Monday, April 7, 2014

OUR WEEK - APRIL 13TH TO APRIL 19TH

R E M I N D E R S —
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9TH —     

• FOOD PANTRY IS OPEN IN CASEY U.M.C.
FROM 5:30 P.M TO 7:30 P.M.
• LENTEN SERVICES WILL BE HELD IN
ADAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT 7 P.M.   

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FRIDAY, APRIL 11TH —
Pastor Melodee will attend her course of
study Friday and Saturday.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 13TH —   
THIS IS PALM SUNDAY
COLOR - RED - SCARLET OR PURPLE

Happy Birthday Betty Betts!

• We are using Adam Hamilton’s study,
THE WAY:
WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS

SCRIPTURE READINGS —
• THIS SET OF SCRIPTURE READINGS
ARE CALLED LITURGY OF THE PALMS.
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MATTHEW 21:1-11
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
THE ROYAL WELCOME

1-3 When they neared Jerusalem, having
arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives,
Jesus sent two disciples with these
instructions: "Go over to the village
across from you. You'll find a donkey
tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her
and bring them to me. If anyone asks
what you're doing, say, 'The Master needs
them!' He will send them with you."   
4-5 This is the full story of what was
sketched earlier by the prophet:

   Tell Zion's daughter,
   "Look, your king's on his way,
      poised and ready, mounted
   On a donkey, on a colt,
      foal of a pack animal."

6-9 The disciples went and did exactly
what Jesus told them to do. They led the
donkey and colt out, laid some of their
clothes on them, and Jesus mounted.
Nearly all the people in the crowd threw
their garments down on the road, giving
him a royal welcome. Others cut branches
from the trees and threw them down as a
welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and
crowds followed, all of them calling out,
"Hosanna to David's son!" "Blessed is he
who comes in God's name!" "Hosanna in
highest heaven!"

10 As he made his entrance into Jerusalem,
the whole city was shaken. Unnerved,
people were asking, "What's going on
here? Who is this?"
11 The parade crowd answered, "This is
the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth
in Galilee."
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PSALM 118
THE MESSAGE (MSG)

 Thank God because he's good, because
   his love never quits.
Tell the world, Israel,
   "His love never quits."
And you, clan of Aaron, tell the world,
   "His love never quits."
And you who fear God, join in,
   "His love never quits."

5-16 Pushed to the wall, I called to God;
   from the wide open spaces, he
   answered.
God's now at my side and I'm not afraid;
   who would dare lay a hand on me?
God's my strong champion;
   I flick off my enemies like flies.
Far better to take refuge in God
   than trust in people;
Far better to take refuge in God
   than trust in celebrities.
Hemmed in by barbarians,
   in God's name I rubbed their faces in
   the dirt;
Hemmed in and with no way out,
   in God's name I rubbed their faces in the
   dirt;
Like swarming bees, like wild prairie fire,
   they hemmed me in;
   in God's name I rubbed their faces in the
   dirt.
I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall,
   when God grabbed and held me.
God's my strength, he's also my song,
   and now he's my salvation.
Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs
   in the camp of the saved?
      "The hand of God has turned the tide!
      The hand of God is raised in victory!
      The hand of God has turned the tide!"

17-20 I didn't die. I lived!
   And now I'm telling the world what God
   did.
God tested me, he pushed me hard,
   but he didn't hand me over to Death.
Swing wide the city gates—the righteous
   gates!
   I'll walk right through and thank God!
This Temple Gate belongs to God,
   so the victors can enter and praise.

21-25 Thank you for responding to me;
   you've truly become my salvation!
The stone the masons discarded as
   flawed
   is now the capstone!
This is God's work.
   We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe
   it!
This is the very day God acted—
   let's celebrate and be festive!
Salvation now, God. Salvation now!
   Oh yes, God—a free and full life!

