Sunday, February 10, 2013
Three Simple Rules: Stay in Love with God
John 21:15-17 and Colossians 2:6-7
This Sunday was also our Annual Scout Sunday! What a wonderful job done by all of these young men! We were so happy to have you with us!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Bible Challenge 02/10 - 02/16
Greetings All!
This week we finish up II Corinthians, and read through Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I Thessalonians and dip into the first chapter of II Thessalonians.
Galatians - The book of Galatians is thought to be Paul's earliest letter, corresponding with the events of Acts 11:30. Here he addresses a group of churches in a Roman province known as Galatia, now in modern-day Turkey. This letter mainly addresses the question of whether the Mosaic law is binding on Gentiles.
Ephesians - Here Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus (now Selcuk, Turkey) while he is imprisoned in Rome (about 62AD) to address the unity of the church between its many Jewish and Gentile believers. Ephesus was the second largest city in the Roman empire in Paul's day and home to one of the seven ancient wonders of the world (temple of Artemis). Paul started the church in Ephesus as recorded in Acts 18 and eventually he would send his young protege Timothy to serve as their pastor. One of my favorite passages is Paul's admonition in Ephesians 6 to put on the full armor of God.
Philippians - Philippians has a different tone than many of Paul's letters - it is written about 62AD to the church in Philippi (now Filippoi, Greece) which was one of the first church's that Paul ever started. From the tone of his letter, Philippi is often called Paul's "sweetheart" church. This also contains a verse of incredible hope: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13).
Colossians - Colossians is directed to the church at Colosse (now Honaz, Turkey) and was probably written during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome. Apparently, the church had been incorporating pagan elements into their practice including the worship of elemental spirits and Paul's letter declares Christ's supremacy over the entire created universe and reminds the believers to live godly lives.
I and II Thessalonians - The last two books this week are directed at the church of Thessalonica (which still exists today in Greece) and are written probably only months apart around 52AD. Paul only stayed with this church for a few weeks after beginning it and seems to be writing the first letter to encourage them in their faith and remind them of some important doctrines of the faith. Apparently there was some misunderstanding regarding the return of Christ and the second shorter letter appears to deal solely with correcting that understanding.
Here is the schedule:
10, Sunday: II Corinthians 12 - Galatians 2
11, Monday: Galatians 3-6
12, Tuesday: Ephesians 1-4
13, Wednesday: Ephesians 5 - Philippians 2
14, Thursday: Philippians 3 - Colossians 2
15, Friday: Colossians 3 - I Thessalonians 2
16, Saturday: I Thessalonians 3 - II Thessalonians 1
May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.
This week we finish up II Corinthians, and read through Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I Thessalonians and dip into the first chapter of II Thessalonians.
Galatians - The book of Galatians is thought to be Paul's earliest letter, corresponding with the events of Acts 11:30. Here he addresses a group of churches in a Roman province known as Galatia, now in modern-day Turkey. This letter mainly addresses the question of whether the Mosaic law is binding on Gentiles.
Ephesians - Here Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus (now Selcuk, Turkey) while he is imprisoned in Rome (about 62AD) to address the unity of the church between its many Jewish and Gentile believers. Ephesus was the second largest city in the Roman empire in Paul's day and home to one of the seven ancient wonders of the world (temple of Artemis). Paul started the church in Ephesus as recorded in Acts 18 and eventually he would send his young protege Timothy to serve as their pastor. One of my favorite passages is Paul's admonition in Ephesians 6 to put on the full armor of God.
Philippians - Philippians has a different tone than many of Paul's letters - it is written about 62AD to the church in Philippi (now Filippoi, Greece) which was one of the first church's that Paul ever started. From the tone of his letter, Philippi is often called Paul's "sweetheart" church. This also contains a verse of incredible hope: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13).
Colossians - Colossians is directed to the church at Colosse (now Honaz, Turkey) and was probably written during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome. Apparently, the church had been incorporating pagan elements into their practice including the worship of elemental spirits and Paul's letter declares Christ's supremacy over the entire created universe and reminds the believers to live godly lives.
I and II Thessalonians - The last two books this week are directed at the church of Thessalonica (which still exists today in Greece) and are written probably only months apart around 52AD. Paul only stayed with this church for a few weeks after beginning it and seems to be writing the first letter to encourage them in their faith and remind them of some important doctrines of the faith. Apparently there was some misunderstanding regarding the return of Christ and the second shorter letter appears to deal solely with correcting that understanding.
