October 30, 2017 - Sunday was the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Sunday morning was cold but promised to be a beautiful day. Fannie turned the heaters on early, and the church felt so good. We had a small group this morning, but we had an excellent Sunday school lesson. The scripture was from Nehemiah 9 & 10 and dealt with the covenant God made with the returning exiles. The purpose of the lesson was to admit our faults and then pledge ourselves to a life that honors our relationship with God.
During October we have been collecting peanut butter and jelly for Community Christian Services. We collected quite a bit, which I will deliver this week, along with a check. In November we will collect rice and beans. The church voted to send a check to Community Christian Services to buy Christmas presents for children. Some members will also select a family to support. Sue will deliver the church check to First Baptist Joaquin, which heads up this effort. We received a nice thank-you note from our friend Linda. It will be a long process to overcome Hurricane Harvey!
The Gospel Lesson for this Sunday was Matthew 22:34-40. Once again the religious elites at the Temple are trying to trip Jesus up. In today’s lesson a legal scholar asked Jesus what is the most important commandment in the Torah. Jesus quoted from the Shema, saying we must love God with our heart, mind, and soul. Then he added that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. For me that strikes at the very heart of Christianity. Loving God and loving our neighbor are the way to live full Kingdom lives.
Last week was our program at Lakeside Assisted Living, with lots of singing and laughing. Maggie and Sue shared the emcee job, and Minnie tinkled the ivories (freeing Mrs. Hilda up to help lead the singing). Gene sang “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” with the group joining him on the chorus. Nora sang a cute song, “Pop Goes the Weasel,” as well as a goose-bump-inducing one, “Thank You for Giving to the Lord,” which she will sing for Thanksgiving at Old Home Baptist. Her sister Jo no only helped with the congregational singing, but also sang part of a song herself. Sue read the Texas Halloween book that’s a mirror image of Polar Express. Besides the regular congregational singing, we had several requests—all lovely choices.
“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.
