PASTOR: THE REV. DR. NANCY A. McCLURE-LONG
PHONE: 518-828-5946 - 518-828-9778
EMAIL: divinemizn@aol.com
OFFICE HOURS: 9-10:30am - Tuesday
9:00 am-12:00 pm. W-Th or by appointment
Office Assistant - Lisa Andrews
Sexton: Penny Schertel
Sunday School Superintendents: Peter & Penny Schertel
Organist: Ethel Jones
Consistory: Vice President - Richard J. Leggett Sr.
Treasurer: Richard J. Leggett Jr.
Elders:Bonnie Pflegl, Sandy Wilson, Dick Leggett, Liz Grattan
Deacons: George Bednar, Robbie Keller, Nora Van Brunt
Newsletter of the Ghent Reformed Church
1039 County Route 22, Ghent, NY 12075; Phone: [518] 828-5946
Upcoming Events
February
2/18: Indoor Yard Sale, 9am to 2pm-
[Nora VanBrunt]
2/22: House Church Bible Study at Pomeroys, 2pm
Ash Wednesday Potluck 6pm, Worship 7pm
2/29: Lenten Study & Potluck, 6pm – 8pm
March
3/6-3/8: Pastor Nancy away at Linwood Retreat in Rhinebeck,p>
3/7: Lenten Study & Potluck, 6pm – 8pm
3/13: Consistory Meeting, 7pm
3/14: Lenten Study & Potluck, 6pm – 8pm,p>
3/21: Lenten Study & Potluck, 6pm – 8pm
House Church Bible Study at Pomeroys, 2pm
3/24: Spring Clean-up Day
3/28: Lenten Study & Potluck, 6pm – 8pm
3/31: Hunter Trapper Dinner
April
4/1: Palm Sunday Hat Day, 9am
4/4: House Church Bible Study at Pomeroys, 2pm
4/5: Maundy Thursday Communion, 7pm
4/8: Easter
4/11: Consistory Meeting, 7pm,p>
4/14: Fresh Ham Dinner
4/18: House Church Bible Study at Pomeroys, 2pm
Random Acts of Kindness
For February, “His Loving Hands” group invites the congregation to commit “A Random Act of Kindness.” It can be as simple as calling a relative/friend/neighbor/shut-in to give them a little lift. Maybe you could send a note or a card. In this day and age of the computer and e-mails, it is a rare treat to receive something from the mailman. How about just opening the door for someone – whatever happened to that courtesy!
Here are some other suggestions:
▪ If you're in line at the grocery store and there is someone with a child or someone with fewer groceries than you, why not let them go ahead of you.
▪ While you're in the grocery store, you might buy a bouquet of flowers and bring them to someone who could use a little cheering up.
▪ If you're purchasing a cup of coffee in the morning, pay for the next cup of coffee to be sold, also.
▪ Offer a couple hours of free babysitting to parents of young children.
▪ Donate used books to a library.
▪ Visit folks in the hospital or nursing homes.
▪ Contact the school about becoming a mentor.
▪ Help someone for free – mowing or raking the lawn, for example.
We have placed note paper in each pew for you to write down a Random Act of Kindness you have done, or a suggestion for a Random Act of Kindness. You don't have to sign your name if you don't want to. There will be a basket on the table outside the office, for you to drop off your folded note. We hope to share some of your comments in the next newsletter.
It always makes you feel good to do something for someone else. And who knows, they may “pay it forward” and do a kind act for someone else – so your Random Act of Kindness will be multiplied!
Scripture says in II Corinthians 9:6-9: The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.”
House Church Forming to discuss Revelation
Katie and April Pomeroy are opening their home for Bible study every other Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. beginning Wed., January 25th and continuing through June 27. Anyone interested in a study of the book of Revelation using Bruce Metzger’s Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation [Abingdon Press, 1993], is invited. It should be possible to find inexpensive used copies through Amazon.com or even in used bookstores. Contact either Pastor Nancy 828-9778 or the Pomeroys at 822-1118.
Wednesdays During Lent Pot Luck and Video Lenten Study
For five Wednesdays during Lent [Feb. 29 and March 7, 14, 21 & 28] we will be viewing short video segments from the re:form series. Each 5 minute segment centers around a question related to the Reformed faith. We will meet at 6:00 p.m. for pot luck dinner and, while we’re eating, watch two or three segments each followed by discussion. We will be done by 8 p.m. Here are some of the questions we might be exploring: Who wrote the Bible, God or humans? – Is the Bible true? – Why does the Bible contradict itself at times? – Is God male? – Do cremated people go to Heaven? – Why did Jesus go to hell? – Can someone lose their salvation? – Am I really supposed to believe Mary was a virgin?
A Spiritual Retreat: Encouraging the Nurture of a Listening Heart
Three RCA spiritual directors [Ellen Ratmeyer, Ella Campbell and Arlene Wilhelm] are again offering a multi-day spiritual retreat. Last fall two retreats they ran both sold out in record time. This retreat during Lent will be held at Linwood Spiritual Center in Rhinebeck, New York, Tues. – Thurs. March 6-8, 2012 [someone will fill in March 7 for Pastor Nancy at our Lenten Study]. Cost is $150 per person [$50 non-refundable deposit] and will include meals from Tuesday lunch through Thursday lunch, single occupancy lodging and program. Rest will be honored . . . renewal encouraged. If you have been feeling harried and dry in your prayer life, or just want to experience contemplative prayer practices, you can go to this one with Pastor Nancy. Please register by sending the form and your check for $50 no later than Feb. 23. There are registration forms on the table outside the church office. To check out the facilities go to http://linwodspiritualctr.org
STORY BEHIND THE HYMN
Fairest Lord Jesus
The Silesian Folk Song, Fairest Lord Jesus, has an Unknown Author. The hymn Fairest Lord Jesus has a somewhat elusive history. It is thought to have originated as early as 1607, possibly written by German Jesuits, and called Schnaster Herr Jesu. It first appeared in print in 1677, in a German Roman Catholic publication, but with author unknown. The first three stanzas were translated into English by an unknown. The fourth stanza was added in English by Lutheran pastor and theologian, Joseph A. Seiss in 1873.
Originally this song was most likely sung to a Gregorian Chant by the Jesuit monks. The music for this hymn that was most popular with 17th Century German peasants was a tune from an ancient Silesian folk song. In 1850, Richard S. Willis, composer of the music for It Came upon a Midnight Clear, arranged the folk song for use in church hymnals.
Several slightly different versions of the beautiful lyrics have appeared over the years. The most common version in English hymnals today is the following:
Fairest Lord Jesus
Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul's glory, joy and crown.
Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.
Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine
FEB.
17. 2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-6
18. INDOOR YARD SALE, 9AM TO 2PM;-
MARK 9:2-9
19. TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY
9:00AM WORSHIP-
10:30AM SUNDAY SCHOOL
20. GENESIS 9:8-17
21. GRC LITERARY SOCIETY, 7PM; PSALM 25:1-10
22. ASH WEDNESDAY
6:00PM POTLUCK-
7:00PM WORSHIP
HOUSE CHURCH BIBLE STUDY AT POMEROYS, 2PM
PSALM 51:1-17
23. 1 PETER 3:18-22
24. MARK 1:9-11-
ROBBIE KELLER BDAY-
BILL WHITBECK BDAY
25. MARK 1:12-15
26. FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
9:00AM WORSHIP -
10:30AM SUNDAY SCHOOL
27. GENESIS 17:1-7, 15-16-
CAROL LAHUT BDAY-
STEPHANIE BEDNAR BDAY
28. PSALM 22:23-31
29. LENTEN STUDY &
POTLUCK 6-8PM
ROMANS 4:13-15
MARCH 1: ROMANS 4:16-25-
LOGAN RANSFORD BDAY
2: MARK 8:31-38-
NIA WASHINGTON BDAY
3. MARK 9:2-9
4. SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
9:00AM WORSHIP & COMMUNION -
10:30AM SUNDAY SCHOOL
BETH COLWELL BDAY
6-8: PASTOR NANCY AWAY AT LINWOOD RETREAT IN RHINEBECK
GRC LITERARY SOCIETY
On Tuesday, February 13th at 7pm, the book club will meet to discuss Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo.
The only thing certain about a journey is that it has a beginning and an end—for you never know what may happen along the way. And so it is with this journey into the minds and souls of two very different men—one of them in search of the truth, the other a man who may have already found it.
When Otto Ringling, a husband, father, and editor, departs on a cross-country drive from his home in a New York City suburb to the North Dakota farmhouse in which he grew up, he is a man on a no-nonsense mission: to settle the estate of his recently deceased parents. However, when his flaky sister convinces him to give a ride to her guru, a crimson-robed Skovordinian monk, Otto knows there will be a few bumps in the road.
As they venture across America, Otto and the affable, wise, irritating, and inscrutable holy man engage in a battle of wits and wisdom. Otto, a born skeptic, sees his unwanted passenger as a challenge: a man who assumes the knowledge of the ages yet walks a mortal's path. But he also sees their unexpected pairing as an opportunity to take Volya Rinpoche on a journey of cultural discovery, with visits to quintessentially American landmarks (the Hershey's factory, Wrigley Field) and forays into some favorite American pastimes (bowling, miniature golf, dining out).
INDOOR YARD SALE
Our annual Indoor Yard Sale will be held on Saturday, February 18th from 9am until 2pm. We always sell out our tables, so there are always many treasures to be found. In addition, our kitchen counter will be open for breakfast and lunch with delicious homemade foods and desserts to eat-in or take-out.
Tables are currently available, but are sure to sell out, and are priced at $20 for one or $30 for two. For more information or to reserve tables, please call the church office at 828-5946.
CONSISTORY HIGHLIGHTS
Welcome Frank Rizzi as Deacon fulfilling the rest of Bunny's term.
The parsonage roof has been replaced thanks to Dick and Stephen Leggett, Dan Perry and others. We all appreciate your willingness to take on that responsibility.
The Deacons have worked up a budget for 2012 and it will be presented and published for your perusal.
There has been a request for help from a Mom of two children. We helped her once before and she was able to get back on her feet for a time. The consistory decided to make December 25, 2011 a bright day in an otherwise dark year for her and her family.
May we extend wishes for a happy, healthy, hope filled New Year to you all.
BRING BACK THE BLIK
Once in a while, I will bring it up in conversation. That's a blik, I will say, when a discussion seems unable to leave the ground. I don't know if I've ever gotten anything other than a blank look when I've said this. Very few people seem to know this useful word.
I googled "blik" -- there's a company by that name that manufactures decorative decals with which to adorn your walls. No help there. "Blik"is also the title of a lovely Dutch animated short film about a little boy who falls in love with a girl much older than he. Google takes you through acres of decorative decals before it finally serves up the "blik" I knew, the one used in the philosophy of religion. And there were only a couple of mentions of that blik before we were off and running again among the decorative decals.
Which is a pity, because "blik" is a handy word, indeed. A blik is a belief that can be neither proven nor disproven. Neither verified or falsified. The Oxford philosopher R.M. Hare coined the term in the early fifties. I encountered it in the 1960s, and it has charmed me ever since. Here is Hare's example of a blik -- I'm afraid it is rather parochially expressed, which -- for me, at least -- only adds to its charm. To fully experience the charm, you will need to know that a don is a tutor at Oxford.
"A certain lunatic is convinced that all dons want to murder him. His friends introduce him to all the mildest and most respectable dons that they can find, and after each of them has retired, they say, 'You see, he doesn't really want to murder you; he spoke to you in a most cordial manner; surely you are convinced now?' But the lunatic replies, 'Yes, but that was only his diabolical cunning; he's really plotting against me the whole time, like the rest of them; I know it I tell you'. However many kindly dons are produced, the reaction is still the same."
You can see why the blik is charming to a religious person: one recognizes immediately that we all have a blik. Some of them are insane, like that of Hare's lunatic. Others are somewhat less damaging, like the common belief that God has a detailed plan for each of us, choosing our professions, our mates, perhaps even our dinner menus for us. Let earthquake, fire, flood and God knows what else destroy, and the answer is the same: "It's Gods will. We just don't understand God's ways."
Let me go on record with my belief that a great many things happen here under the sun that are not God's will. If it is true that every preacher has one sermon, which s/he preaches over and over again, here is mine: Life is hard, but God is good. I have found little evidence to support the idea that God's goodness has anything to do with an end run around the troubles of life. But then, a blik has little to do with evidence; it is more an unconscious decision about how one chooses to view life. My blik is realistic but hopeful -- but of course I would think so, since it's my blik. I believe that faith does not insulate us from pain, and I point to the cross as evidence that this is so. And I believe in resurrection, the bringing of good out of even the greatest of evils. I do not believe that resurrection turns bad things good -- they're still bad. But the death and decay we all fear composts our future hope. This I believe. My belief selects and shapes my evidence, not the other way round.
In the end, we do not derive matters of faith from evidence at all. All of them are bliks. One person beholds the Alps for the first time and believes anew in his Creator. His traveling companion is also thunderstruck by their majesty, but thinks only of paleontology. Consciously or unconsciously, we choose what we will believe.
Would you like to see the little Dutch film,"Blik"? It has nothing at all to do with the philosophy of religion, but warms the heart nonetheless. "Blik" means "look” in Dutch. Perhaps you would like to read more R.M. Hare about bliks. http://www.philosophy-religion.org/handouts/blik.htm
History of the Super Bowl:
Just another Religious Holiday?
The Super Bowl, also known as simply Superbowl — a territory acquisition athletic contest played upon a fixed agrarian grid using as a token an inflated porcine prolate spheroid — is the most important holiday of the year in America. Some will say that it is a secular holiday; others argue that it is truly a religious holiday.
And there are many reasons why: it has a liturgy, lots of prayer, rituals, and indeed these rituals have changed throughout history. It used to be that commercials were the part of the service that was intended for taking a bio break, but not in recent years. The commercials are now the most important part (for some) of the service, and indeed some (like me) watch Super bowl specifically for the advertisements.
Food - After Thanksgiving Day, more food is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year. These are usually selected for their high caloric index, sodium content, and crunch factor as well as carbonated inebriating fluids.
Decorations - Not only is food is a major part of this holiday, so too are decorations. Consider Supermarkets (named after Super bowl) which decorate the chip aisle as it if is Christmas. If you work for Frito-Lay, it is Christmas.
Advertisements - Advertisers will pay up to $100,000 per second for an advert. A 30-second commercial will go for $3M and the slots have been sold out since the beginning of last summer. Who can forget the introduction of Apple Macintosh, directed by Ridley Scott, during the 1984 Super Bowl, when: On January 24th, Apple Computer
will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why
1984 won’t be like “1984.”
History - Super Bowl is the modern name, since 1967, for the professional football championship contests, which extend back into antiquity, Roman antiquity to be precise. This will be Super Bowl XLV, to honor those Roman roots of gladiatorial contests.
This contest is between the conferences of the National Football League (NFL), so named for the “League” the unit of measurement to express the distance a Roman citizen could walk in 1 hour. The modern game, however, is about 4 times that length of time.
The NFL is divided neatly into two unequal halves, the NFC (National Football Conference) and the AFC (American Football Conference); these are each further subdivided into Meetings, Get-Togethers, and One-On-Ones.
The Super Bowl will not involve the ICFL (Continental Indoor Footfall League) as it is not a TLA (Three Letter Acronym). The winner of the Super Bowl will be declared the “world champions of football,” of course ignoring other inhabited countries who may point out that they call soccer “football,” and they have a championship involving not a bowl, but a cup. And involvement from teams from outer space is out of the question.
Where does the word “bowl” come from? Originally, it comes from the Rose Bowl, a college football contest, played in Pasadena, CA which is done in an elliptical stadium. Now a stadium is where foot races were held in ancient Rome, but spectator gladiatorial contests like this were held in amphitheaters, like the Coliseum in Rome, or Flavian Amphitheater, so named from the ancient Greek word because they were made up of two theaters joined together or theaters on both sides, but that is more ancient history than most people can handle.
Half Time - Nominally named for being approximately in the middle of the game, or 2 quarters in, or 4 bits worth, or 50 cent, but not the singer. Unlike many other football broadcasts, this part is actually shown to the audience watching from home. These festivities consist of first-class and second-rate musical performers, some who have questionable taste in attire, and others who have costuming clumsiness or “wardrobe malfunctions.”
2 Minute Warning - Super Bowl, while using a clock, does not intend that this is to be understood as representing actual “wall clock” time, rather, it uses poetic license to represent an epochal period that could last 30 minutes or an hour and a half, given overtimes.
Celebration - There is one reason for celebrating at the end of Super Bowl, especially for “football widows” or “football widowers” like me. It means the end of the professional football season for the year!
SMILES
Kids Funnies
A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible.
Then one day she floored her grandmother by asking, "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? The Virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"
*************************************************
A Sunday School class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall and quoted, "Thou shalt not take the covers off thy neighbor's wife."
*************************************************
I had been teaching my three-year old daughter, Caitlin, the Lord's Prayer. For several evenings, at bedtime, she would repeat after me the lines from the prayer.
Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer: "Lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us from e-mail. Amen."
MORE SMILES
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter.
Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.
On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know.'
UNTIMELY ANSWERED PRAYER
During the minister's prayer one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews. Tommy's mother was horrified. She pinched him into silence and, after church, asked, 'Tommy, whatever made you do such a thing?'
Tommy answered soberly, 'I asked God to teach me to whistle, and He did!'
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬_____¬¬¬¬¬¬_________________________________¬
TIME TO PRAY
A pastor asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night. 'Yes, sir.' the boy replied. And, do you always say them in the morning, too?' the pastor asked. 'No sir,' the boy replied. 'I ain't scared in the daytime.
CLASSIS MEETING REPORT
The Classis of Columbia-Greene met at the Livingston Memorial Church in Linlithgo on October 18th. Pastor Nancy and Elder Dick attended for Ghent Reformed.
Our Classis dues will be $81.72 per member for 2012.
The Classis received word that the New Concord church sale has been completed and a contract has been signed on the sale of the Leeds church.
Rev. Van Oort was approved as a part-time minister for the Reformed Dutch Church at Muitzeskill.
