Paxton Methodist News, Jan. 23rd

January 24, 2022 - This week certainly had some cold temperatures. The TV news said that Friday night was the coldest since the big freeze last year. I have, however, remained faithful to my two-mile walks at the park each morning. Sam and Gunter don’t seem to mind the cold one bit, but I had to get tough with myself to stay with it. Friday and Saturday mornings and afternoons were full of sunshine but remained pretty cold each day. Sunday morning was in the low twenties once again. It is Sunday evening now, and what a beautiful day it was! One good thing about Texas—it gets cold, but it doesn’t stay that way.

The scripture for our Sunday School lesson was Exodus 34: 29-35, about Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the “10 words” that we call the 10 commandments. As seemed always true with the Hebrews, including those lost for 40 years in the desert, things did not go as planned or expected. But I guess that is true of life. The theme of God forgiving and God renewing the broken covenant is played out in this scripture as it is throughout the Old Testament.

Sunday was the 3rd Sunday of the Epiphany. The Old Testament Lesson was from Isaiah, who says that we are “the crown of beauty in the hand of God.” Actually he is talking about Israel and Judah, but I think we 21st Century Christians can see how God means all humanity. The Psalter Lesson from Psalm 36 reminds us how great God’s love for us is. The poet says it extends to the heavens and the clouds. The psalmist says that all people can take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings.

The Gospel Lesson was John 2: 1–11, about the wedding in Cana. This famous story of Jesus changing water into wine is, however, only found in the John Gospel. In the first chapter, John so beautifully explains that Jesus is the word and the light of the world. The Gospel Lesson today is how John begins the narrative of Jesus’ ministry; it may seem a little strange that he chooses this story to showcase. And yet, this account of a reluctant Jesus turning six huge jars of water into the best wine ever is John’s prelude to the ministry of Jesus. Living in the South, I always heard that alcohol was one of the greatest evils imaginable, but here is Jesus in the wine-making business. If we can get past that, we see the theme illustrated here: the great abundance that is to be found in God’s Kingdom.

Much of the message today, including our Gathering Words, focused on light. Our bulletin quote was from Ben Sweetland, an American psychologist: “We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.” Today we sang “I Love to Tell the Story,” a lively hymn. But our second song—that we listened to—was a real toe-tapper: Hank Williams’ version of “I Saw the Light.” Thanks to a Bluetooth speaker my daughter gave me—and minimal technological expertise on my part—I can call up a song on my phone and play it to the congregation. Who would’ve thought!

All during the month of January we are collecting cans of tuna for Community Christian Services. Next month we will donate soap and shampoo. In January our church celebrated two birthdays—a mother and daughter—Lillie and Liz. We certainly hope that they have had wonderful birthdays. Sue & Fred will celebrate their 71st anniversary this coming Saturday! When this was announced in church, Sue and Fred received a round of applause.

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.