Tuesday, July 3, 2012

OUR WEEK - JULY 8TH TO JULY 14TH

REMINDERS —
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4TH -
INDEPENDENCE DAYHappy Birthday, U.S.A.
Independence Day is a federal holiday in the
United States commemorating the adoption
of the Declaration of Independence on
July 4, 1776.
• This day is commonly associated with fireworks,
parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics,
concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and
political speeches —
or just sitting in the shade counting our blessings
— thanking those long ago ancestors for their hard
work and determination which still allows the tide
of emigration to try out the promise of America.Office is closed today.
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SUNDAY, JULY 8TH —
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
COLOR: GREEN
WE HAVE HOLY COMMUNION TODAY
SCRIPTURE READINGS TODAY:
2 SAMUEL 5:1-5, 9-10
(New International Reader's Version)
King David seals the terms of his rule over
the tribes of all Israel in a covenant
ceremony at Hebron, conquers the Jebusites
at Jerusalem (verses 6-8), and locates his
throne there seven years into his reign.

A focus on the David story (II Samuel) might
connect with what it meant for the American
colonies to consolidate power, beginning on
July 4, 1776, but also what it means for power
to become more coordinated if not
consolidated within the Christian community.

DAVID BECOMES KING OVER ISRAEL
2 SAMUEL 5:1-5
1 All of the tribes of Israel came to see David at
Hebron.
They said, "We are your own flesh and blood.
2 In the past, Saul was our king. But you led
the men of Israel on their military campaigns.
And the Lord said to you, 'You will be the
shepherd over my people Israel. You will
become their ruler.' "

3 All of the elders of Israel came to see King
David at Hebron.
There the king made a
covenant with them in the sight of the Lord.
They anointed David as king over Israel.

4 David was 30 years old when he became king.
He ruled for 40 years.

5 In Hebron he ruled over Judah for seven and
a half years. In Jerusalem he ruled over all of
Israel and Judah for 33 years.

2 SAMUEL 5:9-10
9 David moved into the fort. He called it the
City of David. He built up the area around the
fort. He filled in the low places. He started at
the bottom and worked his way up.

10 David became more and more powerful.
That's because the Lord God who rules over
all was with him.

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PSALM 48 (UMH 782)
(New International Reader's Version)
A song in praise of Jerusalem as a sign of
God's power to defend the people of Israel.

A SONG.
A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 The Lord is great. He is really worthy of praise.
Praise him in the city of our God, his holy
mountain.

2 Mount Zion is high and beautiful.
It brings joy to everyone on earth.
Mount Zion is like the highest parts of Mount
Zaphon.

It is the city of the Great King.
3 God is there to keep it safe.
He has shown himself to be like a fort to the
city.

4 Many kings joined forces.
They entered Israel together.
5 But when they saw Mount Zion, they were
amazed.

They ran away in terror.
6 Trembling took hold of them.
They felt pain like a woman giving birth to
a baby.

7 Lord, you destroyed them like ships of
Tarshish

that were torn apart by an east wind.
8 What we heard we have also seen.
We have seen it in the city of the Lord who
rules over all.

We have seen it in the city of our God.
We have heard and seen that God makes
her secure forever.

Selah (Stop and listen)
9 God, inside your temple
we think about your faithful love.
10 God, your fame reaches from one end of
theearth to the other.

In the same way, people praise you from
one end of the earth to the other.

You use your power to do what is right.
11 Mount Zion is filled with joy.
The villages of Judah are glad.
That's because you judge fairly.
12 Walk around Zion. Go all around it.
Count its towers.
13 Think carefully about its outer walls.
Just look at how safe it is!
Then you can tell its people that God keeps them
safe.

14 This God is our God for ever and ever.
He will be our guide to the very end.
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2 CORINTHIANS 12:2-10
(New International Reader's Version)
Corinthians might lead to an exploration of
ways of restraint in the use of power. The
boasting of the profundity
(great depth of emotion) in his spiritual
experiences, in Paul's case) contributes to
the reduction of tension and improvement in
leadership in communities. This was a key
principle in the arguments for limited
government in the Declaration of
Independence, the Federalist Papers, and the
US Constitution.

