June 24, 2019 - Love and peace from our brother Jesus. Sunday was the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost. We now enter the long period on the Christian calendar called Ordinary Time. I have read many explanations for this term: The explanation I like best is that Pentecost is the last High Holy Day until fall. Until the last century, most workers were tillers of the soil, and their world was busy with ordinary tasks. Thomas Aquinas believed that the ordinary was infused with the Divine, but we are often too busy to notice.
When Sue and I returned from Missouri a couple of weeks ago, we thought we must have made a wrong turn. The temperature was in the low eighties and the humidity was really low. But this past week we were reminded that we were indeed back in Texas. The weather people said that the heat index for several days last week was over 100!
We sure missed Fannie and Carolyn at Sunday school. Our lesson today came from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The title of the lesson was “Hearts United in Love.” The author of today’s lesson stressed that Christianity is not an individual affair. It is about community, lifting each other up when we are down. It is about working together to bring hope to others.
Before today’s sermon we had a short business meeting. We are working on updating our church phone directory, which isn’t really complicated since we are so few in number. But the directory hasn’t been updated in almost ten years, and things do change. Joe proposed sending Christian Community Services a check from our church, which everyone was in favor of.
The Epistle Lesson for Sunday came from the first chapter of Galatians. Paul was writing to not just one city or one Jesus Community but to a whole region of believers. Other missionaries had been to this region and cast some doubt on Paul’s understanding. We know that in the early church, one of the first areas of disagreement was whether believers should embrace Judaism as part of their conversion to the Jesus faith. Paul reassured the new converts that it was faith in Jesus, not the law, that was central. Today we also have folks that tell us faith should be about embracing hatred of those who look different and to embrace prosperity as the way to God. When we are confused, we need to remember how Christ loved. If we can model that love in how we treat “the other,” we will be on the right track.
Last week was our monthly program at Holiday Nursing Center. We were joined by a nice group of residents, A’leena the Activity Director, and Diane Smith, one of the directors of Community Christian Services. Minnie played piano for our congregational singing, freeing Hilda to be part of that group. I emceed, sharing some things from our recent trip to Missouri. Sue read Gerald McBoingBoing at the beginning and a Robert Louis Stevenson poem at the end. Nora sang her book, Sunshine on My Shoulder. Fannie read selections from Helen Steiner Rice. And we all made a joyful noise!
This week we head to Lakeside Assisted Living for our monthly ministry. During the month of June we have been collecting toilet paper and paper towels at church to take to Community Christian Services. Next month we will collect cans of spaghetti and ravioli.
Our worship time is 10:00 AM and we would love to have you come and worship with us. I know how every busy everyone is and our early meet time enables one to get on with family get-togethers or jobs later on. 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.
