Monday, September 9, 2013

OUR WEEK-SEPTEMBER 15TH TO SEPTEMBER 21ST

REMINDERS —
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH —
A-C FOOD PANTRY - CASEY U.M.C.  

AT 9:00 UNTIL 11:00 A.M.
• Small Group study at Adair UMC - 5:30 P.M. 
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH —
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: GREEN

WE HAVE COMBINED WORSHIP TODAY IN
CASEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
BEGINNING AT 9:30 A.M.

• IN THE SEASON OF CREATION, THIS
IS DESIGNATED AS STORM SUNDAY
“Storm” refers to the world of our weather; the
lighting and thunder, the many different winds;

 cyclones, gales, tornadoes, hurricanes.
We refer to precipitation; cloudbursts, torrential
downpours of rain, monsoons, freezing rain, hail, 


snowstorms, blizzards,deep drifting, impassable
snowbanks, then followed by imminent flooding.
 We experience or know people who experience 
the devastation and tragedy of storms - and yet,
human beings from all over the continent - even 
the world - will quickly pack their bags and bring 
any and all support they can find to the 
destroyed locality.  People from all walks of life 
will work around the clock together to rebuild 
the lost infrastructure necessary for society to 
continue in the ravaged area. We are amazing!  
Storm means both nature in the raw and the daily
ordinary weather we require to renew our planet.
Storms may be events that frighten us and may 

even hurt us, but they are also events we find
necessary to sustain and maintain our glorious
Earth as a living planet. Without the vegetation 
that grows here, we would starve and perhaps 
be without shelter.
Many countries now have campaigns of planting 
millions of trees because they now realize the 
damage that was done by cutting so many tons 
of fire wood and never replacing the source.
 
Sometimes, in the Old Testament, God is 
depicted as riding on clouds with the winds as
messengers racing ahead. At other times God’s
voice is portrayed as thunder. God often seems
to be present deep within a storm. For Elijah,
however, God was not present in the storm or the
earthquake, but in the silence.
“You make the clouds your chariots, you ride on
the wings of the wind and you make the winds
your messengers” Psalm 104.3-4

PRAYER FOR THE WEATHER
God, our Creator, as we face the storms of this
world, we celebrate the wonders of the wind and
the weather. Help us to see your presence, not
only in the forces of nature, but also among those
who suffer from natural disasters. Teach us to
recognize that your Wisdom is imbedded in all
natural forces, a Wisdom that guides, controls
and limits them. In the name of Christ who is the
Wisdom of God renewing all things in creation.
Amen.

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NO NOMINATING COMMITTEE MEETING TODAY
Scripture Readings —
—————————————————————
JEREMIAH 4:11-12, 22-28
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
The coming conquest of Judah by Babylon will
be like a powerful hot wind that blows in, to
destroy everything in its path. Armies of Babylon
are now poised to attack.  Such dramatic images
are intended to shock the people into realizing
their unfaithful religious practices will now have
dramatic physical consequences.  Their towns
will be turned into ruined ghost towns. All the
countryside will become an uninhabitable
wasteland. That's what the Babylonian armies
will do to their country, Jeremiah warns.

JEREMIAH 4:11-12
11-12
At that time, this people, yes, this very
   Jerusalem,
   will be told in plain words:
"The northern hordes are sweeping in
   from the desert steppes—
A wind that's up to no good, a gale-force wind.
   I ordered this wind.
I'm pronouncing
   my hurricane judgment on my people."

YOUR EVIL LIFE IS PIERCING YOUR HEART
13-14
Look at them! Like banks of storm clouds,
   racing, tumbling, their chariots a tornado,
Their horses faster than eagles!
   Woe to us! We're done for!
Jerusalem! Scrub the evil from your lives
   so you'll be fit for salvation.
How much longer will you harbor
   devious and malignant designs within you?

