OUR WEEK - OCTOBER 2ND-OCTOBER 8TH

REMINDERS —
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH —
ABC AD Council Meeting: Casey U.M.C. @ 7 P.M.
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OCTOBER 1, 2011
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION MONTH≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2ND —
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
COLOR: GREEN
HOLY COMMUNION TODAYTODAY IS WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY.
A special offering today supports scholarships
for racial and ethnic minority United Methodists
in the U.S. and worldwide.
At a time when scholarship applications have
been denied because of reduced giving, your
support of this offering this year is particularly
critical. Offerings for World Communion were
$912,720 in 2010, down from $1.2 million in 2007.
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SCRIPTURE READINGS:
EXODUS 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
(The Message)
In the hearing of the frightened people of Israel,
Moses received the Ten Commandments.
EXODUS 20:1-41 God spoke all these words:
2 I am God, your God, who brought you out of the
land of Egypt, out of a life of slavery.
3 No other gods, only me.
4 No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of
anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk
or swim.
EXODUS 20:7-9
7 No using the name of God, your God, in curses
or silly banter; God won't put up with the irreverent
use of his name.
8 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Work six days and do everything you need to do.
EXODUS 20:12-20
12 Honor your father and mother so that you'll live
a long time in the land that God, your God, is
giving you.
13 No murder.
14 No adultery.
15 No stealing.
16 No lies about your neighbor.
17 No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife
or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your
heart on anything that is your neighbor's.
18 All the people, experiencing the thunder and
lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking
mountain, were afraid - they pulled back and
stood at a distance.
19 They said to Moses, "You speak to us and
we will listen, but don't have God speak to us or
we'll die."
20 Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid.
God has come to test you and instill a deep and
reverent awe within you so that you won't sin."
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PSALM 19 (UMH 750)
(The Message)
As thunder and earthquake surround the
giving of the law, the heavens proclaim the
glory of God.
1 God's glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft
on exhibit across the horizon.
2 Madame Day holds classes every morning,
Professor Night lectures each evening.
3 Their words aren't heard, their voices aren't
recorded,
4 But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth
is spoken everywhere. God makes a huge dome
for the sun - a super dome!5 The morning sun's a new husband leaping from
his honeymoon bed, The day breaking sun an
athlete racing to the tape.
6 That's how God's Word vaults across the skies
from sunrise to sunset, Melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith.
7 The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives
together. The signposts of God are clear and point
out the right road.
8 The life-maps of God are right, showing the way
to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy
on the eyes.
9 God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with
a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are
accurate down to the nth degree.
10 God's Word is better than a diamond, better
than a diamond set between emeralds. You'll like
it better than strawberries in spring, better than
red, ripe strawberries.11 There's more: God's Word warns us of danger
and directs us to hidden treasure.
12 Otherwise how will we find our way? Or know
when we play the fool?
13 Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day
fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I
can take over your work; Then I can start this day
sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
14 These are the words in my mouth; these are
what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I
place them on the morning altar, O God, my
Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar.
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PHILIPPIANS 3:4-14
(The Message)
Paul declares his pedigree and his
accomplishments, but says none of that is
as important to him as knowing Christ.
Apparently, part of the conflict damaging the
community in Philippi involved people seeking
to claim superior credentials. Paul undercuts
that here. The only credential that matters to
him, and, he argues, should matter to any
Christian, is being found in Christ. This is
what Paul recommends: Never claim to have
it all together, forget the past, strain toward
God's future, and keep their eyes on Christ's
calling alone. Everything else is distraction,
destruction, or as Paul calls it in Greek,
"skubala" (dung).
4 even though we can list what many might think
are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree:
5 a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day;
an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict
and devout adherent to God's law;
6 a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even
to the point of persecuting Christians; a meticulous
observer of everything set down in God's law Book.
7 The very credentials these people are waving
around as something special, I'm tearing up and
throwing out with the trash - along with everything
else I used to take credit for. And why?
