Author Archive: Leesa Bell

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The Gospel according to Mark 7:24-37

24[Jesus] set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice,25but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Yes, a day at the beach! Jesus liked the beach, or at least he went there. Who knows exactly where Jesus stayed, but Tyre was a vacation spot for centuries and has the Roman ruins to prove it.
Tyre is about 50-60 miles away from Capernaum so that would be week or so journey by foot. Tyre is in Phoenicia, a long-time nemesis of Israel. Chances are that the Roman occupation of both nations put their grievances on hold, so that an Israelite could safely travel to Tyre to enjoy the beaches. So, Jesus and his disciples took a break and headed that way.
Now imagine you go on vacation to, let’s say, Hawaii. You had a long flight and you are ready to relax on Coco Beach. Ah, what a life. Your second day there, you get a call form the front desk, your boss is calling you.  You get on the phone with him and he wants you to work on a project for a new customer—a customer who has been a loyal supporter of your competition. He needs two hours work right away. How many times would you remind your boss that you are on vacation?
Jesus faces the same situation. A Syrophoenician woman wants her child healed. Jesus’ reaction is a little curt. Not to mention that this person’s feeling towards Israel is about the same as a native Lebanese person today. At the start, there is not much love here as this woman barges into Jesus’s vacation begging him to cast out her daughter’s demon.
The cool thing about this story is that Jesus changed. Because of her faith (the measure of connection with God) Jesus changes his mind and helps her. This story shows that Jesus has a pecking order of priority. It was to Israel first. But now we see it shift to faith first, no matter who you are or where you are from. That is Jesus changing from human to divine.

Pastor Gerry

Summer Celebration Concert

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Summer Celebration Concert
August 12, 2018 at 4:00 PM
Gala Music — Organ, Instruments, Singing!

July 23–A ‘Pipe Organ Gala’ community concert is set for Aug. 12, Sunday at 4 pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the installation of its 920-pipe instrument. It is the youngest of the four Leesburg pipe organs (the others are at downtown Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian churches,) and has a remarkable story. Prominent organists Terry Sisk and Steven Cooksey will show off and explain the pipes, joined by a Festival Orchestra and singers, led by conductor Nancy Fox, and violinist Nancy Shavin.

Holy Trinity’s organ was custom-built and donated by a Shenandoah Valley master craftsman, at age 78, in thanks to God for his 60 years working in organs. Most of the pipes are from Germany; the vintage oak console is from Hagerstown. All the structural alterations in the sanctuary to accommodate the big pipe chambers and components, were also donated; skilled church members volunteered hundreds of work-hours. In 2008, thousands of dollars were raised for the materials, in part through a “Twilight Tunes” series of six church lawn concerts.

The  beloved instrument is used regularly in worship, and also at public events, including by community groups, e.g. the Loudoun Chorale. On holidays, a Festival Orchestra of 25+ players–church members and friends, from Middle School to octogenarians–joins with the organ for seasonal music. This anniversary year, on December 16, a pipe-organ Christmas carol sing-along (4 pm) will be held as a community event, to mark the month in 2008 when the new organ was dedicated.

Terry Sisk, the featured organist at the Aug. 12 Gala, is a virtuoso, who has concertized in Europe, South America, and extensively in Metro Washington, D.C., both as conductor as well as performer. A Loudoun County native, Sisk began his career while at LC High School, substituting as organist at local churches. After studies in Germany, he served for 23 years as Music Associate at Vienna Presbyterian Church. He was Dean of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO). Now back in his home town, Sisk serves as Music Director at Leesburg Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Steven Cooksey, who will explain the features and personality of the Holy Trinity organ, is professor emeritus at Shenandoah Conservatory, where in addition to teaching organ, conducting, and music history for 40 years, he established the Church Music Institute. He was Dean of the Winchester Chapter of the AGO. Cooksey has been Music Director at St. James’ Episcopal Church for 37 years, and performs frequently in concert.

Nancy Fox, Music Director of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for 20 years, will conduct the celebration program. She is joined by Nancy Shavin, director of the Leesburg Violin Studio, as concertmistress, and ensemble lead performer.

The Aug. 12 program includes dazzling organ solos, exciting organ/instrument ensemble works by Mozart and Dvorak, audience sing-along, a Festival Chorus, and 20+ instrumentalists. Music students are especially encouraged to enjoy this ‘meet-the-King of Instruments’ opportunity. A reception follows the program. The concert is free. Donations are welcome.

Contact: Marcia Merry and Laurie Dieffenbach (We welcome your ideas and input).

New! Small Group Ministry

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The key to being a church is having spiritual relationships. We are to help each other along the faith journey. We all are at different places and have different experiences and needs. But as a church we should value the times we get to- gether as a church to help everyone along.

Many churches including a large percent of growing churches proclaim that small group ministry is what helped the church strengthen its mission, and in many cases, grow. People who have been involved with small group ministries have also shared that their faith and connection to the church and to God was strengthened by small group ministry. Pastor Gerry and Sandy are veterans of the success of the small groups.

