OUR WEEK —
FEBRUARY 17TH TO FEBRUARY 23RD
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH —
• ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES WILL BE IN
CASEY U.M.C. AT 7 P.M. TODAY.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH —
IT'S VALENTINES DAY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH —
We will celebrate Holy Communion today
SCRIPTURE READINGS —
DEUTERONOMY 26:1-11
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
The first part of the ritual instruction for the
offering of tithes of first fruits in the temple.
This ritual calls for the one making the offering
to confess God as deliverer of the people and
provider of the harvest now enjoyed in the
promised land. In this way, the ritual both
reminds and reinforces the identity of the
family with the people and the people with the
story of their God. This recounts the
instructions for an offering of first fruits of the
harvest. This offering would have occurred
several times in a year, depending on which
crop was being harvested at that time. It was
a concrete, lived confession that connected
with the labor of producing the fruits of each
harvest.
1-5 Once you enter the land that God, your
God, is giving you as an inheritance and take
it over and settle down, you are to take some
of all the first fruits of what you grow in the
land that God, your God, is giving you, put
them in a basket and go to the place God,
your God, sets apart for you to worship him.
say, "I announce to God, your God, today that
I have entered the land that God promised our
ancestors that he'd give to us." The priest will
take the basket from you and place it on the
Altar of God, your God. And there in the
Presence of God, your God, you will recite:
5-10 A wandering Aramean was my father,
he went down to Egypt and sojourned
there, he and just a handful of his brothers at
first, but soon they became a great nation,
mighty and many.
The Egyptians abused and battered us,
in a cruel and savage slavery.
We cried out to God, the God-of-Our-Fathers:
He listened to our voice, he saw
our destitution, our trouble, our cruel plight.
And God took us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and long arm, terrible
and great,
with signs and miracle-wonders.
And he brought us to this place,
gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
So here I am. I've brought the firstfruits
of what I've grown on this ground you gave me,
O God.
10-11 Then place it in the Presence of God, your
God. Prostrate yourselves in the Presence of
God, your God. And rejoice! Celebrate all the
good things that God, your God, has given you
and your family; you and the Levite and the
foreigner who lives with you.
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PSALM 91:1-16 (UMH 810)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
By singing or praying this psalm, the
congregation confesses God's continued
promise of protection for God's people.
You who sit down in the High God's presence,
spend the night in Shaddai's shadow,
Say this: "God, you're my refuge.
I trust in you and I'm safe!"
That's right—he rescues you from hidden
traps,
shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you're perfectly safe;
his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
drop like flies right and left,
no harm will even graze you.
You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a
distance,
watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God's your refuge,
the High God your very own home,
Evil can't get close to you,
harm can't get through the door.
He ordered his angels
to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they'll catch you;
their job is to keep you from falling.
You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
and kick young lions and serpents from the
path.
14-16 "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says
God,
"I'll get you out of any trouble.
I'll give you the best of care
if you'll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad
times;
I'll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I'll give you a long life,
give you a long drink of salvation!"
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ROMANS 10:8-13
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Paul declares God's intention to save all who
believe upon and confess Jesus as Lord.
Our confession strengthens our commitment.
Amidst seas of competing claims over our lives,
Jesus is Lord, not Caesar. Jesus is Lord, not the
political parties. Jesus is Lord, not the global
marketplace. Jesus is Lord, not my personal
accessories. Jesus is Lord, not my employer.
Jesus is Lord, not the latest fads.
4-10The earlier revelation was intended simply to
get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts
everything right for those who trust him to do it.
the law code to live right before God soon
discovers it's not so easy—every detail of life
regulated by fine print! But trusting God to
shape the right living in us is a different story—
no precarious climb up to heaven to recruit the
Messiah, no dangerous descent into hell to
rescue the Messiah. So what exactly was
Moses saying?
The word that saves is right here,
as near as the tongue in your mouth,
as close as the heart in your chest.
It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to
work and set things right for us. This is the core
of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to
God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body
and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did
in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're
not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to
God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation.
With your whole being you embrace God setting
things right, and then you say it, right out loud:
"God has set everything right between him
and me!"
11-13Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts
God like this - heart and soul - will ever regret it."
It's exactly the same no matter what a person's
religious background may be: the same God for
all of us, acting the same incredibly generous
way to everyone who calls out for help.
"Everyone who calls, 'Help, God!' gets help."
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LUKE 4:1-13
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Luke recounts the temptation of Jesus following
his baptism and a period of fasting in the
wilderness prior to the beginning of his public
ministry. Jesus consistently confesses his
identity in response to the temptations to choose
another way. Jesus' 40-day fast in the wilderness
and the temptation by the devil after that
extended fast, is at the heart of all today.
Forty days without food but with the Spirit had
taught Jesus firmly who he was.
TESTED BY THE DEVIL
1-2 Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the
Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild.