15-17 What's this? A messenger from Dan?
   Bad news from Ephraim's hills!
Make the report public.
   Broadcast the news to Jerusalem:
"Invaders from far off are
   raising war cries against Judah's towns.
They're all over her, like a dog on a bone.
   And why? Because she rebelled against me."
         God's Decree.

18 "It's the way you've lived
   that's brought all this on you.
The bitter taste is from your evil life.
   That's what's piercing your heart."

19-21 I'm doubled up with cramps in my belly—
   a poker burns in my gut.
My insides are tearing me up,
   never a moment's peace.
The ram's horn trumpet blast rings in my ears,
   the signal for all-out war.
Disaster hard on the heels of disaster,
   the whole country in ruins!
In one stroke my home is destroyed,
   the walls flattened in the blink of an eye.
How long do I have to look at the warning flares,
   listen to the siren of danger?

JEREMIAH 4:22-28
EXPERTS AT EVIL
22
"What fools my people are!
   They have no idea who I am.
A company of half-wits,
   dopes and donkeys all!
Experts at evil
   but klutzes at good."

23-26 I looked at the earth—
   it was back to pre-Genesis chaos and
   emptiness.
I looked at the skies,
   and not a star to be seen.
I looked at the mountains—
   they were trembling like aspen leaves,
And all the hills
   rocking back and forth in the wind.
I looked—what's this! Not a man or woman in
   sight,
   and not a bird to be seen in the skies.
I looked—this can't be! Every garden and
   orchard shriveled up.
   All the towns were ghost towns.
And all this because of God,
   because of the blazing anger of God.

27-28 Yes, this is God's Word on the matter:
   "The whole country will be laid waste—
   still it won't be the end of the world.
The earth will mourn
   and the skies lament
Because I've given my word and won't take it
   back.
   I've decided and won't change my mind."
—————————————————————
PSALM 14 (UMH 746)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)

A PSALM OF DAVID
1
Bilious and bloated, they gas, "God is gone."
   Their words are poison gas,
      fouling the air; they poison
   Rivers and skies;
      thistles are their cash crop.

2 God sticks his head out of heaven.
      He looks around.
   He's looking for someone not stupid—
      one man, even, God-expectant,
      just one God-ready woman.

3 He comes up empty. A string
      of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
   Sheep, taking turns pretending
      to be Shepherd.
   The ninety and nine
      follow their fellow.

4 Don't they know anything,
      all these impostors?
   Don't they know
      they can't get away with this—
   Treating people like a fast-food meal
      over which they're too busy to pray?

5-6 Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
      for God takes the side of victims.
   Do you think you can mess
      with the dreams of the poor?
   You can't, for God
      makes their dreams come true.

7 Is there anyone around to save Israel?
      Yes. God is around; God turns life around.
   Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
      turned-around Israel sings laughter.
—————————————————————
1 TIMOTHY 1:12-17
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
12-14
I'm so grateful to Christ Jesus for making
me adequate to do this work. He went out on a
limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry.
The only credentials I brought to it were invective
and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated
mercifully because I didn't know what I was
doing—didn't know Who I was doing it against!
Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me
and into me. And all because of Jesus.

15-19 Here's a word you can take to heart and
depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to
save sinners. I'm proof—Public Sinner Number
One—of someone who could never have made it
apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me
off—evidence of his endless patience—to those
who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.

   Deep honor and bright glory
      to the King of All Time—
   One God, Immortal, Invisible,
      ever and always. Oh, yes!
I'm passing this work on to you, my son
Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to
you prepared us for this. All those prayers are
coming together now so you will do this well,
fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on
your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a
fight we're in.
—————————————————————
LUKE 15:1-10
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
THE STORY OF THE LOST SHEEP
1-3
By this time a lot of men and women of
doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus,
listening intently. The Pharisees and religion
scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased.
They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats
meals with them, treating them like old friends."
Their grumbling triggered this story.

