Saturday, June 30, 2012

Bible Challenge 07/01 - 07/07

Greetings All!

We wrap up our reading of Job this week with the last several chapters. Finally, we hear God's response to everything that has come before. And just as Jesus in the New Testament always answers a question with a question or a parable, God asks a series of rhetorical questions of Job designed to remind Job of God's sovereignty in creating and maintaining the world. The basic idea is that God has experiences and understanding that Job does not. Humbled by God's response, Job is speechless, then repents of his previous demands for justice. Then we are given the epilogue to the story in Job 42, in which God condemns Job's friends for their ignorance and lack of understanding and then sets about restoring Job's health, wealth and family.

Next it's on to Psalms.....the longest book in the Bible with 150 chapters. We'll cover the first 14 Psalms this week. The entire book is attributed to King David although some of the later Psalms may have actually been written years later during the exile. From the notations in the text, we see that many of the Psalms were actually hymns to be sung to familiar tunes of the time. And we see the range of human emotion portrayed throughout the book, with many songs of thanksgiving and celebration and many psalms of lament and pain. In Jewish tradition, the Book of Psalms is divided into five sections, each closing with a doxology or benediction. The first book comprises the first 41 Psalms, most of which are ascribed directly to David (except 1, 2, 10 and 33) and this is presumed to be the oldest section of the book.

Here is the schedule:

01, Sunday: Job 29-32

02, Monday: Job 33-36

03, Tuesday: Job 37-40

04, Wednesday: Job 41 - Psalms 2

05, Thursday: Psalms 3-6

06, Friday: Psalms 7-10

07, Saturday - Psalms 11-14

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This week we are beginning a new preaching series entitled, Characters of the Old Testament. This first part of the Bible, is filled with a whole host of people, some of which are very well known, such as Abraham, Moses, Job, and King David to name a few. Others are not too well known, like Balaam, Jochebed, Boaz, and Mephibosheth. Each week, for the next four weeks, we will look to these four lesser known characters as we try to unpack what part of God may be revealed in the life of these people. This week we will begin with Balaam, as we use his life to understand the importance and necessity of living in connection with one another. I invite you to come, and bring a friend, as we all hear the Word of God proclaimed together!



2. Summer Music - With the summer months approaching we have an opportunity to offer all of you. If you are interested in providing special music for worship during these summer months or know someone who might be interested, please let Watson know. His contact information can be found in the Sunday bulletin.



3. New Email Address - Due to issues with AOL, we have created a new church email address, druidhillsocala@gmail.com. Please use this email address for all messages for the church office and for Druid Hills in general. My email address will remain the same. Please make that change now, because in approximately a month, the AOL account will no longer be active.



4. New Addition to the Blog - I am always looking for ways to increase the avenues of communication for our church family. That is one of the main purposes of this blog.

Therefore, I want to introduce you all to the Druid Hills UMC YouTube Channel. I have figured out how to take the audio of my sermons and upload them to YouTube. So anyone with an Internet connection can now log on at anytime and listen to the messages.

I will also post them right here to the blog so you can listen to them and they should be up by Wednesday each week. I hope you enjoy and benefit from this new addition.



5. Historian Needed - If you are interested and passionate about recording the important events in the life our church, we have an opportunity for you! We are in need of a church historian to help chronicle the important events in our history. It does not require significant time, just a passion for the mission. If you are interested please see me and we will talk.



Have a great weekend and see you Sunday!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Happy Birthday!!

Today marks a very important birthday in the life of our denomination. Today is John Wesley's 309th birthday. I have included a link below that will give you some insight into how Wesley viewed his birthday and the gratitude he gave to God in how he lived out each day of his life.


Give it a click and I hope you enjoy!!


Marking John Wesley’s birthday in his words - UMC.org


Blessings,

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Being United in Christ - Psalm 107:1-3, 6-9 and Jeremiah 29:10-14a




Midweek Moment

Stories. We all have them. Stories about why we are the way we are, stories about why we live where we live, and stories about why we think the way we think. Stories shape our inner characteristics very deeply. In fact, God understands this, so the vast majority of Scripture is told as a narrative, or story. We live a story, we tell events that happen to us in a story format, and we understand and remember better when we hear information in story form.