26-29 Blessed are you who enter in God's
   name—
   from God's house we bless you!
God is God,
   he has bathed us in light.
 Festoon the shrine with garlands,
   hang colored banners above the altar!
You're my God, and I thank you.
   O my God, I lift high your praise.
Thank God—he's so good.
   His love never quits!
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• THIS SET OF READINGS ARE CALLED
LITURGY OF THE PASSION.
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ISAIAH 50: 4-9
THE MESSAGE (MSG)

4-9 The Master, God, has given me
   a well-taught tongue,
So I know how to encourage tired people.
   He wakes me up in the morning,
Wakes me up, opens my ears
   to listen as one ready to take orders.
The Master, God, opened my ears,
   and I didn't go back to sleep,
didn't pull the covers back over my head.
I followed orders,
   stood there and took it while they beat me,
   held steady while they pulled out my
   beard,
Didn't dodge their insults,
   faced them as they spit in my face.
And the Master, God, stays right there and
   helps me,
   so I'm not disgraced.
Therefore I set my face like flint,
   confident that I'll never regret this.
My champion is right here.
   Let's take our stand together!
Who dares bring suit against me?
   Let him try!
Look! the Master, God, is right here.
   Who would dare call me guilty?
Look! My accusers are a clothes bin of
   threadbare
   socks and shirts, fodder for moths!
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PSALM 31:9-16
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
A PSALM OF DAVID
6-13
I hate all this silly religion,
    but you, God, I trust.
 I'm leaping and singing in the circle of
   your love;
    you saw my pain,
    you disarmed my tormentors,
 You didn't leave me in their clutches
    but gave me room to breathe.
 Be kind to me, God—
    I'm in deep, deep trouble again.
 I've cried my eyes out;
    I feel hollow inside.
 My life leaks away, groan by groan;
    my years fade out in sighs.
 My troubles have worn me out,
    turned my bones to powder.
 To my enemies I'm a monster;
    I'm ridiculed by the neighbors.
 My friends are horrified;
    they cross the street to avoid me.
 They want to blot me from memory,
    forget me like a corpse in a grave,
 discard me like a broken dish in the trash.
   The street-talk gossip has me
    "criminally insane"!
 Behind locked doors they plot
    how to ruin me for good.

14-18 Desperate, I throw myself on you:
    you are my God!
 Hour by hour I place my days in your
   hand,
    safe from the hands out to get me.
 Warm me, your servant, with a smile;
    save me because you love me.
 Don't embarrass me by not showing up;
    I've given you plenty of notice.
 Embarrass the wicked, stand them up,
    leave them stupidly shaking their heads
    as they drift down to hell.
 Gag those loudmouthed liars
    who heckle me, your follower,
    with jeers and catcalls.
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PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
5-8
Think of yourselves the way Christ
Jesus thought of himself. 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.
Not at all. When the time came, he set aside
the privileges of deity and took on the
status of a slave, became human! 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.

9-11 Because of that obedience, God lifted
him high and honored him far beyond
anyone or anything, ever, 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,
and call out in praise that he is the Master
of all, to the glorious honor of
 God the Father.
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MATTHEW 27:11-54
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
PILATE

11 Jesus was placed before the governor,
who questioned him:
"Are you the 'King of the Jews'?"

Jesus said, "If you say so."    
12-14 But when the accusations rained
down hot and heavy from the high priests
and religious leaders, he said nothing.
Pilate asked him, "Do you hear that long
list of accusations? Aren't you going to
say something?" Jesus kept silence—not
a word from his mouth. The governor was
impressed, really impressed.

15-18 It was an old custom during the
Feast for the governor to pardon a single
prisoner named by the crowd. At the time,
they had the infamous Jesus Barabbas in
prison. With the crowd before him, Pilate
said, "Which prisoner do you want me to
pardon: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the
so-called Christ?" He knew it was through
sheer spite that they had turned
Jesus over to him.

19 While court was still in session, Pilate's
wife sent him a message: "Don't get mixed
up in judging this noble man. I've just been
through a long and troubled night because
of a dream about him."

20 Meanwhile, the high priests and
religious leaders had talked the crowd into
asking for the pardon of Barabbas and the
execution of Jesus.

21 The governor asked, "Which of the two
do you want me to pardon?"

   They said, "Barabbas!"

22 "Then what do I do with Jesus, the so-
called Christ?"

 They all shouted, "Nail him to a cross!"

23 He objected, "But for what crime?"

But they yelled all the louder,
"Nail him to a cross!"

24 When Pilate saw that he was getting
nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he
took a basin of water and washed his
hands in full sight of the crowd, saying,
"I'm washing my hands of responsibility
for this man's death. From now on, it's in
your hands. You're judge and jury."   
25 The crowd answered, "We'll take the
blame, we and our children after us."

