OUR WEEK-SEPTEMBER 4TH - SEPTEMBER 10TH

REMINDERS —
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31ST —
SPRC MEETING IN CASEY U.M.C. @ 7 P.M.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST —
• • • THIS IS LABOR DAY WEEKEND • • •
GUTHRIE COUNTY FAIR BEGINS≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH —
TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
COLOR: GREEN
DON'T FORGET - ADAIR WORSHIP SERVICE WILL
BEGIN AT 9:00 - SET YOUR ALARM CLOCK! WE HAVE HOLY COMMUNION THIS MORNING.
SCRIPTURE READINGS ARE:
EXODUS 12:1-14
(The Message)
This reading from Exodus 12 offers the longest
sustained description and theological analysis
of the festivals of Passover and Unleavened
Bread found in the Bible. God instructs Moses
and Aaron in preparation for
"The Passover of YHWH" and for its observance
throughout all generations.
1 God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt,
2 "This month is to be the first month of the year for
you.
3 Address the whole community of Israel; tell them
that on the tenth of this month each man is to take
a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house.
4 If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it
with a close neighbor, depending on the number of
persons involved. Be mindful of how much each
person will eat.
5 Your lamb must be a healthy male, one year old;
you can select it from either the sheep or the goats.
6 Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this
month and then slaughter it - the entire community
of Israel will do this - at dusk.
7 Then take some of the blood and smear it on the
two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which
you will eat it.8 You are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire, that
night, along with bread, made without yeast, and
bitter herbs.
9 Don't eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make
sure it's roasted - the whole animal, head, legs,
and innards.
10 Don't leave any of it until morning; if there are
leftovers, burn them in the fire.
11 "And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully
dressed with your sandals on and your stick in
your hand. Eat in a hurry; it's the Passover to God.
12 "I will go through the land of Egypt on this night
and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt,
whether human or animal, and bring judgment on
all the gods of Egypt. I am God.
13 The blood will serve as a sign on the houses
where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over
you - no disaster will touch you when I strike the land
of Egypt.
14 "This will be a memorial day for you; you will
celebrate it as a festival to God down through the
generations, a fixed festival celebration to be
observed always.
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PSALM 148 OR PSALM 149 (UMH 861)
(The Message)
PSALM 148
1 Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven, praise him
from the mountaintops;
2 Praise him, all you his angels,praise him, all you his warriors,3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, you
morning stars;4 Praise him, high heaven, praise him, heavenly
rain clouds;5 Praise, oh let them praise the name of God -
he spoke the word, and there they were!
6 He set them in place from all time to eternity;
He gave his orders, and that's it!
7 Praise God from earth, you sea dragons, you
fathomless ocean deeps;8 Fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes
obeying his orders;9 Mountains and all hills, apple orchards and cedar forests;10 Wild beasts and herds of cattle, snakes, and
birds in flight;11 Earth's kings and all races, leaders and
important people,
12 Robust men and women in their prime, and
yes, graybeards and little children.
13 Let them praise the name of God - it's the
only Name worth praising. His radiance exceeds
anything in earth and sky;
14 he's built a monument - his very own people!
Praise from all who love God! Israel's children,
intimate friends of God. Hallelujah!
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• ROMANS 13:8-14
(New International Reader's Version)
Paul exhorts the Romans to "owe no one
anything except to love one another; for the
one who loves another has fulfilled the law."
Love, Because the Day Is Near
8 Pay everything you owe. But you can never pay back all the love you owe
each other. Those who love others have done
everything the law requires.
9 Here are some commandments to think about.
"Do not commit adultery." "Do not commit murder."
"Do not steal." "Do not want what belongs to
others." These and other commandments are all
included in one rule.
Here's what it is. "Love your neighbor as you love
yourself."
10 Love does not harm its neighbor. So love does
everything the law requires.
11 When you do those things, keep in mind the
times we are living in. The hour has come for you
to wake up from your sleep. Our full salvation is
closer now than it was when we first believed in
Christ.
12 The dark night of evil is nearly over. The day
of Christ's return is almost here. So let us get rid
of the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor
of light.
13 Let us act as we should, like people living in the
daytime. Have nothing to do with wild parties. Don't
get drunk. Don't take part in sexual sins or evil
conduct. Don't fight with each other. Don't be jealous
of anyone.
14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ as your
clothing. Don't think about how to satisfy what your
sinful nature wants.
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MATTHEW 18:15-20
(The Message)
Jesus gives instructions on dealing with conflict
between church members, speaks of binding
and loosing, and promises his presence where
two or three are gathered in his name to deal
with conflicts that have outgrown personal
efforts to resolve them.
15 "If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him
- work it out between the two of you. If he listens,
you've made a friend.
16 If he won't listen, take one or two others along
so that the presence of witnesses will keep things
honest, and try again.
17 If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't
listen to the church, you'll have to start over from
scratch, confront him with the need for repentance,
and offer again God's forgiving love.
18 "Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes
in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you
say to one another is eternal. I mean this.
19 When two of you get together on anything at all
on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in
heaven goes into action.
20 And when two or three of you are together
because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH —
THIS IS LABOR DAY —
SIT DOWN AND TAKE A LOAD OFF
This is Pastor Bob's and Naomi's day off.
Office is closed today.≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH —
Adair United Methodist Women will meet at 1:30 P.M.
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FUTURE FOCUS —
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH —
"Welcome" Potluck for Pastor Bob Dvorak.
In Casey U.M.C. after services. Everyone welcome.
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Iowa Hosts the NOMADS Annual Meeting