This past weekend, my family and I took a trip to North Carolina. We went with my parents and my brother and his family. As my parents and brother made their way north from Tampa, we joined them when they reached Ocala, and off we all went. Our destination was my Uncle Bill's house. He is technically my dad's uncle, and he and my Aunt Bobbi live in Belmont, North Carolina, just outside of Gastonia, North Carolina, just over the South Carolina border. The purpose of our visit was to celebrate Decoration Sunday at Bear Creek Baptist Church.

Bear Creek Baptist Church is located on top of a mountain in the Blue Ridge Parkway, in a town formally known as Turby Holler. Turby Holler is where my great-grandmother, Beulah Bell, lived with my great-grandfather, Carol Wesley, (This is the man my son Wesley is named after), on land given to them by my great-great-grandfather, and Baptist pastor, Anderson Franklin. It was also here in Turby Holler, that my grandmother and her three younger brothers were all born. That particular branch of my family tree has great history, and many fantastic stories, associated with Turby Holler. And this past Sunday, Debbie and I got to hear many of them, in the Bear Creek Baptist Church cemetery.

You see, after worship, we all went outside, into the cemetery, and decorated the grave markers. We decorated and told stories. I was all ears. I wanted to know who was related to whom and how. I wanted to know who these people were and what they did for a living. I wanted to know their stories. I wanted to know...them. Debbie took pictures, I made notes, and we were both mesmerized. Even Parker was listening and asking questions. I met my great-grandfather's niece, Lorette, who was a wealth of information. Story after story, name after name, she knew them all. In fact, Lorette was also born in Turby Holler...and she has never left.

This weekend was so important for many reasons. It gave my family a chance to get together and share meals and love. It gave Debbie a chance to immerse herself in something that she loves, genealogy. It gave my children a chance to met people that helped shape their great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents. But it also reminded me of the vastness of our God. I was reminded that God was loving humanity long before I walked the face of this earth, as I listened to how God worked in the lives of my family members. I was reminded that God was at work outside of Ocala, Florida and across space and time. I was reminded that God is, God was, and God always will be.

This week I encourage you, next time you look into the face of another person, look for God. Look expectantly for God's vastness and how God is at work in that person. It just might change the way you see this entire world.

Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Bible Challenge 06/24 - 06/30

Greetings All!

This week we begin reading the book of Job. This marks a shift from the books of history and now we enter the books of poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs and Eccelesiastes). In Jewish tradition, Job is understood to be the grandson of Abraham's brother. So chronologically we are going way back into the history of Israel. The book of Job appears to have been written to address the problem of evil and why the righteous suffer. The first two chapters act as a prologue to set the scene and then we move into cycles of speeches between Job and friends.

Cycle 1 (Chapters 3-11) - Job, Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job and Zophar

Cycle 2 (Chapters 12-20) - Job, Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job and Zophar

Cycle 3 (Chapters 21-31) - Job, Eliphaz, Job, Bildad, Job

Job's three friends never seem to waver from their belief that Job must have sinned to incite God's punishment. They continually berate him for refusing to confess his sins, even though they themselves are at a loss as to what Job has done wrong. In their theology, God always rewards good and punishes evil, with no exceptions. Job meanwhile maintains his innocence. He refuses to curse God or accuse God of injustice but wants an explanation as to why this is happening to him.

We get introduced to another person in chapters 3-37. Elihu almost takes a mediator's path - attempting to hold together an understanding of God's sovereign power and righteousness along with God's gracious mercy. He condemns the approach by Job's other three friends and argues that God's righteousness is being misrepresented and his loving character discredited. Elihu lifts up many of God's attributes: mighty, just, quick to warn and to forgive. He suggests that Job does need to repent - not from a particular sin - but from his arrogance in presuming to understand God.

When I read through the book of Job I realize that we still wrestle in today's society with these same issues; understanding evil and suffering and supposing to know how God operates. It's comforting in some part to realize that these are not new struggles. But they are definitely issues worth reflecting on.