26 Then he pardoned Barabbas. But he
had Jesus whipped, and then handed over
for crucifixion.
THE CRUCIFiXION
27-31 The soldiers assigned to the
governor took Jesus into the governor's
palace and got the entire brigade together
for some fun. They stripped him and
dressed him in a red toga. They plaited a
crown from branches of a thorn bush and
set it on his head. They put a stick in his
right hand for a scepter. Then they knelt
before him in mocking reverence: "Bravo,
King of the Jews!" they said. "Bravo!"    

Then they spit on him and hit him on the
head with the stick. When they had had
their fun, they took off the toga and put his
own clothes back on him. Then they
proceeded out to the crucifixion.

32-34 Along the way they came on a man
from Cyrene named Simon and made him
carry Jesus' cross. Arriving at Golgotha,
the place they call "Skull Hill," they
offered him a mild painkiller (a mixture of
wine and myrrh), but when he tasted it he
wouldn't drink it.   
35-40 After they had finished nailing him
to the cross and were waiting for him to
die, they whiled away the time by throwing
dice for his clothes. Above his head they
had posted the criminal charge against
him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
Along with him, they also crucified two
criminals, one to his right, the other to his
left. People passing along the road jeered,
shaking their heads in mock lament: "You
bragged that you could tear down the
Temple and then rebuild it in three days—
so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If
you're really God's Son, come down from
that cross!"

41-44 The high priests, along with the
religion scholars and leaders, were right
there mixing it up with the rest of them,
having a great time poking fun at him: "He
saved others—he can't save himself! King
of Israel, is he? Then let him get down
from that cross. We'll all become believers
then! He was so sure of God—well, let him
rescue his 'Son' now—if he wants him! He
did claim to be God's Son, didn't he?"
Even the two criminals crucified next to
him joined in the mockery.

45-46 From noon to three, the whole earth
was dark. Around mid-afternoon Jesus
groaned out of the depths, crying loudly,
"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means,
"My God, my God,
why have you abandoned me?"

47-49 Some bystanders who heard him
said, "He's calling for Elijah." One of them
ran and got a sponge soaked in sour wine
and lifted it on a stick so he could drink.
The others joked, "Don't be in such a hurry.
Let's see if Elijah comes and saves him."

50 But Jesus, again crying out loudly,
breathed his last.

51-53 At that moment, the Temple curtain
was ripped in two, top to bottom. There
was an earthquake, and rocks were split in
pieces. What's more, tombs were opened
up, and many bodies of believers asleep in
their graves were raised. (After Jesus'
resurrection, they left the tombs, entered
the holy city, and appeared to many.)

54 The captain of the guard and those with
him, when they saw the earthquake and
everything else that was happening, were
scared to death. They said,
"This has to be the Son of God!"
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• 1598 - King Henry IV of France signed
the Edict of Nantes granting political
rights to French Protestant Huguenots.
• 1775 - Lord North extended the New
England Restraining Act to South,
Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and Maryland. The act prohibited
trade with all countries except England
and Ireland.
• 1796 - The first known elephant arrived
in the United States from Bengal, India.
• 1829 - The English Parliament granted
freedom of religion to Catholics.
• 1860 - The first mail was delivered by
Pony Express when a westbound rider
arrived in Sacremento, California from
St. Joseph, Missouri.
• 1916 - The first hybrid, seed corn was
purchased for 15-cents a bushel by
Samuel Ramsay.
• 1970 - An oxygen tank exploded on
Apollo 13, preventing a moon landing.
• 1997 - Tiger Woods became the youngest
person to win the Masters Tournament at
the age of 21. He also set a record when he
finished at 18 under par.  He will not enter
the Masters this year because of back
problems.
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MONDAY, APRIL 14TH —
Happy Birthday Mary Ann Palmer!
Happy Birthday Missy Hughes!
THE OFFICE IS CLOSED TODAY.
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• 1865 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
was assassinated in Ford's Theater by
John Wilkes Booth.
• 1912 - Atlantic passenger liner Titanic, on
its maiden voyage, hit an iceberg and
began to sink.    
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TUESDAY, APRIL 15TH —
Happy Birthday Kayla Kaufman!    

