☀️Sun for Life
Friday, January 27 - 2023 Week 4
Good morning, Marysville!
☀️Sixty-Thousand Times a Thousand
One year before I was born the Black Robed Justices established Roe as the most unjust and depraved law our nation has ever known. By God's grace it fell short of making it to fifty.
Since January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court had claimed that the US Constitution protected and promoted the murder of babies as a “right to privacy.” The number of kids killed in our country under this “right” is now over 63 million. The following 90 second video gives a sense of how many sixty thousand times a thousand really is.
I rejoice at last summer’s Dobbs decision that “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion” and returned the legislative powers to states. I rejoice with all the states that have moved since then to make abortion illegal. Our neighbor Idaho upheld a near-total ban at the beginning of January. We in Washington State are not so blessed.
WA has plenty of problems. It is non compos mentis that our governor will only hire covid vaccinated persons for state employment even though the covid vaccines don't stop transmission, the boosters don't stop transmission, and the boosters are not (currently) required for employment anyway (hear his muddled mandate in this clip). But as ridiculous as it is to not be able to get a job, it is worse to not be allowed to live.
One of our state's senators regularly tweets about how she will not give up fighting for women to be allowed to kill their babies. In WA you can still do that, but she wants all women everywhere to have legal protection to commit this evil.
As long as she keeps beating the drum, sane citizens and certainly Christian citizens should keep loving life more.
Even though it’s on the other side of the country, did you see pictures of the new idol installed above the courthouse in New York City this past week?
This thing is a sculpture called “NOW.” Its creator wants us to remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg and to carry on Justice Ginsburg's fight for abortion rights.
“The luminous figure is also a nod to RBG—as seen in the detail adorning her collar. With Ginsburg’s death and the reversal of Roe, there was a set back to women’s constitutional progress.” —Shahzia Sikander in her artist statement
This golden goat-horned, big birthing-hips creature is to remind us to make child sacrifices great again? It's ugly, in every conceivable way.
So let us not give up praising the Lord who, as an ancient song-writer exalted, knits image-bearers of God together and forms inward parts in mother’s wombs. And let us not stop praying that the Lord of life would judge the men of blood.
☀️Marysville Foursquare Church
An interview with Pastor Aaron Thompson by Maggie Rothenberger
“We are a people on pilgrimage,” begins Marysville Foursquare’s website, going on to say, “It's a journey we're on together, with a common destination - a forever relationship with Father God through faith in Jesus Christ. The purpose of every church should be to help one another grow in that relationship.” This statement of pilgrimage is being lived out by the church in their community, finding ways to specifically bless Marysville. Aaron Thompson, the senior pastor, was kind enough to respond when I reached out with some questions.
When Pastor Aaron Thompson joined the church in 1992 as a youth pastor, he thought it would be a temporary position, followed by missionary work, but he says, “To my surprise I fell in love with the city and have served here in one way or another for thirty years. (Getting married and raising four children may have had something to do with that as well!)” The church itself has been rooted in Marysville for over thirty years, pastored first by Stephen Thompson, Aaron’s father, and now by Aaron, who has been serving the church for the past seven years in this role.
He highlighted for me a few distinct ways that Marysville Foursquare seeks to bless Marysville, saying that visitors tend to notice two different aspects in the church. The first is “...our emphasis on recovery. We have a thriving Celebrate Recovery ministry every Wednesday where we offer free dinner at 6pm and a large group meeting at 7pm. We have seen hundreds of people over the past 7 years find freedom from drug and alcohol addiction, depression and anxiety, sexual addictions, codependency, and a host of other issues. People are drawn to a community where they find acceptance and encouragement instead of judgment and accusation.”
Secondly, the congregants at Marysville Foursquare celebrate the, “...unique aspects of the different cultures and immigrants within our community. We host quarterly International Feasts, where we champion the foods, lives, and cultures within our congregation. We are honored to have church members who have emigrated from Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ukraine, Philippines, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, and find Marysville Foursquare to be a family they feel welcome in.”
Additionally, they offer a weekly Community Food Blessing, open to anyone who drives through or walks up! Pastor Thompson gave more details: “One of the powerful weekly services we offer Thursdays at 11:30am is a Community Food Blessing. An incredibly group of volunteers from several churches gathers, organizes, and gives out an immense amount of free produce, bread, meat, dairy, and deli products gleaned from local farms and grocery stores. It's literally a drive-thru service where people get the food delivered directly to their car while they wait, although we almost always serve walk-ups and homeless friends without vehicles too. It's all free, and everyone is welcome!”
When asked what he would say if he knew everyone in Marysville would read his answer, Pastor Thompson said, “My passion is simply to introduce everyone to the true kindness of the Creator God, most visibly expressed in the person of Jesus Christ. Every chance we get, we want to introduce people to mercy and love of Jesus, through words and through actions.” This is a message worth repeating and sharing, something that Marysville Foursquare works towards with fellowship and their various ministry opportunities.
If you are interested in more information regarding Marysville Foursquare, they have two Sunday services, at 9:30am and 11:00am., (and a livestream of the 11:00am service on Facebook and YouTube). Other resources include an app called M4 Church, their website, and their Facebook page and group!
☀️A Big Event
State of the City with Mayor Nehring, Wednesday, February 1, 6:30pm at the Marysville Civic Center.
We’re still interested in hearing from you, with arguments YEA or NAY, on the February 14 school levy vote. Here was the article about it in the previous Sun, and here’s our email: office@marysvillesun.com
☀️Friday Fun
When the storm makes the song better.
Marysville Sun Archive | Email the Editor | Facebook | Twitter