Here is the schedule:

Sunday, 24: Job 1-4

Monday, 25: Job 5-8

Tuesday, 26: Job 9-12

Wednesday, 27: Job 13-16

Thursday, 28: Job 17-20

Friday, 29: Job 21-24

Saturday, 30: Job 25-28

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - Join us this week as our gifted lay servant, Carole Newlin, shares with us about her reflections from this years Annual Conference. This years conference was very moving as we discussed our connection with each other. I invite you to come, bring a friend, and hear how together we are all "United in Christ".



2. Summer Music - With the summer months approaching we have an opportunity to offer all of you. If you are interested in providing special music for worship during these summer months or know someone who might be interested, please let Watson know. His contact information can be found in the Sunday bulletin.



3. New Email Address - Due to issues with AOL, we have created a new church email address, druidhillsocala@gmail.com. Please use this email address for all messages for the church office and for Druid Hills in general. My email address will remain the same. Please make that change now, because in approximately a month, the AOL account will no longer be active.




4. New Addition to the Blog - I am always looking for ways to increase the avenues of communication for our church family. That is one of the main purposes of this blog.

Therefore, I want to introduce you all to the Druid Hills UMC YouTube Channel. I have figured out how to take the audio of my sermons and upload them to YouTube. So anyone with an Internet connection can now log on at anytime and listen to the messages.

I will also post them right here to the blog so you can listen to them and they should be up by Wednesday each week. I hope you enjoy and benefit from this new addition.



5. Historian Needed - If you are interested and passionate about recording the important events in the life our church, we have an opportunity for you! We are in need of a church historian to help chronicle the important events in our history. It does not require significant time, just a passion for the mission. If you are interested please see me and we will talk.



Have a great weekend and see you Sunday!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Midweek Moment

Overwhelmed. I am simply overwhelmed. As you know this past week was a very important week for me. It marked the culmination of many years of hard work, focus, and perseverance. It was a time for the Bishop to lay hands on me and ordain me for work in the United Methodist Church. Ordination is the goal I have been pursuing for the last nineteen years.

The event in and of itself was incredibly moving for me. To hear the words of the Bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Edward R. Benoway, to the music of Lighthouse Band, it was all very moving. To see so many of my friends and colleagues go before me and be licensed and commissioned for work in the United Methodist Church was very special. To sit on the front row and exchange smiles and winks was meaningful for me. Then for me to be lead onto the stage, for Bishop Whitaker to lay hands on me and pray, “Almighty God, pour upon Daryl Wayne Allen the Holy Spirit, for the office and work of an elder in Christ's holy church.” Wow! WOW!

If that was not enough, there was you. At the conclusion of the service, I found the thirty people that boarded a bus earlier that day and made the trek to support me...my cup runneth over! For me to see so many friendly and loving faces, meant so much to me. As I looked over those faces, I immediately thought about the rest of my Druid Hills family that were there in spirit and in prayer. I remember getting goosebumps as all of your faces coursed through my mind. As hugs were shared, tears of joy were shed, and smiles abounded all around, my heart soared. I cannot thank you enough, all of you, for those that traveled to Lakeland, for those that prayed for me where they were, for those of you that watched it online, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

But it was not over. Sunday morning came, worship was shared, and then came the cake! The surprise party you all gave me, revealing to me once again, that we truly are a family, was tremendous. I do have to admit when David began to ask people to speak, and I was asked to sit in the “chair”, the word “roast” came to mind. However, the sentiments that were shared, the love that was expressed, the bond that was revealed, I could not stop smiling. Then to top it all off, you all presented me with a beautiful blue stole. Again, thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

This was not a sole achievement. This was communal. This was corporate. This was done together. From the lessons you have shared with me, the stories you have trusted me with, and the trust you have honored me with, we did this together. From your well wishes, words of encouragement, and the whole host of prayers offered on my behalf, we did this together. I could not, would not, cannot, be the pastor I am today, without each and every one of you. You have all played a role, each and every one of you have played a role, in shaping me into the person I am today.

On Monday, I replayed the entire week's events over and over in my mind. Smiling all along the way. To my Druid Hills family, I want to tell you thank you. Although words are not enough, please understand the love that lies underneath them. And know I treasure each of you. I thank you for the love, I thank you for the support, and I thank you for who you are. I look forward to our shared future ministry together and the wonderful things God is going to do through and with us.

Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Bible Challenge 06/17 - 06/23

Greetings All!