Several reports were received from various committees. I feel that one of the most important was the report on Camp Fowler. They had a very successful summer program again this year.
Our church needs an alternate elder delegate in case Dick can’t attend a meeting.
Treasurer’s Report December 2011
Receipts:
Loose, Bottles, Sunday School $ 491.00
Church Receipts $ 5,823.00
Benevolence $ 245.00
Building Fund $ 269.00
Denom. Assessment $ 65.00
Activities:
Returned Checks Made Good $ 43.00
Camp Fowler Fund $ 28.00
Dumpster $ 106.04
Holiday $ 196.00 Holiday Gift Baskets $ 429.00
Holiday Gift Fair $ 17.00
Interest Carol Blahut CD $ 75.49
Carol Blahut CD Cashed-in $10,000.00
In Memory of Jeanette Schertel
& Anna Engle $ 1,925.00
Pastor’s Christmas Gift $ 435.00
Youth Group $ 15.00
Total Receipts (Income): $20,162.53
2012 Proposed Budget Follows on the next Page:
A HYMN FOR A NEW YEAR
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
Washington Gladden was a controversial 19th century clergyman of the Congregational Church -- a preacher unafraid of a good fight. For a period of time, he served as editor of the New York Independent newspaper, and his editorials were credited with starting the investigation that sent the notorious Boss Tweed to jail.
Gladden was especially interested in labor disputes, and got involved in a number of strikes -- not to encourage them, but to negotiate peaceful settlements.
He sparked controversy when he opposed the acceptance of a $100,000 donation to his denomination by John D. Rockefeller -- "Tainted money," he called it, because of Rockefeller's business policies. But there has been no controversy associated with Gladden's hymn, "O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee." This hymn expresses in simple language what we all feel -- a need to walk with God -- to feel God's presence -- to have God guide us -- to have God help us through the tough struggles of life. It is a hymn, but it is also a prayer. It asks God to give us a "winning word of love" that will make a difference in someone's life. It asks God to give us patience -- and hope -- and peace. It then concludes by asking, "With Thee, O Master, let me live."
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
1. O Master, let me walk with thee in lowly paths of service free; tell me thy secret; help me bear
the strain of toil, the fret of care.
2. Help me the slow of heart to move
by some clear, winning word of love;
teach me the wayward feet to stay,
and guide them in the homeward way.
3. Teach me thy patience; still with thee
in closer, dearer company,
in work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
in trust that triumphs over wrong;
4. In hope that sends a shining ray
far down the future's broadening way,
in peace that only thou canst give,
with thee, O Master, let me live.
"Happy New Year!" That greeting will we said and heard for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets under way. But the day celebrated as New Year's Day in modern America was not always January 1.
SMILES
Hymns of the Lukewarm Church,p>
1. A Comfy Mattress Is Our God
2. Joyful, Joyful, We Kinda Like Thee
3. Above Average is Thy Faithfulness
4. Lord, Keep Us Loosely Connected to Your
Word
5. All Hail the Influence of Jesus’ Name
6. My Hope is Built on Nothing Much
7. Amazing Grace, How Interesting the Sound
8. My Faith Looks Around for Thee
9. Be Thou My Hobby
10. O God, Our Enabler in Ages Past
11. Blest Be the Tie That Doesn’t Cramp My Style
12. Oh, for a Couple of Tongues to Sing
13. He’s Quite a Bit to Me
14. Oh, How I Like Jesus
15. I Lay My Inappropriate Behaviors on Jesus
16. Pillow of Ages, Fluffed for Me
17. I Surrender Some
18. Praise God from Whom All Affirmations Flow
19. I’m Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives
20. Self-Esteem to the World! The Lord is Come
21. Sit Up, Sit Up for Jesus
22. Special, Special, Special
23. Spirit of the Living God, Fall Somewhere Near
Me
24. Stick Nearby, It’s Getting Dark Outside
25. Take My Life and Let Me Be
26. There is Scattered Cloudiness in My Soul
Today
27. There Shall be Sprinkles of Blessings
28. What an Acquaintance We Have in Jesus
29. When Peace, Like a Trickle
30. When the Saints Go Sneaking In
31. Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
32. God of Taste, and God of Stories
33. Lift Every Voice and Intellectualize,p>
BULLETIN BLOOPERS
The Sunday Night Men's Glee Club will meet on Saturday at the park, unless it rains.
In that case they will meet at their regular Tuesday evening time.
It's Drug Awareness Week: Get involved in drugs before your children do.
Illiterate? Write to the church office for help.
The class on prophecy has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
(A most unfortunate blooper during the pastor's illness:) GOD IS GOOD! Dr. Hargreaves is better!
After consultation with the pastor she left the church feeling much better except for her original complaints.
ANOINTING OF THE SICK ... If you are going to be hospitalized for an operation, contact the pastor. Special prayer also for those who are seriously sick by request.
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered
Jean will be leading a weight-management series Wednesday nights. She's used the program herself and has been growing like crazy!
The 'Over 60s Choir' will be disbanded for the summer with the thanks of the entire church.
MORE SMILES
LOT 'S WIFE
The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, 'My Mommy looked back once while she was driving,' he announced triumphantly, 'and she turned into a telephone pole!'
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GOOD SAMARITAN
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan. She asked the class, 'If you saw a person lying on the
roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?'
A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, 'I think I'd throw up.'
_____________________________________
DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, 'Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark?'
'No,' replied Johnny. 'How could he, with just two worms.'
_______________________________¬¬¬¬¬______
HIGHER POWER
A Sunday school teacher said to her children, 'We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a
Higher Power. Can anybody tell me what it is?'
¬¬¬¬¬¬One child blurted out, 'Aces!' ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬_________________________________¬¬¬¬_____
BEING THANKFUL
A Rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy, 'So your mother says your prayers for you each night? That's very commendable. What does she say? '
The little boy replied, 'Thank God he's in bed!'
Monthly Newsletter
If you have any information you’d like to share, whether it be personal information, news and/or articles that you think should be included in our monthly newsletter, please submit them to Lisa Andrews no later than the third Monday of each month for the next month’s newsletter.
About the Church Clock
By Nick Tipple
The clock on the south wall of the Ghent Reformed Church is a Seth Thomas-2 clock that was made in the 1880’s. Today it is a very desirable clock for collectors, and I was informed that it could easily be worth $2,000.
Franklin, who owns the “Amorous Clock” antique clock repair in Hudson, fixed the clock with a new cable to lift the weight that runs the clock, and delivered it to the church on September 3rd.
He hung the clock and balanced it by listening to the clock’s tick-tock. Once the clock was hung and running he reached up into the left side of the clock and adjusted the escapement to get the right sound that indicated proper balance. Franklin told me that he got a brass cable from Seth Thomas, and that those who wind the clock should be careful not to wind the weight hard against the stop because that is what caused the original cable to break. He said the
Getting to Know People in the Pews
We all know each other by our given names or our nicknames, but do we know the meanings behind them? The following are the meanings behind some of our names, mostly from Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. If we missed anyone, we apologize in advance…it was not intentional.
Adam- Mankind
Adele – Nobel or Kind
Addison – of Adam
Andrew - Manly
Angela/Angie - Angelic
Anna – Gracious
Ashlynn – Dream
Bonita – Pretty
Barbara – Foreign/Different
Beverly – Beaver Stream
Brian – He Ascends
Caley – Brave Warrior
Calvin – Bald
Casey - Brave
Christoper – Christ Bearer
Daniel – God is my Judge
David – Friend
Debra – Bee
Diana – of the Moon
Donna – Lady
Dorothy – Gift of God
Edward – Wealth Protector
Elaine – Light
Eleanor - Brightness
Elizabeth – My God is a Vow
Elnora – Brightness
Emily – Rival
Emmy – Admiring
Erich – Ruler of All
Florence - Prosperous
Florence Ina – Prosperous Mother
Frank – Free
Garrett – To Watch
George - Farmer
Gloria – Glory
Gregg - Vigilante
Guy – Living Spirit
Harold – Leader of an Army
Henry – Ruler of the Home
James - Supplanter
Jean – God is Gracious
John – God is Gracious
Judy – from Judah
Karen & Kathy – Pure
Keith - Wood
Kent – Bright White
Kim – Leader of the Warriors
Larry (Lawrence) - Man from Laurentum
Laura - Laurel
Leah - Weary
Linda – Pretty One
Lisa – God is My Oath
Marcia – Brave
Margaret - Pearl
Marion – Sea of Bitterness
Martha - Lady
Mary – Bitter
Matthew – Gift of God
Max - Great
Michael – Who is God Like?
Mildred – Mild Strength
Nancy - Grace
Nia - Champion
Nicolas – Victorious People
Patrick – Nobelman
Peter – Rock
Rachel – Ewe
Richard – Strong Power
Robert/Roberta – Bright Fame
Ronald – King
Ryan – Young Royalty
Sabrina – Princess
Sally – Princess
Sandra – Defending Men
Scott – From Scotland
Sean – God is Gracious
Seth – Placed
Stanley – Stone Clearing
Stephen - Crown
Terry – Tender and Gracious
Tyler – Tile Maker
Virginia – Maiden
William - Protector
The Job of a Deacon
The Greek word for deacon (diakonos) means servant, and in particular, waiter. It is used thirty times in the New Testament in a variety of ways, always in connection with serving, service, or servant hood.
Jesus provided the ultimate role model for servant hood. Throughout his ministry, he reminded his followers in word and deed that he was among them as one who serves.
When a dispute arose as to which one of them was to be regarded as greatest, Jesus said: “The greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22.26-27).
The Reformed Church in America calls out particular people to hold the offices of deacon, elder, minister of Word and sacrament, and professor of theology. But it is important to remember that the ministry of God’s people is shared by all Christians, and the ministries of those who hold office arise out of this common ministry in order to serve it. (See the Preamble to the Book of Church Order, pp. 1-2.)
Deacons are called by the church to be leaders in ministries of service. The church recognizes that deacons have been given special “gifts” to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service in order to build up the body of Christ (Eph. 4.12, TEV). The Book of Church Order and the Liturgy provide more specifics as to what the role of the deacon should be.
Deacons are called by God for the ministry of mercy, service, and outreach.
They shall serve those in distress and need and shall minister to the sick, poor, hurt, and helpless. The Book of Church Order directs deacons to aid the victims of the world’s abuse and to express the social concerns of the church. The focus of their service is both in the church and in the world.
The Liturgy sets forth additional criteria for deacons. They are to show compassion and to manifest the love and care of Christ. Deacons are asked to gather and distribute the offerings of the congregation, giving personal attention to the distressed. In addition, deacons are to assist the congregation at services of worship.
With the elders, deacons are responsible for all congregational concerns such as providing for the support of the minister of Word and sacrament and exercising careful stewardship of all funds, goods, and properties of the congregation.
The Elders and Deacons are working on a lengthy consistorial report on the GRC, all its doings, the number of people attending, our mission work, consistory member’s names and addresses, and our finances, etc. All of this must be filed every January.
We are all working on the rough draft for Pastor Nancy. She then compiles the figures and data onto her final copy, which she submits to Classis.
A Deacon and an Elder are chairs of the Ministries of our church and work diligently keeping the workings of our church running smoothly. The terms of office are limited to 2 consecutive or 4 years. Next time you are asked to serve on Consistory give it some thought. It is a rewarding and eye opening, and can be a profound spiritual experience.
Story Behind the Hymn
Happiness Is The Lord
Ira F. Stanphill was born in Belview, New Mexico, in 1914. He has written more than 550 songs, the most popular of which are “Mansion over the Hilltop,” “Room at the Cross,” and, of course, “Happiness Is the Lord.”
On any number of occasions the Lord has given a song to a songwriter when he or she least expected it. Such was the case of Ira Stanphill one afternoon in 1974 after he left the church office where he was pastor in Fort Worth, Texas.
The car radio was on and, as he rode along, he listened to some commercial programs. Some were sponsored by establishments that advertised their happy hour and their alcoholic beverages. He also heard cigarettes being advertised in terms of how they bring happiness.
The word happiness was used several times in the ads. Ira related to me that he thought at the time that happiness does not come with these things, but with knowing Christ. He continued, as this thought really took over my mind I began to sing. I sang a new song, composing words and melody as I drove along. I sang it almost as it is published today.
Happiness Is The Lord
(1) Happiness is to know the Savior,
Living a life within His favor,
Having a change in my behavior,
Happiness is the Lord,
(2) Happiness is a new creation,
Jesus and me in close relation,
Having a part in His salvation,
Happiness is the Lord,
CHORUS: Real joy is mine,
no matter if tear-drops start;
I've found the secret-
it's Jesus in my heart!
(3) Happiness is to be forgiven,
Living a life that's worth the livin',
Taking a trip that leads to heaven,
Happiness is the Lord,
Happiness is the Lord,
Happiness is the Lord!
Story Behind the Hymn
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16
Doris Akers, born in Brookfield, Missouri, on May 21, 1923, was one of ten children. She learned to play the piano by ear at age six and by age ten had composed her first song. By the time she was twelve, she had organized a five-piece band that played music of the 1930s. When she was only 22 years of age, she moved to Los Angeles, where she encountered a thriving gospel music community. A year later, Doris joined the Sallie Martin Singers as pianist and singer. Two years later, with Dorothy Vemell Simmons, she formed the Simmons–Akers Singers and also launched a publishing firm called Akers Music House. In 1958, in a Los Angeles church, she started a racially mixed gospel group, the Sky Pilot Choir, which featured African-American gospel music. Many artists, including Bill Gaither and George Beverly Shea, have recorded Akers’s songs. Countless other Southern Gospel Music groups still record and sing her music. Millions of church members have sung her songs from many hymnals. She was a recording artist, music arranger, choir director, and songwriter and was awarded Gospel Music Composer of the Year for both 1960 and 1961.
One Sunday morning in 1962, while directing the Sky Pilot Choir, she said to her singers, “You are not ready to go in.” She didn’t believe they had prayed enough! They were accustomed to spending time with her in prayer before the service, asking God to bless their songs. She said, “I feel that prayer is more important than great voices.” They had already prayed, but this particular morning she asked them to pray again, and they did so with renewed fervor. As they prayed, Doris began to wonder how she could stop this wonderful prayer meeting. She said, “I sent word to the pastor letting him know what was happening. He was waiting in the auditorium, wanting to start the service. Finally, I was compelled to say to the choir, “We have to go. I hate to leave this room and I know you hate to leave, but you know we do have to go to the service. But there is such a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place.”
The next morning Doris went to the piano and began to put it all down. She had been given the now-famous “Sweet, Sweet Spirit.” In her song she recognized the “Spirit in this place,” as the “Spirit of the Lord.” She could see in the “sweet expressions” of the choir members that they also recognized the “presence of the Lord.”
To the end of her earthly life, Doris Akers believed that God wants His children to pray. Her songs have circled the globe, aiding Christians of all nationalities in their worship of the heavenly Father. She passed away on July 26, 1995, in Minneapolis.
“Sweet, Sweet Spirit”
There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place
And I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord
There are sweet expressions on each face
And I know they feel the presence of the Lord
Sweet Holy Spirit... sweet heavenly dove...
Stay right here with us
Filling us with Your love
And for these blessings
We lift our hearts in praise
Without a doubt we know
That we’ll have been revived
When we shall leave this place
Story Behind the Hymn
Having just passed Easter and looking forward to the wonder
A woman in white, with head bowed, hand clasping her throat, as if to choke back her sobs, walked slowly into the shadows. It was Mary. As she came to the tomb, upon which she placed her hand, she bent over to look in, and hurried away.
John, in flowing robe, appeared, looking at the tomb; then came Peter, who entered the tomb, followed slowly by John.
As they departed, Mary reappeared; leaning her head upon her arm at the tomb, she wept. Turning herself, she saw Jesus standing, so did I. I knew it was He. She knelt before Him, with arms outstretched and looking into his face cried, Rabboni!
I awakened in sunlight, gripping the Bible, with muscles tense and nerves vibrating. Under the inspiration of this vision, I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed. The poem exactly as it has since appeared. That same evening I wrote the music.
In the Garden
(1) I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear,
falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.
CHORUS:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
(2) He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody
that He have to me
Within my heart is ringing.
(3) I'd stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go;
through the voice of woe,
His voice to me is calling.
Cradle Roll
GRC will be starting a cradle roll, a program to provide faith training ideas to parents for the first three years after baptism of their child until we have a Sunday School program for them. Gloria Autrey will facilitate this program. Please let Gloria know of anyone who is expecting.
GHENT REFORMED CHURCH
1039 ROUTE 22, GHENT, NY 12075
518-828-5946
www.angelfire.com/ny5/ghent_ref_church
COME, NOW IS THE TIME TO WORSHIP
Verse 1
Come, now is the time to wor--ship.
Come, now is the time to give your heart.
Come, just as you are to wor--ship.
Come just as you are before your God. Come.
Refrain
One day every tongue will confess you are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those
Who gladly choose you now.
Repeat Verse 1
Repeat Refrain
Willingly we choose to surrender our lives.
Willingly our knees will bow.
With all our heart, soul, mind and strength
We gladly choose you now.
Repeat Verse 1
Come. Come. Come.
Oh, come.
Oh, Come.
Come before your Maker.
Come and worship
Come and worship your Maker.
Pastor: Rev. Dr. Nancy A. McClure-Long
Organist: Ethel Jones
February 19, 2012 Transfiguration Epiphany 7B
*All who are able please stand
We Enter God’s Presence
PRELUDE
SALUTATION
CALL TO WORSHIP
responsive
L: You are with us, Inviting God:
P: calling us to respond to all the chances to share the spirit of grace and hope.
L: You are with us, Glory of God:
P: gathering us into the presence of your peace, listening to the deep sighs of our hearts.
ALL: AND WE ARE WITH YOU TO WORSHIP AND PRAISE YOU.
LIGHTING THE CHRIST CANDLE
*HYMN “Now is the Time to Worship You"
CALL TO RECONCILIATION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION [unison]
Lord Jesus Christ, God’s glory and love shone through you that day on the mountain and you persisted in revealing that glory and love through your words, deeds, and your life of humble service. We hear again these wonderful words of God “You are my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!” We confess our failure to listen to you because of the influence on our lives of the gods of this world . When this happens our attitudes conceal rather than reveal your glory and your love. If we conceal your love because our pursuit of other priorities prevents us from seeing and serving people in need, forgive us, Lord.
