"Bits from Bob" for January 15, 2021 - St. John United Church of ...

“Bits from Bob” for January 15, 2021
St. John United Church of Christ
301 S. Market Street, New Athens, IL 62264
(618) 475-2947, stjohnucc@att.net
Bob Koch, Pastor and Bit Scribe

This Day in History

588 BCE Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem
1535 Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England
1797 First top hat worn by John Etherington of London
1831 First US-built locomotive to pull a passenger train makes first run
1861 Steam elevator patented by Elisha Otis
1870 Donkey first used as symbol of Democratic Party, in Harper's Weekly
1892 Basketball rules first published in Triangle Magazine, written by James Naismith
1919 Two million gallons of molasses flood Boston, drowning 21 and injuring 150
1942 Cubs drop plans to install lights at Wrigley Field because of military's need for materials
1943 World's largest office building, the Pentagon, is completed
1955 USSR ends state of war with German Federal Republic
1961 Berry Gordy signs The Supremes with Motown Records
1967 Packers beat Chiefs in first Super Bowl
1972 "American Pie" hits No. 1 on the pop charts
1973 Four Watergate burglars plead guilty in federal court
1976 Sara Jane Moore sentenced to life for attempting to shoot President Gerald Ford
1981 Pitcher Bob Gibson elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility
2001 Wikipedia a free Wiki is launched
2009 Chesley Sullenberger lands US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River

We’ll walk through 2021 with devotions written by Joshua Dubois. Dubois writes a regular column for The Daily Beast and teaches at
New York University. He also founded Values Partnerships, which advises leaders in government, business, and the nonprofit sector
on faith-based partnerships and religion in the public sphere.

January 15, 2021          “Toiling”

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I
will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
                                                                                                  —Luke 5:4-6 (NKJV)

My first pastor, Warren Collins from Calvary Praise and Worship Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a
mighty man of God. His sermons are gentle yet powerful, translating the words of Christ into practical ways
that we can live out his purpose in the world. He preaches with few notes; the Holy Spirit within him is strong.
I came to know Jesus under his ministry.

And yet, Pastor Collins has preached to a group of just thirty to fifty people every Sunday for over fourteen
years. We don’t know why the church doesn't grow; perhaps Cambridge is a tough place to plant a
congregation. We know that it's not because of any lack of faithfulness on Pastor Collins' part, because he has
been diligent every day. But it remains a very small congregation nonetheless, a fact that must bewilder him.

But here's the thing. Countless people—students at Harvard, MIT, or Boston University, visiting professors,
businessmen—have spent brief periods of their lives in his pews. And, like me, for many it was a
transformative experience. I know of disciples who brought Pastor Collins’ teaching to NFL locker rooms,
corporate boardrooms, and of course, even to the White House. His impact is much larger than even he
imagines.

Like Peter in the fishing boat, and like Pastor Collins, many of us may have “toiled all night and caught
   nothing.” But in reality God is doing something behind the scenes. And one day, if we continue to be faithful
   and follow his word, we'll throw down our nets and bring up a catch for the ages.

   Dear God, help me remember that evidence of my impact is not always apparent. I trust that you’re moving behind the
   scenes. Amen.

                                                Bad Dad Jokes

                                                 CASHIER: “Would you like the milk in a bag, sir?”
                                                  DAD: “No, just leave it in the carton!’”

                                                 Did you hear about the guy who invented Lifesavers?
                                                They say he made a mint.

                                                 Knock, knock. Who’s there? Control Freak.
                                                Okay, now you say, “Control Freak who?!”

                                                 Knock, knock. Who’s there? Egg. Egg who?
                                                Eggstremely disappointed you still don’t recognize me.

                                                 How did Darth Vader know what Luke got him for Christmas?
                                                He felt his presents!

   Today’s Links

 Hey, you gotta go with the COVID flow just now. That’s why it’s now possible to buy Girl Scout cookies
  online. Here’s how.