What are small groups? They are weekday meetings at someone’s house for bible study, prayer concerns, and fellowship. The meetings are time specific and don’t run late. The format is pretty easy and light and the group grows.

Why are small groups important?

  1. )  There is more opportunity to talk and share faith journey and experiences (if the people want to).
  2. )  Group members realize that they are not alone in their faith journey and the way they live out their faith.
  3. )  People use their gifts and talents to live out their faith helping each other. It is not all about the pastor. People can be helpful to each other and support each other.
  4. )  Small group members encourage each other in their faith. They become better skilled in the practices of praying and thinking about God in their lives.
  5. )  Small group members encourage each other to grow. They provide the support that makes reaching out in faith less daunting or insurmountable. They also hold each other accountable in a good way.
  6. )  People in small groups pray for each other. They learn to care and part of the support is to pray for each other.
  7. )  People are able to practice what they learn in the small group and in their life with the support of the small group.
  8. )  Friendships are fostered in the trusting environment of small groups. People will also get more out of worship because they check in with their small group members.

These benefits are for each individual. In order to want these benefits, you must want to grow and you must make a commitment to the group. People have said that the group meant that they had to make room for it in their life, but once they did, their life changed and the rest of the week became richer and fuller too.

Think about it for you. Pray about it for you and for others in the congregation. This is a great opportunity to get and give the support you need to grow in faith in Jesus Christ. We are planning to start a small group ministry in the fall. Keep posted for more information.

Pastor Gerry

Bread

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The Gospel according to John 6:24-35
24When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were [beside the sea,] they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
 25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
 35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

If you go on a diet, one of the first things dietitians say is eliminate or moderate eating bread. The dietitians will tell you, bread is full of carbs. And if you don’t burn it off, it will stick with you as body fat. So, I hear in one ear: “Don’t eat bread!” and I hear in the other ear: “I am the bread of life!” Truly, I get a little confused.
If you are confused too, here is what make sense to me: Bread is full of carbs. In fact, it is a good amount of carb energy. So, if you ate bread and you worked the fields or some other type of labor, you would need the high level of carbs. You would burn them off during the day. Bread is not a bad food, in fact it is the best food loaded with energy producing carbs that will sustain physical activity all day long. To say it another way, if you could eat one thing and you wanted to get the best energy possible from what you ate, you would be alright if you chose bread.
When Jesus says he is the bread of life. He is saying he is the best food to give you the most energy or “spiritual understanding” that you are going to get.  Jesus is the bread that sustains us and helps us grow. Jesus is the spiritual root of who we are. When we listen to him, we are the best we can be as a human person. We are more compassionate and emphatic. We are humbler and more gracious. We are more selfless and generous. We are more Christlike.
God sent Jesus to us to show us a new way to connect with him. Jesus announces the forgiveness of God; he announces that God loves us and wants a relationship with us. These messages from Jesus sustain us, give us energy, and help our faith to grow. Just like bread does for our bodies, Jesus does for our minds and hearts.
So today, know how fundamentally important it is to have Jesus in our life. He gives us the energy to live a life in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Gerry

Backpack Buddies

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Over 14,000 children in Loudoun County, Virginia are food insecure. That means their families may not know where their next meal is coming from. The Backpack Buddies program provides
weekend and holiday meal packs to help meet the nutritional needs of children
when they are not in school.

The Backpack Buddies partnership between Holy Trinity and Frederick Douglass Elementary will continue into the school year 2018-19.  Donations of money or grocery store gift cards are also very welcome and we will do the shopping for you! It is also possible to set up a monthly delivery to Holy Trinity through Amazon.com. (Remember to use Amazon Smiles!)

Our Backpack Buddies shopping cart is ready for your donations, and can accept them at any time. These items are delivered to Frederick Douglass Elementary during the school hours. We are looking for more people to join who can be part of our delivery team. Please contact Pat Bailey at baileyva@mac.com for more information. Adding one or two items to your shopping list helps to feed the hungry children in our community. A list with the needed foods is on the poster next to the shopping cart.   Examples include:
  • Small cans of chicken or tuna
  • Individual cups of ravioli or spaghetti
  • Easy Mac & Cheese cups
  • 100% fruit juice boxes
  • Cereal bars
  • Individual cereal boxes or cups
  • Individual instant oatmeal packets or cups
  • Rice Krispie Treats
  • Individual fruit or applesauce cups
  • Individual bags of cookies, goldfish crackers
(Please no items containing nut products.)
Childhood hunger is a very real problem in Loudoun County and Holy Trinity CAN make a difference each week with our food donations.

What do you like to eat?

