Saturday, June 26, 2010

Tuesday, June 22, 2010


The Sermon
A little girl became restless as the preacher's sermon dragged on and on. Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered, "Mommy, if we give him the money now, will he let us go?"
SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS




Thirteenth Week of the Year

Monday of the Thirteenth Week (Matthew 8: 18-22) The price of discipleship is identification with the Lord. Not to be burdened down with the things of the world, not to buy into the materialistic value system that is so prevalent in the world, to have the courage to be free, these are the challenges which the disciple faces. To make Him the priority in life is the path of the disciple. This is counter culture. The disciple will do things which other people do not understand, the disciple must walk a different road.


Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week (Matthew 8:23-27) Faith must always be fresh. The danger is that it will become clouded, other things come into our hearts. As times goes by we start taking it for granted, complacency comes into our lives. We believe, we trust, but the belief and trust become relative to other “beliefs” and “trusts”. The youth of the gift must always be treasured.


Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week (Matthew 8:28-34) We are still being formed into the image of the Lord. The work is far from complete. The children of the light, have dark sides. The part that has not yet been touched by the Lord. This is the part which is still in rebellion, still holding onto the selfishness, pride and blindness. It is the part of us that has to be healed, the part from which the demons must be expunged.


Thursday of the Thirteenth Week (Matthew 9:1-8) Miracles seen to be so distant from our age. With the advances in medicine who needs miracles. We have science. We miss the miracles which take place all around us, the miracles of


God coming into the lives of people. The miracle of faith in our own lives. Things which can not be explained except for the power of God.


Friday of the Thirteenth Week (Matthew 9:9-13) We do not want to be weak. We want to be strong in our faith, our relationship to the Lord. This is good, the way we should feel. But hidden in this noble desire also has to be the awareness that we sit around the table of the Lord, enjoy His friendship, not because of our strength but because of our weakness. We come to Him carrying our weakness, we share His table because of the need for forgiveness, for His mercy in our lives.


Saturday of the Thirteenth Week (Matthew 9:14-17) The continuing process of bringing the “new person” into existence means a certain letting go of the past. Habits, ways of thinking, attitudes which are incompatible with the Gospel have to go. This is the revolution of the mind of which Paul speaks. Our hearts gradually become one, we look at the old person and become astounded that God has done such marvelous works.

Friday, June 18, 2010

THIS WEEK

The Parable of the Good Samaritan for children. Very nicely done. Remember the old saying: if a sermon is good for children it is better for adults.
Twelfth Week of the Year

Monday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 7:1-5) There are times when we have to judge, good and bad, appropriate and inappropriate. It must always be done without hatred. The judgment must always be corrective not destructive. There is also the invitation to share common weakness. Have I done the sin which now I must correct? If not that particular sin certainly one of the same magnitude. First look at my own weakness than the weakness of the other and in my heart ask the person to travel with me.

Tuesday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 7:6,12-14) What is holy? What are the pearls? Certainly we can look at Baptism as “holy” certainly we can look at the dogmas of our Faith as the “pearls”. The dogs are those who would not respect the holy, the swine are those who would trample the truth. It is so easy to look outside for the dogs and swine but more devastating are the “dogs and swine” within us. Not to value our Baptism as a way of life in covenant with God, not to treasure the truths which God has told us, these are all casting away the holy and the pearls.

Wednesday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 7:15-20) Once again the temptation is to look outside to find the false teachers. It is true many times this has to be done. So often we teach ourselves false things. We teach ourselves about hatred, envy and revenge. We go to a strange school inside of our hearts where lessons of destruction are taught instead of the truth of life. It is a constant challenge to listen to the correct voice speaking within us. To break through the static so that we may indeed listen to the one Voice of truth.

Thursday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 7:21-29) Our Baptism is a consecration into doing the will of God. The prayers we say, the acts of obedience to the Commandments we perform, all those things which we call “religious” are but the means of opening ourselves to what God wants of us. We can not get the “means” and the “end” confused. Prayer is the means of knowing the will of God, we can not pray without saying: Lord, enlighten my heart, give me the faith, hope and love to do your will.

