Church News (Page 13)
Women of LJUMC Ring in the New Year with Retreat led by June Dillinger
This past weekend twenty-two of us shared in a wonderful (though somewhat wet), retreat. Our presenter, June Dillinger, Margie Herrick’s daughter, came from Honolulu to challenge and inspire us, and she did just that! We enjoyed wonderful accommodations and delicious food, but, more importantly, we enjoyed camaraderie, companionship, and the comforting presence of members of our church family. Next year will see a new retreat with a new presenter, but with the old expectations of a worthwhile and inspiring weekend. …
Notes on “Have the Same Mind”
In the weeks after Christmas, we are in the season of Epiphany. This begins with the arrival of the Magi which we consider the first glimpse of God’s incarnation to the world. As we continue this series, we move from Paul’s beautiful affirmation of the church community in Corinth and into his gentle reminder that they still have work to do. Even in naming that these faithful Christians have all the gifts necessary to do the work of the church,…
Book Talk Update
Happy New Year to all you readers! Earlier this month, Cindy Rushing presented two well known nonfiction books by authors Cheryl Strayed and Bill Bryson who hiked, respectively, the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails. Both books were filled with adventure, sometimes harrowing and often very funny. We recommend them to you, whether or not you are a seasoned hiker. On Tuesday, February 1, at 2pm, in the Fireside Library, we welcome Jean Thomas who will present Geraldine Brooks’ newest novel,…
Notes on “Not Lacking”
In the weeks after Christmas, we are in the season of Epiphany. This begins with the arrival of the Magi which we consider the first glimpse of God’s incarnation to the world. Paul’s opening to his first letter to the church in Corinth begins with effusive affirmation. Paul reminds the faithful members of the community that they are good enough, smart enough, and worthy (and our SNL fans will see a fun reference here). As the church, we too may…
Notes on “The Water’s Fine”
In the weeks after Christmas, we are in the season of Epiphany. This begins with the arrival of the Magi which we consider the first glimpse of God’s incarnation to the world. This first week of our series feels like the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. John the Baptist has been proclaiming the forgiveness of sins in baptism, and Jesus arrives to be baptized as well. This baptismal tradition continues today, and in the United Methodist tradition we consider this…
Notes on “The Gifts of the Gentiles”
This Advent season, we prepare our hearts for Christmas with a series guided by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine’s Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent. This week concludes our Advent series and looks forward to our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. Please invite family, neighbors, and friends to join in any and all of our vibrant Worship services! As we look forward to these, we continue the story of Advent with a change. The previous three weeks have…
Notes on “The Journey of Joy”
This Advent season, we prepare our hearts for Christmas with a series guided by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine’s Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent. We place a great deal of value on traditions. We discussed this some in this series’ opening message on Elizabeth and Zechariah. Very often there is good reason for tradition! And sometimes it’s helpful to remember what is tradition and what may be behind a tradition. This is not to dishonor a tradition, but…
Notes on “The Meaning of Memory”
This Thanksgiving Sunday begins our Advent season as we prepare our hearts for Christmas and remember the light of Christ in our lives. We begin with Elizabeth and Zechariah, and an angel making an unexpected prediction. The story is familiar to us as we remember telling upon telling of this story, as we remember Christmas after Christmas. The tradition of storytelling is ancient. We all have family stories and Christmas traditions. Perhaps there’s a family recipe or a special gathering…
Notes on “Scoffers on a Hill”
In these last few weeks of the liturgical year, we journey through Luke’s Gospel and seek the face of Jesus. This is the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year and we will celebrate Christ the King Sunday. What does it mean to speak of the Christ who reigns, or Christ the king? I believe that Jesus redefines what it means to be king. The one who reigns over us is the one who was tried as a criminal, who was…
Notes on “Open-Mouthed Tourists”
In these last few weeks of the liturgical year, we journey through Luke’s Gospel and seek the face of Jesus. What are you distracted by? That’s a question underlying our text this week. What is it that draws your attention away from your call to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world? This is not to say that followers of Jesus aren’t allowed to enjoy the beauty and wonder that this world has to offer. Indeed,…
Notes on “Band of Puzzlers”
In these last few weeks of the liturgical year, we journey through Luke’s Gospel and seek the face of Jesus. This week’s reading may be familiar as a group of religious leaders come to Jesus with a question about resurrection. They come with their own beliefs (or in this case non-beliefs) about resurrection, and we might imagine the difficulty of how to appropriately respond. This feels like an adversarial conversation; at least from one side of it. But perhaps one…
Notes on “PlusOne: Gifts”
Each year, we consider the overarching stewardship–the ways we are spiritually inspired caretakers–of this church and this faith community. We are guided in this conversation over the month of October by the United Methodist membership vows: to support the ministries of the Church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. We continue with gifts and in doing so look into our rich Wesleyan history. John Wesley famously gave a sermon entitled “The Use of Money,” published in…