July 11th, 2017

Wisdom for Marriage

As we have kicked off our worship series on marriage, I have been reflecting again on one of my favorite poems on the topic written by Kahlil Gibran:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

​Blessings on the journey, Jim

Sunday's Sermon Snippet: I Do

Finding a Helper: Genesis 2:18-24, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
In the beginning, God made all things day by day. At the end of each day, God took stock of creation and said it was good. After creating people on the sixth day, God declared creation to be very good. There was one thing in all of creation, however, that God said was not good - that the man Adam was alone. God set about finding a helper for him. Of all the animals God had made, none were a suitable helper so God made woman to be the man's companion. From this short encounter, there are a few lessons we can learn about marriage and relationships. First, it was not good for Adam to be alone, because we were made to be in relationship with others. The Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - is a relationship even before anything is created - the Father and Son united by the Spirit. We were made in God's image, and so we need relationships by our very nature. Second, the word "helper" itself deserves some attention. This word in Hebrew does not mean a servant who does the menial tasks that are beneath the one they help. The word is most often applied to the help that comes from God - the kind of help that comes from one who is stronger and able to do things the other cannot. To be a helper in a relationship, then, is to bring to your strengths to bear on the burdens of the other and to lift them up. Marriage is God's gift to us to fill our human need for relationship by uniting us with a helper who lifts and builds us up. This is a mutual relationship, with each partner helping the other according to their strengths.

This Week's Challenge
What strengths do you bring to your relationships? What strengths do you see in others around you? What strengths do you need from them? 
Each day this week, find a way to bless someone else by helping them with an encouraging word, an act of kindness, a listening ear, or an act of service – something that will help them in a way they can receive. For those in committed relationships, bless your partner each day. For those who are single, you can choose a different friend each day. What do you learn from each experience?

Living in Community

Thank you, Melissa, for putting together an awesome VBS slideshow to share with us in worship!

​Prayers of healing for Kaylin as she recovers from surgery.

This Week at Port Church

Tuesday, July 11
​Office Closed - Happy Independence Day!

Thursday, July 13
9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours
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Sunday, July 16
9:30 am - Worship - "Love Is..."
​11:00 am - Sunday School