 Since COVID has cut down on the crowds, these monkeys at a temple in Bali have figured out how to steal big
  bucks items from visiting tourists and hold them for food ransom.

 How much would you pay for a home decked out in wall to wall genuine 1970’s shag carpeting?

 How does the universe tell you it’s time to start a goat sanctuary? Find out here.

 So…it turns out that sea shanties are quite the thing right now…really.

 Listen to Annie Lennox (yes, that Annie Lennox) play Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”

   Announcements for This Week

 Zoom worship is at 9:15 AM each Sunday. Log in using this link and meeting ID 815 064 120. You can also dial
  in at (312) 626 6799 and log in with the meeting ID.

 2020 has complicated a lot of things, including how to get envelopes out to all of you. They’ll be available at
  8 AM worship. Otherwise, feel free to stop by the church office to pick yours up, or let us know you’d like them
  mailed. If you aren’t interested in using envelopes in 2021, the church office would appreciate knowing that, too.

 Please also be sure to return your commitment cards for 2021 to the church office. They’re really important as
  church leadership continues the process of finalizing the budget for next year.

 Bible study resumed this week. The next meeting will be January 27 at 7 PM and cover Acts 17. We'll meet
  February 10 after that and then...Lent starts with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 17. We'll talk as a class about what
  kind of schedule to follow after that. Sessions will be on Zoom, at least for the winter months. Follow this link
  and log in with meeting ID 846 9061 3289.

 If you have a written or financial report to turn in for the annual meeting booklet, please do so as quickly as
  you can. Thanks!

 Our annual meeting will be held January 31 immediately after the 8 AM service. Zoom worship will start at
  9:30 AM, rather than at 9:15 AM that week. Please note the time change.

 The pecan tree behind the church is scheduled to come down January 22, weather permitting. Any members of
  the church interested in taking home a load or two of firewood should bring their trucks and chainsaws and be
  ready to help themselves.

                                       Today’s Prayer Concerns

                                        Please pray for all those battling COVID, as well as for the healthcare
                                       professionals fighting the virus on the frontlines. Please also hold in prayer
                                       all mourning the deaths of loved ones, including the families of David
                                       “Red” Lehr and Debbie Volner, as well as the family of Betty Deutschmann.

                                        Joe Behnken is out of the hospital and recovering at the Memorial
                                       Convalescent Center. Please pray for his continued recovery.

 Ralph and Vickie Wildy stopped by the church office yesterday. Ralph is looking great, and has recovered
  from his bout of COVID and pneumonia.

 Lela Torrens is still hospitalized with non-COVID health issues.

 Sue Kosarek is home, but needs prayers for recovery and strength.

 Kim Hughes asks our prayers for her niece Sabrina, facing surgery for degenerative back disease.

 Melinda Milligan asks that we pray for her sister Donna, receiving physical therapy at the New Athens Home
  for the Aged following a fall in her home.

 Please hold my cousin David Mehrtens in prayer as his battle with cancer continues.

 Please continue to pray for Tom Kohnen and Sandy Cummins, both on transplant waiting lists, as well as for
  Kim Juenger, who is still contending with a number of health issues.

 Donna Reuss asks our prayers for her cousin, Angie Van Buren, who is still in the hospital.

 Please pray for the residents, staff, and administrators at all nursing homes, especially those at the New
  Athens Home for the Aged, as well as at the Freeburg Care Center, currently battling a COVID outbreak.

 Pray for the safety of the teachers, administrators, and students at area schools, as well as at our own
  New Beginnings Daycare.

 Here are the folks on this week’s congregational prayer calendar: Cheryl and Richard Klein, Alan Klein,
  Cole Klein, Barb Knewitz, Charles Knewtz and Janet Knewitz, Darlene and Bill Knippel, Cathy and Bob Koch,
  William Koch, Rosemary and Norman Koenigstein, Amy and Tom Kohnen, Mallory Dawson and Haley
  Kohnen, Loren Kolditz, Kay and Tom Kolditz and family.