Shelby County Today

May 29, 2022 - In Luke chapter 6 and verse 46, Jesus is preaching and says, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” At first glance, perhaps that sounds a bit harsh. However, it could have been a question in which the expression of pity, surprise and patient love on the face of Jesus softened the rebuke.

Let’s be honest. Often to do the things Jesus tells us to do is not an easy matter. He said so much and often they were such hard sayings. Yet, Jesus dealt in principles and what he said can be summed up in three principles.

We are to put God first in our lives. That is why Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). We must put our neighbor second, remember Jesus said we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Then, we are to put ourselves last.

The great tragedy of our day and time is that we so often put self first, before God and others. Have you ever considered what a wonderful place this world would be if we all put God first in our lives and put self last? Why not start right now to put God first, others second and self third in your thinking. I just might make life better.

It’s something to think about... tbp

Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com

May 17, 2022 - Sunday was the 5th Sunday of Easter. We finally got some much-needed rain, but that was followed by heat, humidity, and winds. The old earth is parched again in Shelby County. I am watering my container plants every day. I have become a small-time gardener with mostly raised beds planted in perennials. The first blooms from my roses were really pretty; now the gardenias and cape jasmine are flowering, looking and smelling wonderful.

Saturday, Sue’s brother and sister-in-law drove up from Houston to visit with their mom. We met at a Nacogdoches restaurant along with Sue’s sister’s family. It was a really nice little reunion and Dixie was happy to have her family gathered around.

We had everybody back at Sunday School this week, and the lesson for May 15 was particularly interesting. The title was “In Awesome Wonder,” about God’s beautiful creation. You would think the main scripture would come from Genesis, the Hebrew creation story. But no, it came from the end of the book of Job: As he created the whole wide world, God was wondering where Job was. Job of course had no good answer, and God really didn’t have a response to why suffering happens to good people. We humans sometimes think creation is all about us. It isn’t. We are quite entitled and think we deserve explanations for all our “why” questions. But God has concern for every part of his creation.

John Wesley often spoke of the essentials of Christianity. When reading the history of the Methodist Movement, you soon see that Wesley had just a handful of requirements. He would say “Hear, Hear” to our Gospel lesson today. The Final Discourse is found only in the John Gospel, occurring on Thursday evening of Holy Week. Jesus has a pretty good idea of what is ahead. He is preparing his closest friends for a time they will take the Good News to people without him. He tells them everything begins with love—compassion. When that is your starting point and where your spiritual compass points, then you are on the right track. Jesus said that is how people will know that they are his followers—the great compassion they have for everyone. Even today, we should take a lesson from that.

All the regulars were back this morning, putting us in double digits. Our Gathering Words were based on Psalm 148: As one reads through this beautiful hymn, we see where St. Francis got his inspiration. We recited the ancient creed of faith, The Apostles’ Creed. Our first song was “Marching to Zion.” We listened to one verse to get the rhythm and then sang two. Next was “Standing on the Promises,” a more familiar hymn to our congregation.

During May we have been collecting cans of fruit for Community Christian Services. Schools in Joaquin finish up this Friday, with most schools going through the next week. I know the teachers and of course the students are looking forward to the break. Ah yes, I remember it well!

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.

May 16, 2022 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, May 16.

When we moved to our place just east of Tenaha, Texas, there was an old hummingbird feeder hanging on the back porch. I cleaned it out, filled it with sugar water, hung it back up, and sat back and waited for the hummingbirds. That was four years ago... and I'm still waiting.

Well, at least until two weeks ago. My sister and brother-in-law visited from San Antonio, and came bearing a gift, a deluxe hummingbird feeder from Walmart. And I guess that's what the birds were waiting for, because a few hours later we saw our first little green visitor, and now there are two.

I've enjoyed sitting on the porch and watching them. And even though there are five little flower feeders - and just two birds - they're constantly competing with each other, worrying about how much sweet nectar the other's getting - when there's plenty to go around!

When I drove to Oklahoma last week, I probably passed something like 200 churches. And I wonder how many of those churches are worried about how well the church down the street is doing, instead of focusing on the needy people all around them.

People who need encouragement. People who need prayer. People who need the love of Christ. God forgive us for competing with other churches, when there's plenty to go around.

Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org

May 9, 2022 - Sunday was the 4th Sunday of Easter. We have had a couple of good rains and some humid summertime weather. Not to mention some middle 90s—in early May! It is Saturday evening, and as I proofread my sermon again, I finally think it is ready to go. I will see tomorrow if I put anyone to sleep. Just joking! This Sunday in the Season of Easter is sometimes referred to as The Shepherd’s Sunday. We began this day with the 23rd Psalm as our Gathering Words.

We had a small Sunday School class and congregation, as some members were sick and others out of town. The Sunday School lesson was to encourage good stewardship: Much of our discussion focused on what tithing meant to the agricultural folks of ancient Israel/Judea and to us in the 21st Century. The text was Deuteronomy 14: 22-29. The purpose of the tithing system in the ancient society was to make sure no one would be disadvantaged permanently or consigned to second-class status. It recognized the reality of poverty and hoped to alleviate it. With the tithe, one conferred worth, dignity, and belonging on those who had been less fortunate. That is still true today.

Sue read the Gospel from John 37-30, with Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Scholars and temple folks wanted Jesus to state plainly if he thought he was the promised messiah—trying to trip him up as usual. Jesus didn’t feel as if he owed these people anything. He said look at what I do—healing and trying to lessen people’s pain. He told his questioners that they were too preoccupied to hear the call of the Good Shepherd.

Our songs were two favorites of our church—“When We All Get to Heaven” and “Hymn of Promise.” The first one is a lively, toe-tapping hymn, and the second is a heartfelt poem set to beautiful music. The affirmation was The Apostles’ Creed, probably the best-known ancient creed. During the merry month of May, our church folks will be collecting cans of fruit so we can take them to Community Christian Services at the end of the month. Later this month will be Joy and Gene’s anniversary. This past weekend they celebrated their twins’ 50th birthday. We all gave thanks for our mothers—and mother figures—for the impact they had on our lives.

In my sermon, I spoke a little about each Scripture on today’s traditional lectionary. From the Old Testament, we had the story of Dorcas, devout servant to her church, and Psalm 23 about the shepherd. In earlier times, shepherds such as David were steadfastly guarding sheep for the family and tribe; by the time of Jesus, however, the flocks and most everything else were owned by absentee landlords, leading to many shepherds doing only a “good enough” job. In Revelation and in the Gospel of John, we again find the shepherd motif: Like Psalm 23, the shepherd symbolizes care and trustworthiness.

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.