June 8, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was Trinity Sunday, the day on the Christian calendar set aside to celebrate the doctrine of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The idea of the Trinity is certainly mysterious and is really beyond my comprehension. As our affirmation in our worship service we used the Nicene Creed, one of the oldest creeds.
If you forgot that you lived in Texas, the temperatures this week were a good reminder. Of course, it will get hotter as we enter the summer season. I have been watering every day, trying to get it done in the morning before it gets too hot. I can’t believe it is June. Because of this pandemic and its shelter-in-place, I still think it is March or April. We missed Joe at Sunday School and worship. His grandson was driving in from New Mexico, and I know they will have a great visit.
We once again had “in-house” church. This week, we added Sunday School. For both we practiced social distancing, and most people wore masks. There are 22 states where Covid 19 is expanding—Texas one of the unlucky ones. We still need to be careful and listen to the scientists and medical experts.
Our new Sunday School book is titled Community—Summer 2020. The more I read and understand the faith of Jesus, the more I realize the importance of community. The first lesson was called “Living as God’s People.” The text, Deuteronomy 8: 1-10, spoke about the Israelites’ forty-year trek through the wilderness. Ms. Fannie tied this ancient story to our times now. The author reminded us that God wants us to know eternal and enduring love; further, God will always love us and draw us toward him.
This certainly has been a sad and difficult time for our nation. I am reminded of that line in “America the Beautiful”: “America! America! God mend thine every flaw.” We have a long way to go to become a more just and compassionate nation. We need to remember that regardless of differences, we are all children of God.
For my sermon I read several theologians who had differing takes on the Trinity. Garrison Keillor said this about love on his show, A Prairie Home Companion: “We should not think that we have figured out love, because it is not a problem; it’s a mystery and always will be.” You could substitute the Trinity for love, and the statement would still be true.
In the month of June, Paxton Methodist will collect toilet paper and paper towels. Just a few months ago this project would have been impossible! I delivered cans of fruit and some cash donations to Community Christian Services last Wednesday. It was great to see John Paul, Jay, Debbie, and all the other hard workers of CCS. They certainly are well organized and efficient, adapting to fit pandemic guidelines.
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, and Open Minds.” 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 your email address to the Paxton email address, and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed.
