Dear Siblings in Christ,
What does it mean to have authority, or to be an authority figure? We’ve all probably had people in our life that served as authority figures — maybe these were our teachers, grandparents, Sunday School teachers, pastors, coaches, or anyone who helped to inspire us, motivate us, or who we aspired to emulate.
As we look at our Gospel from Mark this Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, the gospel writer continues to share with us ways in which Jesus reveals himself as the Son of God. We will get a closer look at his first time speaking in the synagogue, where he’s seen as an authority figure to all who hear him.
Our society tends to follow many types of authority figures — but we remember that Jesus and the life he led showed a radically different type of authority: an authority that showed love and acceptance for all and is the ultimate authority for us to follow!
We continue to worship online to help ensure the safety of our St. Matthias family and we invite you to worship at home with us. Worship will be available Sunday morning, Jan. 31, beginning at 9am by clicking on one of the following links:
(71) St Matthias Lutheran Church Carlisle PA – YouTube
(Please click on the video for January 31)
(20+) St Matthias Evangelical Lutheran Church | Facebook
(You do not need to have a Facebook account to view the worship service)
Until we resume in-person worship, we invite you to worship with us each Sunday morning, or you may watch the worship service later at your convenience.
A link to the worship bulletin is attached below. If you have any questions or concerns, please Email me at vicarmartyjo@gmail.com. We will continue to monitor the Department of Health website regarding returning to in-person worship. The latest recommendations from our bishop ask churches to maintain online-only worship at least through the end of January because of the high percentage of community spread. In the meantime, we also invite you to refer to the Celebrate inserts that you received in your worship-at-home packet in the event you are unable to open or print the attached bulletin.
Announcements:
- A reminder that St. Matthias is hosting a “Zoom tryout meeting” on Sunday, January 31, at 11am. It’s a chance to try out Zoom and connect with your church family — and you can do it through your phone if you don’t have an internet connection. Instructions to connect to the call were previously sent out and are copied below for your convenience — we hope to “see” you Sunday afternoon for an informal chat!
Accessing Zoom on your Computer or Smartphone:
Open your internet browser (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, etc.)
Find the zoom link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9780522760?pwd=allhak4rNnMzTyswc0lkbGo5Q0Uxdz09
(If you already have Zoom installed, you can also enter the Meeting ID into your app: 978 052 2760)
Click on the link or copy it into your browser
If Zoon is not already installed, click on “Download Now”
After you’ve clicked that and Zoom is downloaded, click on the Zoom program at the bottom left of your screen to install it
Say “Yes” to allow the app to make changes to your machine
You should see a message “Installing Zoom” on your screen
After installation is complete, click “Launch meeting”
Click “Open Zoom Meeting”
You’ll see a message asking for you to wait for the host to let you in – please wait momentarily until the meeting begins and the host lets you in
Once you join in the meeting, you will see two buttons on the lower left of your screen – a , and share camera button and a mute/unmute button. You can share the camera and your image will be shown on the screen for everyone in the meeting to see (if you don’t want to be seen, you can click on unshare camera). You can also mute and unmute yourself – meeting participants are generally muted except when they are talking. The host can also mute participants if there is a lot of background noise.
When the meeting is over, click on the “Leave Meeting” button on the bottom right
Click “X” at the Post-Attendee Zoom window to exit out of Zoom
Accessing Zoom on your Telephone:
By phone (not toll free) – dial any number below and enter Meeting ID 978 052 2760 whenever you are prompted
+1 646 558 8656 +1 301 715 8592 +1 312 626 6799
Please note – since you are on a phone, you will not be able to view participants and they will not be able to see you, but you will be able to hear the meeting and participate.
- Because the COVID numbers are still high and vaccines haven’t been widely distributed, we will plan to deliver “worship-at-home” packets before Ash Wednesday in the event that we will not be able to gather in person during the Lenten season. The packets will be similar to what we distributed for Advent, with Celebrate inserts, a Lenten devotional, a small packet of ashes to impose on Ash Wednesday, as well as other seasonal items.
- Although we aren’t gathering in person, bills to maintain our ministry and our building still continue. We have set up a secure online giving tool (endorsed by the ELCA and used by more than 4,000 churches) through Tithely. You may give online by clicking on the link below — and you may also use the site to set up recurring giving, where your gift will be automatically deducted on a day of your choosing. There’s also a green DONATE button at the bottom of this bulletin (and at the bottom of our website) that you nay click on to make a gift. If you have any questions on how to use this service, please let me know. THANK YOU for your continued support of St. Matthias and its ministry. You may also download the tithe.ly giving app through the following link: Tithe.ly Giving App for iPhone or Android | Tithe.ly
Here is the link to make a gift online to St. Matthias using the Tithely online giving site:
https://tithe.ly/give?c=2732717
Prayer List:
All those affected by Covid-19, Christian M. (Marines) and all military service personnel, Don and Joanne, Jacques, Pam, Betty Lou, Mark, Pat, Seth, DJ, Margaret, Sally, George, Arleen, Greg, Charles, Carol, Darryl, Wayne and family, family and friends of the Rev. Sterlen Sheaffer (Ruth Hoy’s brother), and all who ask for the Lord’s healing and mercy.
May the love of Christ continue to fill you — and may you stay safe indoors with the impending snowy weather we are to get early in the week!
God’s Peace,
Vicar MJ