OUR WEEK-FEBRUARY 20TH-FEBRUARY 26TH

REMINDERS —
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH —
ESTHER CIRCLE - ADAIR U.M.C. @ 7 P.M.MARTHA CIRCLE - CASEY U.M.C. @ 7 P.M.≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH —
DEBORAH/MARY CIRCLE @ 2 P.M. - CASEY U.M.C.DEXTER U.M.C. HOSTS "LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS"
@ 7 P.M.A FINANCIAL PEACE PROGRAM TO HELP YOU
GET BACK ON TRACK. STARTS AT 7 P.M.
WOULD YOU LIKE A RIDE? CALL NAOMI AT
ABC PARISH OFFICE IN CASEY: 641-746-2210
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH —
SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
COLOR: GREEN

SCRIPTURE READINGS:
LEVITICUS 19:1-2, 9-18
(The Message)
This defines and outlines Social holiness; how we
are to treat each other. Love your neighbor, as
you love yourself. In an agrarian economy, such as
ancient Israel's, loving neighbors as ourselves first
of all meant leaving part of the crops for the poor
to gather food (gleaning) for themselves and their
families. This meant not stealing from anyone,
(gleaning was not stealing!), not swearing to
falsehoods, not defrauding neighbors, paying
employees on time, never making fun of any
disabled person, but caring for them, exercising
judgment in disputes without regard for economic
status, not slandering, not taking advantage of
others, and never taking vengeance against your
own people. This is a timeless code of ethics as
relevant today as it was then.
1 God spoke to Moses:
2 "Speak to the congregation of Israel. Tell them:
Be holy because I, God, your God, am holy.
9 "When you harvest your land, don't harvest right
up to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings
from the harvest. 10 Don't strip your vineyard bare or go back and pick
up the fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the
foreigner. I am God, your God.
11 "Don't steal. "Don't lie. "Don't deceive anyone.
12 "Don't swear falsely using my name, violating the
name of your God. I am God.
13 "Don't exploit your friend or rob him. "Don't hold
back the wages of a hired hand overnight.
14 "Don't curse the deaf; don't put a stumbling block
in front of the blind; fear your God. I am God.
15 "Don't pervert justice. Don't show favoritism to
either the poor or the great. Judge on the basis of
what is right.
16 "Don't spread gossip and rumors. "Don't just stand
by when your neighbor's life is in danger. I am God.
17 "Don't secretly hate your neighbor. If you have
something against him, get it out into the open;
otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt.
18 "Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against any
of your people. Love your neighbor as yourself.
I am God."
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PSALM 119:33-40 (UMH 840)
(The Message)
33 God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the
course.
34 Give me insight so I can do what you tell me - my
whole life one long, obedient response.
35 Guide me down the road of your commandments;
I love traveling this freeway!
36 Give me a bent for your words of wisdom, and not
for piling up loot.
37 Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate
me on the pilgrim way.
38 Affirm your promises to me - promises made to all
who fear you.
39 Deflect the harsh words of my critics - but what you
say is always so good.
40 See how hungry I am for your counsel; preserve
my life through your righteousness.
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I CORINTHIANS 3:10-11, 16-23
(The Message)
Paul continues the building metaphor, and
expands it to remind these Christians that they
are the temple of God and so must revere who
God has made them and be grateful for all leaders
who lay or build on the foundation of Christ, not
destroy one another. So what does all of this have
to do with quilting? Ask a quilter! Or go to a
quilting bee. Make a solid foundation and then
search wide-ranging creativity to build on it?
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
10 Using the gift God gave me as a good architect,
I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls.
Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care
to build on the foundation!11 Remember, there is only one foundation, the one
already laid: Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:16-23
16 You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of
God, and God himself is present in you?
17 No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple,
you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred - and
you, remember, are the temple.
18 Don't fool yourself. Don't think that you can be wise
merely by being up-to-date with the times.
19 Be God's fool - that's the path to true wisdom. What
the world calls smart, God calls stupid. It's written in
Scripture, He exposes the chicanery of the chic.
20 The Master sees through the smoke screens of the
know-it-alls.
21 I don't want to hear any of you bragging about
yourself or anyone else. Everything is already yours as
a gift -
22 Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the
present, the future - all of it is yours,23 and you are privileged to be in union with Christ,
who is in union with God.
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MATTHEW 5:38-48
(The Message)
The nearing of the kingdom of God means we are to
(and now can!) treat those who harm us, oppressors
and enemies very differently from the way we may
have been trained.
38 "Here's another old saying that deserves a second
look: 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.'
39 Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I
propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you,
stand there and take it.
40 If someone drags you into court and sues for the
shirt off your back, gift-wrap your best coat and make
a present of it.
41 And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use
the occasion to practice the servant life.
42 No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
43 "You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your
friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.'
44 I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your
enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the
worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond
with the energies of prayer,45 for then you are working out of your true selves,
your God-created selves. This is what God does. He
gives his best - the sun to warm and the rain to nourish
- to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice
and nasty.
46 If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a
bonus? Anybody can do that.
47 If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do
you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does
that.
48 "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're
kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your
God-created identity. Live generously and graciously
toward others, the way God lives toward you.
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST —
This is Presidents Day
Pastor Lynn's and Naomi's day off.
Office is closed today.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 —
Adair Morning Bible Study from 9 to 11 A.M.
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY
He was Commander and Chief of our Continental Army
from 1775 to 1783 as we fought the Revolutionary
War for the INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA. Washington presided over the
Constitutional Convention that drafted our United States
Constitution in 1787. It is written that he always regretted
not completing his education and regularly spent many
hours in the library trying to catch up with all he missed.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD —
ABC AD Council Meeting - Adair U.M.C. @ 6:30 P.M.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH —
MORNING BIBLE STUDY - CASEY U.M.C.-9:30-10:30≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
FUTURE FOCUS —
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27th, Casey U.M.C. will
host a "FAITH FEST." Time is from 3 to 5 P.M. We
are incorporating music from all over the area. Each
congregation is invited to bring individual musicians,
choirs, combined parish music or small group music.
We are very flexible. (We would love a praise band
or contemporary group.)
The music is coordinated by:
Ann Kruse
641-332-2408 (office number)
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WORLD DAY OF PRAYER IS FRIDAY, MARCH 4.
The 2011 focus of this international and ecumenical
women's day of prayer is Chile.
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A PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT
by Safiyah Fosua, GBOD

O God,
Let it not be said
That the way of peace cannot prevail against the
evils of violence
That people of peace must resort to violence to
Champion a righteous cause, or
That peaceful resistance is futile.

Be with the people of Egypt today and in days to
come
As they hold fast to what they believe is right
As they speak truth to power
As they resist — even with their lives
For the sake of their children and
those who will be born in years to come.

We pray with decision makers everywhere —
that peace will demonstrate itself to be stronger
than evil,
that love will prove stronger than violence.
We appeal to you, O God, knowing that the
entire world is in your hands and that you care
about the shalom of people everywhere.
Have mercy, God, and grant your peace.
Amen.
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The people of Egypt have spoken. They
want Democracy and a new constitution.
We pray for their guidance through these
uncertain times. Our predecessors made
a similar choice nearly 250 years ago, but
the established protocol at that time was
far less embedded.
Don't forget to keep our camp choices in mind.
Thank you for your contributions this week. One day
soon we will say, “Yes indeed! Spring is coming!”

God Bless and Keep You,
Pastor Lynn