This week we will finish up the last chapter of Ezra, read all the way through Nehemiah and begin the book of Esther. Remember Ezra and Nehemiah used to be one book and both deal with the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem after captivity. Nehemiah is about 20 years after Ezra. He is the cupbearer to King Artaxerses of Cyrus and is sent to help build up the wall around the city of Jerusalem and reform the people according to the law of Moses. The first part of the book is all about hard work - rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, setting up guards along the wall and gates, taking a census of the people, having the law of Moses read to the people, leading the people in repenting for their sins and beginning a new covenant with God. After twelve years of hard work, Nehemiah returns to Susa. Later he comes back to Jersualem and finds that the people have backslid in his absence. So he takes measure to enforce his earlier reforms and asks for God's favor.

Next we turn to another book of the exile, Esther. The book of Esther is interesting because while the name of God is never explicitly mentioned in the book, God's action is certainly implied. Esther is a Jewish woman living in exile in Persia. When the Persian king Xerses banishes his wife, a contest starts to seek a new queen. Esther is one of the women presented and ultimately Xerses' choice. Tensions arise between Xerses' right hand man Haaman and Esther's uncle Mordecai until the life of all Jews are threatened. My favorite part of the book is Mordecai's question to Esther which spurs her to take a risk: "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"(Esther 4:14)

I love how we see God working things out among his people for a return after the exile..... prompting the leaders of foreign nations to help rebuild Jerusalem and provide native leaders for oversight. It reminds me of the truth of what Paul wrote centuries later in Romans 8:31: "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Here is the schedule:

17, Sunday: Ezra 6-9

18, Monday: Ezra 10 - Nehemiah 3

19, Tuesday: Nehemiah 4-7

20, Wednesday: Nehemiah 8-11

21, Thursday: Nehemiah 12 - Esther 2

22, Friday: Esther 3-6

23, Saturday: Esther 7-10

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Bible Challenge 06/10 - 06/16

Greetings All!

This week we finish up the history of the kings of Judah to the time of exile, with the final chapters of II Chronicles. There are just three history books left before turning to the books of poetry. And actually the books of Ezra and Nehemiah used to be one book in the Hebrew Bible before being separated. Both of the books deal with the return of the Israelites from captivity in Babylon.

Next, we move to The Book of Ezra. This book consists of ten chapters. Chapters 1-6 cover the period from the decree of Cyrus the Great allowing the first return of exiles (about 538BC) to the completion and dedication of the new temple in Jerusalem (about 515BC). This part of the book is largely told in third person, as if someone is retelling what has been told to them. But chapters 7-10 are largely told in third person (presumably by Ezra himself), dealing with his mission to Jerusalem (about 465BC) and his struggle to purify the Jews from their inter-marriage with non-Jews.

Here is the schedule:

10, Sunday: II Chronicles 14-17

11, Monday: II Chronicles 18-21

12, Tuesday: II Chronicles 22-25

13, Wednesday: II Chronicles 26-29

14, Thursday: II Chronicles 30-33

15, Friday: II Chronicles 34-36; Ezra 1

16, Saturday: Ezra 2-5

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - Do you know the Apostles' Creed? Can you say the Apostles' Creed from memory? More importantly, do you know what each phrase of the Apostles' Creed means? This week we are continuing our preaching series based upon the Apostles' Creed, entitled Christianity 101. This creed is full of meaning, steeped in theology, and foundational for who we are not only as Protestants, but as United Methodists. During this nine week series, we will take this creed, piece by piece, and examine what it is we are truly saying when we recite it. This week we will look at the affirmation, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins". My prayer is that this will not only deepen your knowledge, but strengthen your faith as well. Bring a friend and come join us, as we all learn together!




2. Summer Music - With the summer months approaching we have an opportunity to offer all of you. If you are interested in providing special music for worship during these summer months or know someone who might be interested, please let Watson know. His contact information can be found in the Sunday bulletin.




3. 2012 Annual Conference - Next Wednesday, May 13th, through Saturday, May 16th, I will be away attending our Annual Conference. This is the annual gathering of all clergy and lay delegates from every church throughout the Florida Annual Conference. We will discuss various topics that affect our Conference so I ask that you be in prayer for us that God's will be followed and God's Spirit be listened to.