For forty wilderness days and nights he was
tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those
days, and when the time was up he was hungry.
test: "Since you're God's Son, command this
stone to turn into a loaf of bread."
4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy:
"It takes more than bread to really live."
5-7 For the second test he led him up and spread
out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at
once. Then the Devil said, "They're yours in all
their splendor to serve your pleasure. I'm in
charge of them all and can turn them over to
whomever I wish. Worship me and they're yours,
the whole works."
8 Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with
Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God and
only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute
single-heartedness."
9-11 For the third test the Devil took him to
Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He
said, "If you are God's Son, jump. It's written,
isn't it, that 'he has placed you in the care of
angels to protect you; they will catch you; you
won't so much as stub your toe on a stone'?"
12 "Yes," said Jesus, "and it's also written, 'Don't
you dare tempt the Lord your God.'"
13 That completed the testing. The Devil
retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another
opportunity.
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH —
PRESIDENTS DAY
Office will be closed today.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH —
MARTHA CIRCLE WILL MEET AT 7 P.M.
in Casey U.M.C.
in Adair U.M.C.
at 7:00 p.m. . . . in Casey U.M.C.
It will be a continuation of Sunday morning
messages based upon Rev. Adam Hamilton's
book and study guide entitled,
“24 HOURS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD.”
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST —
DEBORAH-MARY CIRCLE WILL MEET AT 2 P.M.
in Casey U.M.C.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD —
• FAMILY GAME NIGHT IN CASEY U.M.C.•
• FAMILY GAME NIGHT •
COMMUNITY FAMILY GAME NIGHT
IN CASEY U.M.C. AT 6:30 P.M.
• WE WILL HAVE THIS THE LAST SATURDAY
OF EACH MONTH≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
• THIS IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH •
FEBRUARY 12 —
• 1934 - William "Bill" Felton Russell was born.
William Felton Russell, better known as "Bill"
Russell, was player-coach of the Boston Celtics
basketball team in 1968 and 1969.
in Monroe, Louisiana. His father and mother
moved the family to Oakland, California. In
high school Bill was spotted and directed to the
University of San Francisco.
He was on an Olympic gold medal team in 1956
and has 11 N.B.A. championships with the
Boston Celtics.
Russell received the Presidential Medal of
freedom from President Obama in 2011.
• 1909 - NAACP was Founded.
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE is a
civil rights organization founded in 1909 by 60
black and white citizens in New York City. It
helps prevent unjust acts, and promote equality
for all minorites.
• 1900 - James Weldon Johnson wrote the
lyrics for "Lift Every Voice and Sing" for
Abraham Lincoln's birthday celebration.
Music is written by his brother, J. Rosamond
Johnson. It is now known as the
"Negro National Anthem".
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FEBRUARY 13TH —
• 1957 - Southern Christian Leadership
Conference organized at New Orleans meeting
with Martin Luther King Jr. as president.
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FEBRUARY 14TH —
• 1946 - Gregory Hines, dancer, entertainer, and
actor, was born.
FEBRUARY 15TH —
• 1964 - Louis Armstrong's "Hello Dolly" record
becomes his first number one recording.
• 1804 - New Jersey begins to abolish slavery.
The New Jersey Legislature approved a law
calling for "gradual" emancipation of African
Americans. In so doing, New Jersey became the
last Northern state to outlaw slavery.
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FEBRUARY 16TH —
• 1957 - Actor LeVar Burton was born in
Landsthul, Germany. Burton won fame for his
acting in the television movie "Roots," which
was based on the book by Alex Haley.
over two-dozen Emmys during it's 26-year run
and caused 100's of thousands of children to
become interested in reading. It doesn't get any
better than that.
• 1951 - New York City Council passed a bill that
prohibited racial discrimination.
• 1857 - Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was elected President of
Freedman Bank and Trust.
Douglass was a successful American social
reformer, orator, writer and statesman.
Maryland with the name Frederick Augustus
Washington Bailey. His birth date is unknown.
He learned to read from white children in his
neighborhood. He secretly taught himself
reading and writing as a child, which led to
publishing his strong feelings about human
rights. He would secretly teach other slaves to
read by using the New Testament. At sixteen
he was nearly broken from cruel beatings.
Dressed as a sailor, he escaped on a train with
papers from a sailor. He went to abolitionist
David Ruggles home in New York City. He once
said:
“I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den
of hungry lions.”
After escaping from slavery, he became a leader
of the abolitionist movement, gaining attention
for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery
writing. Northerners found it hard to believe that
such a superb, perceptive orator had once been
a slave.
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FEBRUARY 17TH —
• 1963 - Michael Jeffrey Jordan's Birthday.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan, 50, Basketball player,
former minor league baseball player, was
He was cut from the varsity basketball team
during his sophomore year in high school
because at 5 ft 9 in., he was deemed too short.
He grew 4 inches before his senior year.