[Silence may be kept.]
KYRIE (sung unison)
Lord, have mercy upon us; Christ have mercy upon us; Lord have mercy upon us.
WORDS OF PEACE AND PARDON
*UNISON READING 1The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. 2From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. 3Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before God, and around God a tempest rages. 4God summons the heavens above, and the earth, to judge the people: 5“Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” 6And the heavens proclaim God’s righteousness, for God is judge.
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended to the dead. The third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
*GLORIA PATRI #559
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen. Amen.
CHILDRENS’ MESSAGE [from the bag]
*HYMN “O Word of God Incarnate” #110P>
We Hear God’s Word
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE 2 Kings 2: 1-12
1When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “but do not speak of it.” 4Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “but do not speak of it.” 6Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”
So the two of them walked on. 7Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not.” 11As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
GOSPEL Mark 9: 2-9
2After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
MESSAGE A Preview of Coming Attractions
We Respond in Thanksgiving
*HYMN “Shine, Jesus, Shine” insert
OFFERTORY
DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
ANNOUNCEMENTS and Prayer Concerns
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & LORD’S PRAYER
We go into the World to Serve
*BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
*SUNG BENEDICTION [sung to the tune of Edelweiss]
May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and keep you forever.
Grant you peace, perfect peace; courage in every endeavor.
Lift up your eyes and see God’s face and God’s grace forever.
May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and keep you forever.
POSTLUDE
REMINDER-THE FRONT DOORS OF THE CHURCH WILL CLOSED UNTIL EASTER WEEK. PLEASE USE THE PARKING LOT DOOR.
The Ghent Reformed Church is a group of believers in Jesus Christ, the one who always welcomed sinners, healed the sick, fed the hungry, and preached good news to the poor. In an increasingly secular world, we consider our congregation, which attempts to follow Christ’s example, to be a mission outpost in our community. To that end, we support local food pantries, visit the sick and those in prison, volunteer in many community causes, welcome the downhearted to our church family, and offer Bible-centered preaching and learning for hungry souls. Come as you are. We do!
A REMINDER-THE FRONT DOORS OF THE CHURCH WILL CLOSED UNTIL EASTER WEEK. PLEASE USE THE PARKING LOT DOOR.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Feb 18: Annual Indoor Yard Sale, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tables available: $20 for one or $30 for two tables – sign-up sheet outside church office [Nora VanBrunt]
Feb. 22: 1:30 p.m. House Church Bible Study at Pomeroys
Feb. 22: Ash Wednesday, 6 p.m. Potluck & 7 p.m. Worship
Feb. 29: Lenten Study & Potluck, 6 – 8 p.m.
March 6-8: Retreat at Linwood in Rhinebeck; Pastor Nancy away
March 7: [No House Church today – Lenten Study & Potluck, 6 – 8 p.m.
March 13: Consistory Meeting, 7 p.m.
March 14: Lenten Study & Potluck, 6 – 8 p.m.
March 21: 1:30 p.m. House Church Bible Study at Pomeroys
March 24: Spring Clean-up Day
March 28: Lenten Study & Potluck, 6 – 8 p.m.
March 31: Hunter/Trapper Dinner
April 1: Palm Sunday Hat Day, 9 a.m.
April 4: 1:30 p.m. House Church Bible Study at Pomeroys
April 5: Maundy Thursday Communion Worship, 7 p.m.
April 8: Easter
April 11: Consistory Meeting, 7 p.m.
April 14: Fresh Ham Dinner
April 18: 1:30 p.m. House Church Bible Study at Pomeroys
Spring Clean-Up Day Scheduled March 24
Bring your rakes, brooms, scrubbers and mops [and all kinds of cleaning gear] and let’s work together to clean up our property both inside and out. The winter was hard on the trees and grass so we have a lot of sticks and branches to gather and burn as well as gardens to tidy. Windows could use a washing and the kitchen needs a good scrubbing.
Palm Sunday will be Hat Sunday
We are reviving an old tradition of wearing fancy hats for Palm Sunday. So dig out those Easter bonnets of years gone by or create a new one from recycled materials. There will be a hat parade and prizes will be awarded.
Remember to bring your favorite Easter or coffee breads & rolls on Easter Sunday for our coffee hour between the Sunrise & the regular worship service.
The children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren of Anna Engel, indeed her entire family would like to thank everyone who contributed in any way to her beautiful memorial service and reception Nov. 12 at Ghent Reformed Church. We couldn’t have imagined a more fitting or elegant tribute to Anna’s long life.
Please pray for the following individuals and families during the week of Feb.19-25: Nicolas Tipple; Doug & Melissa Torborg; Larry & Nora Van Brunt; Gerald & Marcia Washington family; Bill & Beverly Whitbeck; Jack & Sandy Wilson; John & Melissa Wishon
Please remember the following in your prayers
For Medical problems: Russ Beck’s dtr. Chris; Amy Blatt; Dot Bowes; Brenda Brooks; Sandy Brown, one of Bev’s dau. Kim’s drivers; Madeleine Butterworth; Ron & Sally Charron; Tim Cavenaugh; Theresa Crego; Bob Cullen; Inez Dickens; Phyllis Dietrich; Florence Ina Felpel hospice at Barnwell Room 307; Dennis Ford, friend of Nancy Stinard; Peter Schertel Jr. wife Connie Heiss’ grandfather; Bernice Heughes; Kathy Hotaling; Maureen Kennedy; Lisa Kinealy; Ralph Kring; John Lavalle; Maria Lawter; Dot Losee’s granddaughter Cindy; Anita Lowsaw; Wendy McCarthy (Kathy Jones’ Mother); Lisa Meaney’s niece; Dawn Meyers; Marie Miano, Dan Jones’ sis-i-l; Butch Mink; Glenn Mink; Brian Nehmans; Pat Nabozny; Tim O’Brian; Marion Ozga; Mary Prazma; Hope Prior; Debbie Pulcher; William Pulver; Doug Rice; Helen Ringer; Donna Scalera; Brian Sigler; Nancy Stinard’s friend Lisa; Kelly Stevenson; Nick Tipple’s ex-wife Janice; Doug Torborg; Rich Walker; Garret Washington; John Wishon.
For Healing from Surgery: Denise Bednar; Jan DiMello; Mark French; Thelma Hall, Marion Ozga’s friend; Mark Graziano; Mario Grimaldi; Savannah Halsey; Kim Meade’s nephew Michael Klein; Frances Mabb; Peter Nelson; Melanie Olsen C-sec; Hermann Schmidt
For those in mourning: Friends and Family of Barbara Hannett whose husband died; Friends and Family of Robert Jones; family and friends of Dorothy Mead, Katie Pomeroy’s aunt; family & friends of Ann Scott; family and friends of Helen Simmons, good friend of Marion Ozga; family and friends of Mary Ann Snyder
For those in distress: Bob & Marie Cullen Barnwell 602, phone 758-4898; Barbara Gansowski; Dorothy Losee, Charles March Barnwell 412B; GRC Finances; RCA churches in Prattsville, Middleburgh & Schoharie damaged by flooding after Irene.
For support and strength: Laura Felpel; Dan & Kathy Jones; Max Jones & Sarah baby; Linda Mottoshiski
Praise: Vern Blanchard; Colin Burch is home!; on the birth of Corey & Melanie Olsen’s baby, Benjamin Rush; Bert Poucher & Patricia engaged
Traveling Mercies: Virginia Schertel & all college students going back to school.
Please pray for the following service men and women: President Barack Obama, Brian Bednar; Shane Dillman, Kieren Dollard, Kelly Hiland, LtJG Michael Mahone, Pastor Nancy’s nephew, on USS McClusky; Adam Mason, Eric Mattice, Patrick Mayo, Steven Moore, Jeremy Page, Troy Perry, Debbie Spicer; Barbara Steven’s grandson Sean; Brian Vandenberg in the Marines [coming home May 2012]
N-Notes: Notes from Nancy and the eNd of the Newsletter [February 2012]
For most of the month of February [until Ash Wednesday on Feb. 22] we are still in the church season of Epiphany, the season that is designed to reveal to us the deeper meaning of the person of Jesus Christ, to understand him more deeply, to love him more sincerely, and to walk with him more intimately. We will be focusing on passages from Mark chapter 1 until the Sunday before Ash Wednesday when we jump to Mark’s telling of the Transfiguration in chapter 9.
Now, the interesting thing about Mark’s gospel is a recurring theme that scholars call the “Messianic Secret.” At the beginning of his ministry in Mark, Jesus heals many people by driving out evil demons. People acknowledge that Jesus has this awesome power, but they are still unsure about Jesus’ identity. The writer of Mark makes a point to tell the reader that Jesus does not allow the demons to speak because the demons knew who he was. At first it seems only the demons know Jesus is the Messiah sent from God. A bit later Jesus warns a man he has healed of a skin disease not to tell anyone.
Why does Jesus not want people to know he has power over demons because he is the Messiah? Mark seems to indicate in 1: 38, 45 that Jesus does not want to be labeled so quickly. His healings were causing such a sensation and gathering such large crowds, that “Jesus could no longer enter a town openly.” Jesus tries to slip away for quiet prayer, alone time with God; but the disciples come searching for him. “Everyone is looking for you!” they plead. To which Jesus replies, “Let’s go somewhere else. I want to go to the nearby towns, I must preach there also. That is why I have come.” This seems to indicate that Jesus did not want his message or ministry to be hijacked by the sensational healings. So, the message comes first?
In last month’s N-Notes, I stated that we would concentrate on being Christ’s body in the world. I wonder what this means for us in view of the Messianic secret. Does it mean that our message about Jesus should have priority over our ministry in the name of Jesus? Or does it mean that the world is supposed to be able to realize from our lives and works just who Jesus is? The word epiphany means to shine forth—does that mean Jesus should shine forth from us as we go about our daily lives? Maybe the answer is yes to all these questions. Maybe we are supposed to live in such a way that there is no more Messianic secret at all. What do you think?
A February prayer: Lord Jesus, we are your hands and feet in the world and that is almost too awesome a task for us. We seek your help, as the days grow longer, to allow your full identity to gleam like a beacon from our actions and our words and our prayer life. We do not want to be hypocrites, play acting our way through life. So, be with us and in us, in every thought, word and deed, as we live this month in a lost and broken world so beloved by Abba God. Amen.
In God’s BIG Love, Pastor Nancy
Sandy Wilson’s Faith Witness
Shared with GRC September 25, 2011
When I was a youngster I was never able to go to Camp Fowler -- yes, believe it or not, Camp Fowler was there when I was a kid! But I wanted our sons to be able to have that experience. After John, our older son, went there one summer and we saw how great it was, Jack and I wanted to volunteer as cabin counselors. So we did – for several years, and for different age groups. Jack even volunteered for a few out-of-camp conferences.
One year there were a couple of ministers there who really took Jack under their wing and mentored him. It was that summer that he really found his faith – not religion, but a personal relationship with Jesus. Another year we had hoped to volunteer for one conference and applied for it, but we were told they had already gotten enough volunteers for that week. Though disappointed we settled on another date. Shortly after that, my sister Jayne found out her husband had cancer and didn't have too long to live. We shared our faith literally for hours on the phone. I remember my sister saying if a problem arose, before she could turn around the Lord had a solution for it. As it turned out, Larry died the week we had originally hoped to be at Camp Fowler. I realized that the Lord knew my sister would need me and He had already worked things out for me to be here for her.
During another week at camp, at the beginning of the week we were all given a few cotton balls and asked to give them to different people throughout the week who we felt needed a “warm fuzzie.” It came down to the closing program Friday night. I had had a difficult time with my cabin of teen-age girls that evening. I was taking part in the closing program, so had to be at the chapel early. Another counselor was taking my girls over for the service. I knew I wasn't in the right mindset for devotions, so when I got to the chapel I began to pray that the Lord would change my attitude. Before I could finish my prayer a young boy who was going to read scripture at the service, quietly came over to me and gently pressed his last cotton ball in my hand – it was an immediate answer to prayer! So I'm glad our church supports our youngsters in going to Camp Fowler.
My other sister had a son who died a drug-related death when he was just 21. She also had two younger daughters. On the way to the funeral home I was so upset and prayed that the Lord would show me what to do to help my family. I felt a slight, gentle pressure on my shoulder and knew it was the Holy Spirit, filling me with peace. I instantly regained my composure and knew I was supposed to tend to my nieces.
We have a very caring congregation here at the Ghent Reformed Church. The first Sunday we came to worship here, Bonnie went out of her way to greet us. The next week I asked for prayers for my niece who was going to be undergoing serious neurological tests. The following week Sharon asked me how she made out. It meant so much to me that someone we had just met remembered – and cared. Each Sunday we feel the presence of the Holy Spirit during worship. We find joy here and uplifting sermons. I'm grateful for all the research Pastor Nancy puts into her sermons so she can preach on the scripture from the Lectionary – no matter how difficult it may be.
We've made many friends here, like Marion who comes up to our home to make soup and bread for the church to distribute to those who are home-bound. And Donna, who has helped me faithfully with the penny auction each year. We humbly support the Ghent Reformed Church and its many outreach programs, and are happy to be members of this congregation. Thank you.
Lisanne Jensen’s Faith Witness
Shared with GRC October 2, 2011
One afternoon in February 2008, I stood in our kitchen absolutely paralyzed by fear. I had placed one very small piece of food on my plate and was trying to force myself to eat it for lunch. But my heart was racing at such a terrifying rate, and I was so filled with panic that I just couldn’t. I suffered from hypochondria and depression and had myself convinced that a deadly heart attack was imminent. My grandfather had just passed away, and I had been dealing with an anxiety disorder since 2001. I stood there, my body trembling, and kept thinking, “I’m only 33 years old. I shouldn’t be living in fear.” At that moment, I knew that I couldn’t do it on my own. I needed help. I called my mom – then I called a doctor. After taking several different medications, I finally found one that worked. But that day, although I didn’t yet realize it, I also took a huge step along my faith journey.
How many of you have seen the movie “Angels and Demons” (or perhaps read the book by Dan Brown)? In the story, Tom Hanks plays the role of Robert Langdon, a symbologist from Harvard, and Ewan MacGregor plays a Catholic priest who is the pope’s closest aide. When the two speak together privately, he asks Robert, “Do you believe in God?” And Robert replies, “Faith is a gift that I have yet to receive.” That’s the way I used to feel.
I didn’t grow up with a faith background. My parents told me that they wanted to leave that decision up to me. The first time that I ever attended a church service, I was a junior in college. I was clueless, to say the least. I got married in June 2000, and my husband has a very strong faith. We didn’t go to church (probably because of my strong objections!). But in March 2005, just a few weeks before our first child was born, a friend invited me to attend a moms’ group meeting at a church. Having children caused me to give faith a little closer look. I wanted to expose our children to a church environment so that they could embark on their own faith journeys. Little did I know that I was also embarking on mine. In 2006, we started attending that church. I loved the pastor and his sermons. But gradually, I stopped going. The 29-mile drive from our house was certainly a factor, but more importantly, I felt like something was missing. I longed to feel inspired and grow close to God, and the worship style wasn’t for me. I knew plenty of people who exhibited such a strong faith, but I had no idea how to get there. I was definitely in a state of questioning.
Our children’s preschool was located in the lower level of a Catholic church about five minutes from our house. I was there every day, dropping them off and picking them up. I became curious and started feeling drawn to it – and looking back, I now know that throughout my life, the Holy Spirit was leading me to faith. I was so nervous to attend Mass for the first time. Afterward, when I got into my car to leave, a flood of tears came – and I knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be. One evening in February 2010, after a church Bible study group, I came home and my husband and I started discussing the topic of faith. I said to him matter-of-factly, “Oh, I believe.” His eyes got really wide, and he asked, “In Jesus?” And I replied, without a single doubt, “I believe in all of it.”
My faith journey has been gradual. I didn’t really experience one defining moment. It took 34 years for me to come to faith, but when you receive the best gift that you’ve ever been given, it’s more than worth the wait. I began faith-study classes in May 2010, and this Easter, I received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion.
Growing up, I used to think, “I’ve got it all taken care of! I’m in control! I can do it all myself!” Have you ever heard the phrase, “Let go and let God”? Fully placing my trust, my faith, and my entire life in Jesus Christ was life-changing. It’s something that’s still a challenge for me. An educator who I greatly admire, Elizabeth Ann Seton, wrote a passage that I’ve taken straight to my heart: “God has given me a great deal to do, and I have always – and hope always – to prefer His will to every wish of my own. The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner He wills it; and thirdly, to do it because it is His will.”
Faith is a gift. And while others can teach us about it, in the end, our faith must be our own. Each of us is entrusted as a steward to care for this gift, to nurture its growth, to share it with others, and to be still and relax in its centering presence. In the First Letter of John (chapter 5, verse 4), the message is clear: “For whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world … our faith.”
What the Bible says:
· “The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.” Proverbs 11:25
· “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
· Jesus said: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38
Story Behind the Hymn
Many hymns have interesting histories behind them. One of my personal favorites is the story behind the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul," which was written by a grieving man, Horatio Spafford, who had lost his four daughters in a tragic shipwreck after earlier losing his entire fortune in the Chicago fire. While on a ship at nearly the same place that his daughters' ship had gone down, he wrote these incredible words:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
That was the date of the Battle of Turnhout, in which Prince Maurice of Orange defeated the Spanish occupiers of a town in what is now the Netherlands. It appears likely that Dutch Protestants--who were forbidden from practicing their religion under the Catholic King Philip II of Spain--celebrated the victory by borrowing the familiar folk melody and giving it new words. Hence "Wilt heden nu treden" or, loosely translated, "We gather together"--a phrase that itself connoted a heretofore forbidden act: Dutch Protestants joining together in worship. Its first appearance in print was in a 1626 collection of Dutch patriotic songs, "Nederlandtsch Gedencklanck."