4. New Addition to the Blog - I am always looking for ways to increase the avenues of communication for our church family. That is one of the main purposes of this blog.

Therefore, I want to introduce you all to the Druid Hills UMC YouTube Channel. I have figured out how to take the audio of my sermons and upload them to YouTube. So anyone with an Internet connection can now log on at anytime and listen to the messages.

I will also post them right here to the blog so you can listen to them. Below is the one from last week's sermon on the Holy Spirit. I hope you enjoy and benefit from this new addition.




5. Historian Needed - If you are interested and passionate about recording the important events in the life our church, we have an opportunity for you! We are in need of a church historian to help chronicle the important events in our history. It does not require significant time, just a passion for the mission. If you are interested please see me and we will talk.


Have a great weekend and see you Sunday!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Midweek Moment

This past Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the dedication of the new lodge at our United Methodist youth camp in Leesburg. This newly renovated lodge, Barnett Lodge, sits atop the space where it's predecessor was located, for the past five plus decades.

I have many, many wonderful memories of time I spent in that lodge when I was a young boy. I remember playing games in the fellowship hall, buying candy at the canteen, and rocking in the rocking chairs overlooking the lake. I love our youth camp and the wonderful life-changing events that take place there. In fact, camp is where I accepted Jesus Christ into my life for the very first time.

So this past Saturday, we all gathered to dedicate the newly renovated lodge. By the way, the new building is gorgeous! There are now meeting rooms for small groups, adequate office space for the vital support staff, and more dining halls to accommodate the growing number of campers.

But more than all of that, was the purpose for why we were there. All of us had memories of camp. All of us have seen first hand the power of camp. All of us love that camp. As we were sitting in the fellowship hall for worship, our host, Rev. Bill Barnes, spoke to us about the cloud of witnesses. He spoke to us about the saints that had gone before us that made sure camp happened, that worked to give the Holy Spirit a place to move, as well as the people that had served so faithfully to give young people a place to sit with God.

It is so vital that we as believers continue to instill our faith in the next generation. It is extremely important that we speak out about our faith, live our faith publicly, and that we are always willing to spend time with others and tell them what our faith means to us.

So my challenge for you this week is this. Look for teaching opportunities. Be in prayer about ways you can volunteer your time and wisdom so the next generation is not left with a vacuum of faith stories and lessons. Maybe you volunteer with a civic organization like Guardian Ad Litem or Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Maybe you give of your time and talent to help create and build a children's program here at Druid Hills. I just encourage you to reach out. Teach what you know, give of your knowledge. You all have wisdom to give and lessons to impart. Be bold in that and help influence the next generation for the building of God's Kingdom. Together we can empower the next generation be a cloud of witnesses ourselves.

Blessings,

Sunday, June 3, 2012

CHRISTIANITY 101: I Believe in the holy catholic church - Ephesians 4:1-6 and Matthew 26:26-28





Introduction
Today we are going to continue our preaching series entitled Christianity 101, as we explore our faith using the Apostles' Creed as our guide. Thus far we have looked at an overview of the importance of this creed, and the first nine affirmations. Today we are going to look at the next affirmation, “I believe in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints” as we seek to understand the nature of the church and our relationship with other Christians the world over.

The Fair!
Growing up there were several annual events that I always looked forward to. One of those events was the Fall Fair, hosted by Nativity Catholic Church. Now this church was absolutely a mega church. The majority of my friends went there, their campus was enormous, and they ran an accredited K-12 school. In the 1980's, the city of Brandon was all about Nativity Catholic Church. It was very much a them (up here) and everyone else (down here). The word nativity was synonymous with Catholic.

So for me, when I attended worship in my United Methodist Church, and we recited the Apostles' Creed; when I read the line, I believe in the holy catholic church, I always thought I was saying I believed in Nativity Catholic Church. I thought it weird, but not enough to give it much thought. However, for some people, this line can cause some serious reservations.