Friday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 8:1-4) Trusting God is so difficult. When we trust we put ourselves into the hands of someone else. We loose the thing which we desire the most, control. So many times we say we trust God but then go about telling God how to do His job. It is, if I may use a strange word, a “controlled-trust”. The leper did not succumb to this temptation “If will to do so, you can cure me” No conditions, no telling the Lord how to do his job, the complete letting go of any control.

Saturday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 8:5-17) Once again a model of trust. Trust in the power of the Lord. There is no demand, there is no putting on the Lord a human condition “you have to come” just the unconditional availability to what He wants to do. In the healing He shows the power of His word. He combines act and word. He taught on the Mountain, and by these acts gives credence to His word.

Thirteenth Week of the Year
Twelfth Week of the Year

Monday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 7:1-5) There are times when we have to judge, good and bad, appropriate and inappropriate. It must always be done without hatred. The judgment must always be corrective not destructive. There is also the invitation to share common weakness. Have I done the sin which now I must correct? If not that particular sin certainly one of the same magnitude. First look at my own weakness than the weakness of the other and in my heart ask the person to travel with me.
Tuesday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 7:6,12-14) What is holy? What are the pearls? Certainly we can look at Baptism as “holy” certainly we can look at the dogmas of our Faith as the “pearls”. The dogs are those who would not respect the holy, the swine are those who would trample the truth. It is so easy to look outside for the dogs and swine but more devastating are the “dogs and swine” within us. Not to value our Baptism as a way of life in covenant with God, not to treasure the truths which God has told us, these are all casting away the holy and the pearls.
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 7:15-20) Once again the temptation is to look outside to find the false teachers. It is true many times this has to be done. So often we teach ourselves false things. We teach ourselves about hatred, envy and revenge. We go to a strange school inside of our hearts where lessons of destruction are taught instead of the truth of life. It is a constant challenge to listen to the correct voice speaking within us. To break through the static so that we may indeed listen to the one Voice of truth.

Thursday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 7:21-29) Our Baptism is a consecration into doing the will of God. The prayers we say, the acts of obedience to the Commandments we perform, all those things which we call “religious” are but the means of opening ourselves to what God wants of us. We can not get the “means” and the “end” confused. Prayer is the means of knowing the will of God, we can not pray without saying: Lord, enlighten my heart, give me the faith, hope and love to do your will.

Friday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 8:1-4) Trusting God is so difficult. When we trust we put ourselves into the hands of someone else. We loose the thing which we desire the most, control. So many times we say we trust God but then go about telling God how to do His job. It is, if I may use a strange word, a “controlled-trust”. The leper did not succumb to this temptation “If will to do so, you can cure me” No conditions, no telling the Lord how to do his job, the complete letting go of any control.

Saturday of the Twelfth Week (Matthew 8:5-17) Once again a model of trust. Trust in the power of the Lord. There is no demand, there is no putting on the Lord a human condition “you have to come” just the unconditional availability to what He wants to do. In the healing He shows the power of His word. He combines act and word. He taught on the Mountain, and by these acts gives credence to His word.

Friday, June 11, 2010



Eleventh Week of the Year


Monday of the Eleventh (Matthew 5:38-42) What is apparent is not the real message. Passivity in the face of evil is not the Gospel message. The Gospel is always in confrontation with evil. This is exactly what the message is, that evil will not be overcome with evil, but with good. Our lives present many opportunities to insert the Gospel into the world, a world which so often is drifting away from God. It is not telling us to be silent, but on the contrary to speak out. It is asking us to be merciful in the true sense of the word, to correct that which has gone astray.


Tuesday of the Eleventh Week (Matthew 5:43-48) To state the obvious, we are not perfect. What this means when we look ourselves is that forgiveness has a long way to go within us. To forgive rings throughout the Gospels. To receive the forgiveness which God offers, to forgive others, to forgive ourselves …it is the imperative and at the same time the most difficult. We are reminded that forgiveness is not a “one shot” thing but is a road. Be perfected implies a journey. The Gospel is asking us to be open to the power of the Spirit within us molding a forgiving heart.