Story Behind the Hymn
What incredible faith in the face of adversity. Even though he lost his family and his wealth, he did not curse God. I am sure that he had questions, but even when suffering horribly from events that probably gave him cause to question his faith, he was able to look out and remember the great gift of God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The hymn most often associated with Thanksgiving, "We Gather Together", also has an interesting history, according to yesterday's Wall Street Journal. In an article entitled A Hymn's Long Journey Home: The surprising origins of "We Gather Together," a Thanksgiving standard by Melanie Kirkpatrick, she reports that this hymn was originally transformed into a hymn from a folksong on or about January 1, 1597.
In 1712, Isaac Watts was invited to recuperate from a serious breakdown in the home of a former Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas, and Lady Abney.
Although he planned to remain there but three weeks, Sir Thomas invited him to stay indefinitely as post Chaplain, a position he filled for 36 years.
Lady Abney said of his long stay, “It seems the shortest visit a friend ever paid a friend.”
During his residence there, Dr. Watts wrote more volumes of hymns, and almost single-handedly changed the congregational singing habits of English-speaking Christendom.,p>
From his pen came these perennial favorites, ‘Alas! And Did My Saviour Bleed,” “Jesus Shall Reign,” and this hymn which is generally regarded as the most perfect ever written in our tongue.
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, my Lord;
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Smiles
Shirley & Marcy
A mother was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. He didn’t want his mother to walk him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence, but yet know that he was safe. So she had an idea of how to handle it.
She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he
probably wouldn’t notice her. The neighbor said that since she was up early with a toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.
The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew. She did this for the whole week.
As the two walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy’s little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. Finally she said to Timmy, “Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?”
Timmy nonchalantly replied, “Yeah, I know who she is.” The little girl said, “Well, who is she?”
“That’s just Shirley Goodnest,” Timmy replied, “and her daughter Marcy.”
“Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us?”
Well, Timmy explained, “every night my Mum makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says ‘Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life’, so I guess I’ll just have to get used to it!”
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace. May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy be with you today and always.
KID FUNNIES,p>
A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."
The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the little girl replied, "They will in a minute."
**************************************************
A Sunday School teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."
****************************************************
A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, looking at the old pages as he turned them. Then something fell out, and he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed in between the pages.
"Momma, look what I found," the boy called out.
"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.
With astonishment in the his voice, he answered, "It's Adam's Suit!"
**************************************************
The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mic, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mic cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again.
After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered,"If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"
*************************************************
Six-year old Angie and her four-year old brother, Joel, were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud.
Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church."
"Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked.
Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."
******************************************
My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?"
I mentally polished my halo while I asked, "No, how are we alike?"
"You're both old," he replied.
"Bible Story"
A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." His son asked, "What happened to the flea?"
**********************************************
A child was watching his mother sift through and delete a long list of junk E-mail on the computer screen. "This reminds me of the Lord's Prayer," the child said. "What do you mean?" the mother asked. "You know. That part about 'deliver us from
E-mail."
******************************************DO YOU KNOW YOUR HYMNS?
1) Dentist’s Hymn – Crown Him with Many Crowns
2) Weatherman’s Hymn – There shall be Showers of Blessings
3) Contractor’s Hymn – The Church’s One Foundation
4) The Tailor’s Hymn – Holy, Holy, Holy
5) Golfer’s Hymn – There’s a Green Hill Far Away
6) The Politician’s Hymn – Standing on the Promises!
7) Optometrist’s Hymn – Open My Eyes That I May See
8) The IRS Agent’s Hymn – I Surrender All
9) The Gossip’s Hymn – Pass It On
10) The Electrician’s Hymn – Send The Light
11) The Shopper’s Hymn – Sweet Bye and Bye
12) The Realtor’s Hymn – I’ve Got a Mansion, Just Over the Hilltop
13) The Massage Therapist’s Hymn – He Touched Me
14) Doctor’s Hymn – The Great Physician
For Those Who Speed on the Highway – a few hymns:
1) 55 mph – God Will Take Care of You
2) 75 mph – Nearer My God To Thee
3) 85 mph - The World is Not My Home
4) 95 mph – Lord I’m Coming Home
5) 100 mph – Precious Memories
Story Behind the Hymn
Today's hymn, "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," is so old that historians are not sure to whom to attribute the writing. Most people believe that a monk abbot by the name of Bernard (1091-1153) of Clairvaux, France was the man who put it together. It was first found in the Latin and the words can be found in a medieval poem which had seven parts. Each part of the poem would address a certain part of Christ's body, (feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart and face.) These words were from the 7th part and were first entitled, "To the Suffering Face of Jesus Christ." Years later it was translated into English by James Alexander, and the music was written by a German composer during the Renaissance period. There are some people who do not care for hymns like this one which are written in a minor key and sound so sad. But read the words carefully; the message to us is very powerful.
O Sacred Head Now Wounded
O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns Thy only crown,
How art Thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish which once was bright as morn!
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinner's gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Lord on me with Thy favor, vauch-safe to me Thy grace.
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever! and, should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee!
patients, assist with other duties.
SMILES
1) Sunday school teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."
2) The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose, will he hurt us?"
3) Six-year old Angie and her four-year old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."
4) My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo while I asked, "No, how are we alike?" "You're both old," he replied.
5) A lawyer-preacher leading a prayer before the service, made routine opening remarks. As he started on a special plea, he began, "Your Honor," instead of "Dear God."
6) I was trying to make a point that lack of communication is the major cause of divorce, but somehow things got mixed up and I said ‘marriage’ was the main cause of divorce.
7) Preaching from:
Matthew 5: "A hill set on a city cannot be hid."
Matthew 12: "as Jonah was in the welly of the bell."
Matthew 2: "they offered unto him gifts, gold, and Frankenstein."
8) During a Confirmation service, referring to the new converts, the pastor asked the 5 new "convicts" to come to the front of the church. He never knew what he said, but several people had to leave the building because they were laughing so hard.
9) As I awoke during a sermon the pastor said, "Where the scriptures speak, we speak. Where the scriptures are silent, we sleep."
10) While studying the intricate dress of the priests in the Old Testament, the preacher came to the part that describes how the priests put bells on the bottom of their robes. He asked, "Why do you suppose the priests had to tinkle." After a second of silence, the class broke up with laughter.
11) A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible. Then one day she floored her grandmother by asking, "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"
12) A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor's wife."
Report from the Consistory Nominating Committee
After serving their two-year terms, Consistory Vice President and Elder Dan Jones and, Deacon Kim Meade will be stepping down. In addition, we need to find a replacement for Elder Melissa McCleery who resigned a couple of months early. Therefore, the nominating committee has come up with the following slate:
1) Nora Van Brunt – second term as Deacon
2) Bunny Delong – first term as Deacon
3) Dick Leggett – for first term Elder
4) Liz Grattan – for first term Elder
Today, immediately following 9:00 a.m. worship, we will hold the election.
.
N-Notes: Notes from Nancy and the eNd of the Newsletter [October 2010]
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. [Ephesians 3: 17b-19]
By the time this newsletter reaches you, we will have celebrated All Saints’ Day, a time to think about the saints we no longer have with us, and ring the bells to honor those who have died since last year. These are just the funerals I conducted since last All Saints’ Day: Joseph J. Meaney d. Dec. 3, 2009; Francis John Gardner d. Dec. 21, 2009; Donald G. Bertram d. Jan. 12, 2010; Gordon H. Mottoshiski d. Jan. 16, 2010; Richard L. Bednar d. Jan. 30, 2010; Robert Richard Hoffman d. March 17, 2010; Bonnie Pflegl’s mom, Juanita K. Dallas Greiner 6/6/10 interment; Brian P. “Webby” Webster d. July 5, 2010; Angela Lynne Poucher d. Aug. 27, 2010; Janet M. Sigler Dobrowski d. Sept. 7, 2010; Marjorie Landeck Clarke, d. Sept. 25, 2010; Agnes Rizzi, d. October 14, 2010; James T. Beal d. Oct. 16, 2010.
And there were others, whose funerals I did not conduct, but whose deaths this year left us feeling bereaved: Karen Leggett’s mom, Margaret Skarka; John Ganzowski’s sister, Mary; Kathy Jones’ dad, Kevin Everingham, and her friend Al Vanderzee; long-time local friends Robert Pace, Carol Bartel and Zac Keyser, and my friend Don Stephens in Georgia [forgive me if I neglected to mention someone near and dear to you.]
On the plus side, I also performed two baptisms--my first boys--and two weddings this year: Noah Scott McCagg bap. March 14, 2010; Casey Dean Jones bap. July 11, 2010; Melissa Walker & Doug Torborg wedding: April 17, 2010; Rachel Mink & Randy Goold Wedding: July 9, 2010. Four happy events up against 13 sad ones. A typical year in the life of a minister, “hatching, matching and dispatching” God’s Saints. Here are the words to that modern classic, “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God”:
I sing a song of the saints of God,
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green;
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
God helping, to be one too.
They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
and his love made them strong;
and they followed the right for Jesus' sake
the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,
and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;
and there's not any reason, no, not the least,
why I shouldn't be one too.
They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still.
The world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus' will.
You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store,
in church, by the sea, in the house next door;
they are saints of God, whether rich or poor,
and I mean to be one too.
May we all grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and be filled completely by the fullness of God long before we come to join them.
In God’s BIG Love,
Pastor Nancy
Congregation News
Katie and April Pomeroy have moved to 27 Apple Meadow Road, Apt. A4 Hudson, NY 12534. The phone number remains the same. And Katie is now working at Whittier. Please change the entry in your church directory.
Scott, Erica and Abigail McCagg are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Noah Scott on August 1, 2009. The red rose on the communion table is for them.
Bob & Marie Cullen have a new mailing address: 1898 Route 9, Stuyvesant, NY 12173. Please change your directories
Behind the Music
Battle Hymn of the Republic
It was the midst of the terrible U.S. Civil War. Deeply anguished at the growing conflict between the two sections of the country, Mrs. Julia Howe watched troops marching off to war singing “John Brown's Body,” a song about a man who had been hanged in his efforts to free the slaves.
At one time it was sung as a solo at a large rally attended by President Abraham Lincoln. After the audience had responded with loud applause, the President, with tears in his eyes, cried out, “Sing it again!” It was sung again. And after more than a hundred years, Americans still join often in proclaiming, “Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on!”
--Kenneth W. Osbeck
Battle Hymn of the Republic
(1) Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; ,p>
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching on.
Chorus:
Glory! glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on!
(2) I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps,
His day is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat,
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer Him, be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
(3) In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His being that transfigures you and me;
As He died to make men holy let us live to make men free!
While God is marching on.
Because He Lives
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!
Today, millions of Americans and people around the world are coming to love southern gospel music, and a big reason is the popularity of the Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming concerts and videos. For more than 40 years, the Gaithers have been writing and performing Christian songs. "He Touched Me," "There's Something About That Name," and some 600 others are featured in many church hymnals. But "Because He Lives" is perhaps the best known.
In the late 1960s, while expecting their third child, the Gaithers were going through a traumatic time. Their first born, Suzanne, was 4, and her sister, Amy, was three months old. The timing for another baby wasn't ideal. On top of that, Bill was recovering from a bout with mononucleosis.
The breakup of the marriage of Bill's sister, Mary Ann, had left his family devastated. What's more, a close friend's accusation that Bill and Gloria were using their ministry just to make a buck blindsided the couple and plunged Bill into a deep depression.
Gloria also remembers it as a time of fear and sadness. The educational system was being infiltrated with the "God is dead" idea, while drug abuse and racial tension were increasing. The thought of bringing another child into the world was taking its toll.
But after a simple prayer by one of Bill's close friends—a prayer that commanded the devil to back off—both Bill and Gloria recall that the strength of the Holy Spirit seemed to come to their aid. Christ's resurrection, in all its power, was reaffirmed in their hearts. They were assured that the future, left in God's hands, would be just fine.
In July 1970 a healthy baby, Benjamin, was born. Inspired by the miracle of their son's birth, "Because He Lives" poured out of the Gaithers' grateful hearts. The song clearly affirms the hope believers have in Christ. We can face tomorrow, with all its uncertainty, as we realize that God holds the future and makes life worth living.
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”
The author and composer of this hymn, Helen H. Lemmel, relates that one day, in 1918, a missionary friend gave her a tract entitled “Focused.”
The pamphlet contained these words—
“So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness.”
These words made a deep impression upon Helen Lemmel. She could not dismiss them from her mind. She recalls this experience following the reading of that tract:
“Suddenly, as if commanded to stop and listen, I stood still, and singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody. The verses were written the same week, after the usual manner of composition, but none the less dictated by the Holy Spirit.”
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
(1) O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
CHORUS:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.
(2) Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion-
For more than conquerors we are!
(3) His word shall not fail you- He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
It Is Well With My Soul
When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life, Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.
"It Is Well with My Soul" is a very influential hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss.
This hymn was written after several traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first was the death of his only son in 1871, shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer). Then in 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the S.S. Ville du Havre, but sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.
The Spaffords later had three more children, one of whom (a son) died in infancy. In 1881 the Spaffords, including baby Bertha and newborn Grace, set sail for Palestine. The Spaffords moved to Jerusalem and helped found a group called the American Colony; its mission was to serve the poor. The colony later became the subject of the Nobel prize winning Jerusalem, by Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf.
Behind the Music
The strange and fascinating story of "O Holy Night" began in France, yet eventually made its way around the world. This seemingly simple song, inspired by a request from a clergyman, would not only become one of the most beloved anthems of all time, it would mark a technological revolution that would forever change the way people were introduced to music.
In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents with the church.
In a dusty coach traveling down a bumpy road to France's capital city, Placide Cappeau considered the priest's request. Using the gospel of Luke as his guide, Cappeau imagined witnessing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Thoughts of being present on the blessed night inspired him. By the time he arrived in Paris, "Cantique de Noel" had been completed.
Moved by his own work, Cappeau decided that his "Cantique de Noel" was not just a poem, but a song in need of a master musician's hand. Not musically inclined himself, the poet turned to one of his friends, Adolphe Charles Adams, for help.
The son of a well-known classical musician, Adolphe had studied in the Paris conservatoire. His talent and fame brought requests to write works for orchestras and ballets all over the world. Yet the lyrics that his friend Cappeau gave him must have challenged the composer in a fashion unlike anything he received from London, Berlin, or St. Petersburg.
As a man of Jewish ancestry, for Adolphe the words of "Cantique de Noel" represented a day he didn't celebrate and a man he did not view as the son of God. Nevertheless, Adams quickly went to work, attempting to marry an original score to Cappeau's beautiful words. Adams' finished work pleased both poet and priest. The song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
Initially, "Cantique de Noel" was wholeheartedly accepted by the church in France and the song quickly found its way into various Catholic Christmas services. But when Placide Cappeau walked away from the church and became a part of the socialist
movement, and church leaders discovered that Adolphe Adams was a Jew, the song--which had quickly grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs in France--was suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church. The heads of the French Catholic church of the time deemed "Cantique de Noel" as unfit for church services because of its lack of musical taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion." Yet even as the church tried to bury the Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a reclusive American writer brought it to a whole new audience halfway around the world.
Not only did this American writer--John Sullivan Dwight--feel that this wonderful Christmas song needed to be introduced to America, he saw something else in the song that moved him beyond the story of the birth of Christ. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: "Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease." The text supported Dwight's own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight's English translation of "O Holy Night" quickly found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War. Back in France, even though the song had been banned from the church for almost two decades, many commoners still sang "Cantique de Noel" at home. Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man. Boldly standing with no weapon in his hand or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang, "Minuit, Chretiens, c'est l'heure solennelle ou L'Homme Dieu descendit jusqu'a nous," the beginning of "Cantique de Noel."
After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out his hiding place and answered with, "Vom Himmel noch, da komm' ich her. Ich bring' euch gute neue Mar, Der guten Mar bring' ich so viel, Davon ich sing'n und sagen will," the beginning of Martin Luther's robust "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come."
The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty-four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day. Perhaps this story had a part in the French church once again embracing "Cantique de Noel" in holiday services.
Behind the Music
“Rock of Ages” was penned by Sir William Henry Hills when one day he was over taken by a thunderstorm, and took shelter between two massive piers of limestone rock a hundred feet high. He wrote “Rock of ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee.”
The hymn was sung at the funeral of William Gladstone in Westminster Abby and Prince Albert asked that it be sung to him as he lay dying. It was also sung at the funeral of President Harrison, because it was his favorite and the only one he ever tried to sing.
“Smiles” By Kids
Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These items actually appeared in church bulletins, notices or newspapers:
Sign in the church basement: Last one out please turn off the Eternal Flame.
The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals.
This morning's sermon ... "Jesus Walks on the Water" Tonight's sermon ... "Searching for Jesus"
Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again", giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk will please come early.
The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy."
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
Bible Confusion
The little girl was sitting with her grandmother, who had presented her with her first little children's Bible, in an easy-to-read translation, when she was very young.
Now, a decade or so later, the elderly lady was ready to spend a few sweet moments handing down the big old family Bible, in the time-honored King James Version, to her only grandchild.
Understandably excited, the youngster was asking a number of questions, both about the family members whose births and deaths were recorded therein, and about various aspects of the Scriptures themselves.
Her grandmother was endeavoring to answer all the child's questions in terms she could understand, but the one that stopped her cold was this sincere inquiry:
"Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? Was it the Virgin Mary, or the King James virgin?"
The New Pastor
An older preacher told the story of a young minister interviewing for his first pastorate. The Pulpit Committee had invited him to come over to their church for the interview. The committee chairman asked, "Son, do you know the Bible pretty good?"
The young minister said, "Yes, pretty good." The chairman asked, "Which part do you know best?" He responded saying, "I know the New Testament best." "Which part of the New Testament do you know best," asked the chairman. The young minister said, "Several parts." The chairman said, "Well, why don't you tell us the story of the Prodigal Son." The young man said, "Fine."
