May 27, 2025
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Women of Trinity Summer Gathering, June 5th, 5:30 pm. All women are welcome!
SAVERS FUN DRIVE-Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in May. LAST SATURDAY THIS SATURDAY, MAY 31ST! Every Saturday in May, from 9 am till Noon. We are collecting items as a fundraiser for the Women of Trinity. All items should be clean and in good condition. Place clothes and shoes in white kitchen trash bags and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!
Summer Fellowship Servers needed! Sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office if you are willing to serve fellowship on any Sunday June through August. WE CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE FELLOWSHIP SERVERS FOR JUNE 8, 15, 22nd!
Vacation Bible School, July 14-18, 9 am till 2 pm for all 4 year olds through 6th grade youth. Led by Luther Park Bible Camp. No Cost. Games, Crafts, Music, Food, and more! Friends welcome! We appreciate your registering in advance! See the attached form.
VBS Snacks, Snack helpers needed! See the sign-up in the Narthex or call the office if you would like to help!
Trinity Summer Office Hours begin in June! Office will be open Monday – Thursday, 9 am till 1 pm. Closed Fridays.
Baby Care Kits: The Women of Trinity are collecting items for Baby Care Kits through June. We are looking for, in sizes 6-24 months, sleepers or gowns, cotton t-shirts, light jackets, sweaters or hooded sweatshirts. Receive blankets, dark colored hand towels, and baby socks. We can also use onsies. Items can be placed in the bins underneath the altar in the Narthex.
We are collecting Cereal for the WestCAP food pantry! Bring your boxes and place them by the altar in the Narthex. Please make sure the cereal is not expired.
Voices of Praise is taking a break until September We will see you then!
Congregational Meeting, Sunday, July 27th, 10 am to vote on the building of a new parsonage.
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
Since we had sound issues on Sunday, below is the written version of the sermon I gave on Sunday that, if you watched online, you couldn’t hear. Yes, this does prove that I do actually write my sermons, despite rumors of the contrary. No, it does not mean that I stick to said written word. 😊
John 14:23-29 : Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate,i the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.”
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
Have you ever heard the phrase “easier said than done?” You know, you can say something and it seems pretty easy, and then you have to do it, and it isn’t so easy? Like, running a mile doesn’t seem so hard until you actually have to do it. Or sewing on a button seems easy, until you have to actually try to do it. There are many things that could fall into that category. And Jesus says something in our reading today that I think falls into that phrase, “easier said than done.”
Jesus says to the disciples “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Actually, this is the second time he says it in chapter 14, which tells you that the disciples had troubled hearts. He of course, follows it up with “do not let them be afraid.” Do not let your hearts be troubled. Umm, that is easier said than done, because I don’t know about you, but it is pretty easy to let my heart be troubled. All I gotta do is turn on the news to get my heart into a troubled state. All I gotta do is talk to some of my friends or family and hear what is going on in their lives to get my heart to be troubled. All I gotta do is let my own weaknesses, insecurities, and doubts creep into my head in the middle of the night to let my heart be troubled. It is easier said than done, to not let our heats be troubled or to not be afraid.
And I think that Jesus knows it. Which is why Jesus is telling the disciples, and us, that he is not leaving us alone. Not only is he promising to be with us, reminding us that he and the Father are one, but telling us two other things. One, that he is gifting us with his peace, a peace that is different than the world’s peace. This is a peace that comes from his salvation, of knowing that sin and death have been defeated and we have the promise of eternal life. When you know you have the promise of eternal life, you can rest a little easier and live with hope, for you have that assurance of heaven. We are saved, not by our works, but by what Christ has does for us, and that is a peace the world cannot give. It is a peace that only Christ can give.
The other thing that Jesus is telling us is that we are not alone. Christ is giving us an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with us. And this Advocate, this Spirit, is there to remind us of all that Christ has done for us. This Spirit is there to create faith in our hearts, sustain us in faith, and to remind us. to remind us that we are loved. To remind us that we are saved. To remind us that we are not alone. To remind us of everything that Jesus has taught us. So that in those moments when our hearts our troubled, when we feel overwhelmed with sadness and grief and doubt and anxiety, we can remember Christ’s promises for us. That we are forgiven. That we are loved. That we have eternal life. That we have a peace that passes all understanding. That it will be ok because Christ is with us.
Do not let your hearts be troubled is easier said than done because we do need constant reminding. It is easy to forget all that Jesus has done for us and that Jesus is with us. But that is why Christ sends the Advocate, the Spirit, to us. To remind us. To remind you. That we do not need to be afraid. That it will be ok. Jesus has us. Jesus has you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid, for the peace of Christ is with you. For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!” Amen