Weekly News from Zion and our Ministries Under the Cross: Evergreen Academy & Nina's Place

August 14, 2024

Starting a new school year brings so many emotions for students and teachers. Some students are anxious because they are going to a new school, others are sad that summer is over, and others are excited about new experiences. Teachers may be anxious about the pressure and demands of their jobs. This year, all those involved in education will be challenged and stretched, experiencing so many new things.

What can we do to be supportive? Pray! Praying for teachers and students is a powerful gift of love and faith. Pray for teachers in your life to have the courage to daily yield anxieties, stresses, and worries to God. In addition, pray that teachers are filled with peace. And pray that students will grow into individuals who care for God, creation, and one another.

Reading Psalm 119 is a Marathon, not a Sprint

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible with 176 verses. Other biblical books like Philippians, James, or Ruth are of a similar length—in their entirety! This Psalm celebrates God’s word and instruction to God’s people. The structure of Psalm 119 is comprised of 22 stanzas, each starting with a different letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Each stanza has 8 verses with two lines each, and each verse begins with that letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Reading Psalm 119 is a Marathon, not a Sprint

The Songs of Ascent are a special group of psalms comprising Psalms 120—134. The city of Jerusalem is situated on a high hill. Jews traveling to Jerusalem for one of the three main annual Jewish Pilgrimage Festivals traditionally sang these songs on the “ascent” or the uphill road to the city. Each of the psalms in this collection begins with the title “A Song of Ascents.” These psalms were later grouped together for use in traveling toward Jerusalem for the yearly festivals.

Lunch & Learn with DBCC & ViiV Healthcare

Deerfield Beach Community Cares is partnering with ViiV Healthcare for a series of lunch and learns on community care related to those with HIV/AIDS. If you are interested in attending please RSVP to Alyssa Saldivar by clicking here.

Looking for a Host

Beginning in September, we are looking for someone interested in being the host for our Third Tuesday Lunch Bunch. We will do all the publicity and choose the locations (with your input). You just need to show up! If you are available and interested, please speak with Cantor Kurt Schmidt.

This Sunday at 11:00 a.m.

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Wisdom prepares a feast, sets her table, and invites all to come and eat her bread and drink her wine. The first chapter of John’s gospel owes much to the biblical tradition that imagined Wisdom as existing before anything was created and having a role in the work of creation. Christ, the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24), today invites us to eat his flesh and drink his blood. John’s gospel includes no account of the institution of the Lord’s supper, but here we can't help hearing Jesus’ words as an invitation to the meal of bread and wine we share.

Sunday's bulletin can be found on the homepage of our website.

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

954-421-3146, option 2 (Church)

954-913-2125 (Cell)

kschmidt@zion-lutheran.org

Zion is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community, and extends God's radical welcome to all people, because we're all created in God's image.

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