Greetings one and all,
November has turned our thoughts to Thanksgiving and all that
goes with that. We all have different traditions that go along with
Thanksgiving. For some, it means preparing the biggest feast of
the year. For others, it means getting ready to eat and eat the
feast of the year. Sometimes it means large family gatherings;
football; and making lists for Black Friday shopping excursions.
For each of us, Thanksgiving invites us to think about what it is
for which we are truly thankful. There are probably other times
we are thankful, but it is this time of year that we really focus on
it. There are those who write lists of what they are thankful for,
and those who spend time listing one thing they are thankful for
every day leading up to Thanksgiving, and more of us who share
words of thanksgiving around the table.
As I contemplate about thanksgiving -- not the day, but the
exercise of giving thanks – I spent time really thinking about how
I give thanks. After all, thanksgiving isn’t just a moment, but as I
shared with the young people’s message on Sunday, it’s a
lifestyle - Thanks-Living. It is this time of reflection that causes
me to realized that in my prayer time, I spend at least twice as
much time asking God for blessings (family, meal; help through
hardship, healing) than I do thanking God for all that is and all
that is yet to come.
To bring a better understanding of what it means to be thankful, I
turned to scripture. The apostle Paul is an incredible example of
someone who understood what it means to live his life in
Thanks-Living. Nearly every letter begins with words of thanks.
One example: ―I thank God always for you because of God’s
grace that was always given to you in Jesus Christ.ǁ‖ (1 Cor. 1:4)
Paul’s sense of Thanks-Living wasn’t limited to words, but flowed
through everything he said and did. He modeled it in how he
lived, revealing for us that Thanks-Living has hands and feet. In
this season of thanksgiving, my prayer is that each of us will
seek and find ways to live out Thanks-Living in every facet of our
lives– at home, at work, in our communities; in the way we speak
to one another, the way we share A Blessed thanksgiving to each and every one!. Pastor Elyse [if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter" /> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0" /> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" /> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t" /> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" style='position:absolute;left:0;text-­‐align:left;margin-­‐left:.95pt;margin-­‐
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Points
November 24, 2014 A Weekly Look at the Mission and Ministry of Journey
of Faith United Methodist
Church If you wish to be removed from the email list please send me an email. If you know of someone who is not on the list and should be or would like to receive it, please forward me their email. Let me know if this is something you would like to see continued in the weeks to come. P – Points O-­‐ Of I – Interest N – Now T – Told S – Simultaneously **Thought for Today** I just ordered a chicken and an egg off the internet to see which one comes first... Special Notes: Needs: we are in need of the needlepoint Cross in your Pocket to be made for our hospitality bags – if you would like to make some please let Pastor Elyse know and she will get you the pattern. The second is baptismal blankets – either crocheted or knitted are needed. We have had several baptisms this year and our supply is low. We have a pink and white one left. As you spend these cold days and nights ahead and would like to make one or more they will be greatly appreciated by the young ones who will receive them at their baptisms. Family Advent Candles -­‐ Bring in a candle to place in the front of the church during Advent. These candles will be lit during our church services beginning on Nov. 30th Prayer for the Week: Thanksgiving! What a wonderful holiday! How fitting it is,
Gracious God, that we have a day set aside to give thanks for all
the blessings we have received. Our ancestors declared a day of
worship to celebrate simply having enough to survive; we give
thanks for bounty well beyond the necessities of life. We are
blessed to be among those who have not only enough, but
enough to share. We rejoice at our blessing, Maker of All, and
pray that your spirit will lead us in an ardent effort to see that the
whole world shares I your abundant gifts. Amen Prayers of the community – Bishop Webb, the Upper New
York Annual Conference, the congregation of Journey of Faith
UMC, Noreen Ruttan, Thelma Johnson, Cindy Nocatra, Fred and
Jane, Stacy Place, Obed in Jerusalem, Israel and Palestine, the
church in Iraq and all its people, travel mercies, unspoken
prayers, Ann, Wayne, Gary, Eleanor Matteson, Bill, Tim Malone,
Barb, the people of Liberia and all of West Africa, Reuel Todd,
John Halleron, Rick and Jennifer, Kami Greenleaf, Terri Dean,
Bill Malone, Bruce Todd, Mary U. and family, Denise, Johnathan
Vieru, Ryan Berry and his family, Tracy, Sheila, Rev. Chuck
Forbes, Duane Kerfien, Ethel Johnson, families of Dale
Emmons, Tim Kennedy and Debbie P.,
Thought for this week!! – You Are a Work in Progress by
Rick Warren “This will continue until we are …. mature, just as Christ is, and
we will be completely like him.” (Eph. 4:13CEV) Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual
maturity is neither instant nor automatic; it is a gradual,
progressive development that will take the rest of your life.