4-7 "Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep
and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine
in the wilderness and go after the lost one until
you found it? When found, you can be sure you
would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing,
and when you got home call in your friends and
neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found
my lost sheep!' Count on it—there's more joy in
heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over
ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
The Story of the Lost Coin
8-10 "Or imagine a woman who has ten coins
and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour
the house, looking in every nook and cranny
until she finds it? And when she finds it you can
be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors:
'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count
on it—that's the kind of party God's angels throw
every time one lost soul turns to God."
•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •
• 1775 - An early and unofficial American flag 

was raised by Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Mott 
after the seizing of Fort Johnson from the 
British. The flag was dark blue with the white 
word "Liberty" spelled on it.
• 1789 - The U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs
was renamed the Department of State.
• 1853 - Reverend Antoinette Brown Blackwell
was ordained, becoming first female minister 

in the United States.
• 1858 - The first U.S. mail service began to 

the Pacific Coast under government contract.
Coaches from the Butterfield Overland Mail
Company took 12 days to make the journey
between Tipton, Missouri and San Francisco,
California.
• 1909 - Charles F. Kettering applied for a patent
on his ignition system. His company Delco
(Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company)
later became a subsidiary of General Motors.
• 1923 - Oklahoma was placed under martial law
by Governor John Calloway Walton due to
terrorist activity by the Ku Klux Klan. After this
declaration national newspapers began to
expose the Klan and its criminal activities.
• 1928 - Alexander Fleming discovered the
antibiotic penicillin in the mold Penicillium
notatum.
• 1940 - The German Luftwaffe suffered the loss
of 185 planes in the Battle of Britain. Change
in tides forced Hitler to abandon his plans for
invading Britain.
• 1995 - The U.N. Fourth World Conference on
Women was held in Beijing, China.       
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH —
• THE OFFICE IS CLOSED TODAY •
JOIN US IN “GETTING HEALTHY TOGETHER”
IN CASEY U.M.C. AT 6:30 P.M.
Happy Birthday Josie Clarke!
•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •
• 1620 - The Mayflower departed from Plymouth,
England. The ship arrived at Provincetown, MA,
on November 21st and then at Plymouth, MA, on
December 26th. There were 102 passengers on
board.
• 1630 - The village of Shawmut changed its
name to Boston.
• 1810 - Mexico began a revolt against Spanish
rule. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest
of Spanish descent, declared Mexico to be
independent from Spain in the town of Dolores.
• 1976 - The Episcopal Church formally approved
women to be ordained as priests and bishops.
• 1987 - The Montreal Protocol was signed by
24 countries in an effort to save the Earth's
ozone layer by reducing emissions of harmful
chemicals by the year 2000.  
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH —
• 1394 - In France, Charles VI published an
ordinance that expelled all Jews from France.
• 1778 - The United States signed its first treaty
with a Native American tribe, the Delaware Nation. 
• 1796 - U.S. President George Washington's
Farewell Address was read before the U.S.
Congress.
• 1862 - The Battle of Antietam took place during
the American Civil War. More than 23,000 men
were killed, wounded. The Rebel advance was
ended with very heavy losses to both armies.
• 1930 - Construction on Boulder Dam, later
renamed Hoover Dam, began in Black Canyon,
near Las Vegas, Nevada.
• 1937 - At Mount Rushmore, Abraham Lincoln's
face was dedicated.
• 1939 - The Soviet Union invaded Poland.
Germany had invaded Poland September 1.
• 1947 - The first U.S. Secretary of Defense,
James V. Forrestal, was sworn in to office.
• 1984 - 9,706 immigrants became naturalized
citizens when sworn in by U.S. Vice
President George Bush in Miami, Florida. It was
the largest single group to become U.S. citizens.
• 1997 - Northern Ireland's main Protestant party
joined in peace talks. It was the first time that
all of the major players had come together.     
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH —
• DORCUS-RUTH CIRCLE MEETS AT 1:30 P.M. IN
ADAIR U.M.C.

