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NEW JERUSALEM EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH SENDS
OUR BEST WISHES TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
FOR A HAPPY, SAFE, AND A HAPPY, HEALTHY NEW YEAR!
In case of a pastoral emergency, please contact Pastor Lisa Borrell
at 610-838-0731 or or email MizLKB@aol.com.
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Pastor Lisa will be holding office hours at the church on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Please give me a call ahead of time if possible so that we can arrange for a time to meet and speak. To note … Hershey kisses are always available on my desk if you, like I, have a need for chocolate! I can also be reached via text messages to my cell phone, Facebook Messenger, or email (MizLKB@aol.com). Please understand if sometimes I cannot answer a call promptly. Kindly leave me a voice message and I will contact you as soon as I am able. ~ Pastor Lisa
The night before this newsletter article was due, I had just completed Confirmation class with Sharon B. and pondered out loud “what” I could write about. My mom, Chris, and I had returned from a vacation in California the day prior where we spent the better part of an afternoon touring Alcatraz, the former federal prison located in the San Francisco Bay which housed many infamous inmates over the years. When I joked about how I could incorporate that experience into this article, Sharon suggested writing about those things that imprison us. So here goes …
During my school age years, I used to bite my fingernails down to the quick because I was always anxious about my grades (even though I was a great student). I sought to be “good enough” to make the honor roll each semester and lived with that pressure of my own making. Essentially, I was imprisoned to the thought that I would not measure up to my peers.
I frequently see younger folks now (yes, even pre-schoolers!) fixated on their physical images. They constantly pose for every single picture that is taken of them … crossing their legs a certain way, holding their hands on their hips or around their faces, or making duck lips which, I guess, they think makes them look more attractive. They are beholden to a certain standard of personal presentation (admittedly, like all the generations before them) and revere such self-made “celebrities” like the Kardashians or other social influencers. They, too, are imprisoned to those unattainable standards or means of living which constantly chip away at their authenticity.
Others are imprisoned by their jobs with crazy work schedules and responsibilities that do not allow much time for personal lives, recreation, or hobbies. The sad fact is that they (each one of us) are replaceable in the work force by another up-and-comer who’s more than ready to step into our empty shoes.
The list goes on and on! Some are held captive by unhappy and unfulfilling relationships … by disease … by mounting debt … by addiction … by a sense of entitlement … etc. What are we doing to ourselves?!
This upcoming Lenten season provides us with intentional opportunities to break free from this kind of thinking by encouraging us to walk with Jesus, to focus on our spiritual journeys, and also to do for others. There will be chances to join in corporate worship with the HAM Churches as well as to participate in a one-day congregational retreat. Additionally, the NJ Foster Love committee is encouraging members to “look outward” by providing a frozen meal to families in the foster care system. Alms may be made to the Food Pantry or to any other helping organization which provides aid and relief.
My hope is that we may wisely use this time — these 40 days of Lent — to break free of the things, ideas, and ideals which hold us captive.
In Christ, Pastor Lisa Borrell
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Please consider giving a financial donation to one of the following
organizations to help with relief efforts in California:
c/o ELCA
P.O. Box 1809
Merrifield, VA 22116-8009
700 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
Please write “for CA wildfires relief” in the memo portion of the check.
Thank you for blessing others in their time of need.
The members of New Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church
wish you a blessed day and we pray that your day is filled
with hope, love, peace, and good health!
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