Here is the schedule:
10, Sunday: II Corinthians 12 - Galatians 2
11, Monday: Galatians 3-6
12, Tuesday: Ephesians 1-4
13, Wednesday: Ephesians 5 - Philippians 2
14, Thursday: Philippians 3 - Colossians 2
15, Friday: Colossians 3 - I Thessalonians 2
16, Saturday: I Thessalonians 3 - II Thessalonians 1
May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Friday Fives
1. Preaching Series - As followers of the The Way, of Jesus Christ, we seek to live a life directed by the will of God, the example of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. However, at times we fall short. We allow emotions, hurtful words, and/or a lack of grace to take us to a place we do not want to go, to a place where we do not wish to dwell. But there is a way out. Based upon Scripture, and fleshed out in the life, works, and teaching of John Wesley we are presented with Three Simple Rules; Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God.
Join us this week as we conclude this series and seek to better understand the rule of Stay in Love with God. These are rules simple in word but complex in application. I pray you will make plans to worship with us, and invite a friend, as we seek to change this world through the way we interact within it.
2. Interfaith Ministry - Each year we partner with Interfaith Ministries to provide a meal for the residents of their living facility. We get the chance to break bread with these people and share a wonderful time together. With that in mind, we need volunteers. The 2013 sign-up sheet is posted on the Connection Station. We are scheduled to provide the evening meal the second Friday of each month. It is a great idea to consider asking a friend or two to help you provide the meal. We need volunteers for April through December. If you have any questions, please contact Libby Orbison. This is a wonderful opportunity to be the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus Christ to another. I pray you will have the chance to be involved with this ministry this year.
3. Bread Ministry - We here at Druid Hills have a wonderful welcome ministry. From the bags prepared and given out by Bob Greene, to the way each of you extend the hand of hospitality to all who enter, corporately we have this gift. Marianne Bingham has offered us an idea to enhance this gift of ours, bread. We are beginning a bread ministry, where each Sunday one volunteer will sign up to bake several small loaves of bread for us to give to any that visit our church. I would ask that you each consider signing up for a few weeks. There is a sign up sheet at the Connection Station and there are recipes we can provide you that are quick and easy. This is such an easy thing that will go such a long way. I hope you each will give God the opportunity to use you in this way to bless another.
4. Ash Wednesday - As many of you know, Easter comes early this year, March 31st to be exact. That means our season of Lent will begin earlier as well. In order to help us enter into this season representing the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan, you will have two opportunities to gather for a time of prayer and worship on the first day of Lent. On Ash Wednesday, February 13th, from 12 PM – 1 PM, the Sanctuary will be open for you to come and observe a quiet time and space. You can come and sit in a pew or kneel at the altar rail. You can read Scripture, pray, or meditate. It will be your time to do that which helps you draw closer to God. I will be there to pray with you, if you desire, as well as to place ashes on your forehead when you are ready to leave. I hope you will make plans to take advantage of this opportunity. We will also have a service that evening at 6 P.M. in the Sanctuary. During this service, we will read Scripture and I will deliver a message entitled, “Who’s the Good Guy?” Invite a friend and I hope to see you all there.
5. Easter Tableau - It’s time to start thinking about the Easter Tableau, which will be on Thursday, March 28 and Friday, March 29. There will be sign-up sheets on the Connection Station beginning about the middle of February. Your help will be needed in the scenes and also making refreshments to help defray the kitchen costs. Each scene needs to have a coordinator, so if you would like to volunteer to be a coordinator for one of the scenes, please let us know. If you would like to assist in any of the various areas; such as scene set-up, costumes, make-up, sound, lighting, etc., please let us know. Please be in prayer for a successful 2013 Easter Tableau. If you have any questions, please contact Eunice Reid. Thank You!
Bonus Five - This Sunday, 02/10, is our Annual Scout Sunday Celebration. We will have participants from the different Scouting Troops and Packs we sponsor, involved in worship, as we express our thankfulness for the way these programs and leaders mold these young minds.
Therefore, I am asking each of you to consider bringing something for the Fellowship Lunch after worship. We are expecting anywhere from 40-80 extra people, and we want to make sure we have enough food. Our hospitality is one of our greatest assets and we have a wonderful opportunity to share that this Sunday.
See you Sunday!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Midweek Moment
I am not a poetry aficionado by any stretch. But I do enjoy those pieces that speak to me. I can appreciate the beauty that comes from these written words that weave together a new understanding for me and help to uncover a new insight. I found one of those pieces recently. It is entitled “Fire” and is written by Judy Brown. As you can find a quiet time I invite you to read it.
Fire
What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight can squelch a fire,
can douse the flames
almost as surely
as a pail of water can.
So building fires
requires tending in a special way,
attention to the wood
as well as to the spaces in between,
so fire can catch, can grow, can breathe,
can build its energy and warmth
which we so need in order
to survive the cold.
We need to practice
building open spaces
just as clearly as we learn
to pile on the logs.
