Believe in the Gardener . . . for he is Risen!

From the Pastor

On Easter Sunday we were blessed with our Zwingli Singers! One of the songs they sang was "In The Garden." Easter began in the garden when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and called her by name. But first Mary mistook him for the gardener! The artist of the image above, Kelly Latimore shares, "I wanted to show Mary standing tall looking for Jesus and finding Christ the Gardener down on the ground with the plants." (image used with permission). You can find his reflection at: https://kellylatimoreicons.com/blogs/news/mary-magdalene-and-christ-the-gardener

I wanted to explore this further so I googled and found this beautiful reflection by Pastor Brian Zahnd. I share with you some excerpts in preparation for our Sunday Worship when Lizzy Burkhalter (one of my former students in Campus Ministry) who is passionate about gardening will bring us an Earth Day message:

"The first person to encounter the risen Christ was Mary Magdalene. It happened in a garden. At first Mary thought Jesus was the gardener. A logical mistake. Or a prophetic mistake. Or a beautiful mistake. Or perhaps not a mistake at all.

On Good Friday Jesus was buried in a garden. A garden is a place to cultivate and grow living things. An appropriate place for Jesus to be buried. A few days before his crucifixion Jesus had said, “Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24) On Holy Saturday the Son of God was a holy seed sown in a peaceful garden. On Easter Sunday the garden brought forth the first fruits of resurrection — “Jesus Christ declared to be the Son of God by resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:4)

The first seed raised by God in the garden of resurrection became the gardener. When Mary Magdalene “supposed him to be the gardener,” she was exactly right! Jesus is now the gardener of resurrection, cultivating new life in all who believe. . . .

Jesus is not a conductor . . .

Jesus is not a lawyer . . .

Jesus is not a banker . . .

Jesus IS a gardener! A gardener cultivating resurrection life in all who will come to him. The conductor, lawyer, banker metaphors are mostly false, giving a distorted view of salvation. The gardener (and physician) metaphor is beautiful and faithfully depicts the process of salvation in our lives. . . .

Believing that Jesus is a good gardener tending to your soul really does change your perspective on life. So when “stuff” happens (you know the expression), don’t despair. Allow Jesus to use “it” as fertilizer to help you grow. Paul says something about God causing all things to work together for good…

Then there are those times when the gardener pulls out his shears. Oh, no! Pruning time! Pruning is the painful experience of loss. No one likes to be cut back. But the gracious intention of the good gardener is always the same: to prepare you to flourish. Jesus says, “every branch of mine that bears fruit is pruned, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2) . . .

So take heart, if you’re in the garden, the gardener is there. You may not always recognize him at first, but he is there. He calls you by name and his desire is for you to flourish. Believe in the gardener…for he is risen! . . . "

to read the entire reflection, go to:

https://brianzahnd.com/2018/03/mistaken-as-the-gardener/

Blessings!

Karla

Help us Create a

Celebration of Earth Table on Sunday!

Please bring something from your yard or farm -- of nature -- that you celebrate of God's creation (a plant, a rock, twigs, . . . ) and/or something that depicts something from nature (a bird or other animal or tree . . . that you can't actually bring), or a picture of a favorite place in nature. When you come to Worship, bring it to the front to put on our Earth Table!

Annual UCC Earth Summit April 26!

It's virtual! If you can't attend at that time, a recording will be sent out to all those who registered!

As one of the world's leading climate scientists, Katharine Hayhoe has reached a broad audience through her popular books and television appearances. As an evangelical Christian, Hayhoe frequently speaks to a wide range of faith audiences. Join with us on April 26th at 2 pm ET to hear her deliver the Jim Antal Keynote lecture as part of this year's UCC Earth Summit.

The summit will feature grassroots leaders in the struggle against environmental racism in North Texas as well as the presentation of the Dollie Burwell Prophetic Action Award which is named in honor of the mother of the environmental justice movement. We will additionally celebrate our newest Creation Justice Churches and our young adult climate leaders.

Be sure to register!

The UCC Earth Day Summit is cohosted by the National Setting of the United Church of Christ, the UCC Council for Climate Justice, the South Central Conference of the UCC, and First Congregational United Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas.

Worship, Work and Friendship Time

Sunday, May 4

We will tackle tasks inside and out, rain or shine, to spiff up the church or attend to repairs. Please dress casually and bring tools (rakes, shovels, trimmers, window cleaner and rags, floor cleaner and mops, etc.) if you're able to do some chores.

