WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST —
Dorcus-Ruth Circle: ADAIR U.M.C. @ 1;30 P.M.
Esther Circle: ADAIR U.M.C. @ 7 P.M.
Martha Circle: Casey U.M.C. @ 7 P.M.
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SEPTEMBER 15TH TO OCTOBER 15TH —
SPANISH HERITAGE MONTH
National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates andrecognizes the contributions Hispanic Americans
have made to American society and culture and to
honor five of our Central American neighbors who
celebrate their independence in September.
Latin American countries of Costa Rico, El Salvador,Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua as well as
Mexico’s INDEPENDENCE DAY is September 16.
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First Day of Autumn
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FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
COLOR: GREEN
SCRIPTURE READINGS: EXODUS 17:1-7
(The Message)
This is the wilderness, the desert, a wild place.
This is not a "settled" place by any stretch.
Things don't always work smoothly, or for long.
Things can get dangerous. People can survive
on limited food for a time. They cannot survive
without water. The people quarrel with Moses at
Rephidim because there is no water. The Lord
tells Moses to strike the rock at Horeb with his
rod. Moses names the place Massah & Meribah.
1 Directed by God, the whole company of Israel
moved on by stages from the Wilderness of Sin.
They set camp at Rephidim. And there wasn't a
drop of water for the people to drink.
2 The people took Moses to task: "Give us water
to drink."
But Moses said, "Why pester me? Why are youtesting God?"
3 But the people were thirsty for water there. They
complained to Moses, "Why did you take us from
Egypt and drag us out here with our children and
animals to die of thirst?"
4 Moses cried out in prayer to God, "What can I do
with these people? Any minute now they'll kill me!"
5 God said to Moses, "Go on out ahead of the
people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel.
Take the staff you used to strike the Nile. And go.
6 I'm going to be present before you there on the
rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water
will gush out of it and the people will drink."
7 He named the place Massah (Testing-Place) andMeribah (Quarreling) because of the quarreling of
the Israelites and because of their testing of God
when they said, "Is God here with us, or not?"
———————————————————————PSALM 78:1-4, 12-16 (UMH 799)
(The Message)
Psalm 78:1-4
1 Listen, dear friends, to God's truth, bend your ears
to what I tell you.
2 I'm chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I'll let you
in on the sweet old truths,
3 Stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we
learned at our mother's knee.
4 We're not keeping this to ourselves, we're passing
it along to the next generation - God's fame and
fortune, the marvelous things he has done.
Psalm 78:12-16
12 He performed miracles in plain sight of their
parents in Egypt, out on the fields of Zoan.
13 He split the Sea and they walked right through
it; he piled the waters to the right and the left.
14 He led them by day with a cloud, led them all
the night long with a fiery torch.
15 He split rocks in the wilderness, gave them all
they could drink from underground springs;
16 He made creeks flow out from sheer rock, andwater pour out like a river.
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PHILIPPIANS 2:1-13
(The Message)
Philippi was a Roman colony and a major
"retirement village" for veterans of the Roman
army. Issues of authority, respect, and social
rank were prominent in the local culture. Paul
urges the Philippians to have in them the mind
that was in Christ Jesus. "Be concerned about
the same thing, having the same love,
soul-sharers, concerning yourselves around
one thing." Don't get distracted by yourselves
and your ego-needs. Look out for one another.
1 If you've gotten anything at all out of following
Christ, if his love has made any difference in your
life, if being in a community of the Spirit means
anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care -
2 then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love
each other, be deep-spirited friends.
3 Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talkyour way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help
others get ahead.
4 Don't be obsessed with getting your own
advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to
lend a helping hand.
5 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought
of himself.
6 He had equal status with God but didn't think so
much of himself that he had to cling to the
advantages of that status no matter what.
7 Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the
privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave,
became human!
8 Having become human, he stayed human. It was
an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim
special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless,
obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient
death - and the worst kind of death at that:
a crucifixion.
9 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high
and honored him far beyond anyone or
anything, ever,
10 so that all created beings in heaven and on earth
- even those long ago dead and buried - will bow in
worship before this Jesus Christ,
11 and call out in praise that he is the Master of all,
to the glorious honor of God the Father.
12 What I'm getting at, friends, is that you should
simply keep on doing what you've done from the
beginning. When I was living among you, you lived
in responsive obedience. Now that I'm separated
from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your
efforts.
Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent andsensitive before God.
13 That energy is God's energy, an energy deep
within you, God himself willing and working at what
will give him the most pleasure.
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MATTHEW 21:23-32
(The Message)
Jesus has just made what some call
"The Triumphal Entry" into Jerusalem, but
others saw it more like a serious "disturbance
of the peace." Jesus entered the temple, "and
drove out all who were buying and selling in the
temple, and he overturned the tables of the
money changers and the seats of those who
sold doves." The chief priests and elders ask
Jesus by what authority he acts, but Jesus
asks them a question they refuse to answer.
He then tells the parable of a father who asks
each of his two sons to go work in the vineyard.
One says, "no," but decides to go; the other
says "yes," but does not go.
23 Then he was back in the Temple, teaching.
The high priests and leaders of the people cameup and demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who
authorized you to teach here?"
24 Jesus responded, "First let me ask you aquestion. You answer my question and I'll answer
yours.
25 About the baptism of John - who authorized it:
heaven or humans?"
26 if we say 'humans,' we're up against it with the
people because they all hold John up as a prophet."
27 They decided to concede that round to Jesus.
"We don't know," they answered. Jesus said, "Then
neither will I answer your question.
28 "Tell me what you think of this story: A man had
two sons. He went up to the first and said, 'Son, go
out for the day and work in the vineyard.'
29 "The son answered, 'I don't want to.' Later on he
thought better of it and went.
30 "The father gave the same command to the
second son. He answered, 'Sure, glad to.'
But he never went.
31 "Which of the two sons did what the fatherasked?" They said, "The first."
32 John came to you showing you the right road.
You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks
and whores believed him. Even when you saw their
changed lives, you didn't care enough to change
and believe him.
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH —
Pastor Bob's and Naomi's day off.
The office is closed today.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH —
ABC AD Council Meeting: Casey U.M.C. @ 7 P.M.
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FUTURE FOCUS —
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2ND —
World Communion Sunday Offering.
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.
• • • We will have Holy Communion today.
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In October we pioneer a "Season of Saints."
October 2nd we acknowledge:
Christian Saint: Francis of Assisi
who died October 4, 1226.
—————————————————————WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5TH —
Adair U.M.U. Salad Supper at 6 P.M.
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God Bless and Keep You,
Pastor Bob