Because of Christ.8 Yes, all the things I once thought were so
important are gone from my life. Compared to the
high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my
Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had
going for me is insignificant - dog dung. I've
dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace
Christ
9 and be embraced by him. I didn't want some
petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes
from keeping a list of rules when I could get the
robust kind that comes from trusting Christ -
God's righteousness.
10 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know
Christ personally, experience his resurrection
power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the
way with him to death itself.
11 If there was any way to get in on the resurrection
from the dead, I wanted to do it.
12 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I
have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out
for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out
for me.
13 Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I
count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my
eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us
onward - to Jesus.
14 I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
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MATTHEW 21:33-46
(The Message)
This week we hear the second parable. Jesus
tells of the wicked tenants. After a farmer had
leased his farm to tenants, they refused to
recognize anyone he sent to collect his produce.
They even killed his son when he came to them.
Jesus implies that the tenants' continued and
sometimes violent refusal to release the harvest
to the landowner was because they wanted the
land for themselves. Killing the son was about
the most ridiculous means to try to obtain the
land or the son's inheritance for themselves one
could think of. Jesus tells his detractors that the
"stone that the builders rejected" has become
the cornerstone.
33 "Here's another story. Listen closely. There was
once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a
vineyard. He fenced it, dug a wine press, put up a
watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands
and went off on a trip.
34 When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent
his servants back to collect his profits.
35 "The farmhands grabbed the first servant and
beat him up. The next one they murdered. They
threw stones at the third but he got away.
36 The owner tried again, sending more servants.
They got the same treatment.
37 The owner was at the end of his rope. He
decided to send his son. 'Surely,' he thought, 'they
will respect my son.'
38 "But when the farmhands saw the son arrive,
they rubbed their hands in greed. 'This is the heir!
Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.'
39 They grabbed him, threw him out, and killed him.40 "Now, when the owner of the vineyard arrives
home from his trip, what do you think he will do to
the farmhands?"41 "He'll kill them - a rotten bunch, and good
riddance," they answered. "Then he'll assign the
vineyard to farmhands who will hand over the profits
when it's time."
42 Jesus said, "Right - and you can read it for
yourselves in your Bibles: The stone the masons
threw out is now the cornerstone. This is God's
work; we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it!
43 "This is the way it is with you. God's kingdom
will be taken back from you and handed over to a
people who will live out a kingdom life.
44 Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered;
whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed."
45 When the religious leaders heard this story, they
knew it was aimed at them.
46 They wanted to arrest Jesus and put him in jail,
but, intimidated by public opinion, they held back.
Most people held him to be a prophet of God.
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3RD —
This is Pastor Bob's and Naomi's day off.
The office is closed today.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4TH —National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness
Recovery and Understanding.≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5TH —
Adair U.M.W. Salad Supper @ 6 P.M.≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
Commemorating "Season of Saints,"
October 2nd we acknowledge:
Christian Saint: Francis of Assisi
(died October 4, 1226)October 9th we will acknowledge:
United Methodist Saint: Mary McLeod Bethune
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• • HORN OF AFRICA CRISIS • •Severe drought in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya
has put millions of people and animals at risk.
• UMCOR is working with partners ACT Alliance,
Church World Service, and Global Medic in
SOMALIA, KENYA, and ETHIOPIA to provide
food, clean water, and shelter for those have
been displaced and are living in refugee camps
because of drought and hunger in the
Horn of Africa.
To learn more or to donate, visit UMCOR's
website - - Horn of Africa Crisis.
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PROBLEM: Access to the suffering territories is
very difficult to attain and WFP has had many
workers killed in Somalia ——
giving good reason to exercise great caution.
• Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government
(TFG) is an administration that is so weak and
marginalized, it's initial purpose seems to be
to keep out anyone fighting the famine.The UN’S WORLD FOOD PROGRAM (WFP) is
an organization with the genuine stamina to
bring aid many people, but it has struggled
constantly to secure required guarantees needed
to enter al-Shabab territories. Al-Shabab has
killed many Assistance Workers and has kept
assistance aid from moving in.
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Pray for the people of Ethiopia, Somolia, Kenya,
and all areas of the earth living in famine. Check
with UMCOR to see what we might do.
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God Bless and Keep You,
Pastor Bob