It’s fuel, and absence of the fuel together,
that make fire possible,
lets it develop in the way
that’s possible when we lay logs
in just the way the fire wants to go.
Then we can watch it as it leaps and plays,
burns down and then flames up
in unexpected ways.
Then we only need to lay a log on it
from time to time.
Then it has life all its own,
a beauty that emerges
not where logs are
but where spaces can invite the flames
to burn, to form exquisite patterns of their own,
their beauty possible
simply because the space is there,
an opening in which the flame
that knows just how it wants
to burn can find its way.
We pack life in so tightly sometimes. Volunteer opportunities, church meetings, sporting events, social gatherings, scheduled in so tightly there is no quiet time. Quiet time is where we can find God. Quiet time is where we can sit and listen for God. If we are going all the time, packing our logs in to tightly, our flames will surely be doused.
I invite you to take some time this week and think about how you may be dousing your fire. Where do you have life packed in too tightly? What practices can you use to build open spaces in your life? What is at risk if you do not pack in the logs of life? What beauty is wanting to emerge from your fire, from your life?
Do not miss the beauty of life. Do not miss the creation of God, because there is no breathing space. God has created this world for you, to be with you, to talk with you, to simply sit with you. I invite you to find that time, build that space, so you and God can be together. You will not regret it.
Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!
Fire
What makes a fire burnis space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight can squelch a fire,
can douse the flames
almost as surely
as a pail of water can.
So building fires
requires tending in a special way,
attention to the wood
as well as to the spaces in between,
so fire can catch, can grow, can breathe,
can build its energy and warmth
which we so need in order
to survive the cold.
We need to practice
building open spaces
just as clearly as we learn
to pile on the logs.
It’s fuel, and absence of the fuel together,
that make fire possible,
lets it develop in the way
that’s possible when we lay logs
in just the way the fire wants to go.
Then we can watch it as it leaps and plays,
burns down and then flames up
in unexpected ways.
Then we only need to lay a log on it
from time to time.
Then it has life all its own,
a beauty that emerges
not where logs are
but where spaces can invite the flames
to burn, to form exquisite patterns of their own,
their beauty possible
simply because the space is there,
an opening in which the flame
that knows just how it wants
to burn can find its way.
We pack life in so tightly sometimes. Volunteer opportunities, church meetings, sporting events, social gatherings, scheduled in so tightly there is no quiet time. Quiet time is where we can find God. Quiet time is where we can sit and listen for God. If we are going all the time, packing our logs in to tightly, our flames will surely be doused.
I invite you to take some time this week and think about how you may be dousing your fire. Where do you have life packed in too tightly? What practices can you use to build open spaces in your life? What is at risk if you do not pack in the logs of life? What beauty is wanting to emerge from your fire, from your life?
Do not miss the beauty of life. Do not miss the creation of God, because there is no breathing space. God has created this world for you, to be with you, to talk with you, to simply sit with you. I invite you to find that time, build that space, so you and God can be together. You will not regret it.
Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Bible Challenge 02/03 - 02/09
Greetings All!
This week we finish the final chapter of Romans, read all the way through I Corinthians and most of the way through II Corinthians.
I Corinthians was written from Ephesus (16:8), a city on the west coast of today's Turkey, about 180 miles by sea from Corinth. According to Acts of the Apostles, Paul founded the church in Corinth (Acts 18:1-17), then spent approximately three years in Ephesus. The letter was written during this time in Ephesus, which is usually dated as being in the range of 53 to 57 AD. Corinth was the meeting point of many nationalities because the main current of the trade between Asia and western Europe passed through its harbors. Paul's first visit lasted nearly two years and his converts were mainly Greeks. In the first epistle, he mainly concentrates on addressing some divisions in the church, some problems with immorality and teaching about marriage, Christian liberty, worship and resurrection.
In between I and II Corinthians, Paul visited Corinth another time (a painful visit) and wrote at least one other letter that is now lost. It would seem that the situation in Corinth was still complicated and Paul felt attacked. He defends himself with some of his important teachings - forgiving others, God's new agreement that comes from the Spirit of the living God, the importance of being a person of Christ and giving generously to God's people in Jerusalem and finally ends with his own experience of how God changed his life.
Here is the schedule:
3, Sunday: Romans 16 - I Corinthians 3
4, Monday: I Corinthians 4-7
5, Tuesday: I Corinthians 8-11
6, Wednesday: I Corinthians 12-15
7, Thursday: I Corinthians 16 - II Corinthians 3
8, Friday: II Corinthians 4-7
9, Saturday: II Corinthians 8-11
May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.
This week we finish the final chapter of Romans, read all the way through I Corinthians and most of the way through II Corinthians.
