the usher, you greet people as they arrive and invite them to coffee hour after service. You light candles at the beginning and put them out at the end. During service, pass the plate and bring the gifts to the altar. On days when we have communion you slowly walk the aisle to invite people to come front. This may seem like a tricky duty, but remember you’re among friends and we know you’ll do a great job.

Reader – You know what to do, you’ve seen it done every Sunday. This duty is for someone who knows how to read. Sometimes the biblical names are hard to pronounce but again, you are among friends. So give it your best shot, and we'll roll with it.

We could not “do church” without the help of our volunteers!

Thank you for considering signing up to help. If you are interested in helping and trying something new please let us know. We will make sure you know all you need to know to be successful!