Holy=Set Apart
So this morning I want us to spend some time looking at this affirmation to unpack what we really are saying. The first word we say in this affirmation is “holy”. To call something holy is to set that thing or institution apart. When we call ourselves holy we are saying we have been set apart and “the church has been set apart for righteousness, godliness and beauty.”1

As Wesleyans holiness is one of our central institutions. Last week we talked about how John Wesley saw a need for deeper religion and therefore started those holiness clubs with his brother Charles. He felt there needed to be more to our relationship with Christ than just attending church and making our faith another check on a to-do list. He felt, as Christians, we needed to practice disciplines like prayer, fasting, and Scripture reading. He felt that true religion, life-changing religion, happened not in corporate worship, not in a mass gathering, but in small groups where we can look each other in the eye and ask, “how is it with you soul?” and then have the opportunity to wait for the response. He felt that lives were changed when, with love, grace, and mercy, we had groups that enabled us to hold each other accountable in growing our relationships with Christ and with each other. You see, the church is holy, we are set apart as holy. However, “the church is not merely to be 'declared holy;' we are to be holy.”2 That means that we seek to understand Christ better each day. That means that we are to give that same grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love that Christ gave to us, to those people in our care. That means we are to listen first, speak second. That means that every word that comes forth from our mouths is steeped in love. That means we readjust our priorities from self- fulfillment and personal preference to be about the will and glory of God. Please hear me on this. We have become a society of self-centeredness. We seek out those things that we want and that we like and we put time, effort, and energy in to making them adapt to us. When instead, we should spend that time, effort, and energy in seeing what impact we can make in this world for Christ.

Out there, the world complains about trivial stuff; wall color, office size, and personal tastes. In here, we should celebrate what God is doing in our lives, ways we can feed the hungry, and support the needy. Out there it is about me first; my wants, my needs, my desires. In here, it is about how can I help you, support you, love you. You see the disconnect? Out there it is about me. In here, it is about God. Out there, me, me, me. In here God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We are set apart. And that should not only be in word, but evidenced by our attitudes. When people encounter us as the church, they should literally be left speechless at how different we are versus the world at large. And the fact that 65% of people in Marion County are not affiliated with any church, tells us that they are not. We have to do better. We have to improve.

catholic=universal
The next word in our affirmation this morning is the one that causes many people, significant concern. catholic. Everyone, please open your hymnal to page 881, find the word catholic in the phrase, “the holy catholic church”. Do you see the two asterisks? When you look down, you are given the word universal in italics. As you look back up you will also notice that word catholic is used with the lower case “c”. All of this means that we are professing a belief in the universal church, not the Roman Catholic Church.

“It is our confession that the Church of Jesus Christ has burst forth from the parochial, swaddling clothes of our Jewish origin and is now a global movement of all tongues, tribes and nations.”3 I was at a preaching conference many years ago and listening to a pastor describe church growth. He said that some pastors get so wrapped up in congregation size, that they lose focus on what church is really to be about. So he opened up an umbrella to use as a visual aid. He said you can stand anywhere underneath this umbrella and you will be as dry here as you are there. He said the universal church is like the umbrella; there is more than just one church that will lead you to Christ. There are many denominations, and many churches in each of those denominations that are all focused on building the Kingdom of God. We are all connected, striving to reach the same goal.

Therefore, for us to profess belief in the holy catholic church, means we believe in a church set apart from society, different from the affluent culture, that is universal, connected across countries, nations, and continents. A church where love is the driving force, grace is the language spoken, and mercy is ethical guide.

Communion of Saints
A connection that rings forth in the next affirmation, I believe in the communion of saints. This belief brings out and emphasizes our spiritual connection not only with our brothers and sisters across the world now, but also with those back through time. “Whereas the word catholic emphasizes our global identity with all Christians all over the world, the 'communion of the saints' emphasizes our spiritual connection with the Church throughout space and time.”4 It means we are all connected with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

This connection is spoken about in our first Scripture lesson. Listen again as the Apostle Paul talks about that connection as played out through the unity that we all should exhibit as the body of Christ, “I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:1-6, NRSV).

Conclusion
Folks, we are for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. We are the holy church set apart from this culture. We are to be different, act different, and speak different to one another.

We each have a job to do because of this. We each are called to live lives full of grace, mercy, and hope, because God has given each of us gifts full of grace, mercy, and hope. We are to be the place where people find acceptance, love, and hope.

