Come as you are! Everyone welcome … In-person or on Zoom.
R E A D I N G S
🔆 Romans 3:21-26 🔆 Ephesians 2: 8-22
S E R M O N
🔆 “Lessons from the Protestant Reformation” – The Reverend Dr. Max Lynn
M U S I C
PRELUDE … Fugue in E-flat Major, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
INTROIT … Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation, Dale Wood (1934-2003)
HYMN … Our God, Our Help in Ages Past
ANTHEM … Ehre sei dir, Christe (Christ, be Thine the Glory!), Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
HYMN … Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
OFFERTORY … Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort, Georg Böhm (1661-1733)
HYMN … Lord, You Have Been Our Dwelling Place
POSTLUDE … Festive Prelude No. 3 on “A Mighty Fortress”, Karl Hasse (1883-1960)
Join us for Coffee Hour immediately after the service.
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A N N O U N C E M E N T S
Día de los Muertos, November 1
In the Latin American tradition, we celebrate All Saints and Day of the Dead, in which we commemorate and remember the lives and pray for the resurrection of our loved ones. Bring photos or mementos of those loved ones who have died to our regular worship service on November 1.
Calling all participants for the SJ Christmas Pageant, beginning November 1
It’s the time of the year where we come together and celebrate Christmas, and what is more fun than our pageant of the season! Rehearsals are November 1, 8, 15, and 22, and Dress Rehearsal is on December 6 in the Sanctuary, in which we will prepare our hearts (and lines!) to celebrate the joy of Christmas together. Everyone is welcome! For more details, contact Manju Noone at church or through email.
Bonfire at Ocean Beach, Saturday, November 7, 3-6:30pm
Come enjoy the beauty and fun at the beach. We will have hot dogs and marshmallows cooked on the fire (accompanied by some healthier food).
Getting there: You can drive yourself or catch a ride with someone else. Let Pastor Max or Manju know if you want a ride. We will meet at the North end of Ocean Beach in San Francisco, just South of the Beach Chalet restaurant. (You can put the Beach Chalet into Google maps to get there, but pull into the beach parking lot and go a hundred yards or so South of the Restaurant.) The stairs down to the beach are numbered: we will be somewhere between
Stair # 17 and 20. You can see the fire pits in this area.
What to bring: Heavy sweat shirt, sun lotion, extra clothes. blanket or chair, towel, balls, frisbee, sand castle building tools, drinks, and any food you would like to contribute. Bringing food is not a necessity (there will be enough).
Interfaith Thanksgiving Dinner, November 14
The St. John’s community is invited to this year’s Interfaith Thanksgiving dinner, hosted by Congregation Beth El at 1301 Oxford Street in Berkeley. Learn more and RSVP.
Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity presents 2026 Love Over Fear Concert, November 19
Celebrate Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity’s 25th anniversary with their fourth annual 2026 Love Over Fear Benefit Concert, an inspiring evening of music and storytelling. Learn more and purchase tickets.
Upcoming SJ Sunday Forums
Take a break after worship for 10-15 minutes, then come back for learning and conversation, led by the speakers listed below. Fall Forum Schedule available.
“Is there a Lawyer in the House? Creating collaborative opportunities to improve health through public policy and the law,” Fireside Room, October 25
Led by Madlyn Morreale. For the past 18 years, Madlyn led Legal Aid of North Carolina’s statewide Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) Program, working with health professionals to integrate access to “legal remedies” into team-based efforts to address social drivers of health. Prior to joining the staff of Legal Aid of North Carolina, Madlyn co-founded the Center for Adolescent Health & the Law, served on the faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, was Professional Staff for the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families in the U.S. House of Representatives, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala.
“Paul and the Family-led Cult of Jesus,” November 8
Led led by Robert Coote. This forum (the first of three sessions over three weeks) will explore the early, family-led cult of Jesus and the awkward, at first marginal place of Paul and his thought (his message, his euangelion) in it.
“Making Sense of the Book of Romans,” November 15
Led by Robert Coote. This forum (the second of three sessions) will explore The Book of Romans and how Bob makes sense of it.
“Seeing Paul in the Four Gospels,” November 22
Led by Robert Coote. This forum (the third of three sessions) will explore how Paul’s views play out in each of the four Gospels, starting with how Mark incorporates his message into a narrative of Jesus, Matthew’s critical cover of Mark, Luke’s attempt to finesse the disagreement between Mark and Matthew, and finally John’s prescinding from their narrative template in favor of the words and few deeds of a (Pauline) Jesus who is a cosmic demigod embodying the creative, life-giving, revealing discourse (logos) of God that begins with “let there be light”—the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome/grasped (katelabon) it.
Robert B. Coote is internationally renowned for his work on the Bible and the ancient Near East and has written several seminal texts of Biblical scholarship. His work expands across disciplines and is particularly known for the ways in which he brings context across texts through the examination of biblical composition, literary structure, and content. Bob is professor emeritus of Old Testament at San Francisco Theological Seminary.
QR Code for Giving Money to St. John’s
One can now donate via PayPal for weekly giving and special events. Simply scan the PayPal QR Code in our bulletin or church lobby. All donations are tax-deductible. Thank you for your continued support.