I Corinthians was written from Ephesus (16:8), a city on the west coast of today's Turkey, about 180 miles by sea from Corinth. According to Acts of the Apostles, Paul founded the church in Corinth (Acts 18:1-17), then spent approximately three years in Ephesus. The letter was written during this time in Ephesus, which is usually dated as being in the range of 53 to 57 AD. Corinth was the meeting point of many nationalities because the main current of the trade between Asia and western Europe passed through its harbors. Paul's first visit lasted nearly two years and his converts were mainly Greeks. In the first epistle, he mainly concentrates on addressing some divisions in the church, some problems with immorality and teaching about marriage, Christian liberty, worship and resurrection.
In between I and II Corinthians, Paul visited Corinth another time (a painful visit) and wrote at least one other letter that is now lost. It would seem that the situation in Corinth was still complicated and Paul felt attacked. He defends himself with some of his important teachings - forgiving others, God's new agreement that comes from the Spirit of the living God, the importance of being a person of Christ and giving generously to God's people in Jerusalem and finally ends with his own experience of how God changed his life.
Here is the schedule:
3, Sunday: Romans 16 - I Corinthians 3
4, Monday: I Corinthians 4-7
5, Tuesday: I Corinthians 8-11
6, Wednesday: I Corinthians 12-15
7, Thursday: I Corinthians 16 - II Corinthians 3
8, Friday: II Corinthians 4-7
9, Saturday: II Corinthians 8-11
May God add his richest blessings to the reading, the hearing and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Friday Fives
1. Preaching Series - As followers of the The Way, of Jesus Christ, we seek to live a life directed by the will of God, the example of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. However, at times we fall short. We allow emotions, hurtful words, and/or a lack of grace to take us to a place we do not want to go, to a place where we do not wish to dwell. But there is a way out. Based upon Scripture, and fleshed out in the life, works, and teaching of John Wesley we are presented with Three Simple Rules; Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God.
Join us this week as we seek to better understand the rule of Do Good. These are rules simple in word but complex in application. I pray you will make plans to worship with us, and invite a friend, as we seek to change this world through the way we interact within it.
2. Interfaith Ministry - Each year we partner with Interfaith Ministries to provide a meal for the residents of their living facility. We get the chance to break bread with these people and share a wonderful time together. With that in mind, we need volunteers. The 2013 sign-up sheet is posted on the Connection Station. We are scheduled to provide the evening meal the second Friday of each month. It is a great idea to consider asking a friend or two to help you provide the meal. We need volunteers for April through December. If you have any questions, please contact Libby Orbison. This is a wonderful opportunity to be the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus Christ to another. I pray you will have the chance to be involved with this ministry this year.
3. Bread Ministry - We here at Druid Hills have a wonderful welcome ministry. From the bags prepared and given out by Bob Greene, to the way each of you extend the hand of hospitality to all who enter, corporately we have this gift. Marianne Bingham has offered us an idea to enhance this gift of ours, bread. We are beginning a bread ministry, where each Sunday one volunteer will sign up to bake several small loaves of bread for us to give to any that visit our church. I would ask that you each consider signing up for a few weeks. There is a sign up sheet at the Connection Station and there are recipes we can provide you that are quick and easy. This is such an easy thing that will go such a long way. I hope you each will give God the opportunity to use you in this way to bless another.
4. Ash Wednesday - As many of you know, Easter comes early this year, March 31st to be exact. That means our season of Lent will begin earlier as well. In order to help us enter into this season representing the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan, you will have two opportunities to gather for a time of prayer and worship. On Ash Wednesday, February 13th, from 12 PM – 1 PM, the Sanctuary will be open for you to come and observe a quiet time and space. You can come and sit in a pew or kneel at the altar rail. You can read Scripture, pray, or meditate. It will be your time to do that which helps you draw closer to God. I will be there to pray with you, if you desire, as well as to place ashes on your forehead when you are ready to leave. I hope you will make plans to take advantage of this opportunity. We will also have a service that evening at 6 P.M. in the Sanctuary. During this service, we will read Scripture and I will deliver a message entitled, “Who’s the Good Guy?”Invite a friend and I hope to see you all there.
5. Easter Tableau - It’s time to start thinking about the Easter Tableau, which will be on Thursday, March 28 and Friday, March 29. There will be sign-up sheets on the Connection Station beginning about the middle of February. Your help will be needed in the scenes and also making refreshments to help defray the kitchen costs. Each scene needs to have a coordinator, so if you would like to volunteer to be a coordinator for one of the scenes, please let us know. If you would like to assist in any of the various areas; such as scene set-up, costumes, make-up, sound, lighting, etc., please let us know. Please be in prayer for a successful 2013 Easter Tableau. If you have any questions, please contact Eunice Reid. Thank You!See you Sunday!
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