First Congregational Church in Stuart will 

host “Christ In the Passover” at 7 P.M.  
Eli Birnbaum of Jews for Jesus will  show
us the traditional Passover service  and
explain how it foreshadowed Jesus’ death
and resurrection. He will explain the deep 
bond between the ancient Passover feast
and the Christian communion celebration 
we practice today.  This has been eagerly
received by Christians who appreciate
learning more about a Jewish background
of their faith.  Mr. Birnbaum will be happy 
to answer questions after the presentation.
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• 1784 - The first hot air balloon was flown
in Ireland.
• 1813 - U.S. troops under James Wilkinson
attacked the Spanish-held city of Mobile
that was in the future state of Alabama.
• 1871 - "Wild Bill" Hickok became the
marshal of Abilene, Kansas.
• 1923 - Insulin became generally available
for people suffering with diabetes.
• 1945 - During World War II, British and
Canadian troops liberated the Nazi
concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.               
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16TH —
DORCAS-RUTH CIRCLE MEETS IN ADAIR
U.M.C. AT 1:30 P.M.  

MARTHA CIRCLE WILL MEET IN CASEY
U.M.C. AT 7 P.M.
LENTEN SERVICES WILL BE HELD IN
ADAIR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT 7 P.M.
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• 1065 - The Norman, Robert Guiscard
conquered the Italian provence of  Bari.
Five centuries of Byzantine rule in
southern Italy was ended.
• 1818 - The U.S. Senate ratified the
Rush-Bagot amendment to form an
unarmed U.S.-Canada border.
• 1854 - San Salvador was destroyed by an
earthquake.
• 1862 - Confederate President Jefferson
Davis approved a conscription act for white
males between 18 and 35.
• 1862 - In the U.S., slavery was abolished
by law in the District of Columbia.
• 1900 - Two-cent stamps were available in
books of 12, 24 and 48 stamps.
• 1905 - Andrew Carnegie made a personal
donation of $10,000,000 to set up the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching.  When the last grant was made
in 1919, Carnegie had funded 1689 libraries
in the United States.  He funded libraries in
England, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and islands in the Caribbean.
• 1945 - American troops entered the town
of Nuremberg, Germany.
• 1982 - Queen Elizabeth proclaimed
Canada's new constitution in effect. The
act severed all colonial links with Britain.                    
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THURSDAY, APRIL 17TH —
DEBORAH-MARY CIRCLE MEETS IN
CASEY U.M.C. AT 2 P.M.   
• MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICES IN
ADAIR U.M.C. AT 7 P.M.
We will have Holy Communion.
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• 1521 - Martin Luther is excommunicated
from the Roman Catholic Church.
• 1629 - Horses were first imported into the
American colonies by the Massachusetts
Bay Colony.
• 1860 - New Yorkers learned of a new law
that required fire escapes to be provided
for tenement houses.
• 1917 - A bill in Congress to establish
Daylight Saving Time was defeated.      
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FRIDAY. APRIL 18TH —      
GOOD FRIDAY SERVICES AT  GOOD 
SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH - 7 P.M.
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• 1775 - American revolutionaries Paul
Revere, William Dawes and Samuel
Prescott rode though the towns of
Massachusetts giving the warning that
"the Regulars are coming." Later, the
phrase "the British are coming" was
attributed to Revere.
• 1847 - U.S. troops defeated 17,000
Mexican soldiers commanded by Santa
Anna at Cerro Gordo.
(Mexican-American War)
• 1906 - San Francisco, CA, was hit with an
earthquake. The original death toll was
cited at about 700. Later information
indicated the death toll was 3 to 4 times
the original estimate.               
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SATURDAY, APRIL 19TH —
Happy Birthday Tanner Peterson!
• 1764 - The English Parliament banned the
American colonies from printing money.
• 1775 - The American Revolution began
when fighting broke out in Lexington, MA.
• 1802 - The Spanish reopened the port of
New Orleans to American merchants.
• 1861 - U.S. President Lincoln ordered a
blockade of Confederate ports.
• 1939 - Connecticut approved the Bill of
Rights for the U.S. Constitution after 148
years.
• 1943 - The Warsaw Ghetto uprising
against Nazi rule began. The Jews were
able to fight off the Nazis for 28 days.        
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FUTURE FOCUS —

APRIL 20TH IS EASTER SUNDAY.
We will serve Holy Communion.
• The Festival of God’s Creation - 2014 falls
on Easter Sunday.
 

Thank you all for your help this week.
You are a great crew and I commend you 

all for your focus and footwork. 

God Bless and Keep You,
Donna