September 5, 2017 - Sunday was the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. Sunday, unlike recent days, was pretty and full of sun. Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who are mourning and suffering from the effects of Hurricane Harvey. It is good to see that the whole nation is responding and that Congress seems ready to move quickly to provide aid. Our church voted to give money to the Salvation Army. Many individuals have already given to various aid groups. The clean-up and rebuilding is going to be measured in months and years. Our neighbors and friends in New Jersey and New York are still rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy devastated those two states.
The Gospel Lesson from Matthew 16:24-28 is one of the most difficult passages in the Gospels. Jesus says that his followers must be ready to carry their crosses and to lose their lives. In my sermon I spoke of Oscar Romero and Dietrich Bonheoffer, two devoted Christians who indeed carried the cross and lost their lives being disciples of Jesus.
The Epistle Lesson from Romans 12:9-21 was a very uplifting scripture that we needed to read after the tough Gospel lesson. Paul says that love must be at the center of who we are. He went on to say that the best way to combat evil is by doing good. Catherine de Hueck Doherty said, “The hunger for God can only be satisfied by a love that is face to face, person to person. It is only in the eyes of another that we can find Christ.” John Wesley said that loving God and loving neighbor cannot be separated.
We celebrated Holy Communion this morning. We are collecting boxes of macaroni and cheese for Community Christian Services.
“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.
