July 30, 2018 - Sunday was the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. These last few weeks sure haven’t been ordinary, as the heat has been excessive. Shelby County is now under a burn ban; the talk as we gathered at Paxton was the nice rain earlier this week and the promise of more on Monday and Tuesday.
We were in double digits (people-wise and temp-wise) this morning. The scripture lesson for my sermon was about the celebration as King David had the Ark of the Covenant moved into the new capital of Jerusalem. We at Paxton were not dancing but we always feel good when we have a nice crowd. Lillie, Liz, and Mike were up from Houston to “swell” our numbers this morning. It is always great to have them, especially to see Lillie looking so good—and we got to wish Mike a happy birthday in person this year! We visited before and after services, trying to catch up a little.
Our Sunday School lesson looked at Jesus’ parable of the great dinner. The scripture for the lesson was Luke 14: 15-24. The parable that Jesus told was at a dinner that Jesus had been invited to. Jesus tells of a man who wants to host a large dinner—but when the big day comes, those invited make excuses for not coming. The host has his servants go to the city streets, highways, and back alleys to invite everyone they see. The dinner was a great success and certainly spoke to the fact that all are invited into the Kingdom of God.
Hard to believe that next Sunday will be the first Sunday in August. Larry is going to speak next Sunday at the church hour; as he is a historian of these parts, it’s bound to be interesting. In August, we will collect socks and children’s underwear for Community Christian Services. In a few weeks summer will be over and teachers, staff, and students will be heading back to school.
Last Thursday was our monthly program at Lakeside Assisted Living. With Minnie playing piano, Hilda was able to enjoy singing. Margie and Sallie joined us, and Nora brought her sisters Jo and Winnie, all good singers. Pastor Matt started the program with scripture about Abraham and Lazarus walking in heaven together; he also ably recited “Who’s on First?” when that came up in discussion. Nora sang from her old, tried-and-true songbook and also did John Denver’s song about Grandma’s feather bed, along with a picture book illustrating it. Ollie asked that after her reading we sing “How Great Thou Art,” and Gene led us in “It Is Well with My Soul.” He and Maggie requested a back-up group for “The Church in the Wildwood,” so some got up to do the “come, come, come” parts.
Fannie read several light pieces, including reminding us that a gallon of gas isn’t really that expensive compared to a gallon of whiteout or printing ink. Sue read some funny kids’ poems, including her favorite “A Sliver of Liver.” Maggie and Sue emceed as usual, and Pastor Matt closed with prayer and “God Be with You.” We always have a good time at Lakeside.
“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 9:30 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. Godspeed.
Randy & Sue Smith
Paxton Methodist Church