• SMALL GROUP STUDY MEETS IN ADAIR U.M.C.
AT 5:30 P.M.
• ESTHER CIRCLE MEETS AT 7 P.M. IN ADAIR

• MARTHA CIRCLE MEETS AT 7 P.M. IN CASEY
——————————————————————
Happy Birthday Joyce Lundy!
Happy Birthday, Blair Carney!
•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •
• 1759 - The French formally surrendered 
Quebec to the British.
• 1789 - Alexander Hamilton negotiated and
secured the first loan for the United States. A
Temporary Loan of 1789 was repaid on June 8,
1790 at the sum of $191,608.81.
• 1793 - U.S. President George Washington 
laid the actual cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol. 
• 1927 - Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting
System made its debut with a network broad-

cast over 16 radio stations. The name was
later changed to CBS.
• 1997 - Ted Turner, U.S. Media magnate,
announced that over the next ten years he 
would give $1 billion to the United Nations. 
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH —
DEBORAH-MARY CIRCLE MEETS AT 2 P.M. 
IN CASEY U.M.C.

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •
• 1356 - The Battle of Poitiers was fought between
England and France. Edward "the Black Prince"
captured France's King John.
• 1876 - Melville R. Bissell patented the carpet
sweeper.
• 1959 - Nikita Khruschev was not allowed to visit
Disneyland due to security reasons. Khrushchev
reacted angrily.
• 1984 - China and Britain completed a draft
agreement transferring Hong Kong from British
to Chinese rule by 1997.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH —

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •  
• 1519 - Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan
left Spain to find a route to the Spice Islands of
Indonesia. Magellan was killed during the trip,
but one of his ships eventually made the journey.
• 1881 - Chester A. Arthur became the 21st
president of the U.S. President James A. Garfield
had died the day before.
• 1962 - James Meredith, a black student, was
blocked from enrolling at the University of
Mississippi by Governor Ross R. Barnett.
Meredith was later admitted.  
• 1995 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted
to drop the national speed limit. This allowed the
states to decide their own speed limits.
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST —
• MOBILE FOOD PANTRY WILL BE OPEN IN
CASEY COMMUNITY BUILDING 10 A.M. TO NOON
•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •
• 1792 - The French National Convention voted to
abolish the monarchy.
• 1897 - The New York Sun ran the "Yes, Virginia,
there is a Santa Claus" editorial. It was in
response to a letter from 8-year-old Virginia
O'Hanlon. 
• 1981 - The U.S. Senate confirmed Sandra Day
O'Connor to be the first female justice on the U.S.
Supreme Court.
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FUTURE FOCUS —
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22ND -

 ALL PEOPLE INTERESTED IN YOUTH GROUP 
MEETINGS (YOUTH, PARENTS, MENTORS, AND
SPONSORS) WILL GET TOGETHER IN CASEY
U.M.C. AT 5 P.M.

FROM U.S.A. TODAY ——
• Deadly violence intensified half a world away
in Syria and the warnings of a possible U.S.
attack have some people looking ahead to 

what may happen in the coming days — and
also looking back into ancient, apocalyptic
prophecies in the pages of the Old Testament. 
————————————————————

• Case in point, our Jeremiah 4 readings today:
Or Isaiah 17: "Behold, Damascus is about to be
removed from being a city, and will become a
fallen ruin."

I keep thinking the day of fierce, ignorant,
unrelenting, greedy, merciless, leaders is past.
Surely our contemporary world leaders realize
that what they do to the least of us, they do to
all of us. It is a tragedy when a tornado levels 

a city, but it is unforgivable when an army has
authority to level a city.  I know, there are 
brutes that must be stopped at all costs but 
surely they all died before this century.
I read in the news that Russia has asked Syria
to put their chemical weapons under
international United Nations control. 
O look, the sun just came out!
 
God Bless and Keep You,

Donna K