The NOMADS annual meeting will be held at the
Winnebago, River Oaks Rally Grounds,
Forest City, IA. Official dates are
September 19-23, but we invite you to join us to
learn what NOMADS is all about from
September 17-23.
There will be a business meeting, seminars.
There will be local tours as well as time to visit.

NOMADS is a mission outreach ministry of the
United Methodist Church, but all denominations
are welcome. NOMADS provide new construction,
remodeling and repairs for churches, children's
homes, camps, colleges, outreach missions and
disaster recovery. Team members do maintenance,
cleaning, painting, and electrical, drywall, sewing,
etc.
They have been very busy this year.
If you have questions, please call:
Bill & Judy Schatz, 319-357-8054 (home)
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FROM BISHOP JULIUS C. TRIMBLE'S BLOG
Blessed are the peacemakers

I took my seat by the window as the Delta flight

readied for take-off from Des Moines, IA. A very
energetic young man sat next to me. He was in
constant conversation, joking and laughing with
five other young people seated in rows across
and in front of me. He was about my same height
and weight (when I was a senior in high school!).
The handsome, freckled-faced young man leaned
over and said, “I’m a little nervous. It’s my first flight.”
You will be just fine, I assured him. He, the two
young women and three young men, appeared to
be late teens to early twenties,
(none of them older than 21).

My new friend said he was from “Oskee”…and said
it with pride. The bantering, teasing and laughing
continued among these friends as we taxied to
take-off. No more than ten minutes after take-off,
my nervous friend was sound asleep. As we
approached the Atlanta airport he awoke. I asked
him a question with my answer already implied. Are
you young folks on a school trip for the Thanksgiving
holiday? “No, we are headed to Jackson for basic.”
Basic, these children, some who probably could not
vote in the most recent presidential election, were
headed to “basic training” in the US Army.

So it is with our young in America, as it is around
the world. The innocence and laughter, anxiety and
excitement, were all so evident that day. Their
parents and friends had said their good-byes, as
these young men and women volunteered to serve
their country and risk their lives. I said a prayer
silently as we exited the plane, as a woman seated
behind me wished them good luck and thanked
them.

I do not know if a year from now they will be in
harm’s way in Afghanistan or some other place far
from Iowa. I do know they are precious to God and
that peace often seems elusive and costly to the
young.

May God bless these young soldiers and keep them
safe. This season of hope, I hunger for peace that
includes the absence of war.

“He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords in plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.”
Isaiah 2:4, NRSV

——— Bishop Julius C. Trimble ———

God Bless and Keep You,
Pastor Bob