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Would this meal make you smile? Or would salmon, or pork, or even a crab cake be your culinary delight?  We all may have different taste and mealtime desires, but one thing is for certain, there are things that we like to eat and when we do, they bring a smile to our face (and maybe an ache to our belly).
When we talk about being fed, we usually talk about food. Are there other ways that we are fed? Can we be fed emotionally, professionally, or even spiritually? An extrovert is fed by being around people. He or she gets energy from that. On the other hand, an introvert gets fed being by themselves. He or she gets energy from that. If our boss gives us a compliment in front of others, especially our peers or our employees, we are fed by that.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus feeds a multitude with five barley loves and two fish. Jesus performs a miracle and stretched that small amount of food to feed the whole multitude of people. But maybe the real miracle is that Jesus’ message was so powerful that they didn’t want to leave him. Maybe the miracle was that Jesus fed them in another way—a spiritual way.
What do you need to hear this morning? What will feed you, nurture you, make you stronger, more hopeful, more caring, or simply more alive? What could possibly be said that you would want more? That you would feel like you have been given a special gift. That you have been lifted up. Let us hope and pray that message is what you hear this morning.

Amen!

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Children are a special gift from God. They have come to be with us every day this week, bringing their smile and good nature and willingness to do whatever we have prepared for them. They really don’t care if it is to eat a graham cracker with blue icing or thread a necklace. They know that whatever we do, we do for them. They know that everyone of our staff cares for them. As a staff, that trust makes it super fun because it opens doors and allows everyone to sing or dance or try new things or learn new stories. It is that care and concern that opens doors.
We want to mirror the care and concern that God has for us. We don’t get weighed down in dogmas or judgments. We just welcome every child like God has welcomed us. We tell them Bible stories and stories of Jesus love for us. We share some fun and enjoy the gifts the children bring to us and share the gifts we have for them.
But we need to trust too. We need to trust that the seeds of God’s love that we planted will grow. That somewhere somehow, God’s love will make a difference for this child as he/she grows up. We pray for that.
As this week ends, we at Holy Trinity have had a wonderful week of Vacation Bible School. We have been blessed with the children. We have been blessed with the energy that our talented staff brings and the willingness of so many people to be a part of this. We have been blessed with the good-natured fun and trusting relationships. This will be a summer to remember for a long time. No doubt; because of him we can say, Amen: Amen!

New Date – Habitat for Humanity

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Holy Trinity is signed up to participate in the Fed By Faith program. This is where churches go out and serve lunch to volunteers of Habitat for Humanity at a build site. We will be serving about 20 volunteers by 11:20 the morning of Saturday,  August 11, at a site in Hamilton, VA, right up the road. We are looking for anyone who would like to help to prepare lunches on Friday, August 10, around 12:30, and/or deliver and serve lunches on Saturday, August 11. This would be a great activity youth, and as always, ALL ARE WELCOME! For more information, please contact Jodie Allen at jodieaallen@gmail.com (two aa in middle!)

Youth Gathering

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Livestream

Did you know that you can follow the ELCA Youth Gathering via livestream? Join us on the ELCA homepage!  The following events will be shared:

  • MYLE worship: June 26 at 6:45 p.m. (all times CDT)
  • The tAble worship: June 27 at 10 a.m.
  • Daily Bible studies: June 27-June 30 at 3:30 p.m.
  • Mass Gatherings: June 27-June 30 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday morning worship: July 1 at 10 a.m.

You can also follow us on our facebook page or on social media using #ELCAYG2018 

The Obvious

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Sometimes we need to say things that are obvious.

 

As a church, children are a blessing to us. When they are baptized, we promise, with their parents, to live among them with God’s faithful people, to bring them to the word and the holy supper, teach them the Lord’s Prayer, the creeds, and the Ten Commandments, and place in their hands the holy scriptures. We nurture them in faith. It sounds like a daunting task.

 

But while we do these things, children in our church community bless us with an opportunity to share our faith. They provide life and joy from their participation with us. They make special occasions like Christmas (Advent) and Easter (Lent) so special and meaningful for us. Their honesty and candidness at children’s sermons liven up our worship. Their special musical presentations are so pure and holy and help us remember our own childhood memories of church. The children are a blessing and help us re-enforce our faith.

 

Today, the children have been practicing for months to provide a worshipful presentation with their spunk and character which is enjoyable and cute (you’ll see). But in the process, they have learned something special. They have learned that Jesus wants us to love above all else. The children remind us of that all the time. That loud child in the pew behind us (and the embarrassed mom); the dis-engaged teenager who required the strength of Jehovah to get them here; or the enthusiastic child that is antsy for the children’s sermon, all are a blessing to us because they are part of the family of God that we see. We can love with a Hi, with a smile, sharing kindnesses, or a conversation. That is what church friends do. That restless child behind you is our child. That confirmand is our child. The singers this morning are our children.

 

Today we are blessed with their musical, Judge Julie Truly, as it parallels the gospel story of the Jesus healing the Paralytic that was lowered from the roof by four loyal friends. The children are excited to share the story with us. As they do, think of our relationship with them. We may not know their name, but we know who they are. We may have taught them in Sunday school or VBS. We may have shared a pastry or fruit with them after worship. They are our kids. We learn how to love by them just being with us. Enjoy the children and the message.