Paul rejects boasting in his own spiritual
experiences as a way to establish an
"upper hand" in his ongoing disputes with
the Christian community founded there.
Instead, he says, God has given him a
"thorn in the flesh" to remind him of the
sufficiency of God's grace and to enable
him to boast in weakness so he can identify
with the sufferings of Christ.

2 I know a believer in Christ who was taken up
to the third heaven 14 years ago. I don't know
if his body was taken up or not. Only God knows.
3 I don't know if that man was in his body or out
of it. Only God knows. But I do know that
4 he was taken up to paradise. He heard things
that couldn't be put into words. They were things
that people aren't allowed to talk about.
5 I will brag about a man like that. But I won't
brag about myself. I will brag only about how
weak I am.
6 Suppose I decide to brag. That would not
make me a fool, because I would be telling the
truth. But I don't do it. Then no one will think
more of me than he should because of what
I do or say.
7 I could have become proud of myself
because of the amazing and wonderful things
God has shown me. So I was given a problem
that caused pain in my body. It is a messenger
from Satan to make me suffer.
8 Three times I begged the Lord to take it away
from me.
9 But he said to me, "My grace is all you need.
My power is strongest when you are weak."
So I am very happy to brag about how weak I
am. Then Christ's power can rest on me.
10 Because of how I suffered for Christ, I'm glad
that I am weak. I am glad in hard times. I am
glad when people say mean things about me.
I am glad when things are difficult. And I am glad
when people make me suffer.
When I am weak, I am strong.
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MARK 6:1-13
(New International Reader's Version)
Jesus encounters resistance to his ministry
in his hometown synagogue. He sends his
disciples on an "advance mission" to get
the word and signs of the power of the
coming kingdom out to as many villages in
the region of Galilee as possible.

In Mark's gospel, Jesus learns that his
hometown was a non-starter as a base of
operations, and so radically decentralizes
his movement by sending disciples in pairs
to surrounding villages to spread the word
and the power of God's reign. Running into
a brick wall at home did not stop Jesus,
just as running into a brick wall of British
uncompromising, inflexible, rigid stance did
not stop the colonists from finding a way to
obtain their independence from Britain. The
colonists needed to have workable, realistic,
achievable lives in North America, or
why stay?

A PROPHET WITHOUT HONOR
1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown of
Nazareth. His disciples went with him.2 When the Sabbath day came, he began to
teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him
were amazed.
"Where did this man get these things?" they
asked. "What's this wisdom that has been
given to him? He even does miracles!
3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son?
Isn't this the brother of James, Joseph, Judas
and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?"
They were not pleased with him at all.
4 Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not honored
in his hometown. He doesn't receive any honor
among his relatives. And he doesn't receive any
in his own home."
5 Jesus laid his hands on a few sick people and
healed them. But he could not do any other
miracles there.6 He was amazed because they had no faith.
JESUS SENDS OUT THE TWELVE DISCIPLES
Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
7 He called the Twelve to him. Then he sent
them out two by two. He gave them authority to
drive out evil spirits.
8 Here were his orders. "Take only a walking
stick for your trip. Do not take bread or a bag.
Take no money in your belts.
9 Wear sandals. But do not take extra clothes.
10 When you are invited into a house, stay
there until you leave town.
11 Some places may not welcome you or listen
to you. If they don't, shake the dust off your feet
when you leave. That will be a witness against
the people living there."
12 They went out. And they preached that
people should turn away from their sins.
13 They drove out many demons. They poured
olive oil on many sick people and healed them.
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MONDAY, JULY 9TH —
This is Pastor Melodee's and Naomi's day off.
The office is closed today.
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 11TH —
PRAYER BREAKFAST: HAPPY CHEF @ 7 A.M.
AD COUNCIL MEETING AT 7 P.M.
IN CASEY U.M.C.
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SATURDAY, JULY 14TH —
CASEY FUN DAYS
Casey U.M.C. will serve lunch directly
after the parade.
LUNCH MENU:
Beef Burgers
Hot Dogs
Baked Beans
Chips
Coffee - Iced Tea - or Lemon Ade
ADULTS: $6 OR CHILDREN: $4
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God Bless and Keep You,
Pastor Melodee

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