"There was a man of the Pharisees name Nicodemus, who went down to Jericho by night and he fell upon stony ground and the thorns choked him half to death.”The next morning Solomon and his wife, Gomorrah, came by, and carried him down to the ark for Moses to take care of. But, as he was going through the Eastern Gate into the Ark, he caught his hair in a limb and he hung there forty days and forty nights and he afterwards did hunger. And, the ravens came and fed him. "The next day, the three wise men came and carried him down to the boat dock and he caught a ship to Ninevah. And when he got there he found Delilah sitting on the wall. He said, "Chunk her down, boys, chunk her down." And, they said, "How many times shall we chunk her down, till seven time seven?" And he said, "Nay, but seventy times seven." And they chucked her down four hundred and ninety times. "And, she burst asunder in their midst. And they picked up twelve baskets of the leftovers. And, in the resurrection whose wife shall she be?"
The Committee chairman suddenly interrupted the young minister and said to the remainder of the committee, "Fellows, I think we ought to ask the church to call him as our minister. He is awfully young, but he sure does know his Bible."
Forgiveness of Others
One of the most difficult things we Christians are asked to do is forgive other people for the very real injuries they have caused us. Even Jesus’ first disciples, including the rock of the church Peter, had trouble with this one.
[Quote Matthew 18: 21-22:] “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ answered Jesus, ‘but seventy times seven.’”– what Jesus was trying to tell Peter is that there must be no end to the number of times one forgives.
Forgiveness is so basic to our faith that Jesus even made it part of his signature prayer—the basic prayer we say over and over, the Lord’s Prayer. “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” Did you ever really stop to think about that phrase when you say it? “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” We are asking God to forgive us to the extent we forgive others. I don’t know about you, but I want God to forgive me much, much more than I have ever forgiven others! So saying this phrase over and over in the Lord’s Prayer always reminds me of how high a priority forgiveness has in God’s plans.
I think I know why: because God wants us to live together with each other and with God in peace and harmony. Robert Frost said "To be social is to be forgiving." Community, society, cannot exist without forgiveness. "Without forgiveness, life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation." [Roberto Assagioli] What is more, unforgiveness drastically limits our own freedom. Picture a wrestler, pinning an opponent to the mat, holding that opponent down with his body. True, he has his opponent pinned, but as long as he does not let go, he isn’t going anywhere either.
So it is with forgiveness. I must first let you go in order to free myself. As long as I refuse to forgive, I am attached to the pain and memories of whatever incident caused the pain in the first place. Not to forgive is to be imprisoned by the past, by old grievances that do not permit life to proceed with new business. Not to forgive is to yield oneself to another's control. But to forgive is to be free from the past; free from another’s control.
After my mother’s death in 1977, I sank into a deep depression. Now I, Pastor Nancy, loved my mother with all my heart, but it took me six months of counseling and anti-depressant medication to begin to admit that I was angry at her too. I was angry that she smoked cigarettes and did not go to a doctor on a regular basis so that by the time they discovered the cancer it had already metastasized. I was angry at her for dying and taking away my reason for being in graduate school. I was angry at her for not standing up for us when it came to her own sisters. Then, after uncovering all this unexpressed anger at my dead mother, I began to take the next step. I began to try to understand why she behaved as she did. Finally, I forgave her those very human shortcomings. Only then did my depression begin to lift; only then was I able to get on with my life.
The Bible says not to let the sun go down on our anger. This is because unresolved anger is an emotional poison. Someone once said: "Failing to forgive is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die". Physicians and counselors alike attest to the damage done by an unforgiving spirit. Some medical doctors estimate that the majority of physical illnesses they treat are related to emotional problems such as resentment, which is a lack of forgiveness. And counselors see resentment and bitterness reflected in depression, anxiety and destroyed relationships.
When I get to the root of my forgiveness issues, I notice that much of the disease that I experience - mentally, physically, financially and in relationships - disappears. In other words, in the wake of forgiveness, healing occurs on many levels.
That advice isn't new of course. The greatest physician who ever lived, Jesus, pointed out 2,000 years ago the importance of forgiveness. When he encouraged us to "forgive seventy-times seven", he was thinking of our emotional and physical well-being as much as our spiritual.
Experts on the subject of forgiveness observe that forgiveness is a process, like grief; it has stages that can be observed and described, though no two people go through the stages in exactly the same way. One description of the process of forgiveness comes from a little book called Forgive and Forget, by Lewis Smedes. Smedes says: "First we hurt, then we hate, finally we heal. We hurt: that is, we allow ourselves to feel the depth of an injury that has been dealt to us ~ we don't minimize it, or try to sweep
it under the rug. We hate: that is, we blame the one who has hurt us ~we don't condone or excuse the offense. Finally, when we are ready, we heal: we let go of the pain that is binding us to the past, and move on.
That is the process by which we human beings forgive. It sounds simple, but it always happens inside a storm of complex emotions. Particularly when the wound is deep, forgiveness comes slowly, and in fits and starts. It is a process that we may have to start anew each day. Yes, forgiveness may be the hardest, and healthiest, work that you and I will ever do.
Forgiveness is something we must choose to do, not for the sake of those who hurt us, but for the sake of our own healing. Forgiveness is something even better than fairness. It is the way we are restored to wholeness, to relationships, to community. It is God’s path to being healed and set free.
The good news is that we don’t have to go through this process alone. God is on the side of forgiveness. God already understands how difficult it is. Think about what it took for Jesus on the cross to say “Father, forgive them.” Because of the cross, God understands.
And God has already forgiven us more times than we can count. And because it is of such high priority, God will be with us during the process, no matter how long it takes; no matter how often we have to make the attempt.
It is only with God’s help that we are finally able to let go of our anger and resentment and begin to forgive in order to set ourselves free.
I leave you with this little rhyme credited to William A. Ward: "Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting."
The first book of the Bible is Guinessis, in which Adam & Eve were created from an apple tree.
Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark.
Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by night.
Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles.
Unleavened bread is bread made without ingredients.
Moses went to the top of Mt. Cyanide to get the 10 commandments.
The 7th commandment is 'Thou shalt not admit adultery.'
Joshua let the Hebrew in the battle of Geritol.
David fought the Finkelsteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.
Solomon has 300 wives and 700 porcupines.
Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption.
The people who followed Jesus were called the 13 decibels.
The Epistles were the wives of the Apostles.
One of the opossums was St. Matthew.
Paul preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage.
A Godly person should have only one wife. This is called monotony.
Church Bulletin Bloopers
The Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.
Which Way to Heaven?
Reverend Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you'll come to the Baptist Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven."
The boy replied, "I don't think I'll be there... You don't even know your way to the post office."
“Smiles”
A Cat in Heaven
A cat dies and goes to heaven. God meets him at the gate and says, “You have been a good cat all these years. You can have anything you desire, all you have to do is ask.” “Well,” said the cat, “I lived all my life on a farm and had to sleep on hardwood floors.” “Say no more,” says God and instantly a fluffy pillow appeared.
A few days later, six mice are killed in a tragic accident and they go to heaven. God meets them at the gate with the same offer he made to the cat.
“All our life,” the mice say, “We've had to run. Cats, dogs, and women with brooms have chased us. If we had roller skates, we wouldn't have to run any more.” God says he can take care of it and, instantly, each mouse is fitted with a beautiful pair of tiny roller skates.
A week later God checks on the cat, which is asleep on its pillow. God gently nudges him awake and asks, “How are you doing? Are you happy here?”
“Never been happier,” says the cat, stretching and yawning. “And those meals on wheels you've been sending over are great.”
Favorite Hymns of Different Professions
The Dentist's Hymn ... Crown Him With Many Crowns
The Weatherman's Hymn ... There Shall Be Showers Of Blessing
The Contractor's Hymn ... The Church's One Foundation
The Tailor's Hymn ... Holy, Holy, Holy
The Golfer's Hymn ... There Is A Green Hill Far Away
The Politician's Hymn ... Standing On The Promises
The Optometrist's Hymn ... Open My Eyes That I May See
The IRS Agent's Hymn ... I Surrender All
The Gossip's Hymn ... Pass It On
The Electrician's Hymn ... Send The Light
The Shopper's Hymn ... In The Sweet By and By
The Realtor's Hymn ... I've Got A Mansion Just Over The Hilltop
The Pilot's Hymn ... I'll Fly Away
The Paramedic's Hymn ... Revive Us Again
The Judge's Hymn ... Almost Persuaded
The Psychiatrist's Hymn ... Just A Little Talk With Jesus
The Architect's Hymn ... How Firm A Foundation
The Credit Card Telemarketer's Hymn ... A Charge To Keep I Have
The Zoo Keeper's Hymn ... All Creatures Of Our God And King
The Postal Worker's Hymn ... So Send I You
The Waiter's Hymn ... Fill My Cup, Lord
The Gardener's Hymn ... Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
The Lifeguard's Hymn ... Rescue The Perishing
The Criminal's Hymn ... Search Me, O God
The Baker's Hymn ... When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
The Shoe Repairer's Hymn ... It Is Well With My Soul
The Travel Agent's Hymn ... Anywhere With Jesus
The Geologist's Hymn ... Rock Of Ages
The Hematologist's Hymn ... Are You Washed In The Blood?
The Umpire's Hymn ... I Need No Other Argument
The Librarian's Hymn ... Whispering Hope
“Smiles”
Letters to a pastor
Dear Pastor,
I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister. Yours sincerely, Arnold. Age 8, Nashville.
Dear Pastor,
Please say in your sermon that Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week. I am Peter Peterson. Sincerely, Pete. Age 9, Phoenix
Dear Pastor,
My father should be a minister. Every day he gives us a sermon about something. Robert, Page 11, Anderson
Dear Pastor,
Who does God pray to? Is there a God for God? Sincerely, Christopher. Age 9, Titusville
Dear Pastor,
I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished. Ralph, Age 11, Akron
Church Football
Benchwarmer - Those who do not sing, pray, work, or apparently do anything but sit.
Quarterback Sneak - Church members quietly leaving during the invitation.
Draw Play - What many children do with the bulletin during worship.
Halftime - The period between Sunday School and worship when many choose to leave
Backfield-in-Motion - Making a trip to the back (restroom or water fountain) repeatedly during the service.
Staying in the Pocket - What happens to a lot of money that should be given to the Lord’s work.
Instant Replay - The preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week’s illustrations.
Trap - You’re called on to pray and are asleep.
Blitz - The rush for the restaurants following the closing prayer.
End Run - Getting out of church quick, without speaking to any guest or fellow member.
Flex Defense - The ability to allow absolutely nothing said during the sermon to affect your life.
Two-minute Warning - The point at which you realize the sermon is almost over and begin to gather up your children and belongings.
Halfback Option - The decision of 75% of the congregation not to return for the evening service.
Sudden Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the preacher goes "overtime".
recent survey revealed that 80% of teens say their greatest “hero” was . . . themselves. One of the most insidious songs ever written became the signature song of Frank Sinatra—Paul Anka’s “I Did It My Way.” There is so much wrong with it that one hardly knows where to begin. The last stanza—which proclaims that a true man tries to “say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels”—reveals where our culture puts its heroes. Heroes are people who don’t get on their knees, but tell it like they feel it. The notion that you kneel to know what to feel, that you don’t allow your feelings to get the best of you before you kneel in prayer and discern how you should be feeling, escapes this “Do It My Way” world. No wonder our “My Way” kids have themselves for their own heroes. [Leonard Sweet sermon]
READINGS TO PONDER
What Happens Next?
Jesus returns to heaven after His time on earth. The angels gather around Him to learn what all happened during His days on earth. Jesus tells them of the miracles, His teachings, His death on the cross, and His resurrection. When He finishes his story, Michael asks Jesus, “But what happens now?” Jesus answers, “I have left behind eleven faithful disciples and a handful of men and women who have faithfully followed me. They will declare My message and express My love.
These faithful people will build My church.” “But,” responds Michael, “What if these people fail? What then is Your other plan?” And Jesus answers, “I have no other plan!” Jesus is counting on you and you and you and me. But the good news is, we are not alone. The Holy Spirit is here to melt us, mold us, fill us, and use us. [James Moore, What do you do with such a gift?]
How the Holy Spirit Moves Today
In nudges and whispers.
Like a seed growing, imperceptible at first.
Like wind, invisible, refreshing, transformative.
Like water, cleansing, renewing, powerful.
Unpredictably. Uncontrollably.
Praying: for us, with us, in us, through us.
Convicting, like a judge in a courtroom.
Comforting, like a mother with a frightened child in the middle of the night.
We know her work by experiencing it.
She will not be pinned down, can only be described with analogies.
But wherever there is forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, grace,
she leaves her fingerprints.
Always the one connecting, making us into the Body of Christ, God's hands in the world.
By Amy Julia Becker
Unless the eye catch fire, God will not be seen.
Unless the ear catch fire, God will not be heard.
Unless the tongue catch fire, God will not be named.
Unless the Heart catch fire, God will not be loved.
Unless the mind catch fire, God will not be known.
[William Blake]
The Trouble with Self-atonement
I share one of my favorite stories that I once clipped from the Readers’ Digest. A gentleman wrote in and told of this real life encounter. While I was sitting in my parked car on the street one day, a young woman in the car ahead came over and asked me if I had a hammer that she could borrow. When I said no, she got one from the man in the car in front of hers. She then proceeded to smash out the vent pane on the side of her car. After returning the hammer, she opened her door, took out the keys and waved them at us with a triumphant grin. As she drove away, the fellow who lent her the hammer came over to me and said, ‘‘If only she had told me what she wanted the hammer for I think I could have helped her. I am a locksmith.” Oh, the brokenness we bring into our lives when we try to do a self-atonement job and fix our own fallen nature. [Eric S. Ritz, www.Sermons.com]
The Impala Problem
One of the few creatures on earth that can out-jump Michael Jordon is the Impala. This is an African deer with a supercharged spring. It has a vertical leap of over 10 feet and can broadjump over 30 feet. You would think that the zoos of the world would find it impossible to keep such an animal enclosed. Not so! It’s rather easy. Because the experts discovered something about the Impala. It will not jump unless it can see where it is going to land. Therefore, a solid wall even 6 feet tall is a sufficient enclosure. Lots of Christians have the Impala problem. They won’t take a leap in faith unless they have all the answers in advance about where the leap will take them. But God is looking for some bold believers who, even in the face of the unknown, will leap when the Spirit says leap, will fly when the Spirit says fly, will launch when the Spirit says launch, all to the glory of the Lord. [Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com]
A PRAYER FOR EPIPHANY 5
Our boat is small and the waters unfriendly. We have been out on the seas a long time trying to make a living do our best trying to catch enough stay ahead.
It is crowded on the lake these days. We run into others who are fishing just as hard having the same problems. There are only so many fish to catch, success to be had, prosperity to experience. We keep pulling in our nets coming up half full or empty returning to the shore defeated. What can we do Lord! We have to fish to work feed our families give ourselves a good life! What are we to do Lord?
“Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”
You want us to push out, further away from what we know, from the safe waters we have always fished in. You want us to push out further; abandon the easy and routine; work harder and longer try different ways of fishing.
“Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”
You want us to push out further, but we are scared not knowing where to fish; afraid our lives will be one more failure. You want us to push out further, but we are frightened we will get lost, caught amidst pop-up storms, unable to make our way back.
“Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”
You are the Captain of the boat. We sail with you into the known and unknown.
You are the winds in our sail We can go out into the deep waters without fear.
Our nets are full Our lives graced Our future abundant. Hallelujah! Amen.
How long it takes to say things
Pythagorean theorem: 24 words.
The Lord’s Prayer: 66 words.
Archimedes’ Principle: 67 words.
The 10 Commandments: 179 words.
The Gettysburg address: 286 words.
The Declaration of Independence: 1,300 words.
Government regulations on the sale of cabbage: 26,911 words.
Readings to Ponder
“ponderous ponderisms!”
Does eating natural food mean I will die from natural causes? *The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement. *There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead. *Life is sexually transmitted. *Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. *The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth. *Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing. *The best cure for the blues is to start breathing again *All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism. *In the 60s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal. *How is it that one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? *Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup? *Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window? *Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
Taking On Christ’s Likeness
A number of years ago Henry Drummond wrote a classic sermon titled “The Greatest Thing in the World.” He concluded his sermon by suggesting that if you put a piece of iron in the presence of an electrified field, that piece of iron itself will become electrified. And in the presence of that electrical field, it is changed into a magnet. As long as it remains in contact with that field of power, it will continue to attract other pieces to itself. We are like that piece of iron. In the presence of Christ, we experience his love and take on his likeness. We are changed, electrified by the Holy Spirit, to attract others to the same love of God that we experience. [Lee Griess, Taking The Risk Out Of Dying, CSS Publishing Company]
Didn’t Look Like an Elephant
There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of art. He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge boulder until it became a beautiful stone elephant. When he finished, it was gorgeous, breath-taking. A neighbor asked, “How did you ever carve such a marvelous likeness of an elephant?” The man answered, “I just chipped away everything that didn’t look like an elephant!” If you have anything in your life right now that doesn’t look like love, then, with the help of God, chip it away! If you have anything in your life that doesn’t look like compassion or mercy or empathy, then, with the help of God, chip it away! If you have hatred or prejudice or vengeance or envy in your heart, for God’s sake, and the for the other person’s sake, and for your sake, get rid of it! Let God chip everything out of your life that doesn’t look like tenderheartedness. [James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True, Nashville: Dimensions, 1994]
Give me a great, windswept field,
Green as Spring,
Shining with a golden exuberance of dandelions,
And drenched in the baptism of sweet morning.
This is where I will rise
On the day past time
And awaken to that bright day
When everything left of winter
Finally will be shed.
I will lie there for a minute,
Looking up at the sweeping arc
Of a million birds circling the sun,
Feeling the flowers tremble
Between my fingers,
And smile,
Savoring resurrection.
--Tim Haut, Deep River, CT
* * *
“KINGDOM WORDS / KINGDOM WORK” (John 13: 31-35)
He says, “Follow me” …. and nets are dropped …. and first faith-steps are taken…. and healings and teachings begin.
We say, “Lord, Teach us” …. and we are taught to pray … and we are taught to live … and we are taught to forgive.
He says, “I AM” … and the hungry hear “Bread of Life” … and the thirsty hear “Living Water” … and the lost hear “Good Shepherd.”
