6 minute read
Worship See caring souls
By KIMBERLY HERZOG COHEN
What troubles you, Hagar?
Iturn to Scripture to learn about cultivating gratitude amidst life’s trails. This Thanksgiving month, we find ample material in the Book of Genesis, which Jewish communities around the world are reading at this season.
When Sarah was barren, Hagar bore a son to Abraham, named Ishmael. As the boys grew up together, Sarah feared that her son Isaac’s future inheritance was at risk, so Sarah and Abraham banish Hagar and Ishmael to the wilderness. When mother and son run out of water, Hagar sits down and cries, and in her moment of despair, a messenger of God appears and asks her:
“What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heeded the cry of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him. Then God opened her eyes, and there was a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and let the boy drink. God was with the boy, and he grew up.” (Genesis 21:17-20).
From this story, we are challenged to expand our vision beyond our own needs, an essential expression of gratitude. The divine messenger asks a simple question that makes room for Hagar’s heart: “What troubles you?”
Questions are the opening to empathy. If a coworker’s eyes fill with tears during a meeting, do we remain on task and assume we know what troubles him or her? And what about those we don’t know well, who provide a service that benefits us? Do we wonder about them when it’s evident they are struggling?
Curiosity can illuminate where we are as individuals and as a community. Are our eyes open to what is happening around us and to what the future might bring? The angel’s question “what troubles you?” — the question of seeing and response — still resounds in our day, teaching us to choose a more just and compassionate world. This choice starts right in our own families and neighborhoods.
Like Hagar, we may be overcome by the fear that all is lost. We might tend to avert our eyes from the world around us. At times, this can be the only way to cope, a necessary step in making our way forward. However, if casting our eyes aside becomes a more permanent state of being, we can miss sources that will sustain us through life’s trials. Especially in these moments, a force greater than ourselves, what we call “God” of many different names can help lift our eyes.
In our celebration of harvest, the Genesis account reminds us what it means to see. To see the caring souls who embrace us when we are heartbroken after the loss of our partner, our best friend. To visualize our pain transforming over time with the trusted help we need.
Hagar embodies the kind of seeing that helps us taste a sense of hope and feel gratitude for the spiritual sustenance ever within and around us.
KIMBERLY HERZOG COHEN is a rabbi with Temple Emanu-El and serves the congregation’s social justice efforts, including advocacy, community organizing and service projects. To support the worship column, email sales@advocatemag.com.
WORSHIP
BAPTIST
PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org Bible Study 9:15 / Worship Services 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500
WILSHIRE BAPTIST CHURCH / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100 Open to all / Worship at 11 a.m. Sunday School at 10 a.m. / wilshirebc.org
BIBLE CHURCHES
NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd. 214.348.9697 / Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / Sun: Youth 6-8 pm/Wed: AWANA 6-8 pm
DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185 Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel 10:50 am - Sanctuary / Interim Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. Larry Ross. / edcc.org
EPISCOPAL
ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH / stjd.org Worship: Sat 5:30 pm, Sun 8 & 10:30 am / Christian Ed Sunday Morning & Weekdays, see calendar on website / 214.321.6451 / 848 Harter Rd.
LUTHERAN
CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road A Welcoming and Affirming Church / Rev. K.M. Truhan Sunday School 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / CentralLutheran.org
FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA) / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln. Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org
METHODIST
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH RICHARDSON
503 N Central Exwy / fumcr.com / 972.235.8385 / Dr. Clayton Oliphint 8:45, 9:45, 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Modern
LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com Sunday Morning 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am coffee Worship 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary
PRESBYTERIAN
LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133 8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org Sunday Worship 10:00am, Traditional 1st & 3rd, Contemporary 2nd & 4th(5th). Sunday School/Christian Ed Classes: 11:00am
NORTHPARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / Summer Worship at 10:00 a.m. www.northparkpres.org / 9555 N. Central Expy. / 214.363.5457 Welcoming Seekers, Thinkers and Doers.
NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. / 214-827-5521 northridgepc.org / Regular skd returns Sept 11th. 9am outdoor & 11am sanctuary service. A community of people dedicated to doing life together
PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH/ 4124 Oak Lawn Ave Sunday Worship 9:00 & 11:00 A.M. To all this church opens wide her doors - pcpc.org
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Happy Thanksgiving
Dallas Elks Lodge 71
Bingo I Karaoke I Team Trivia Daily Happy Hours Room rentals for special events
Equipped with a large ballroom for socially distanced events! Ask about membership. No waitlist.
2022
Thankful. Grateful. Blessed.
Mon. – Sat. 10:00 – 5:00 9850 Walnut Hill Lane, Ste. 226 (at Audelia Rd.) 214-553-8850 · thestoreinlh.com
CITY VIEW ANTIQUE MALL
One of Dallas’ oldest antique malls Soon it will be time for our Christmas Open House....
(more about this in December) Be sure to put us on your Holiday Shopping List for one of a kind gifts and Vntage Christmas finds. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at City View!
6830 Walling Ln. (off Skillman/Abrams) 214.752.3071 cityviewantiques.com
EDUCATION GUIDE
214.560.4203 OR SALES@ADVOCATEMAG.COM TO ADVERTISE
MONTH TO MONTH - NEVER ANY CONTRACTS!
Plans as low as $19 a month.
Classes • Personal Training • Hydromassage • Infrared Sauna • Tanning • Body Scan •
C CALL TODAY 972-685-2219 8648 SKILLMAN
Respectful. Responsible. Honest. Caring. We are St. John’s.
CO-ED PRESCHOOL THROUGH 8TH GRADE
For more information or to attend an open house, visit: www.stjohnsschool.org/admission
SEPTEMBER 28 PRIMARY SCHOOL COFFEE
OCTOBER 12 MIDDLE SCHOOL COFFEE
OCTOBER 26 PRIMARY SCHOOL COFFEE
NOVEMBER 13 ALL SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE We are dedicated to a program of academic excellence designed to train the mind, strengthen the character, and enrich the spirit of each student in a Christian environment.
In our commitment to diversity and equity, St. John’s Episcopal School does not discriminate regarding race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, genetic information, disability, pregnancy, marital status, religion, military status, and/or any protected category. This commitment extends to our employment, educational, admission, and financial aid policies, and other school-administered programs.
69% of our readers
say they want to know more about private schools.
