Announcements

If you'd like more information or wish to sign up for any of the events listed below, please email us at .

Child Dedication 5/17 - In May, we will have our Child Dedication, where the church supports parents in guiding their children to know God's wisdom and love. If you’re interested or would like more information, please reach out to Pastor Scott.

Potluck Picnic 5/31 - Join us for a picnic lunch together on Sunday, May 31st! After service, we’ll be heading to Doyle Park for food and fellowship. Please bring a dish to share.

Volunteer Appreciation 6/6 - We’re so grateful for everyone who serves our Ethnos community. To honor your efforts, we’re hosting a special picnic on Saturday, June 6th. Expect an invitation from your ministry team leader soon. Your contributions make our community shine!

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Wrestling With God

Justice, Suffering, & Growing In Faith: The Book Of Job

What is something you did when you were young that you now view as unwise?

Job 32:1-9
1 So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.[a] 4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

“I am young in years,
    and you are old;
that is why I was fearful,
    not daring to tell you what I know.
7 I thought, ‘Age should speak;
    advanced years should teach wisdom.’
8 But it is the spirit in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
9 It is not only the old who are wise,
    not only the aged who understand what is right.

Does wisdom come with age?

Job 36:1-4

1 Elihu continued:
2 “Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
    that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.
3 I get my knowledge from afar;
    I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
4 Be assured that my words are not false;
    one who has perfect knowledge is with you.

Wisdom can come to both young and old, but remember it always comes from God.

Is my suffering a lesson?

Job 33:14-20
14 For God does speak—now one way, now another—
    though no one perceives it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people
    as they slumber in their beds,
16 he may speak in their ears
    and terrify them with warnings,
17 to turn them from wrongdoing
    and keep them from pride,
18 to preserve them from the pit,
    their lives from perishing by the sword.
19 “Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain
    with constant distress in their bones,
20 so that their body finds food repulsive
    and their soul loathes the choicest meal."

Does suffering build character?

Philippians 4:12
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Romans 5:3-4
3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.  

Ways We Can Grow From Our Suffering

• Seek the God who is bigger than your circumstances.
• When life doesn't have easy answers, seek to grow in God's wisdom.
• Following Jesus means being a life-long learner.

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Community Prayer

A Prayer Poem

Today, we see and honor 

each woman here and

we celebrate those whom we hold close to our hearts

You, me, them

We love

women who haven't been able to have children and have wanted to

We mourn 

alongside of those who have lost

To our full- and part-time caregivers to their mothers and 

to the adult children who make hard calls about medical and end-of-life decisions 

You show up in ways often unseen and unglamorous 

We are with you

Our hearts are for our foster mothers, adoptive mothers,

stepmothers, biological mothers,

mother figures,

those who have chosen to not be mothers 

Holding complexity

should there be strain, estrangement 

pain that only our Holy Spirit knows as groans because words aren't enough

We see you too

A prayer for you, me, for all whom we hold close, for them.

~Women who couldn't have children but wanted to

~Mothers who have lost children, including through miscarriage

~Caregivers to their mothers

~The adult children who hold medical decision making responsibility and/or for end-of-life care

~Stepmothers, foster mothers, adoptive mothers, biological mothers

~Mother figures, women who chose not to be mothers

~Estranged or fractured relationships between mothers and adult children

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Questions, Sign-Ups & Prayer Requests 

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