He says, “It is finished” … and love flows down from a cross … and out from an empty tomb … and we will hear, “Go and tell.”
He says, “Peace be with you” … and he breathes on us the Holy Spirit … and so we are sent out, as he was sent … and we say, “My Lord and my God.”
He asks, “Do you love me?” …. and waits for an answer. And he says, “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep” … and hands us his own servant’s towel.
He says, “I give you a new commandment” … and “just as I have loved you” … and “love one another” … and “everyone will know you are my disciples.”
And suddenly, in these very words of this new commandment to love others as he has loved us, we become a part of kingdom work on earth.
THY KINGDOM COME … THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. Amen.
anna murdock, Broad Street UMC, Statesville, NC
READINGS TO PONDER
Tell the Cats to Turn Around
We despise people who challenge our cherished myths and kick us out of our comfort zones. The truth is that when Jesus sets about the task of saving us, he has to heal us of any myth or prejudice that is contrary to the spirit of Christ. Billy Sunday was the Billy Graham of a previous generation. He was conducting a crusade in a particular city. In one of his sermons he said something critical of the labor conditions for workers in that area. After the service, several prominent businessmen sent a message to him by one of the local pastors. The message was this---Billy, leave labor matters alone. Concentrate on getting people saved. Stay away from political issues. You’re rubbing the fur the wrong way.” Billy Sunday sent this message back to them: “If I’m rubbing
the fur the wrong way, tell the cats to turn around.” [Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, eSermons.com]
Preaching at Home
I want to let you in on a secret. Ready? Most preachers have a difficult time preaching in the congregations where they grew up. It is true for me. I was recently invited to preach in the church where I grew up. My mixed feelings about the invitation were justified. Before anybody heard a word I said, they remem-bered little Billy Carter, who made paper airplanes out of worship bulletins and dropped them from the balcony when nobody was looking. Even the newcomers who joined long after I moved away had been indoctrinated. They knew members of my family, and that became the filter through which they heard the content of my sermon. Before that congregation heard me, they already knew me. It is difficult for a preacher to go back home. Everybody knows you. That is the problem. Of all the sayings of Jesus, one of the few things he said that appears in all four gospels is that a prophet gets no respect in a prophet’s hometown. To put it another way, “You become an expert only after you move more than ten miles from home.” [William G. Carter, Praying for a Whole New World, CSS Publishing Company]
The Word
The Sanford Hotel in San Francisco reports that it never lost a single Gideon Bible in the 15 years it placed them at the bedside as a service to the guests. But, in one month after it started putting dictionaries in the rooms as well, 41 dictionaries disappeared. Now, I don’t know whether you can draw a solid conclusion from that, but on the surface, it seems obvious that persons apparently place a greater value on human words than they do the Word of God. So, there are words and The Word. Of course, the Bible is the Word above all other words. But we go even further than that in the Christian faith. Jesus is the Word -- the Word become flesh -- and by the Word that He is, we assess all other words including the Bible. We could have spent the entire sermon talking about the message that Jesus read from Isaiah when He took up the book in the temple. [Maxie Dunnam, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com]
What is the highest, most exalted act of intelligent life? It is to love. Love seeks no cause, no end, no reward beyond itself. “I love because I love; I love that I may love,” [St. Bernard of Clairvaux]
Readings to Ponder
Two men were riding a bicycle built for two when they came to a big, steep hill. It took a great deal of struggle for the men to complete what proved to be a very stiff climb. When they got to the top the man in front turned to the other and said, “Boy, that sure was a hard climb.” The fellow in back replied, “Yes, and if I hadn’t kept the brakes on all the way we would certainly have rolled down backwards.”
Remember the 1950s TV show “The Millionaire”? Each week an anonymous millionaire would give a one-million-dollar gift to someone. The gift was always free—but the gift always made a big change in the recipient’s life. That’s how grace is. You don’t change in order to receive God’s grace: you change as a result of experiencing God’s grace. Grace is like corrective surgery. We are helpless—but God gives us grace, and God’s grace changes what we cannot change.
Jesus Joined the Procession
You know, I passed a funeral on the road the other day: a hearse followed by a long line of cars all burning their headlights in broad daylight. I followed our quaint Southern custom of pulling off the road and stopping until they were past. Because I did not know the people involved, I continued on my way as soon as they were past. But Jesus, as it were, flipped on his own lights, turned his car around, and joined the procession to the gravesite. [Donald T. Williams, The Widow’s Son of Nain]
On a Journey: Meditation on God in Daily Life by Tom Ehrich
Compassion & Freedom – Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Compassion is a powerful force. It is far more powerful than revenge and cruelty. Harshness merely sows seeds of future war. Compassion changes the ground on which we stand. Because compassion is so powerful, it is rarely shown by the powerful. For they recognize its threat. If hearts can be won by compassion, then those who crave control cannot allow scandals such as Jesus’ compassion to occur.
Compassion tends to emerge among the weak and oppressed when they find solidarity in suffering. That’s why hospital waiting rooms are often scenes of kindness and shared ministry. That’s why such amazing goodness and nobility of spirit emerged immediately after the September 2001 attacks -- until the power-seekers showed up and took control.
The offense of Jesus wasn’t blasphemy, but compassion. He saw a human need -- in this case a widow burying her only son -- and he responded with grace. His compassion upset the prevailing order and took God out of the box where humankind so carefully stuffs God.
For a time, the early Christians shared that scandal of compassion. Then they became power-seekers and controllers, and compassion gave way to doctrine, hierarchies of power, and an intricate web of controls over human freedom. It was a tragic loss. Even now, the powerful demand strict limits on compassion. Only certain ones are allowed at the table of God’s grace, they insist. When will we learn? Human freedom and Godly compassion aren’t commodities that we control. They are the eternal scandal of a God whose nature is mercy.
READINGS TO PONDER
CANA WINE
At a wedding where no one had a care, All day long the guests did dance and dine.
But the wine ran out, father gave a shout, “Bring me more of that wedding wine!”
Refrain: So sweet, so fine, Give me taste of that Cana wine!
So sweet, so fine, Give me a taste of that Cana wine!
“Jesus has the power in this desperate hour,” Mary pointed to her son with pride.
He found water there, smiled and said a prayer:
Finest vintage for the groom and bride! (Refrain)
On this average day things seem plain and gray, Dull and dreary and without a spark.
Oh, Lord, won’t you come when I’m feeling glum;
Say the word and lighten up the dark! (Refrain)
When my life is through and I call on you, Come and help my weary spirit rise,
Then when all is past, save the best till last:
Once again it’s Cana’s sweet surprise! (Refrain)
Wish I’d Said That!
• The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy. [H. L. Mencken]
• What lies behind us and what lies before us are inconsequential compared to what lies within us. [source unknown]
The New Greatness
There is deep down within all of us an instinct. It’s a kind of drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. We have perverted the drum major instinct, but Jesus gives us a new norm for greatness. If you want to be important--wonderful. But recognize that the one who wants you to be great among you shall be your servant. That’s the new definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great. Because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to be great. You don’t have to have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know about Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. And you can be that servant. [Martin Luther King Jr. From the sermon, “The Drum Major Instinct” preached at Ebenezer Baptist Church, two months before his murder, February 4, 1968]
“IT WAS ON THE THIRD DAY”
(A wedding in Cana?) (Please read John 2: 1-11)
It was on the third day, when a mother heard her son call her “Woman”. It would not be the last time. It was on the third day, when people gathered and with a great thirst cried out, “What are we to do?” It was on the third day when the old ways of cleansing took on a new look and fragrance. The very best spilled out for all. It was on the third day When a miracle occurred. “Enough for everyone” was the miracle. “Enough of the best for everyone!” It was on the third day when the glory of the Lord was revealed. And the disciples believed. And it was on the third day when there was a great celebration at a wedding in Cana and at a tomb in Jerusalem and within us all ... Forevermore. Amen. [anna murdock Broad Street UMC Statesville, NC]
“IT WAS ON THE THIRD DAY”
(A wedding in Cana?) (Please read John 2: 1-11)
It was on the third day, when a mother heard her son call her “Woman”. It would not be the last time. It was on the third day, when people gathered and with a great thirst cried out, “What are we to do?” It was on the third day when the old ways of cleansing took on a new look and fragrance. The very best spilled out for all. It was on the third day When a miracle occurred. “Enough for everyone” was the miracle. “Enough of the best for everyone!” It was on the third day when the glory of the Lord was revealed. And the disciples believed. And it was on the third day when there was a great celebration at a wedding in Cana and at a tomb in Jerusalem and within us all ... Forevermore. Amen. [anna murdock Broad Street UMC Statesville, NC]
A Sense of Awe
I consider it divine good fortune that we have a scripture lesson so early in the year which encourages us to ponder a miracle. You and I need to become more sensitive to the possibility of miracles. Such a sensitivity will help us recognize present miracles, which we either do not see or which we take for granted; and it will prepare us to receive still more miracles. Walt Whitman felt that “each part and tag” of his own person was a miracle, and that “a mouse is miracle enough to confound sextillions of infidels.” He reminded us that we are surrounded by the glorious and the miraculous and do not know it. Science ought to have increased our sense of awe, as it has unfolded the marvels of the heavens above and mysteries of our bodies within; but we take the attitude that if we know how far it is to a given planet, we have, there-fore, encompassed all its significance. We need to know that God is at work in our world. The affairs of this world, and of our individual lives, often seem to be out of control. At such times we can be reassured by the knowledge that God has worked wonderfully in days past, and that God is still at work. [J. Ellsworth Kalas, Epiphany: A Faith to Work Miracles, CSS Publishing]
Water into Wine
As Augustine first observed—and as C.S. Lewis later enjoyed pondering—what Jesus did at Cana (as in many of his miracles) was really no more than a speeded-up version of what he does every year on a thousand hillsides as vines silently turn water into wine. Millions of people enjoy that wine every year without for a moment recognizing the divine origin of it all. It’s a reminder that we serve a God whose effusive overflow of providential gifts knows no bounds. It’s a reminder that God is also often content to watch people—sometimes even Christian people who should know better—from afar as they soak up the goodness of his creative work. [Scott Hoezee, comments and observations on John 2: 1-11]
Inviting Christ Brings Joy
Why do we bring Christ into the wedding ceremony? Because if we would only bring Christ into our marriages, we would have better marriages! A few years back psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers was quoted as saying that for about half of all American couples, marriage is a “quiet hell.” Many other marriages have degenerated into a “tired friendship,” as someone put it. I submit to you that this is a tragedy, and in order to prevent such tragedies, we ought to take the traditional marriage ritual seriously and invite Christ to be a guest at our weddings, just as He was invited to the wedding at Cana in Galilee. Above all, in this quaint and lovely little story, John is proclaiming the Good News that Jesus Christ is the Life of every party, that he is the one who livens things up, brings life abundant for all, even anonymous brides and bridegrooms in an out-of-the-way peasant village located somewhere (where, we are not sure) in the Galilee. As William Barclay put it in his commentary on this passage: “...whenever Jesus comes into our lives there enters a quality which is like turning water into wine. The trouble with life is that we get bored with it. Pleasure loses its thrill. There is a vague dissatisfaction about everything. But when Jesus enters our lives there comes a new exhilaration!” [Donald B. Strobe, Collected Words, www.Sermons.com]
READINGS TO PONDER
ADVENT (Dr. Jody Seymour)
Before the evergreen of hope, there appears the wilderness of waiting. We desire to pour water down our throats quickly, but first our thirst must be noticed. “No one knows the hour of his coming,” go the ancient words with dusty sounds. And so we hurry around the “end” and create our own jingle-bell beginnings.
But the birth requires a waiting, unless it is a molded plastic baby that we really desire. The unwrapped manger child is not the real thing. Remember. Only through the Advent wilderness, where thirsty pilgrims journey, can the child who comes “out back” be found and rediscovered to be ours. Remember.
The Creator of all time still holds the ends and wonders if we will take the time to prepare a highway for a king who has come to take something away before he gives. Remember. The waiting wilderness leaves us dry so that later we may truly taste the water. Those who want to be pilgrims and not simply passersby need to not hurry by the Advent wilderness. In such haste the Christmas child will be missed. Remember.
So You Want To Go To Bethlehem, Do You?
Each year, during the season of Advent, the church sets off on a journey. We begin to prepare our hearts and our minds for the coming of the Christ-child, so that this time he will have a proper place to be born. And we think we know the way to Bethlehem. We can find it on the map. It’s not that far from Jerusalem, by today’s standards; shouldn’t be a problem. But the problem is that so much has changed since our last visit. A whole year has passed, a year that brought many changes in our lives, some of them good, some of them not so good, some of them heartbreaking. The geographic map of life has changed, and even old familiar places don’t seem the same any more. So maybe we could use a little help in finding our way back to Bethlehem this year. That is, if you still want to go. If we were to ask any of the writers of the gospels how to get to Bethlehem, I think we might be surprised by their answer. “So you want to go to Bethlehem, do you? Tell you what to do: go on out to the desert, outside of the relatively safe confines of Jerusalem. Keep going till you get to the Jordan River. You’ll know it when you see it. It’s the only river around these parts. You’ll find a man there - strange looking old coot - standing knee-deep in the water, just baptizing folks left and right, as fast as he can. That’ll be John the Baptist. You ask him how to get to Bethlehem. If you want to get to Bethlehem, you have to start there at the Jordan with John. He’s the only one who can help you get there....
Adams had been dead for many years and Cappeau and Dwight were old men when on Christmas Eve 1906, Reginald Fessenden--a 33-year-old university professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison--did something long thought impossible. Using a new type of generator, Fessenden spoke into a microphone and, for the first time in history, a man's voice was broadcast over the airwaves: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed," he began in a clear, strong voice, hoping he was reaching across the distances he supposed he would.Shocked radio operators on ships and astonished wireless owners at newspapers sat slack-jawed as their normal, coded impulses, heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a professor reading from the gospel of Luke. To the few who caught this broadcast, it must have seemed like a miracle hearing a voice somehow transmitted to those far away. Some might have believed they were hearing the voice of an angel.
Fessenden was probably unaware of the sensation he was causing on ships and in offices; he couldn't have known that men and women were rushing to their wireless units to catch this Christmas Eve miracle. After finishing his recitation of the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played "O Holy Night," the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves. When the carol ended, so did the broadcast--but not before music had found a new medium that would take it around the world.
Since that first rendition at a small Christmas mass in 1847, "O Holy Night" has been sung millions of times in churches in every corner of the world. And since the moment a handful of people first heard it played over the radio, the carol has gone on to become one of the entertainment industry's most recorded and played spiritual songs. This incredible work, requested by a forgotten parish priest, written by a poet, who would later split from the church, given soaring music by a Jewish composer, and brought to Americans to serve as a tool to spotlight the sinful nature of slavery and tell the story of the birth of a Savior, has become one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever created.
READINGS TO PONDER
Is The Mule For Sale?
Once upon a time there was a woman married to an annoying man. He would complain about everything. One day he went to the creek with his mule. He complained so much that the mule got annoyed and kicked him to death. At the funeral, when all the men walked by the wife she shook her head yes and every time the women walked by she shook her head no. The minister asked “Why are you shaking your head yes for men and no for women?” Her response was, “The men would say how sorry they felt for me and I was saying, “Yes, I’ll be alright.” When the women walked by, they were asking if the mule was for sale . . . “ [Staff, www.eSermons.com]
“I Would Plant an Apple Tree”
Martin Luther was once asked what he would do if he knew that the world was coming to an end tomorrow, and he said: “I would plant an apple tree.” In other words, Luther, trusting in God’s gracious, unmerited mercy would live life just as he had been living it. When John Wesley was asked the same thing, being an obsessive-compulsive type, he said that he would arise at 4:00 AM, preach at 5:00 visit the sick at 7:00, go to communion at 8:00...etc., until the questioner realized that that was exactly what Wesley had planned to do tomorrow anyway! Because we believe that God is like Christ, we can dare to live in faith and hope and love now; trusting God for whatever the future holds, because we believe that God holds the future, and that God’s Name and God’s Nature are love. [Donald B. Strobe, Collected Words, www.Sermons.com]
I Predict
Here are some predictions of the future. All from people who could be trusted:
• I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” -- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
• “Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and weigh only 1.5 tons.” -- Popular Mechanics, 1949
• “While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility.” -- Lee DeForest, inventor.
• “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” -- Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
• “The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C’, the idea must be feasible.” -- A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found FedEx Corp.)
• “Who the h*** wants to hear actors talk?” -- H. M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.
• “I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.” -- Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With the Wind.”
• “Radio has no future. Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. X-rays will prove to be a hoax.” -- William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, British scientist, 1899.
• “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” -- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977.
• “With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market.” -- Business Week, August 2, 1968.
• “Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” -- Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.
• “There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.” -- Albert Einstein, 1932.
• “The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives.” -- Admiral William Leahy, U.S. Atomic Bomb Project.
• “There will never be a bigger plane built.” -- A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people.
We Expect the Ground to Be Firm
Biblical writers were fascinated by earthquakes, and referred to them often to make their point. An earthquake is a good image for cataclysmic times when “everything nailed down is coming loose.” Earthquakes threaten our assumptions about the stability of life. We like to think of earth as rock solid, but sometimes the earth moves. Sometimes when people fear flying on a plane, they resort to the ancient Latin by saying, “Just get me back to terra firma.” We expect the ground to be firm. We want our buildings tied to the bedrock because our foundations need to tie to something that won’t move. We expect our lives to be “rock solid,” too, but then something traumatic happens and “everything nailed down is coming loose.” [Mickey Anders, Everything Nailed Down Is Coming Loose’]
The Lord Will Renew Their Strength
Kristi Denton had always relied on her husband, David, to take care of her. He was her source of strength, the one she relied on to keep their lives running smoothly. Then in December of 1995, David was in a horrible accident. He suffered massive brain damage. Kristi prayed for God
READINGS TO PONDER
Lowered Expectation
Would it surprise you to learn that everything in your life right now is pretty much the way you made it? That from hundreds of options you chose your responses to whatever situations presented themselves? Would you agree that you have exercised the capacity to choose what you have received? If so, doesn’t it stand to reason that if you made the choice in the first place, you can change it? What a powerful notion! Whatever happens to you, you can say, “I am the master of my life.” But just as the good that comes to you is a demonstration of your mastery, so is the negative. Consider how hopping fleas are trained. The fleas are put into a glass jar. As they try and jump in the jar, they bump their heads on the lid. Over time, they forget they can jump and, for fear of bumping their heads, never go beyond the limits of the jar, even though the lids have been removed. Through continued failure they have become conditioned to confinement.