Wednesday of the Eleventh Week (Matthew 6:1-6,16-18) To take what belongs to someone else is something most of us never do. To say that which belongs to some else is mine is wrong. However, taking from God is something we all do. The good that we do, prayer, almsgiving, and the little acts of penance, are really God’s possessions. It is His work within us. To claim that good that we do as our own is saying to God that what is His is mine. St. Francis once said that the only thing we can truly claim as our own is our sins.


Thursday of the Eleventh Week (Matthew 6: 19-23) What are some of the basics of prayer? It is a gift. We can not pray unless God gives us the power to. We turn to God only because He has turned to us first. Prayer reminds us of our poverty. The expressions we use “I prayed” “I like to pray” can be so misleading. They sound as if it is we, when really it is the Spirit of God praying within us. Prayer, is the most humbling of acts, because it takes us out of the center and places God there.


Friday of the Eleventh Week (Matthew 6:19-23) The real danger in possessing things is that eventually they possess us. Things get turned upside down. The desire for things, money, power, prestige, can be a devil within us taking away our humanity. The paradox is that the very things left uncontrolled are looked upon as success and yet what price the human heart has had to pay. The desire to have more and more eats away at the heart and takes from it the ability to say those words which really are heart opening, thank you.

Saturday of the Eleventh Week (Matthew 6:24-34)…Once again we are reminded that we are not what we have but rather in which direction is the core of our heart turned. To be freed of the concerns of life, is something which the Lord did not promise us. The question is do we make them the end all and the be all of our lives. Do they drown us into the pit of despair? I think the Lord in this message of trust is telling us that there is always hope. The flow of life can at times bring heart break, shattered dreams, the pressure of paying bills, of seeing loved ones go astray, but inside of all the sadness there is a voice: I am with you.
Church Bulletin Bloopers
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
Evening massage - 6 p.m.
The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
The audience is asked to remain seated until the end of the recession.
Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door.
Ushers will eat latecomers.
The third verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
The Rev. Merriwether spoke briefly, much to the delight of the audience.
The pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, "Break Forth Into Joy."
During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.
Next Sunday Mrs. Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on "It's a Terrible Experience."
Due to the Rector's illness, Wednesday's healing services will be discontinued until further notice.
Stewardship Offertory: "Jesus Paid It All"
The music for today's service was all composed by George Friedrich Handel in celebration of the 300th anniversary of his birth.
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the church basement on Friday at 7 p.m. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
The concert held in Fellowship Hall was a great success. Special thanks are due to the minister's daughter, who labored the whole evening at the piano, which as usual fell upon her.
22 members were present at the church meeting held at the home of Mrs. Marsha Crutchfield last evening. Mrs. Crutchfield and Mrs. Rankin sang a duet, The Lord Knows Why.
A song fest was hell at the Methodist church Wednesday.
Today's Sermon: HOW MUCH CAN A MAN DRINK? with hymns from a full choir.
Hymn 43: "Great God, what do I see here?"
Preacher: The Rev. Horace Blodgett
Hymn 47: "Hark! an awful voice is sounding"
On a church bulletin during the minister's illness: GOD IS GOOD Dr. Hargreaves is better.
Potluck supper: prayer and medication to follow.
Don't let worry kill you off - let the church help.
The 1997 Spring Council Retreat will be hell May 10 and 11.
Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Peter's Pence Collection Helps Needy People Around The World
WASHINGTON—The Peter’s Pence Collection will be taken up in most Catholic parishes the weekend of June 26 - 27. This year’s theme, “Cast the love of Christ upon the world,” focuses on the relationship between solidarity and love.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Tenth Week of the Year

