June 6, 2022 - Grace and peace from our brother and our teacher, Jesus. Amen. We were in double digits at Paxton Methodist—something to celebrate at our little church. Sunday was the Day of Pentecost, a high holy day in both the Christian and Jewish faiths. Pentecost occurs around the beginning of summer and schools letting out. I know it is not officially summer, but it is already feeling that way. I am watering my raised garden beds every day. We were promised some rain last week, but that never materialized.
I took the cans of fruit and a couple of checks to Community Christian Services last Wednesday. I got to visit with old friends as we were unloading the back seat. CCS has plans for expansion, and it looks like construction has begun. What a vital service they provide for the area! This month Paxton Methodist is collecting paper towels and toilet paper for CCS. In downtown Joaquin next to the Community Center are the Little Library and the Blessing Box. Both have been very busy, including garden produce in the Blessing Box annex. The need for nonperishable food items is greater than ever, so if you want to get a book maybe you could also add some cans to the Blessing Box.
Our Sunday School literature started a new quarter and used the same scripture that we had for the Day of Pentecost worship. It isn’t very often that our Sunday School lesson and my sermon share the same Bible verses, but today they did. Our new author emphasized the importance of the Spirit in preparing us to minister to our little part of the planet. The power of God’s Spirit enables us to live in the hope that things will be right with the world. I wouldn’t presume to tell God what to do, but I wish the Spirit would spur us into action to help bring God’s Kingdom to the Earth.
Our hymns today were “Onward, Christian Soldiers” and “Standing on the Promises,” both of which contain such calls to action. The title of my sermon was “New Day, New Way,” a reference to Pentecost, as the official beginning of the Christian Church. Next to Christmas and Easter, it is the most celebrated holy day on the Christian calendar. On the Jewish calendar, it is Shavuot, or Festival of Weeks. Originally it was an agricultural celebration, when people would bring their first crops to God. Later this holy day celebrated God giving the Torah to the people. Our bulletin quote, also about Pentecost, came from Pastor William Sloane Coffin: “Christians have no business thinking that the good life consists mainly in not doing bad things...Pentecost makes it clear that nothing is so fatal to Christianity as indifference.”
Being the first Sunday of the month, we celebrated Holy Communion. In my sermon I quoted John Shay who said we are to be a community that hollers out, “Gather the folks, tell the stories, break the bread!” Today at Paxton Methodist we broke the bread, but we didn’t do much hollering. We’re not much like the old-timey “Shoutin’ Methodists.”
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.