Referring to this process, Paul said, “This will continue until we
are ... mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like
him” (Eph. 4:13 CEV). You are a work in progress. Your spiritual transformation in
developing the character of Jesus will take the rest of your life,
and even then it won’t be completed here on Earth. It will only be
finished when you get to Heaven or when Jesus returns. At that
point, whatever unfinished work on your character is left will be
wrapped up. The Bible says that when we are finally able to see
Jesus perfectly, we will become perfectly like him: “We can’t
even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do
know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him
as he really is” (1 John 3:2 NLT). Much confusion in the Christian life comes from ignoring the
simple truth that God is far more interested in building your character than he is anything else. We worry when
God seems silent on specific issues such as “What career should I choose?” The truth is, there are many
different careers that could be in God’s will for your life. What
God cares about most is that whatever you do, you do it in a
Christ-like manner (1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Corinthians 16:14;
Colossians 3:17, 23). God is far more interested in who you are than what you do. We
are human beings, not human doings. God is much more
concerned about your character than your career, because you
will take your character into eternity but not your career. The
Bible warns, “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that
you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on
God. You’ll be changed from the inside out .... Unlike the culture
around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity,
God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in
you” (Romans 12:2 MSG). You must make a counterculture decision to focus on becoming
more like Jesus. Otherwise, other forces like peers, parents, coworkers, and culture will try to mold you into their image. Sadly, a
quick review of many popular Christian books reveals that many
believers have abandoned living for God’s great purposes and
have instead settled for personal fulfillment and emotional
stability. That is narcissism, not discipleship. Jesus did not die on the cross just so we could live comfortable,
well-adjusted lives. His purpose is far deeper: He wants to make
us like himself before he takes us to Heaven. This is our greatest
privilege, our immediate responsibility, and our ultimate destiny. This week ahead ask yourself these questions and listen to your
answers: * In what areas or ways have you been more concerned with
what you are doing rather than who you are becoming? * In what ways have you become well-adjusted to your culture?
How do you react when following Jesus means moving away from comfort or stability? Worship Focus for November we finish our study in the Gospel of Matthew and look at the kingdom of God and begin the last Sunday in the Gospel of Mark and continue it through December November 23 – The scripture of the day is Matthew 25: 31 – 46. This is Christ the King Sunday. As the worshipers arrived on a late November morning at the Lutheran Church in Westbury New York, my home church as a youth, we were met by a rather disturbing sight. An apparently homeless beggar sat on the front steps of the church, wearing tattered clothing, a wool cap pulled down over his eyes, and clutching a bottle in fingerless gloves. We had never seen anything quite like this. Most people simply walked around the man, or stepped over him, as he sat there. Some muttered words of disapproval, and others suggested that the man move to another doorway before the Sunday School children arrived. One member told the man, that the Salvation Army was a more appropriate place to sleep it off. At one point, a kind woman brought the man a Styrofoam cup of hot coffee, but not one person asked the man to come in out of the cold, and certainly nobody invited him in to join them in worship. Imagine our surprise during the entrance hymn, when the homeless friend made his way into the pulpit; took off his cap, and we recognized that it was our pastor! He began his remarks saying: “I didn’t do this to embarrass you. I did it to remind us that this is a person that Jesus loves, and he has called us to love him.” In the gospel lesson that is ours this morning, Jesus is telling his disciples about the last days. At that time, Jesus says, the King will gather all the nations around the throne, and he will say to the sheep on his right; “When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me drink. When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me in. When I was sick and imprisoned, you cared for me.” And the people on the right were surprised; “Lord, when?” they asked. “When did we feed you, or give you drink, or clothe you, or welcome you, or care for you?” And Jesus said “Whenever you did it to one of the weak ones, you did it for me.” Then, Jesus said, the King will turn to the goats on his left and he will say to them, “And when I was hungry, you did not feed me, and when I was thirsty, you gave me nothing to drink. When I was naked, and a stranger, and sick, and imprisoned, you never reached out to me.” And the people on the left were equally surprised, “Lord, when? When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or a stranger, or sick, or imprisoned, and did not help you?” And the King answered “When you failed to help the least of people, you failed to help me.” This teaching of Jesus is so very different from all his other teaching in the Gospel of Matthew. In the previous chapters, Jesus is telling parables. But in this text, Jesus is looking into the future, explaining in graphic detail, what sort of judgment day awaits every one of us. It’s not a parable. It’s not a fairy tale. It is truth, coming right out of the mouth of Jesus. It tells us that God does, watch the way we live our lives, and the way we live matters. Jesus plainly says that one day, each of us will stand in line as the King points the way to eternity. Some will be directed to the right, and they will spend forever in