He began focusing on basketball, practicing
every morning before school with his high
school varsity coach. In his senior season at
Laney High, Jordan averaged a triple-double:
29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists.
Michael was selected to the McDonald's
All-American Team as a senior. Jordan earned
a basketball scholarship to the University of
North Carolina, where he majored in geography.
In 1984, he left Carolina early to enter the NBA
Draft, and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in
the first round. Jordan returned to North
Carolina to complete his degree in 1986.
• 1902 - Opera singer Marian Anderson born
Opera singer Marian Anderson was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Anderson was
entered in the New York Philharmonic
Competition at age 17 by her music teacher,
and placed first over 299 other singers.
Anderson went to Europe for a year of study.
She returned briefly to the United States but
went back to Europe in 1933 to debut in Berlin
and again, in 1935, in Austria. In 1933, Marian
Anderson performed 142 concerts in Norway,
Sweden, Denmark and Finland. On Easter
Sunday in 1939, Anderson performed an open
air recital at Lincoln Memorial in Washington,
D.C. The performance was scheduled for the
concert hall controlled by the Daughters of the
American Revolution but was cancelled when
the DAR refeused to allow Anderson to sing
there. In 1955, Anderson signed with New York's
Metropolitan Opera Company. She had a full
resonant contralto voice that moved all who
heard her.
• 1870 - Congress readmits State of Mississippi.
Congress passed a resolution readmitting
Mississippi on condition that it would never
change its constitution to deprive Blacks of
the rights and privileges of a free citizen.
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FEBRUARY 18TH —
• 1931 - Toni Morrison is born.
Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved, is born
in Lorain, Ohio.
She was born Chloe Anthony Wofford.
• 1867 - An institution that preceded Morehouse
College is Founded. The institution founded in
Augusta, Georgia later became Morehouse
College, following its relocation to Atlanta.
Morehouse College is one of the most reputable
black colleges in the nation.
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FEBRUARY 19TH —
• 1942 - Tuskegee Airmen initiated.
The Army Air Corps' all African American 100th
Pursuit Squadron, later designated as a fighter
squadron, was activated at Tuskegee Institute.
The squadron served honorably in England and
in other regions of the European continent
during World War II.
Detroit, Michigan. Robinson's first singing group
was the Miracles which he formed in 1955 while
still in high school. At its 138th Commencement
Convocation in May 2006, Howard University
conferred on Robinson the degree of Doctor of
Music.
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FEBRUARY 20TH —
• 1927 - Sidney Poitier is born
author, and diplomat was born in Miami while
his parents were visiting. Because of his birth
in the U.S., he is automatically a U.S. citizen.
Poitier grew up on Cat Island in the Caribbean.
He becomes the first African American to win an
Academy Award in a starring role. The movie
was “Lilies of the Field”.
On August 12, 2009, Sidney Poitier is awarded
the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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FEBRUARY 21ST —
• 1936 - Barbara Jordan is born.
On this day Barbara Jordan, who will be the first
African American woman elected to the House
of Representatives, is born.
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FEBRUARY 22ND —
• 1950 - Dr. J's Birthday
Julius Winfield ( "Dr.J") Erving II, 49, former
basketball player, was born in Roosevelt, NY.
Massachusetts in 1968. In two varsity college
basketball seasons, he averaged 32.5 points
and 20.2 rebounds per game. He was a player
who helped launch a modern style of play that
emphasizes leaping and playing above the rim.
Erving won three championships, four Most
Valuable Player Awards, and three scoring
titles with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New
York (Brooklyn) Nets and NBA's Philadelphia
76ers. He is the fifth-highest scorer in
professional basketball history with 30,026
points. After retiring from basketball, Erving
earned his bachelor's degree in 1986 through
the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
He became a businessman. He said "Having
the respect of your fellow man is a lot more
important, and much greater, than popularity."
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FUTURE FOCUS —
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH –
We will have a “Loose Change Offering”. The
proceeds will go to Red Bird Mission.
Red Bird Mission was founded in 1921 in the
southeastern corner of Kentucky to provide
education and Christian evangelism ministries
to residents of the area. As early as 1913 the
women of the Evangelical Church became
aware of the needs of the people of the
Southern Highlands. The Women's Board
established a Faith Fund. God answered the
prayers and sent the Evangelical Church into
the Cumberland Mountains of Kentucky into
the area called Red Bird. The first workers
arrived on July 1, 1921. Teachers came, and
nurses and doctors arrived. Red Bird medical
work began in 1922. In 1968 the Evangelical
United Brethren Churches united with the
Methodist Church to become the United
Methodist Church.
In 2000, Red Bird Mountain Medical Center
was renamed to Red Bird Clinic, Inc. to more
correctly reflect its activities and still
operates today as an out-patient ministry.
Friday, March 1 is the World Day of Prayer.
Because of you, the wheels keep rolling along.
God Bless and Keep You,
Pastor Melodee
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