We'll have the usual Friendship coffee hour treats that you can have as you need energy to keep going! If you're not able to work please consider donating cleaning supplies. Thanks everyone!

Petra On Call April 28 - May 4

Pastor Karla will be having nasal surgery on April 28 to help her breathe better. During her time away, Petra will be on call and will be leading Worship on May 4. If you have any needs, please contact her (her # is in the directory).

Is anyone in your family graduating this spring?

Please let our pastor know if you have 8th grade, high school, college, (undergrad or graduate level), or tech school graduates so we can schedule a Sunday to honor and celebrate their accomplishments.

If you are ever at the church without your cell phone, there is a landline in the Upper Room on the table under the TV. The landline jack near the mailboxes is no longer working so we had to move the phone for the time being.

This Earth Day, support Environmental Justice for All (through the UCC)!

This Earth Day, urge our government to protect communities disproportionately impacted by pollution and exposure to toxins!

Communities of color and lower-income communities are much more likely to be exposed to pollution in their neighborhoods due to environmental racism. Studies have found that people of color are more likely to live near polluting facilities, develop adverse health conditions, and lose wealth after natural disasters while they are less likely to receive sufficient government responses and aid when crises strike. Black children develop asthma at twice the rate white children do and are ten times more likely to die from asthma-related complications than white children. Environmental racism is reflected in additional public health outcomes such as higher rates of cancer, lung problems, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and low birth weight. People experiencing systemic inequality and marginalization bear the brunt of the climate crisis. This is unacceptable.

The environmental justice movement is meant to address environmental racism, by lifting up marginalized communities so that everyone thrives. Yet environmental justice is under attack.

The current administration eliminated the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) in March. The office was created in 1992 to serve communities who are disproportionately impacted by pollution and exposure to toxins. Before being closed, the Environmental Justice division of the EPA received broad bipartisan support and was continually expanded by both political parties. The OEJECR is critical to tackling and alleviating environmental injustice across the United States and must be re-instated to ensure life-saving work continues.

For over 40 years, the United Church of Christ has supported the environmental justice movement and was and continues to be on the front lines of the environmental justice movement.

As Christians, we are called to be good stewards of the earth and care for the planet and its inhabitants by God (Genesis 1:24-28). The Bible warns against polluting the earth and harming nature (Numbers 35:33-34). When we honor all of God’s children and God’s creation, we honor God and live out our call to love our neighbor as ourselves. Environmental justice is necessary to bring about a just world for all. Together, we can ensure that all God’s people have access to a healthy environment where life can flourish and thrive.

Urge Congress and the President to re-open the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights today!

To take action, go to https://www.ucc.org/office-of-public-policy-and-advocacy-in-washington, where you will find a draft email to edit as you like and then send to your legislators (the information is all there and it will be very simple).

Looking for an opportunity to express your opinion on US public policy?

As a member of the United Church of Christ, Zwingli is supported with resources by our national offices. Among these resources is an Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington DC. This Office gives information to understand the issues and legislation -- and the ability to easily express our opinion to our political leaders. Go to this website to access these opportunities to express yourself (if you do not have a computer, check out your local library).

We will update this announcement with new opportunities (as they are added - bolded) so you can know the current issues you can respond to. You can also get alerts in your inbox by signing up here. Currently, there are opportunities to express your opinion on: This Earth Day, Support Environmental Justice for all! As You File Your Taxes, Say Yes to Peace, Tell Congress to pass a Moral Budget, Support for Humanitarian Aid and Peace-making is non-negotiable; Protect Govt Funding; Protect DEI; Protect Medicare and Food Stamps; Protect Trans, Nonbinary and Intersex Civil Rights; .,Protect Everyday Consumers; Have a Heart for God's Planet; Foreign Aid; Federal Funding Freeze; Supporting Survivors of Human Trafficking; Immigration Policies; Trans Protection; Voting Rights; Affordable Internet; Indian Boarding Schools; and Military Aid to Israel. We know that some of you want to put your faith beliefs in action and hope those of you who wish to advocate find this resource useful.

Zwingli United Church of Christ

www.paoliucc.com

https://www.facebook.com/zwingliuccpaoli/

zwingliuccpaoli@gmail.com

PO Box 530, Belleville, WI 53508

"A small church with a big

and open heart!"

Pastor

Rev. Karla Schmidt

pastor.zwingliuccpaoli@gmail.com

608-572-4557

Kathie Wagner, Administrative Assistant

zwingliuccpaoli@gmail.com

Phone: 608-845-5641