November 27, 2017 - Sunday was Christ the King Sunday. The Gospel Lesson for the last Sunday on the Christian Calendar was Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus is dividing the sheep from the goats—those who will live in the Kingdom and those who will wander lost. And what was the test—did you feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, welcome a stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and those in prison? That is how Jesus judged those seeking entry into the Kingdom of God. Christ the King Sunday is a day to reaffirm the centrality of Christ in our lives. I read that the Swedish Lutheran Church calls this Sunday the Sunday of Doom because the scriptures for this day all deal with judgment. I’m pretty sure most of us prefer Christ the King over Doom!
We were in double digits Sunday, which is always exciting at Paxton Methodist. Gene and Joy’s son Chuck and his family came and worshipped with us before heading back to Houston. Everyone said they had a very nice Thanksgiving. Sue and I went to our daughter’s in Dallas and had a good time visiting family and, of course, eating too much! It was especially good to have my brother there; last Thanksgiving he was in the hospital, but by this holiday, he’s had a successful lung transplant and is back out and about.
We completed our Sunday school quarter where all the lessons dealt with covenant. Next Sunday is the beginning of a new religious year and the start of Advent; as such, we will start a new course of study. Our Paxton Community Christmas Program and Dinner will be Tuesday, December 5th starting at 6:00. After worship we loaded up my truck with rice and beans that I will take to Community Christian Services this week. In December, we will be collecting cans of soup.
Last week was our program at Holiday Nursing Home. Sue, Fannie, Nora, Jo, and Hilda did the honors and reported having a fine time. Hilda, as usual, gave lively renditions of traditional songs. Fannie told the true, historical story of earlier Thanksgivings, and Nora sang “Over the River and Through the Woods,” a Thanksgiving song. Who knew? Nora also shared her “Thank You for Giving to the Lord” and promises to sing it at Paxton’s Christmas party. Sue read a funny kids’ book called Dog Breath about a dog named Hally Tosis (get it?). And Jo made the mistake of mentioning that she used to do nursing home programs in costume—like a pilgrim and an Indian. Uh oh! We will have plans for her! Our ministry at Lakeside Assisted Living will be this Thursday at 2:00, a postponement because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
“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.
Randy & Sue Smith
Paxton Methodist Church
