Sunday, January 29, 2017

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

A PEEK AT THE SUNDAY SERMON

My wife and I are enrolled in a
language class at Schoolcraft
College. Our goal is to speak
fluently and spontaneously in
Italian.
The instructor promises that in
12 weeks, we will have the skills
necessary to have a decent
conversation with a native
Italian. (Hes expecting a lot
from the Pastor!)
I believe that, as Christians, we need to be fluent in another language or better yet, in
three languages of the heart. And so, the sermon on Sunday is titled Language of the
Believer! The sermon text is Proverbs 15:13-23. We will also be looking at passages
from 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Thessalonians 5. I hope to see you on Sunday morning!
It will be a wonderful opportunity to brush up on our Christian communication skills!

Proverbs 15:13-23 (NLT)

13 A

glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit. 14 A wise person is hungry for
knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash. 15 For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the
happy heart, life is a continual feast. 16 Better to have little, with fear for the LORD, than to have
great treasure and inner turmoil. 17 A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak
with someone you hate. 18 A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops
them. 19 A lazy persons way is blocked with briers, but the path of the upright is an open highway.
20 Sensible children bring joy to their father; foolish children despise their mother. 21 Foolishness
brings joy to those with no sense; a sensible person stays on the right path. 22 Plans go wrong for
lack of advice; many advisers bring success. 23 Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to
say the right thing at the right time!

The Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 is the suggested daily Bible reading for Sunday, January 29,
20167. (The United Church of Christ Calendar).
18 The

message of the cross is foolish to those who are

headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know
it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say, I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence
of the intelligent.
20 So

where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars,

and the worlds brilliant debaters? God has made the
wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his
wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him
through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching
to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who
ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks,
who seek human wisdom.23 So when we preach that Christ
was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say
its all nonsense.
24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews, and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the
wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and Gods weakness is
stronger than the greatest of human strength.
26 Remember,

dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the worlds eyes or powerful or
wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame
those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are
powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all and used them to bring
to nothing that the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us
right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, If
you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.

Paraments and altar linens have been changed to green

- symbolizing the renewal of vegetation and generally of
living things and the promise of new life.
Lennon Pregnancy Center
Katherine Lennon, Executive Director of the Lennon
Pregnancy Center, will be our guest on Sunday Morning,
January 29th. She will be sharing about the work of
Lennon Pregnancy Center and will be available for
questions and answers, following the service.
The Center exists to enable parents to choose life for their
unborn children and to raise their children in loving families.
This is accomplished by offering enrichment, advice,
education, material assistance and other non-judmental
support.

Groundhog Day and Spiritual Lessons

On Friday, February 3rd its Pizza and Movie Night at Dearborn Congregational Church!

And whats this? The movie is Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Yes,
Groundhog Day. The Diaconate Committee and the Pastor have picked this 1993 classic comedy because
its a light-hearted story that will have us laughing, have us shouting out memorable lines, enjoying Christian
fellowship and (hopefully) it will lift our spirits as we slog through this winter month.
Murray plays Phil Conners, an obnoxious, arrogant weatherman who is assigned to cover the annual
Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Much to his dismay, he finds himself in a time loop,
repeating the same day (Groundhog Day) over and over again. His plight, however, turns into a blessing as
he re-examines his life and priorities.
Director and Producer Harold Ramis was surprised by the reaction to his movie. Hasidic Jews held up
signs outside of theaters asking, Are you living the same day over and over again? Then I started
getting letters from the Zen Buddhist community, the Yoga community, the Christian fundamentalist
community everyone is claiming that this was their philosophy and that I must be one of them for
having made this movie. I cant speak for other religious persuasions, but for me, the movie has a
message of redemption. Regardless of your station in life, your past indiscretions, sins committed or the
mistakes you made that have led you down a wrong path there is hope. You can be changed! Isnt that
what we Christians believe and teach?
As we witness the slow transformation of Murray, we may also want to examine our own Christian walk and
learn from our past mistakes. And lets face it, weve all stepped in that same puddle of everyday life (if
you havent seen Groundhog Day, the comment will be explained early on in the movie), relived the same
tensions with the same people, every day. The movies message (and what we believe) is that love can
break the cycle.
This is NOT a Christian movie and I will always stick to Scripture when teaching and preaching the Gospel
message of redemption through Christ. However, isnt this fantasy about a one man and his unusual
journey to a rebirth experience, a welcomed change from some of the junk Hollywood offers?

Pastor Krens Sermon

for January 15, 2017 is
now on YouTube. Just
click on the image to the
left!

St. Paul UCC, Taylor, is having a

delicious fundraiser!
A simple donation of $7.00
buys you a spoon, a support
tray (holds 6 bowls of soup)
and will allow you to taste a
variety of amazing soups
prepared by local businesses
as well as their members.
All profits will go to support
the St. Paul Building Our
Future fund. If you have a
secret family recipe and would
like to participate in Souper
Bowl IV, please contact Jim
Poet at 734-718-3137 or the
Church Office at 313-2911221.

If you havent why not Like Us on

Facebook? Just click on the signs
to the right you will be transported
to the Dearborn Congregational
Facebook Page! Maybe you like to
tweet? You can follow Pastor Kren
on Twitter: @william_kren.

BLOGGING ALONG!
Blog (noun) A regularly updated website or web page, typically
one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal
or conversational style.

Ive been blogging about church work and my life in

the ministry since arriving at Dearborn Congregational.
You can learn more about the Pastor and how he thinks,
by clicking on the link (picture) to the right!

Prayer Requests
Rev. Norman Kirsch. Serious medical concerns.
Edith Schwartz. Now home and in hospice care.
Irene Moxon. Serious medical problems.
Marilyn Beardsley. Continuing medical concerns.
Pat Stacho. Continuing medical concerns.
Shirley Fedraw. Medical concerns.
Suzanne Van Ranst. Medical concerns.
Pauline Gourlay. Medical concerns.
David Allen. Medical concerns.
Tom Schlaff. Serious medical concerns.
Frank Kren. This is Pastor Bills younger brother. Serious medical concerns.
Arthur Triplett. Sue Krens brother has a serious medical condition.
Carol Thompson. Sue Krens sister has a serious medical concern.

A complete list of prayer requests is also printed in the Sunday bulletin. If

you have a special request please phone the Church Office: 313-2718552. You can also phone Pastor Kren at 313-344-9808.

Receiving Donations Helping the Needy

We are now collecting non-perishable food donations that will
be delivered to the Fish & Loaves food pantry, in Taylor. This
organization was first launched by an ecumenical group of
churches, led by St. Paul United Church of Christ in Taylor
and their Pastor, Rev. Geoff Drutchas.

Fish & Loaves offers needy families and individuals a wide range of canned goods,
refrigerated and frozen foods, dairy products, and seasonal produce is offered at no

cost to clients. Since opening its doors in 2008, the Fish & Loaves Pantry has assisted
more than 9100 households and over 13,000 men, women, and children. They
distribute over two million pounds of food annually. The advantages of a client-choice
pantry are:

A sense of dignity for clients and their families -- thanks to our store-like setting.
Higher client satisfaction with food they are able to choose.
Less waste and, therefore, less cost in providing food to clients.
Greater opportunities for positive and supportive social interaction between Fish
& Loaves volunteers and clients.

Im looking forward to Sunday see you at 10:00 AM!!

Blessings,

Pastor Bill