OSL Women of the ELCA
Transformed by Faith
Jodie Nielsen
Gather magazine’s March Bible study is a four-part study “in John’s gospel, rather than a comprehensive study of John’s gospel”: Meetings with Jesus by Julie A. Kanarr. Session three: “Friends for Life in Christ”: “In the Gospel of John, we see how the lives of a woman who committed adultery, a blind man, and three friends of Jesus are transformed by faith.”
Theme/focus verse: “[Jesus said], ‘I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have learned from my Father.’” John 15:15
Prayer: “Gracious and loving God, you have come among us in Jesus. You meet us with mercy and love. You name us as your friends and raise us up to new life in Christ. Lead us to new insights through our study of your Word. Open our lives to your presence, deepen our faith, and renew us in hope. Amen.”
In looking at the titles of articles in the March Gather magazine, some thoughts that came immediately to mind—having not read the articles yet—were, “That’s a rather interesting title”; “that seems to be pretty straightforward”; “that’s the name of a song”; and, “I have no idea what this article is about, but it sounds interesting.”
It made me think of how my day, week, month, year, life would be titled regarding God and my relationship with God. What about you? What would your title(s) be?
Here are article titles from the March Gather magazine. See what your first impressions are:
• “Welcome: Jesus in Three Dimensions” by Sarah Carson
• “Give Us This Day: Trash Talk” by Helen Hollingsworth
• “Soup’s On: So Be Stretched, Be Filled, Be Warmed, Be Mindful” by Cara Strickland
• “Not Just Friends: Jesus Sees Friendship as Much, Much More” by Anna Madsen
• “Calla Lilies and Crosses: Healing Came to Us in the Land of St. Patrick” by Dave Daubert
• “Beloved Community: In John’s Gospel, We Find a Love Beyond All Labels” by Angela T. Khabeb
• “Family Matters: You’ve Got a Friend” by Susie Gamelin
• “Earth Wise: Reseeding and Cross Pollination” by Terry L. Bowes
• “Make Prayer a Habit: What Might It Look Like to Design Life around Conversations with God?” by Donna Schaper
• “Grace Notes: Celebrate Women’s Strength” by Linda Post Bushkofsky
• “Amen: Our Frailty” by Catherine Malotky
Board Position Opening. We are searching for a Mission Action Chair. Please let me know if you would be interested in serving on the board: jodie.nielsen@gmail.com. We would love to have you as part of our team.
“By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
WELCA Board Members: Jodie Nielsen, President; Michelle Schuknecht, Vice President; Nancy Krueger, Treasurer; Karen Zimbeck, Secretary; Tami Skorczewski, Advisor.