The Sunday Summary

Well, not very many people braved the cold and snow this Sunday, and with good reason! It was a mess out there! To those of you who did make it, we were glad to see you!

A few highlights:

• It was the first Sunday in Lent, so we heard the Gospel account of Jesus being tempted by Satan. We also talked about what "Lent" really is.
• I (Becca) introduced the Spiritual Gifts Spotlight and talked about our Lenten Study.
• Our District Superintendant The Rev. Ouk-Yean Kim Jueng joined us for worship.
• Despite the few numbers, we were large in spirit and faith!

Pastor Keith's Sermon was entitled "Under the Influence". Here are a few highlights from his sermon:

• We are all under the influence of temptation.
• There are 4 things in life we cannot avoid: temptation, taxation, inhalation, and expiration
• St. Anthony said that we should expect temptation even at our last breath.
• Pastor Keith quoted Peter Gomes: "When people ask why preachers waste their time on the people in their pews, "preaching to the converted" … they fail to understand that it is those who aspire to goodness who most need to be reminded of and protected against the dangers of the moral ambiguity that is the seed of temptation."
• He gave us steps for overcoming temptation, based on how Jesus overcame it: Knowledge of Scripture, Knowledge of Self, Knowledge of Purpose.
• He also referenced 1 John 2: 16 as an example of how temptation works.

The Youth participated in the 48th Annual Youth Choir Festival at Our Savior's Lutheran Church. They did a marvelous job! Pictures and (hopefully) video will be up soon!