March 27, 2017 - Sunday was the Fourth Sunday in Lent. We are more than halfway through Lent’s forty days. The Ides of March and St. Patrick’s Day just blew on by. On Sunday, April 16th the western half of the Christian world will celebrate Easter. Paxton Methodist and the Watson family invite everyone to the Watson home for Easter Sunrise Service. The service will begin at 7:00 AM; following the service, breakfast will be served. One of Dock’s cousins, Ron Hilton, will bring the Easter message. The Watson family is busy putting together another great Easter program. We are all hoping for a beautiful Easter morning, but whatever the weather may be, we will celebrate the victory of life over death, new beginnings, and Christ’s resurrection.
This Sunday, I used last week’s Old Testament Lesson from Exodus 17:1-7. The wandering tribes are already very unhappy in their long trek to the Promised Land. The uncertainty frightens them, and their thirst in the desert is very real. They begin to wonder if this Moses knows what he is doing, or if they would have been better off remaining in slavery back in Egypt.
We often long for the “good old days,” but the truth is all days, all ages, and all generations are full of challenges. Nonetheless, in our long journey toward God and the Kingdom, we are to be hopeful people.
We have been collecting cans of chili for Community Christian Services all month. In April—no fooling!—it will be toothpaste and toothbrushes. Next week we will discuss purchasing a portable speaker/sound system to be used by the church but also by family reunions and cemetery homecomings.
We got an update from the SFA students at the Wesley Foundation and will discuss sending them an additional check next Sunday. Next Sunday, the first Sunday of the month, we will celebrate Holy Communion. The following Monday is our ministry at Green Acres starting at 2:00 PM. We sure hope that Rose McNeil, Keith Knight, and Carolyn Hooker are feeling better soon.
Our nursing home ministries for Holiday and Lakeside are on the third Tuesday and fourth Thursday. In March, that meant they occurred in the same week. I was under the weather last week, but I got a full report from those who attended. At Holiday, Larry Terry fiddled some lively specials and also joined Mrs. Hilda’s piano accompaniments to group singing. Nora and Sue read kids’ books: There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly and Yertle the Turtle, both full of silliness. Jo shared a song from her mother: “Mairzey doats and doazy doats and liddle lamzy divey,” which of course translates to “Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.”
At Lakeside, Maggie agreed to be “anointed” as emcee. She and Mrs. Hilda, on the electronic baby grand piano, kept things moving. Ollie, Laura, and Sue read poems: “I’m drinking from my saucer ‘cause my cup has overflowed,” “The Highwayman,” and Calvin Trillin’s No Fair! No Fair! poems of childhood. It was goose bump time with Nora’s a capella version of “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” Gene sang several songs that he invited others to join in, including “Blessed Assurance” and “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.” Jo started the group on “Roses Are Red, My Love,” and Karen shared the oath on her Special Olympics shirt: “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
“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. God’s Speed!
