November 11, 2022
Dear Friends,
A little poetry, anyone? Why not — says the English major!
This is from Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem, As Kingfishers Catch Fire:
Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.
Here Hopkins points to the mystery of Christians being the body of Christ. Somehow our bodies (limbs, eyes, faces, etc.) manifest his body.
This is the bracing message of 1 Corinthians 12. Paul writes: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Cor 12:27
I confess, it is sometimes hard to believe that indeed Christ “plays” through me, through my very body and through the body or people that is Christ’s church. How does this happen? What grace!
And I wonder how different my perspective would be for other brothers and sisters in Christ if I saw them as indispensable to Christ’s body?
As Paul says, “God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.”
So much more to say! Join us this Sunday at 5 as we embrace this wild mystery of grace afresh.
THANK YOU FROM YOUTH FOR CHRIST
I received this kind thank you note from Youth For Christ in response to our gift to them on our Grand Opening in September — wanted to pass along to you. Thanks for your generosity:
Hello Pastor Zach and Radiant Cov!
We can not thank you enough for the gift you guys gave us to continue ministry in our After Care program and City Life Neighborhood program. It has been a pleasure to see these kids light up and be able to give them some good meals but also build deeper relationships and show them the hope of Jesus Christ. Weekly, we meet with 16 kids across the city that have been incarcerated but are now in a mentoring relationship with one of our mentors and 8 of those kids are in deeper conversations about their faith every week. City Life in South Modesto sees on average 20 kids a week. Each week hear the hope the gospel provides and have healthy adults in their lives. You have been a part of so much this past month, and we wanted to share with gratitude what you helped us accomplish. THANK YOU!
A VETERANS’ DAY PRAYER
Thank you Veterans! Here is a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer for Veteran’s Day:
O Judge of the nations, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy. Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its responsibilities. This we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
CALENDAR (see below for details)
ongoing – Home Churches
ongoing – The Alpha Course
11/13 – Baby Dedications
11/13 – Second Sunday Supper — Chili Cook-off
11/23 – Thanksgiving Eve Service with Emanuel Lutheran – 7PM. Bring a pie for after the service.
11/27 – First Sunday in Advent
12/18 – “Winterfest” Christmas Party after worship
CHILI COOK-OFF 11/13
It’s Chili time. This Sunday we’ll have our Second Sunday Supper as a Chili Cook off after our worship service. Contact Laura Fowler if you’d like to bring food. There’s even a Chili contest (8 have entered so far!) 209-606-4640.
THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE (w/ pie afterwards) 11/23 @ 7PM
On Thanksgiving eve we are celebrating a family service of Thanksgiving to God with Emanuel Lutheran Church. The nursery will be open and kids are invited into the service. We are grateful for ELC’s hospitality and support during our time and are excited to worship with them. Also, we’ll have a pie party afterwards to warm us up for Thanksgiving. Bring a pie if you’d like!
24 HOURS OF PRAYER 12/2-12/3
Prayer has marked our early life as a church. A year ago we prayed for 24 hours straight, splitting it into one hour shifts. We did it again in February and March and then for 48 hours straight in September. We believe prayer is the fuel for all that we do. So we ask the Holy Spirit to fill our lives and community. And we are doing it again this Advent — from 2PM 12/2 to 2PM 12/3. Sign up for a block or two here.
THE ALPHA COURSE
What is the Alpha Course? Alpha is a series of conversations about things we all question in life: What’s the purpose of life? Why do bad things happen to good people? Is there a God?
We are meeting on Thursdays from 6-8PM. Dinner Included! We’ll meet at Emanuel Lutheran’s fellowship hall.
Go here for more information and to register!
HOME CHURCHES ARE NOW HOME CHURCHING
Home Churches are just getting going! Our Home Church groups are smaller communities that meet during the week where we learn to practice the simple way of Jesus. No experience required, all are welcome. We usually share meal, read scripture, and consider what God is up to in and through our lives.
Currently, we have five different home groups meeting at various times and locations. If you are interested in learning about available groups and what group might be a good fit for you contact Zach at zach@radcov.org
BAND APP
One way to connect at Radiant is to join our BAND APP group. Think of this as a sort of Radiant message board — our own little Facebook/ Craigslist space. People can extend invites, share about needs and resources. Please join us! https://band.us/n/adaa739aX4Rca
Grace and peace!
Zach
zach@radcov.org
209-497-3710
www.radcov.org
