October 18, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We had some beautiful fall days this past week! I am starting my article on Saturday, when it is 45 degrees at morning dog-walking time. The house felt cold to me when I got up, but I am not ready to turn the heater on. I bundled up for the walk, and the dogs really seemed to have fun running and chasing each other at the park.
Paxton Methodist Church is meeting each Sunday wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Shelby County has had a big increase in Covid cases just as the nation as a whole has seen a huge spike in cases and deaths. Our music is just on piano and CD—no singing to spread germs. Mrs. Hilda played a sprightly version of “When the Roll Is Called up Yonder,” and our Hymn of Joy was “What a Beautiful World,” sung by Louie Armstrong. This week I came across a poem about autumn that I incorporated into the Prayers of the Church.
In the month of October we are collecting peanut butter and jelly for Community Christian Services. We had a church meeting this morning to hear the charge conference reports and the church budget for 2021. It was budgeted to give First Baptist Church Joaquin $200 to help with Community Christian Services Children’s Christmas gift program. We also pledged the Gideons $400: We agreed to mail this check since the pandemic makes it impossible to have a Gideon speaker this fall. After hearing the reports and discussion, the church folks approved the budget and all the reports.
We had a most excellent Sunday School Lesson based on Nehemiah 8: 1-12. Mrs. Fannie reminded us that the idea of today’s lesson was to help us form the church into a community. In the scripture reading, we saw how the people were reclaiming their identity as a group and as followers of the Torah and God. This idea of community is what my sermon was also about, from the Epistle Lesson 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10. These are the oldest verses in the New Testament, as Paul sent this letter in 52 CE. It is obvious that Paul cared greatly for the friends he met on his travels. And we see how important community was to the early Christians. Jesus spoke of such community as the Kingdom of God. I titled my sermon “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends,” a chapter title in the latest Irish Country Doctor series that I’m currently reading.
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.
