Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Readings for March 18, 25, and April 1

Hello Everyone,

My father was in the hospital this weekend due to an infection. After consultation with doctors and providers, my mother and sister decided, and I concur, that the best place for Dad right now was in hospice care. Yesterday, he was moved back to the nursing home where he was staying but instead of being under rehabilitative care he is now under hospice care. The doctors believe that he has a couple of weeks to live. I will be flying to Boise next Monday and will be gone for at least a couple of weeks.

As a result, the following scheduled items will be changed:

*Wednesday Lenten Services – We will have our final service tomorrow night, March 14. The services on March 21 and 28 are cancelled.

*Bible Study on Wednesday afternoon – Bible Study tomorrow ( #4 for GE and #3 for PUC). PUC study on the 21st is cancelled.

*Sunday worship on March 25 and April 1 will be led by pulpit supply (which I am working on finding)

I hope to be back to Minnesota during Holy Week so that I can celebrate Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter with you.

Here are the Scripture Lessons for the next several weeks without comment.

Wednesday, March 14
Matthew 6:1-24, and we may finish out the Sermon on the Mount with 6:25-7:29

Sunday, March 18 (Baptisms at both churches have been postponed due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts within the families)
Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 3:14-21

Sunday, March 25
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 51:1-12
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33

Sunday, April 1 – Palm and Passion Sunday
Liturgy of the Palms
Mark 11:1-11
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Liturgy of the Passion
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1-15:47

Have a great couple of weeks as you prepare to celebrate the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Gary Taylor

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Readings for Sunday, March 11, 2012

Hello Everyone,

I am sorry I had to miss worship with you this past Sunday. Food poisoning Friday night did me in all day Saturday. At around 6:00 PM I had to decide if I would feel well enough on Sunday morning and I just did not look good. Thanks to Rev. Alice Tobler for being willing to fill in for me.

Some announcements before I start. There will be Bible Study at GEUMC (1:00 PM) and PUC (3:00 PM) tomorrow afternoon and we will have Lenten Services tomorrow night (PUC at 6:30 and GEUMC at 8:00). We had a very light turn out at GE last week so I am hoping to see more of you there. Our scripture for tomorrow night is Matthew 5:21-48 and is part of my series on “Living the Sermon on the Mount”.

Don’t forget that this Saturday night we start Daylight Savings Time and we “Spring Forward” one hour.

Our lessons for this coming Sunday are:

Exodus 20:1-17 – The Ten Commandments; need I say more? Well, maybe. Who and what are the first four commandments about? What is the “Great Commandment” that would cover these four? What is the fifth commandment concerning? Who and what are the last five commandments about? What is the second “Great Commandment” that would cover these five? Which commandment contains a promise? Of the last five, why do you think the last one is the longest? What does it mean to “covet”? If you covet, which other commandments may come into play? In other words, if you covet something, what might you do to get it?

Psalm 19 – This psalm glorifies God for two things God give: Creation (verses 1-6) and Law (7-14). Who is speaking, or not speaking, about the glory of God in the first part? In verses 7-9, what are the six different ways the psalmists calls God’s Law good? What are the six things the Law does in these same verses? MEMORY VERSE: try memorizing verse 14.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 – As you read this passage, what, in your opinion, is the message of the cross? Would your friends and neighbors think that was foolish? What is the wisdom of this world and how is that different then God’s wisdom? What do we want from God that would be analogous to signs and wisdom? Who is the power and wisdom of God?

John 2:13-22 – Why do you think the writer of the Gospel of John put this story at the front of the Gospel? At what point does it occur in the other Gospels? Read the other Gospel versions: Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-19; and Luke 19:45-46. What are the similarities and what are the differences? Is Jesus angry in these four versions? What do the versions say about Jesus’ emotions at this time? Do we really know or do we simply fill in what we think Jesus’ emotional state was? What was Jesus’ feelings on how the Temple should be used and operated?

Have a great week reading the Bible! May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O God, my rock and my redeemer.