the Kingdom of God. But others will be directed to the left, and eternity, for them, will be spent in hell. I know what you are probably thinking. We have heard the sermons on grace; we have heard God described as a loving and merciful King, ready to forgive our every sin. And now, you are wondering “Okay, Pastor, which way is it? Is God going to grant us grace, or is he going to hold our sins against us? Do we have to earn our way into the Kingdom, or will it be given to us as a gift?” This story about the sheep and the goats troubles us, because we thought we were sheep. But what if we’re a goat? It troubles us, because the stakes are high, and eternity lasts forever. Everything we have heard about God’s grace is true. God does, indeed, stand ready to forgive every sin and every act of disobedience. But God also has expectations of how God’s people are to live their lives. The followers of Christ will be generous, kind, and filled with compassion. It’s what the followers of Christ do. Giving and doing does not make us followers of Christ. Giving and doing proves that we are followers of Christ. Generosity and kindness and compassion are part of the DNA of a Christian. Once we recognize that God has claimed us as sons and daughters of the King, and once we realize that we will inherit everything the King has promised, then things in this world diminish in their value. The question that stands before us is this: What does our lifestyle say about us? According to Jesus’ words on this Christ the King Sunday, it seems to say this: We will recognize the sheep and the goats by the way they live their lives. Sheep graciously share what they have, paying attention to those who are in desperate need. Goats want to keep all they have to themselves. Sheep see others in distress, and they are moved to compassion. But goats see others in distress and they are moved to ignore. In short, when goats see an apparently homeless man, sitting on the steps of a church, they see a homeless man. When sheep see an apparently homeless man, sitting on the steps of a church, they see Jesus. What does each of us see? The needs of people are growing, so our ministry opportunities have grown, too. I trust this congregation of followers of Christ to love the people that Jesus loves, and that will be evident by our gifts and that they be transformed into deeds of kindness that can change the world. Because that’s what followers of Christ do. Thanks be to God. Amen. November 30 -­‐ The scripture of the day is Mark 13: 24 – 37. This is the first Sunday in Advent and we have moved into the Gospel of Mark. December 7: We will hear from a guest preacher – Rev. Bill Gottschalk -­‐ Fielding December 14: The scripture of the day is John 1:1-­‐8; The Gospel of John interpreted Jesus’s coming to the world as the Light and we will center our worship around the “Light’. December 21: The scripture of the day is Luke 1:26-­‐38 is where the angel asks Mary to bring the Son of God into the world. She agreed. Our worship will center around how God asks us to bring this Jesus into the world. December 24: The scripture of the day is Luke 1:26-­‐38 and once again we will spend time in Bethlehem. December 28: The scripture of the day is Luke 2:22-­‐40 and we will visit with Simeon and Anna in the temple in Jerusalem Mission Focus: *Mission of the Month: We are collecting hats, scarves and
mittens – all sizes and shapes for those who need to keep warm
this winter. **We “Set the Table” for the Food Pantry: for December –
boxes of cereal of all sizes and varieties Calendar for the week:
Thursday, November 27-­‐ 12-­‐2pm – A Community Thanksgiving Dinner for those who need a place to enjoy a meal and have a time of fellowship. Help would be appreciated if you are able from 8-­‐11 or 11-­‐3, see Linda Friday, November 28– 10am – Worship at Meadowbrook Manor Saturday, November 29 -­‐ 9am-­‐12pm – We begin to green the church for the Advent season. Many hands of all ages are encouraged to join in this work on the inside and outside of our church. Sunday, November 30– 9:15am – Sunday School; 10am -­‐ First Sunday in Advent: Worship with our Hanging of the Greens service -­‐ Family Advent Candles -­‐ Bring in a candle to be lit during our church services beginning on Nov. 30th Events coming up in the weeks ahead! Monday, December 1 – 7pm – Consecration Sunday Team, Church Council and Committee Chairpersons meet at Linda Samuels home with Rev. Bill Gottschalk-­‐Fielding. Wednesday, December 3– 6:30pm – Advent Bible Study – “Not A Silent Night” In this book, Adam Hamilton begins at the end, with Mary at the crucifixion and resurrection; travels back in time as she witnesses his life and ministry; and ends at the beginning, with the Christ child born in a stable, Mary’s beautiful baby. This year, experience Advent and Christmas with Mary. Friday, December 5– 12pm – Church Women United meets at St. Luke Apt with covered dish to pass and Christmas program Sunday, December 7– 9:15am – Sunday School; 10am – worship with Holy Communion. It is Consecration Sunday with a guest speaker – Rev. Bill Gottschalk-­‐Fielding – Director of Connectional Ministries of the Upper New York Conference. Following worship will be the Consecration Sunday Celebration luncheon – all are encouraged to make reservations and attend. 4-­‐ 6pm – Lake Effect Cooperative Ministries Advent Study at Mexico – “Unwrapped” Wednesday, December 10 -­‐ 7pm -­‐ Evening Torch meets at church. A cookie exchange will take place – bring a dozen – take a dozen (pkg in ½ dozen) Saturday, December 13 – 11:30-­‐1pm – Community lunch served. All are welcome to join in food & fellowship; 6pm – Live Nativity and Nativities by Candlelight – Nativities and people to portray the Nativity are needed. Please let Julie DeSacia or Pastor Elyse know if you can help out. Sunday, December 14– 9:15am – Sunday School; 10am -­‐ Second Sunday in Advent: worship; 12 -­‐2:30pm – Nativities by Candlelight; 4-­‐ 6pm – Lake Effect Cooperative Ministries Advent Study at Journey of Faith– “Unwrapped” I hope to see YOU on Sunday! Pastor Elyse May you wake each day with His blessings Sleep each night in His keeping And always walk in His tender care.