First United Lutheran Church Online Community - A Creative Christian Community in the Heart of San Francisco

A Creative Christian Community in the Heart of San Francisco

Network for online fellowship of anyone interested in the people, ministries or mission of First United Lutheran Church in San Francisco, CA

Groups

Pluralism Sunday

1 member
FULC Parents

4 members

Worship Planning Team

4 members
Church Council

2 members

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Lutheran (True) Confessions!

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News from Christianity Today

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Documents for the First United Community

Want to see the photo album from "First" Communion Sunday?
Click right here!

Want to read Pastor's Report of July 7, 2009?
Click right here!

tune: Pachelbel's Canon in D major
Video provided courtesy of:

When our lives seem to fill up with so-called distracting or trivial matters, such as cutting toenails, coughing, filling out tax forms, bathing, looking for lost things, we realize that we are but human and must live in this world. We are subject to times and changes over which we have little or no control. God sovereignly predetermines all of life's activities. God has given to humankind that portion of duration called TIME: the space in which all the operations of nature, of animals, and intellectual beings are carried on. But while nature is steady in its course and animals faithful to their instincts, humans devote it to a great variety of purposes—very frequently to that for which God never made time, space, nor opportunity. All we can say, when an evil deed is done, is that there was a time in which it occurred...God never made it for that purpose.

God's works are well done; there is order, harmony, and beauty in them all. Even the caterpillar is a finished beauty in all the changes through which it passes and the ends kept in view in which each change is to issue. Nothing of this kind can be said of human works. The most finished works of art are inferior jobs when compared with even the smallest operation of nature.

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Winged Heart of the Sufi

This symbol of the Sufi Order suggests that the heart is between soul and body, a medium between spirit and matter. The wings represent spiritual progress, while the crescent symbolizes responsiveness. The star represents the divine light, and also the natural figure of the human. As a whole, the symbol emanates: The Heart Responsive to the Light of God is Liberated.

"If anybody asks what Sufism is, what kind of religion is it, the answer is that Sufism is the religion of the heart, the religion in which the thing of primary importance is to seek God in the heart of mankind." - Hazrat Inayat Khan

PASTOR’S MESSAGE
Pastor Susan Strouse

The results of the Interfaith Survey are in. While most people responded that they would be interested in learning about any and all of the traditions, Sufism received the highest number of votes. Judaism was a close second, with Zen Buddhism and Bahá’í coming in third. Paganism received the most “uncertain” or “no” votes.

Sufism is the esoteric or mystical school of Islam. Classical Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as "a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God."* I have spoken to several members of the International Association of Sufism (www.ias.org), located in Novato. Some of you may remember Ginny Machette, organist at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Ginny and her husband George are Sufis and members of Taneen, an acclaimed Sufi music ensemble (www.taneen.org). I reconnected with Ginny at the Sufism Symposium in June, and she assured me that they are very interested in forming a group to meet with us. We’ll work on this over the summer and plan to be ready to start up in the fall. I’ll keep you up to date with our progress.

This is hopefully only the beginning of dialogue groups like this (dialogue isn’t the right word; what encompasses making friends, learning about one another, sharing food and music?). Next: Judaism, Zen, Bahá’í-—maybe even Paganism (there is actually a group already interested in getting together with us). Stay tuned!

Pentecost Blessings!
Pastor Susan
*Zarruq, Zaineb Istrabadi, Hamza Yusuf Hanson."The Principles of Sufism." Amal Press. 2008.