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Elizabeth of Hungary
By Pr. Lisa Rygiel

On November 17, the church commemorates Elizabeth of Hungary, who died in 1231. I had never heard of her, so I did a little research.

Elizabeth of Hungary (1207–1231) is one of the most compelling medieval examples of Christian faith expressed through concrete care for the poor. She was a princess who could have lived comfortably within the privileges of royalty, yet she became famous for using those privileges in service of people who were hungry, sick, homeless, or otherwise vulnerable.

Elizabeth was born in Hungary in 1207, the daughter of Andrew II of Hungary. Elizabeth was betrothed to the son of the Landgrave of Thuringia, and at age four was taken to be raised with him at the Wartburg Castle. Ten years later they were married. She therefore occupied a position of considerable wealth and social privilege.

What distinguished her was what she believed that privilege was for.

Her Christian faith led her toward extraordinary generosity. Sources describe her distributing wealth to the poor and personally caring for people who were sick and impoverished.

After Louis IV died, Elizabeth used her dowry to establish a hospital in Marburg, where she personally served sick and poor people. She became associated with the Franciscan movement and was an early member of the Third Order of St. Francis. She died in 1231 at only 24 years old and was canonized just a few years later.

She was called a "renewer of society”. Even though she was not primarily a social reformer in the modern political sense, her renewal of society came through living the Gospel in a way that challenged society's assumptions about wealth, power, and status. Instead of living for herself, she used her wealth to relieve the suffering of others and aided the poor that occupied the margins of medieval society. She allowed her encounter with Christ to reshape what she believed possessions, power, and privilege were meant to accomplish. Her life suggests a deeply Christian understanding of social renewal: society begins to change when our relationships with one another change.

She lived her short life exhibiting the message of Matthew 25. 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’

The 25th Sunday of Pentecost November 15

Announcements

  • Fellowship: Join us after worship Sunday for our coffee and conversation in the Fellowship Hall. All are welcome.
  • Zion’s Book Club: Our Adult Study continues at 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday in the Fellowship Hall. Our next study is on Tuesday, Nov. 17 in the Fellowship Hall as we continue our discussion of the book, “What if Jesus was Serious about Prayer”. Note, there will be no book club on Nov. 24 or Dec. 1.
  • Memorial Service for Jan Ratliff: The celebration of life for Jan Ratliff will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov.14, at the First United Methodist Church, 216 Broom Street, in Trinidad. Members of Zion’s, who are able to do so, are asked to bring finger-type foods for the post service reception. If you can do so, please let Pr. Lisa know.
  • Fundraiser for The Fisher’s Peak Soup Kitchen: A Fundraiser for the soup kitchen will be held from noon-5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Soup Kitchen The fundraiser is sponsored by TruBBQ4U, Penny Saeedi, Noreen Hazen, and Soul’d Out Ministries.
  • We’re Getting Ready for Thanksgiving: We are getting close to the time to start preparing foods for Thanksgiving Dinner. If you are able to support preparations, please let Norine Hazen or the person listed below know. We have plenty of gravy but still need other side dishes including sweet potatoes (Cheryl Leef), potatoes (Sandy Cole), Cranberries (Lisa Rygiel), green beans (need volunteer coordinator), and Pies (Norine Hazen). If you know someone who needs meals delivered, share that information with Jo Moss.
  • Hygiene Kit Request: Keep Trinidad Safe has asked if Zion’s would provide additional Hygiene Kits for the unhoused and others in need. The ones that Zion’s donated as part of our God’s Work Our Hands project have been distributed and there is need for more. Pr. Lisa will be coordinating our next round of kits. We will assemble the kits during fellowship on Nov. 22. If you can help, let her know.
  • Singing at the Legacy: The residents of The Legacy were delighted by our last sing along and have asked us to come and sing with them again. We have been scheduled for Nov. 22 at 1 pm. Come along and sing with us!
  • Santa Gift Tree for Seniors: First National Bank, Trinidad, again is sponsoring the senior citizen Letters to Santa Gift Tree. Requests of up to $25 may include utility bills, food, small gifts, or personal items. For many people, this is the only gift they will receive this season. For many years, Zion’s has supported this program and will do so again. We will have 10-15 gift letters available at worship on Sunday, Nov. 29. If you would like to help with this project, please let Jo Moss know.
  • We’re Here for You: For pastoral care, Pr. Lisa has office hours from 9-10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and by appointment. Call Zion’s at 719-846-7785 or send an email to zionsluth@gmail.com.

E-Formation
Some people do a good job of using their talents to benefit others, but some persons never employ their talents to the full. Come to worship this coming Sunday. Hear the parable about talents; receive God’s blessing; and at the table be strengthened to become an ever more creative and faithful servant in God’s kingdom.

Matthew 25:14-30
In this second-to-the-last parable in Matthew, despite his anticipation of the coming of the parousia, the evangelist still urges perhaps especially church leaders to realize the importance of their tasks and to meet these responsibilities with care and creativity. A talent was equal to fifteen years of a laborer’s wages; thus five talents would exceed the wages of a lifetime. The hope that God will bless those who do their tasks well echoes one strand of Jewish spirituality, seen for example throughout Proverbs.

Zephaniah 1:7, 12-1
Speaking before the reforms of King Josiah in the seventh century bce, the prophet Zephaniah condemned especially Israelite idolatry and the society’s oppression of the poor. God has commanded obedience to the covenant, and God will punish offenders. Today’s excerpt from chapter 1 includes a fierce criticism of those who trust in their financial status and a severe description of God’s coming judgments. Yet in Zephaniah’s conclusion in chapter 3, God promises salvation and a restoration of all that is good.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
In this last excerpt from 1 Thessalonians, Paul reiterates the Jewish prophetic tradition by anticipating a sudden arrival of the final divine judgment. Yet, like Zephaniah 3, Paul also places his faith in a God who has destined us not for wrath but for salvation. Ephesians 6 amplifies the imagery of armor in verse 8: with this metaphor Paul reminds “the children of light” of the extreme difficulty of living the Christian life.

Zion's Lutheran Church
zionsluth@gmail.com
719-846-7785