May 9, 2016 - Sunday was the 7th Sunday of Easter. This week Christians around the world celebrate the ascension of Jesus to the eternal realm. Sunday was also Mother’s Day. In some form or another, mothers have been celebrated since ancient times. In the Hebrew commandments believers are told they are to honor their mothers and fathers. In ancient Greece, during spring people would celebrate mothers by making a special offering to Rhea—the mother of the gods. And like most of us, Jesus’ first teacher was his mother.
I ordered and received another New Testament. It is different from all the others in that the books are arranged chronologically. The earliest book was the letter that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. The last book written wasn’t Revelation but the Second Letter of Peter. Two thousands years later, we have another way to enjoy and experience the scriptures!
This past Monday was our ministry at Green Acres. It was good to see old friends and enjoy words of hope and songs that we have sung for centuries. We had several requests for songs that I don’t remember ever hearing. Luckily, Ms. Hilda is never stumped—her playing and singing kept us all going. Not growing up in a southern Protestant Church singing from Heavenly Highways, I am often at a loss. I was raised in a Lutheran Church and I often joke that we never sang songs that Martin Luther himself did not sing. Those old hymns might have been filled with theology but often did not have much of a melody. On Tuesday, May 17th we will head to Holiday Nursing Center and then on Thursday, May 26th we’ll be at Lakeside Assisted Living. Our programs are all at 2:00.
We had a really nice crowd at church this morning. Evie, Kayce, and Liz came this morning; it is always great to see our three youngest folks. Kayce will be graduating in a few weeks and Evie just recently celebrated her first birthday! I guess Liz is going to be really busy. Lillie, Liz, and Mike were up from Houston this weekend. It was like a family reunion—so nice to see them. Lillie had a pacemaker installed, and she looks so good. Mike is really enjoying retirement. We all really appreciate Joe and Hilda working together to bring our music alive each Sunday morning. We were particularly lively on “Lily of the Valley.”
“Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here.” Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:15 and Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist you can send me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed!