So it is with us, if we let it be. Our self-made limitations sometimes cause us to forget that we can fly. WE RESPOND LIKE THE DISCIPLES, “WE ONLY HAVE FIVE SMALL LOAVES OF BREAD AND TWO FISH. We often needlessly confine ourselves to glass jars. We may yearn to use our lives creatively, but our invisible prisons remind us: “You can’t do that. It isn’t practical. You’re not smart enough. It will cost too much. People will laugh at you. You’re too young. You’re too old. Your health won’t allow it. Your parents won’t allow it. It will take too long. You don’t have the education.”
But suppose we could remember that we were made to achieve? SUPPOSE THAT WE COULD REMEMBER THAT MIRACLES DO HAPPEN? Suppose we really believed that we are children and heirs of this magnificent universe? Would we then still allow our jars to limit us to hopping just so far and no further? Suppose we became aware that resentments, hurts, hates, grudges, illness, greed and the like are glass jars that have been, or can be, removed, that, indeed, we may be hampered by the illusion of our own self-imposed limitations? We attract to ourselves whatever our minds are focused upon. Once aware, we can change and then we will no longer be confined to that glass jar. We will be ready and able to achieve. [John Marks Templeton, Discovering the Laws of Life, Continuum 1995, 242]
READINGS TO PONDER
Lowered Expectation
Would it surprise you to learn that everything in your life right now is pretty much the way you made it? That from hundreds of options you chose your responses to whatever situations presented themselves? Would you agree that you have exercised the capacity to choose what you have received? If so, doesn’t it stand to reason that if you made the choice in the first place, you can change it? What a powerful notion! Whatever happens to you, you can say, “I am the master of my life.” But just as the good that comes to you is a demonstration of your mastery, so is the negative. Consider how hopping fleas are trained. The fleas are put into a glass jar. As they try and jump in the jar, they bump their heads on the lid. Over time, they forget they can jump and, for fear of bumping their heads, never go beyond the limits of the jar, even though the lids have been removed. Through continued failure they have become conditioned to confinement.
So it is with us, if we let it be. Our self-made limitations sometimes cause us to forget that we can fly. WE RESPOND LIKE THE DISCIPLES, “WE ONLY HAVE FIVE SMALL LOAVES OF BREAD AND TWO FISH. We often needlessly confine ourselves to glass jars. We may yearn to use our lives creatively, but our invisible prisons remind us: “You can’t do that. It isn’t practical. You’re not smart enough. It will cost too much. People will laugh at you. You’re too young. You’re too old. Your health won’t allow it. Your parents won’t allow it. It will take too long. You don’t have the education.”
But suppose we could remember that we were made to achieve? SUPPOSE THAT WE COULD REMEMBER THAT MIRACLES DO HAPPEN? Suppose we really believed that we are children and heirs of this magnificent universe? Would we then still allow our jars to limit us to hopping just so far and no further? Suppose we became aware that resentments, hurts, hates, grudges, illness, greed and the like are glass jars that have been, or can be, removed, that, indeed, we may be hampered by the illusion of our own self-imposed limitations? We attract to ourselves whatever our minds are focused upon. Once aware, we can change and then we will no longer be confined to that glass jar. We will be ready and able to achieve. [John Marks Templeton, Discovering the Laws of Life, Continuum 1995, 242]
READINGS TO PONDER
I Am the One Jesus Loves
Author and speaker Brennan Manning came up with a slogan. The slogan is, “I am the one Jesus loves.” It sounds a little arrogant doesn’t it? But he is actually quoting Scripture. Jesus’ closest friend on earth, the disciple named John, is identified in the Gospels as “the one Jesus loved.” Manning said, “If John were to be asked, ‘What is your primary identity in life?’ he would not reply, ‘I am a disciple, an apostle, an evangelist, an author of one of the four Gospels,’ but rather, ‘I am the one Jesus loves.’“ What would it mean, I ask myself, if I too came to the place where I saw my primary identity in life as “the one Jesus loves”? How differently would I view myself at the end of a day?
Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible’s astounding words about God’s love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees? Brennan Manning tells the story of an Irish priest who, on a walking tour of a rural parish, sees an old peasant kneeling by the side of the road, praying. Impressed, the priest says to the man, “You must be very close to God.” The peasant looks up from his prayers, thinks a moment, and then smiles, “Yes, he’s very fond of me.” [Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Adapted from Phillip Yancey, What’s So Amazing about Grace? 68-69]
Good morning...I must get ready for work, but I also must say this. I have written every Monday morning since June, 2001. This Monday, I couldn’t. Never mind that my Bible hit some weird button on my monitor (no, not the POWER button) and I had to shut down my 12-year-old computer to rest and reset (and by then, it was too late to write anything). I could have written something yesterday ... but still I didn’t. What has left me wordless are just a few words of the lectionary Scriptures... “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” I have read and reread those words over the years, and it was only this Monday morning when I realized that I cannot begin to fathom the depth of Jesus’ love for me (and for you) ... if it be the VERY SAME love that the Father has for Jesus. The very thoughts of the SAMENESS of this Love has removed my words. I hope that you find your own words adequate enough to be able to offer this to your congregations. Through this SAMENESS of Love is Jesus’ JOY and our JOY. I hope this was OK to put on Midrash, but it is the lectionary Scriptures that have rendered me wordless, have made my heart skip, have brought me joy. And yes, brought forth tears. Anna Murdock
Funnies
• A mother was preparing pancakes for her two sons, the older was five and the younger three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson here. “If Jesus were sitting here,” she said, “he would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”
• The more I see of man, the more I like dogs.
• A usually irate parishioner is said to have tackled the rector after church one Sunday morning. “I’m so glad you preached an historical sermon,” she said. The rector, shocked by this unusual praise beamed thanks. The parishioner continued, “Yes, because I am sick and tired of hearing about love all the time.”
• The father of five children had won a toy at a raffle. He called his kids together to ask which one should have the present. “Who is the most obedient?” he asked. “Who never talks back to Mother? Who does everything she says?” Five small voices answered in unison. “You win, Dad, you get the toy.”
Shhhhh. Mouth, be still. Heart, listen.
The Spirit is singing in the running stream,
crying in the hungry, calling in the lost and lonely,
and whispering within my soul.
Let my ears be unplugged, Lord so I can hear
Old Songs
we love the old songs:
we hum to ourselves about the old, old story
and feel like we are slipping on a frayed, comfortable shirt which will keep us warm;
we sing in the shower of all those places where the saints have trod, and wonder what ever happened to them;
the fears of aging jerk us awake in the middle of the night
and into the silence of our souls
we whisper ‘Jesus loves me, this i know, for the Bible tells me so . . .’
we love the old songs so much we might miss the new ones:
the sunrise announcing a new beginning each day;
the laughter of children, louder than despair’s dirge;
the softness of a parent’s love which smooths our rough edges;
teach us new songs, Joyous Heart, teach us new songs.
©2006 Thom M. Shuman
A man once went to his priest to complain that there was a lack of friendliness among members of their congregation. He felt that the people were reluctant to even greet one another, especially at the time of the Peace. They just stood there frozen. The priest agreed and devised a plan to solve the problem. He stood in the pulpit and looked straight at his congregation and said, “Next Sunday, at the time of the PEACE, everyone will take the time to greet one another in a friendly manner. Don’t just nod in their direction. But embrace your fellow parishioner with friendship and love. When the service was over, the man who had lodged the complaint decided to turn to the woman in the pew behind him and he extended his hand and said “Good Morning!” But the woman pulled her hand away and snapped, “That doesn’t begin until next Sunday!”
• I went out to find a friend, But I could not find one there. I went out to be a friend, And friends were everywhere!
• The North American Indians had no written alphabet before they met the white man, but that does not mean their languages were primitive. Many Indian languages contained vocabularies as large as the French or the English language. Plus, the Indian languages were more eloquent. For example, the English say, “Friend.” The Native American word is more descriptive: “One who carries my sorrows on his back.”
The Orchard of Your Life
A grapevine is a most productive plant. Spreading out its branches, each is intended to bring forth fruit. No vine grower is foolish enough to invest his time and effort in cultivating vines merely for the foliage on its branches. He looks for results. Fruits! As the branches of Christ in the Kingdom of God, we are expected to produce the fruits of spiritual life. And no, we’re not speaking of spiritual apples, grapes, pears, or peaches this morning. We’re talking of what’s going on in the orchard of your life. What are you producing? Saint Paul once enumerated in his writings what those fruits of the spirit were. He said, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” How’s that for a fruit basket? A good list for the cultivation of life’s orchard. With these fruits in mind, what’s going on in your orchard? [Charles L. Koester, Mission Accomplished, CSS Publishing Co., Inc.]
Our Fuel
C.S. Lewis wrote, “God has designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy without bothering about religion. God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” [C.S. Lewis]
The Best Connection
You and I live in the period of history where we have access to more information than ever before. We have so much information that it produces what has been called the “Paralysis of Analysis.” It was the poet T. S. Eliot who wrote: Where is the wisdom--we have lost in knowledge. Where is the knowledge--we have lost in information. The beauty of our faith is that God gave us more than information--he gave us Himself. He gave us more than rules and outward appearances. He gave us a relationship with him. Colossians 2:10, “In Him you have been made complete.” Only he can satisfy yourdeepest longing and bring order to your innermost being. In Jesus Christ, God’s word became flesh. He is alive! [Eric S. Ritz, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com]
Pruning Process
Merrill Tenney gives his observation about the work of a vinedresser and the pruning process in his commentary on John. In pruning a vine, two principles are generally observed: first, all dead wood must be ruthlessly removed; and second, the live wood must be cut back drastically. Dead wood harbors insects and disease and may cause the vine to rot, to say nothing of being unproductive and unsightly. Live wood must be trimmed back in order to prevent such heavy growth that the life of the vine goes into the wood rather than into fruit. The vineyards in the early spring look like a collection of barren, bleeding stumps; but in the fall they are filled with luxuriant purple grapes. As the farmer wields the pruning knife on his vines, so God cuts dead wood out from among His saints, and often cuts back the living wood so far that His method seems cruel. Nevertheless, from those who have suffered the most there often comes the greatest fruitfulness. [Merrill C. Tenney, John: The Gospel of Belief]
And That’s That!
Rosemary Brown is a highly respected minister in Tennessee. She has been featured a number of times on The Protestant Hour National Radio Broadcast. She tells a story about a little girl in her church named Mickey. Mickey is four years old. She is a precious, adorable, out-going little girl who loves to sing. One Sunday morning, Mickey ran down to the front of the Sanctuary just before the start of the morning worship service and with great excitement, she said: “Miss Rosemary Brown, can I sing a song this morning?” Not wanting to say “no”? or to be a stumbling-block to this vivacious little girl, Rosemary said: “Of course you can.” Then, Rosemary announced to the congregation that four-year-old Mickey would sing the call to worship to start the service. Rosemary Brown picked up Mickey and stood Mickey on the front pew. She turned her around to face the now expectant and smiling group of people in church that day? And Mickey sang: “Jesus wuvs me dis I know for da Bible tells me so. Yes, Jesus wuvs me.” And then, Mickey threw her hands straight up in the air (like she had just scored a touchdown) and with a triumphant voice she said: “And, dat’s dat!” And then Mickey sat down. (Rosemary Brown, Protestant Hour Sermon, “The Apple of My Eye,” p.3) Mickey was right on target, wasn’t she? What more do we need to know? Jesus loves us and that’s that. When we are scared or confused or lonely. When we have to make a hard decision or face a tough challenge. When we feel rejected or cast aside by someone. When we lose a loved one or face our own death? What more do we need to know? Jesus loves us and that’s that! [James W. Moore, Collected Sermons]
READINGS TO PONDER
Psalm 23 adapted from Japanese
[written by Sisters of Joseph for their Japanese congregation of sisters]
The Lord is my pace-setter; I can be tranquil. God brings me to the place of peace and refreshment, and provides for my needs. The Lord pours new life into my spirit and calls me into the place where I am most alive. Even though many pressures and anxieties surround me, I am able to be peaceful, because God is with me, guiding me through the hours and the days. You provide wonderfully for me, showing me beauty and good things; You console me when I am weary. Goodness and love will follow me, will be there for me, today and all my days. And I am confident of God’s presence my whole life long.
* * *
Psalm 23 – paraphrased by Jim Taylor
The only way to paraphrase such a familiar psalm is to take a totally different metaphor that still conveys the wonderful sense of trust of the original. One image that came to me was a small child walking down the street holding mother’s hand. 1 God is like my Mommy. My Mommy holds my hand; I’m not afraid. 2 She takes me to school in the mornings; She lets me play in the playgrounds and the parks; 3 She makes me feel good. She shows me how to cross the streets, because she loves me. 4 Even when we walk among the crowds and the cars, I am not afraid. If I can reach her hand or her coat, I know she’s with me, And I’m all right. 5 When I fall down and I’m all covered with mud and I come home crying, she picks me up in her arms. She wipes my hands, and dries my tears, and I have to cry again, ‘Cause she loves me so much. 6 How can anything go wrong with that kind of Mommy near me? I want to live the rest of my life with Mommy, in my Mommy’s home for ever’n’ever. –– From: “Everyday Psalms.” Wood Lake Books. For details, go to www.JoinHands.com
* * *
The Lord is my Counselor, I shall not try to solve things on my own. He encourages me to trust Him. He teaches me to listen in quietness & stillness to His voice; He calms my anxious heart. He guides me down the paths that are best for me, even when I think I know better. When I walk through the valley of frustration, worry, Fear and overwhelmingness, He reminds me that He never sleeps or takes holidays off. I need not fear being alone, for He is always with me. His wisdom and advice, they comfort me. He knows everything that is going on in my life, but it remains confidential with Him. Blessings overflow through my sessions with Him. Surely my future is secure as I dwell in the house of the Lord, leaving my problems at His feet, and follow His advice that is free of charge, all the days of my life!
[©2000 by Susan Secrest Waters http://www.encouragingwords.net/psalm23.htm]
* * *
Here is one reframing by Margaret Rogers of St. George’s United Reformed Church, Hartlepool, UK. It is used here with permission:
The Lord is my choirmaster, I shall never be out of step with the music. He leads me in songs of praise and thanksgiving as I remember all His love and goodness to me. He causes me to hum softly as I go about my daily tasks. He sings me a quiet lullaby to bring me rest at the close of the day. He teaches me a restful, quiet, air to sing which brings peace to my troubled spirit. Sometimes as I feel God’s power and majesty my soul is lifted up in a symphony of swelling music; I sing out in joy and praise, letting myself go and losing myself in the glorious sound of the orchestra, full of confidence, pride, happiness and enjoyment. But there are times when the music is silent, or strident, or unfamiliar. At those times I look to my choirmaster to guide me and keep me on the right note. Then once again there will be harmony. I shall sing happily and my song will bring me joy and inner peace, until the day when I shall join in that heavenly chorus above with those I have loved and lost awhile. Amen.
* * *
“Smiles”
Senior Health Care Solution
according to MAXINE.
So you're a senior citizen and the government says no health care for you, what do you do?
Our plan gives anyone 65 years or older a gun and 4 bullets. Your are allowed to shoot 2 senators and 2 representatives. Of course, this means you will be sent to prison. There you will get 3 meals a day, a roof over your head, and all the health care you need! New teeth, no problem. Need glasses, great. New hip, knees, kidney, lungs, heart? All covered.
And who will be paying for all of this? The same government that just told you that you are too old for health care. Plus, because you are a prisoner, you don't have to pay any income taxes anymore. And you get to do what politicians do . . . Sit around 24/7.
A mother was giving instructions to her three children as she sent them into Sunday school, "And, why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" Her son quickly responded, "Because people are sleeping!"
The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her preacher father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day she asked him why. "Well, Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages, "I'm asking the Lord to help me to preach a good sermon." "Well then, how come He doesn't do it?" she asked.
After a church service on Sunday Morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, "Mom, I've decided to become a minister when I grow up." "Well," said the little boy, "I have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell than to sit and listen."
A Sunday School teacher challenged her children to take some time on Sunday afternoon to write a letter to God. They were to bring their letter back the following Sunday. One little boy wrote, "Dear God, We had a good time at church today. Wish you could have been there."
A father took his 5-year-old son to several baseball games where The Star-spangled Banner was sung before the start of each game. Then the father and son attended a church on a Sunday shortly before Independence Day. The congregation sang The Star-spangled Banner, and after everyone sat down, the little boy suddenly yelled out, "PLAY BALL!!!"
A little girl became restless as the preacher's sermon dragged on and on. Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered, "Mommy, if we give him the money now, will he let us go?"
* * *
At a computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving twenty-five dollar cars that got 1,000 mi/gal."
General Motors addressed this comment by releasing this statement:
"Yes, but would you want your car to crash twice a day?" And every time they repainted the lines on the road you would have to buy a new car.
Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason, and you would just accept this, restart and drive on. Occasionally, executing a maneuver would cause your car to stop and fail and you would have to re-install the engine. For some strange reason, you would accept this too. You would only have one person in the car at a time; unless you bought "Car 95" or Car NT". But, then you would have to buy more seats.
Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast, twice as easy to drive, but would only run on five percent of the roads.
Macintosh car owners would get expensive Microsoft upgrades to their cars, which would make their cars run much slower.
The oil, gas and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single "general car fault" warning light.
New seats would force everyone to have the same size bottom. The airbag system would say "Are you sure?" before going off.
If you were involved in a crash, you would have no idea what happened.
MORE SMILES
I Don’t Regret A Mile
I’ve dreamed many dreams that never came true. I’ve seen them vanish at dawn.
But I’ve realized enough of my dreams, thank God, To make me want to dream on.