Monday of the Tenth Week (Matthew5:1-12) Who is Jesus speaking about when He proclaims these Beatitudes? He is telling us of Himself. Everything which Jesus places before us is simply He telling us who He is before the Father and inviting us to be the same. The Beatitudes are the image Jesus sees of Himself in a spiritual mirror and wishes to gather up all in the same reflection.
The beatitudes go beyond “things to do” they are the voice of Christ beckoning us to be who we are meant to be. They are the points of identification with Him. They touch not the peripheral of our being, as so many actions, but seep into the very core of our personality and in so doing slowly change us into the image of Christ.
The beatitudes are gifts. We can not be the poor in spirit the peacmakers , the clean of heart without the working of the Spirit of God within us. There are just too many rough edges in who we are...selfishness, pride, anger, envy...the captial sins. The Spirit comes and replaces pride with fear of the Lord, the Spirit works within us and takes anger and forms it into meekness, he takes the spiritual laziness which we experience and gives us the courage to overcome the difficulties...the beatitudes in short is the Father, through the Spirit forming us as clay in His hand into the image of His son.
For the serious minded patience is necessary. We want the portrait to be finished, at times we tire of carrying the baggage of a broken humanity and wish that the work of the Spirit would be finished. Discouragement may set in...just remember that God is far from finished with you yet and He is still working. We may not feel this working, there may even be some rather strong evidence that God is on a holiday. We must listen to the hand on the clay and not become impatient with God.

Tuesday of the Tenth Week (Matthew5:13-16) What is the place of the disciple in the world? Jesus uses two very common elements, salt and light to answer the question. Salt was used to both flavor and to preserve food. These two symbolic meanings are very important. A disciple preserves the meaning of life from the deadening mildew of cynicism, the salt of a living faith adds a youthful zest to life in which dreams are constantly unfolding, where there is always a reason to get out of bed and to look forward with almost child like anticipation to the day. Salt is the gift of being able to dream which the disciple gives to the world. Light doesn’t change anything, it just permits us to see. A strange room is dark. The unknown makes us a little frightened...we turn on the light and find the room is quite comfortable. A feeling of relief comes and we start enjoying the room. It was the same before and after the light went on. Fear was done away with because of the light.
The role of the disciples is to act as an agent of doing away with the fears which can capture, enslave and finally deaden the human spirit. Our faith sheds light on the sometimes fearsome darkness of human existence and in so doing if not doing away with the” feeling” of fear does knock down the walls of feared inspired inaction. To be a light is shine on the darkness which breeds this fear so that people may walk in the freedom of love, and not slavery of fear.

Wednesday of the Tenth Week (Matthew 5:17-19) Jesus is the person of fulfillment, the one who testifies to the faithfulness of God in keeping His promises. He ties up all the strands of history, the different paths become one when we look at Him. How closely He guarded His tradition. He could not fulfill if He was not implanted in the past. He could not stop there. He had to bring out from the past, the seed, the flower. Without the seed there is no flower at least in the plan of God, but at the same time Jesus had to fill in what was missing. All the designs on the balloon were not clear, they had to filled out. This was the task of Jesus to blow up the balloon of God’s plan so that all could see it. If anything is taken from it the plan becomes difficult to decipher

Thursday of the Tenth Week (Matthew 5:20-26) Holiness is not simply the avoidance of evil and following the law, it is a submission to the will of God. The physical act of murder is one which most people avoid doing, but the anger, resentment envy or jealously which prompt this are parts of our existence. It is these feelings which tongue imparts exceeds that of an ordinary weapon. It is the tongue which so often expresses the anger which brings about “murder”...to respect life means not only the physical life but the emotional, psychological and all those which go to make life what it is. Just imagine if all the hurtful words were done away with, how much more would people be able to live.

Friday of the Tenth Week (Matthew 5: 27-32) There is so much pornography, images bombard us throughout the day, TV, magazines, adds all seem to conspire to imprint on our minds images which can lead to sin. What we see enters our mind, and memory. They create needs within us, we want the things we see. To be careful of what we look at. Not everything is worth seeing. Not everything should enter of minds.

Saturday of the Tenth Week of the Year (Matthew 5:33-37) Truth is such a precious thing. It tells us what the real world is. That is the basic definition of truth: conformity to reality. There are so many forces in the world militating against truth. The so called “spin doctors” have as their job the very manipulation of truth to suit the best interests of some group. The simple is hidden under a barrage of words aimed at confusing. The real is attacked so fiercely that we stand the danger of living in an “unreal” world. The simplicity of truth will always stand as a challenge to the world.