I believe in the holy catholic church and the communion of saints. I believe in a church connected across time and space, set apart, and influential in bringing about the future hope and present reality that is the Kingdom of God.

--------------------------
1. Tennet, Timothy. This We Believe. Published by Seedbed, 2012.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.

Our New Addition

Greetings All!

I am always looking for ways to increase the avenues of communication for our church family. That is one of the main purposes of this blog.

Therefore, I want to introduce you all to the Druid Hills UMC YouTube Channel. I have figured out how to take the audio of my sermons and upload them to YouTube. So anyone with an Internet connection can now log on at anytime and listen to the messages.

I will also post them right here to the blog so you can listen to them. Below is the one from last week's sermon on the Holy Spirit. I hope you enjoy and benefit from this new addition.




Blessings!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Bible Challenge 06/03 - 06/09

Greetings All!

This week we are again staying in the history books as we finish up I Chronicles and go most of the way through II Chronicles. Chapters 23-29 finish telling the story of King David's reign. The book of II Chronicles details the reign of David's son King Solomon in chapters 1-9, before beginning to chronicle in chapters 10 and following, the history of the kings of Judah down to the time of the exile.

For many people, history can be a bit boring at times. For me it's always been fascinating. Especially the history of the Bible. These are our spiritual ancestors and their story is a part of ours. While we may not be the ACTUAL kings or queens of Israel and Judah, the Bible tells us that we share in Christ's inheritance as sons and daughters of the King. And from their example we can see the importance of making choices and how our choices affect those around us.

Here is the schedule:

3, Sunday: I Chronicles 15-18

4, Monday: I Chronicles 19-22

5, Tuesday: I Chronicles 23-26

6, Wednesday: I Chronicles 27 - II Chronicles 1

7, Thursday: II Chronicles 2-5

8, Friday: II Chronicles 6-9

9, Saturday: II Chronicles 10-13

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - Do you know the Apostles' Creed? Can you say the Apostles' Creed from memory? More importantly, do you know what each phrase of the Apostles' Creed means? This week we are continuing our preaching series based upon the Apostles' Creed, entitled Christianity 101. This creed is full of meaning, steeped in theology, and foundational for who we are not only as Protestants, but as United Methodists. During this nine week series, we will take this creed, piece by piece, and examine what it is we are truly saying when we recite it. This week we will look at the affirmation, "I believe in the holy catholic church". My prayer is that this will not only deepen your knowledge, but strengthen your faith as well. Bring a friend and come join us, as we all learn together!




2. Summer Music - With the summer months approaching we have an opportunity to offer all of you. If you are interested in providing special music for worship during these summer months or know someone who might be interested, please let Watson know. His contact information can be found in the Sunday bulletin.




3. 2012 Annual Conference Offering - Each year the Bishop takes up an offering at Annual Conference that highlights the mission of The United Methodist Church in its local and global connections. This year we want to give you the opportunity to contribute to this offering as you feel led. Seventy percent of the offering will strengthen the ministries of the East Angola Conference and the partnership between East Angola and Florida, and thirty percent will be given to Alfalit, which serves the United States and 21 other countries eliminating the human suffering caused by illiteracy. On Sunday, June 3, we will take a special offering to be presented to Bishop Whitaker during Annual Conference. If you feel lead to make a donation to this offering, make your check payable to DHUMC and mark, “Annual Conference Offering” in the memo field. If you prefer to give cash, place it in a pew envelope and mark, “Annual Conference Offering” on the outside of the envelope. As our Lord Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the good measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 (NIV)




4. Barnett Lodge Dedication - Tomorrow, Debbie, the boys, Robert Bledsoe (our summer intern), and myself will be traveling to Leesburg for the dedication of the new Barnett Lodge. This is the new camp hub, hosting offices, common spaces, the cafeteria, and fellowship hall. This should be a wonderful addition to a tremendous camp ground. We are excited to see how this will impact future campers and their experience of camp.




5. Historian Needed - If you are interested and passionate about recording the important events in the life our church, we have an opportunity for you! We are in need of a church historian to help chronicle the important events in our history. It does not require significant time, just a passion for the mission. If you are interested please see me and we will talk.


Have a great weekend and see you Sunday!