I’ve prayed many prayers, when no answers came, Though I waited patient and long,
But answers came to enough of my prayers To make me keep praying on.
I’ve trusted many a friend that failed And left me to weep alone,
But I’ve found enough of my friends true blue To make me keep trusting on.
I’ve sown many seeds that fell by the way For the birds to feed upon,
But I have held enough golden sheaves in my hands To make me keep sowing on.
I’ve drained the cup of disappointment and pain And gone many days without song,
But I’ve sipped enough nectar from the roses of life To make me want to live on.
~by Howard Goodman (gospel singer)
Excerpt from his song
INSPIRING
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog.
He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life." "No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly. "I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of."
And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.
Someone once said what goes around comes around.
Jesus said it another way: KJV: Luke 6:38
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
Changing in Preparation: Forty Days of Love
Have you ever been confronted with a message that changed your perspective? One church chose as its Lenten theme, “Forty Days of Love.” Each week members of the congregation were encouraged to show their love and appreciation in different ways. The first week they were encouraged to send notes to people who had made positive contributions to their lives. After the first service a man in the congregation wanted to speak to his pastor. The pastor describes the man as “kind of macho, a former football player who loved to hunt and fish, a strong self-made man.” The man told his pastor, “I love you and I love this church, but I’m not going to participate in this Forty Days of Love stuff. It’s OK for some folks,” he said, “but it’s a little too sentimental and syrupy for me.”
A week went by. The next Sunday this man waited after church to see his pastor again. “I want to apologize for what I said last Sunday,” he told him, “about the Forty Days of Love. I realized on Wednesday that I was wrong.” “Wednesday?” his pastor repeated. “What happened on Wednesday?” “I got one of those letters!” the man said. The letter came as a total surprise. It was from a person the man never expected to hear from. It touched him so deeply he now carries it around in his pocket all the time. “Every time I read it,” he said, “I get tears in my eyes.” It was a transforming moment in this man’s life. Suddenly he realized he was loved by others in the church. This changed his entire outlook. “I was so moved by that letter,” he said, “I sat down and wrote ten letters myself.” Receiving that letter was a trans-forming experience for Mr. Macho. It came from a mailbox rather than a mountaintop, but the effect was the same - his perspective was changed. God breaks into our lives and we are changed. [King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com]
Ann Weems: I See Your Pain
I see your pain and want to banish it with the wave of a star, but have no star.
I see your tears and want to dry them with the hem of an angel’s gown, but have no angel.
I see your heart fallen to the ground and want to return it wrapped in cloths woven of rainbow, but have no rainbow.
God is the One who has stars, and angels and rainbows, and I am the one God sends to sit beside you until the stars come out and the angels dry your tears and your heart is back in place, rainbow blessed.
The Psychiatrist and the Proctologist
Two doctors, a psychiatrist and a proctologist, opened an office together in a small town. They put up a sign reading, “Dr. Smith & Dr. Jones: Hysterias & Posteriors.” The town council was not happy with the sign so the doctors changed it to, “Schizoids & Hemorrhoids.” This was not acceptable either. In an effort to satisfy the council, the doctors changed the sign to, “Catatonics & High Colonics.” No good. Next, they tried, “Manic Depressives & Anal Retentives.” Thumbs down again. Then came, “Minds & Behinds.” Unacceptable, again! So they tried, “Analysis & Anal Cysts.” Not a chance. So “Nuts & Butts?” No way. How about “Freaks & Cheeks?” Still, no go. Maybe “Loons & Moons?” Forget it. Almost ready to admit defeat, the doctors finally came up with, “Dr. Smith & Dr. Jones: Odds & Ends.”
THOUGHTS TO PONDER
The Authority of Jesus
The church in the world is a lot like the story that E. Stanley Jones tells of the missionary in the jungle. He got lost with nothing around him but bush and a few cleared places. He finally found a small village and asked one of the natives if he could lead him out of the jungle. The native said he could. “All right,” the missionary said, “Show me the way.” They walked for hours through dense brush hacking their way through unmarked jungle. The missionary began to worry and said, “Are you quite sure this is the way? Where is the path?” The native said. “Bwana, in this place there is no path. I am the path.” Our path out of the jungle of this world is God in Christ. We may have some Rabbis, Masters, Father’s, Teachers, and Reverends but we are all like the missionary. We rely not upon men but Christ who is our path. [Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com]
Christ Has Come to Free Us
That man with an unclean spirit understands who Jesus is better than anyone else in the room. He is on the margins of society and the margins of sanity, but he knows exactly who Jesus is. Remember that the disciples don’t figure it out until Chapter 8, when Peter says, “You are the messiah, the one sent by God.” This man of unclean spirit is way ahead of everyone, and he wants to know, “What are you going to do with people like me? Are you going to destroy us?” “Be silent and come out of him!” And then the man convulses and cries out loudly and the unclean spirit leaves him. I still have no idea what an unclean spirit is, but I am impressed.
Mark still hasn’t told us a thing about what Jesus taught, but he has showed us that Jesus had a power over things that people label as unclean. Mark is making this point: that the will and purpose of God present in Jesus is engaging and fighting against the purposes of evil that exist among humanity. This battle is not fought just at the highest levels of government or industry, but right in the midst of common folk like us. The battle of good versus evil, right versus wrong, life versus death happens amidst the people who are gathered for worship. Christ has come to shatter the domineering designs that shackle people to lower standards for life than God intends. Christ has come to free us from the demons like prejudice and pride, greed and guile. Christ is among us, whenever we gather in church, to demonstrate a power among us. If we devote ourselves to anything less than a divinely directed destiny, we have missed the goal of faith. [Todd Weir, What Will You Do with Us, Jesus?]
Under New Management
A certain Army man had been a heavy drinker for 35 years. For all those years he had been angry - angry at everyone and everything. Finally, he encountered Christ and his whole life changed. He was speaking once before a group of medical people. He told them of his personality change, how he was now sober as he once had been drunk; considerate as he once had been severe; concerned for others as once he had been selfish and self-serving. A psychiatrist, who believed that personalities are so firmly set in early life that no one can change, protested to the Colonel that at his age a person could not have such a radical transformation. “Well,” replied the Colonel, “that may be true. But I am under new management - I answer to another authority - the highest and truest there is.” [Traditional]
Getting to Know People
in the Pews
Did you know that Judy Andrews and Dick Leggett are brother and sister? Ghent supervisor Larry Andrews is a retired Math teacher. Martha Leggett’s aunt M. (Matilda) Irene Ashley was a long time Latin teacher at Chatham high school.
Nancy Romanchuk and Frannie Schools (of Old Ghent Realty) are sisters. Nancy Berninger and Nora Van Brunt, once called Butchie, are cousins. Nancy’s brother Albert was a much loved pastor of the GRC.
Florence, Mildred, and Richard Felpel are related to Shirley Gibbons, (mother’s name was Laura Felpel), and Nora Felpel Van Brunt. Bunny is really Margaret De Long. Don Bertram and Marion Ozga are brother and sister and their baby brother is former sheriff, Jim Bertram.
Larry Van Brunt has native American heritage and is a Mayflower descendent of William Brewster. Robbie Keller is a math teacher, and Suzanne Hatch a house painter. Gerald Washington played professional football for the Seattle Sea Hawks.
Pastor Nancy was in Oklahoma when the Federal Building was bombed happened and again in 2001 when 9/11 happened—at which point people began to say, “Every time you come to Oklahoma, something blows up!”
Liz Grattan is an oncology nurse. Liz’s folks, Bob and Jeannette Mink owned the Val Kin restaurant for years. Ed Coon’s first wife Joyce and Booty (Eleanor) Fenoff’s husband Dick, (both deceased), were brother and sister. Bev Coon has a Masters degree in education.
Pastor Nancy lived in Germany for 2 years and worked as a bilingual secretary there, translating from German dictation to English.
Angie Burch is Christine (Burch) Blahut’s daughter in law. Bob Cullen was a school principal. Butch and Judy Harrison are parents of Sheriff David Harrison.
A little congregational trivia which was fun to do and we will again sometime, as there much more information to tell. The world is small and often related, so when you speak, make it a complement, ‘cause you never know
Last month we asked who was a “Fuller Brush Salesman?”
The answer is a consistory member.
Can you figure out which one?
Getting to Know People
in the Pews
Margaret Rose Bemiss was born September 6, 1935 to Charles and Margaret Bemiss of East Chatham. She was born in a hospital in Chatham on Rte. 203, but not the one where the drugstore is now. Even though her mom was Margaret she was named Margaret Rose after Princess Margaret of Great Britain.
A cute snow suit with a hood that stuck up at the corners like rabbit ears earned her the name “Bunny” and that was that.
Bunny attended school in East Chatham, Preston Hollow and then in third grade started at Chatham where she graduated.
Bruce and Bunny Delong were married in 1954, had 3 sons, Jim, Charlie, and Bob. Bruce left her a widow in 1987 and her younger sister Mary died in 2000.
Bunny worked for the NYS insurance fund and then at her sister-in-law’s business “Leona’s Tailoring” for 8 years. She loves the color blue, and yet collects “anything” with a red cardinal on it. Bunny’s real passion is dancing. “I loooove to square dance,” she says and that is how she met Don Bertram. They have shared their lives and a home since 1989.
Bunny also likes country music, 50s rock and roll and big band music too. She has been involved in the community and church for most of her adult life. She transferred her membership from Chatham Reformed to Ghent about 30 years ago and has been an active member at GRC ever since, volunteer-ing to work for and at events and was on consistory. Bunny was honored by the Town of Ghent with a certificate of appreciation last year for her participation in Cub Scouts, Little League, 4H, and the Ghent Recreation Committee.
Bunny has 5 grand children, and 2 step grands, 2 great-grands plus 7 step-great grands, and a step great-great grandchild. Family is most important but, working out side, knitting, crocheting, reading and eating pizza and spaghetti and meatballs are big enjoyments for her as well. Dosie-Do your partner Bunny.
Getting to Know People
in the Pews
Everything you always wanted to know about Bert, but afraid to ask. Bert was born in Coalburn, a coal mining town in south central Scotland, on 7/29/42 in the middle of World War II, the middle child of 5 (which explains a lot). He attended school to age of 15, then worked on a farm with Clydesdales. He apprenticed with the gas board while they were switching from coal heat to gas. Bert signed on with the British Army and served in Gibraltar, the Yemen, Germany, and Northern Ireland.
After a 14 year hitch he left the Army and had a number of short-term jobs, such as, building snooker tables, radiators, delivering potato chips, driving school buses, being a tour guide, bartender, among others [but not brain surgery].
In 1994 he came to the US to marry, yet again, and became a citizen in 1997. He has worked in “Slit and Peek” at INS in Vermont and was involved in an anthrax scare in 2001. On the upside, 2001 was the same year he met Nancy on line, and they married in 2002.
We all know Bert’s wonderful sense of humor, but did you know he mows our church and parsonage lawns as his contribution to the church? Thanks Bert! Need to know anything else? Ask him, he’s the guy with a beard and probably a tie. (editor’s note: Bert does not like to be told he sounds like Sean “my-daddy’s-a-milk-man” Connery, because the reverse is actually the truth!
P.S. If you would like to be the subject of next month’s column please let Pastor Nancy know and she will talk to the proper people.
Did you know?
Pastor Nancy graduated in the year 2000 from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey. Her alma mater will be celebrating the 225th anniversary of its founding [by John H. Livingston] all during 2009. In 2010 it will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its presence in New Brunswick. Theme of the anniversary celebrations will be “Seeking the Welfare of the City” a prophetic passage from Jeremiah 29 which speaks to NBTS’s commitment to public theology and urban ministry. There may be some local events because of this area’s connection to the Livingston Family. Pastor Nancy will keep us informed.
GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE IN THE PEWS
Lawrence Edward Van Brunt
was born and raised in Greenport just outside Hudson. He has one sister Linda who is four years younger. Larry attended Greenport and Hudson schools and Hudson Valley Polytechnical (Now HVCC) where he received a degree in Civil Engineering and met nora, his wife of 46 years. They have two grown sons and five grandchildren. Larry worked for NYDOT for 40 years retiring in the year 2000. He has worked part-time for the Sheriff's Department for many years and you can still see him at the Courthouse or at DMV. He is currently councilman and deputy supervisor for the town of Ghent, so Larry is one of the people to see for suggestions and questions having to do with town business. Larry is a passionate collector of NASCAR die cast replicas. He is a life member of the NRA and has a Federal firearms license. He is past master and former district deputy with the Masons. Larry is very interested in genealogy since discovering he is a descendant of pilgrim William Brewster. He has joined the Mayflower Society. Larry has held so many offices within Ghent Reformed Church consistory, board of elders and Classis that he is "the face" of GRC at Classis meetings. He was the only lay person to ever install a minister and has beenr eferred to often as Rev. Larry. Larry has a wonderful sense of humor and is especially fond of the old Andy Griffith shows. Next time you see Larry ask him about those B.N. dates with Sally C. (Nora agrees Larry has great taste in women.)
Getting to Know People
in the Pews
Dorothea Tina Mumm was born in Germany where her father worked on the Keil Canal, which was begun in 1887. It took 9,000 workers and eight years to complete the connection from the North Sea to the Baltic. When his health deteriorated the family decided to move to the United States, settling in Deerfield, Kansas.
Dorothea married Garrett Bruce Giphens and, together, raised their children William, Dorothea, and Barbara in Fowler, Colorado. The children attended first through 12th grade there.
After graduation, Dorothea Elizabeth attended the University of Colorado, studying liberal arts and "boys". In her sophomore year, she came back home to care for her ill mother. Betty, as she was called, because there were 3 Dorotheas in the house at that time, decided to take a Cosmotology course eventually working for and then, with sister Barbara, purchasing the "Barbet" Beauty Shop. It seems that fate had the name prearranged for Barb and Betty.
Betty met her future husband on a prearranged date by his Aunt; however, she was unimpressed and had a boyfriend at the time. Her family moved to Pueblo, Colorado where she met up with Harold Graham again. This time it was different. They married and had a family; Stephen, Brian and Marcia.
Harold and Betty owned and operated a wholesale petroleum business and a 20 unit motel with a little convenience store and gas pumps in Wyoming. Betty was the bookkeeper for the whole shebang.
At 59 Harold became very ill and, shortly after they sold the business, he died. The new owners failed to honor the agreement of the sale and Betty found herself owning and running the business again, this time alone, for 6 years.
Betty was active in the Community Church, which is Methodist affiliated, and was their treasurer for 41 years. Through the church she did "Volunteer Nation," which included trips to places like Mexico, Russia, and the Rosebud Indian reservations.
Dorothea Elizabeth Giphens Graham has suffered some great losses in her life. Her brother, William, died at age 45, her husband at 59, son, Stephen, at 39, and son, Brian, at 54. She says, "God never gives us more than we can bear. In grief, you must have something to look forward to. Always!"
Because of her daughter Marcia's long association with Continental Airlines, Betty has become a world traveler visiting Australia, Europe, Africa and the like. As long as there’s a seat open, she can fly for free. There’s a village in the south of France, not far from Spain, that she and her best friend like to visit together. Betty said, "The Safari in Kenya was the most impressive or maybe it was Costa Rica." She loves to travel and is grateful for the opportunity to do so.
Betty moved to Chatham, when son Brian died, and appreciates the friends she has made at GRC, who have have helped her work through her grief.
Betty is proud of her seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She says she has been especially blessed with good health.
You might think that by her appearance and demeanor she is a very conservative lady, but she likes country and classical music, reading, and spicy Mexican foods. Don't be surprised if you see her wearing hot pink because that is the color she likes best.
Our new office assistant, Lisa Andrews, formerly Lisa Nadeau, was born and raised in Troy, NY (Lansingburgh). She is the daughter of Bernard Nadeau of Rotterdam and Cheryl Quackenbush Hayden of Lansingburgh, and is the oldest of one brother, one half brother and three half sisters.
After graduating from Lansingburgh High School, Lisa attended HVCC where she received her associate’s degree in telecommunications. She then moved to Utica to further her education by attending SUNY IT at Utica/ Rome, where she earned a bachelor's degree in the same field.
Lisa worked for the US Postal Service for 7 years as a data conversion operator, letter carrier, and rural carrier before leaving to work, in her field of study, for the Richmond Telephone Co. as a telephone/computer network technician. She realized that being on call 24/7 and wanting to start a family didn’t go hand in hand, so she left Richmond Telephone. A few months later, she began working for The Kleeber Agency in Valatie where she worked for over two years as a Commercial and Personal Lines Customer Service Rep.
On February 26, 2005 Lisa married Jim Andrews (the son of Larry and Judy Andrews and the brother of Leah Prack). They have 1 daughter, Addison, who is 2 1/2. Lisa became a stay at home Mom when Addison was born on May 28, 2007. Other family members, she calls her "kids", are their two dogs: Coco a 6 year old Chocolate Lab and Roxy a Black Lab, 10 months.
Lisa loves traveling, yoga and country music. She also loves to watch American Idol with her husband Jim; although, her personal favorite is Private Practice. If Lisa could choose any place to be, it would be on the beach with her family.
Our new GRC secretary seems to be learning her responsibilities quite well. She accomplishes the bulletins, newsletters, correspondence, and telephone communication each week and is not opposed to taking work home, so she can do any emailing and be with Addison (that all sounds familiar).
If you’d like to meet Lisa, stop in Monday thru Thursday from 9-noon and say "HI".
She is not in our pew, but she is close by at the Chatham Rural Cemetery after passing away on May 13, 1971 at a nursing home in Valatie. Laura Virginia O’Hanlon Douglas was born in 1889 in Manhattan NY. Laura received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1910 from Hunter College, a Masters Degree in Education from Columbia University in 1912, and a doctorate from Fordham University. She was a school teacher in the NY City school system and a junior principal there before retiring in 1959. She was married and divorced and has a daughter Laura. She is not remembered for her education or her teaching ability. Virginia, as she was known, made a name for herself when she was only eight years old and wrote a letter to Frank P. Church, editor of the New York Sun. His answer, she said, shaped the direction of her life positively.
Dear Editor: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says "If you see it in The Sun it's so."
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon.
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, and no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, and romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
