Monday, August 15, 2016

Readings for Sunday, August 21, 2016

Hello Everyone,

This coming Sunday is "Church at Birch" for Grey Eagle UMC. Worship begins at 9:00 AM at John and Janet Roe's home located at 11057 County Road 47, one mile south of the church. There will be shuttle rides from the church beginning at 8:30 AM. Following the service there will be a potluck brunch. Church members are tasked with the potluck and everyone else can "Be our Guest, be our Guest, put our service to the test. . . ." (name the movie this comes from). Church members are also asked to bring a guest, so please invite and bring a former church member, a family member, a co-worker, a friends, or, more on the wild side, ask and bring an enemy!

This coming Sunday will be week 6 in our 11 week sermon series "A Future with Hope." This week's topic will be "The Building". Our texts will be:

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16 - Paul argues for the unity of the church but not uniformity. We are together, in all our diversity, one church - the body of Christ. He begins by calling all people to live a life worthy of being a follower of Christ: humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with each other in love, and working to maintain unity in the "Spirit in the bond of peace" (verses 1-3). There is but one body and one Spirit, one calling in hope, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, and one God, Father of all (verses 4-6). Now then, we have all been grace according to Christ's gift (verse 7). Verses 8-10 are an Old Testament quote and Paul's explanation. Verses 11 and 12 are a list of the gifts we have been given to us and the purpose for those gifts: to build up the Body of Christ until we reach a mature faith. We should no longer be children in faith but by speaking truth in love (a phrase often misused) we must grow up in Christ. When this happens and all are working together there will be, there is unity in Christ. So, what part of the Body of Christ, the church, are you? What is your function?

Luke 13:10-17 - Once again Jesus is at church. Actually, teaching at the synagogue on Saturday, the Sabbath. A woman show up who has been crippled, bent over by a spirit, for 18 years. Jesus calls her over, declares that she is set free, lays his hands on her, and she stands up straight. Aghast, the leader of the synagogue objects saying that there are six other days to heal. Jesus calls him a hypocrite and says that he takes his mule to the watering hole on the Sabbath, therefore, should not a daughter of God be set free on the Sabbath. The leader is put to shame and the crowds cheer (rejoice). So, when is it OK to break the rules, the commandments?

Have a great week, serving God and neighbor.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Gary Taylor

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