ABC PARISH: OUR WEEK-MARCH 25TH TO MARCH 31ST

Monday, March 19, 2012

OUR WEEK-MARCH 25TH TO MARCH 31ST

REMINDERS —
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TUESDAY, MARCH 20TH —
FIRST DAY OF SPRING!

Keep in mind, this is the time of year farmers are
moving their large machinery from one field to
another and often times a motorist may have very
poor visibility ahead of the machine. Many farmers
move their equipment in the middle of the night so
they won't cause problems for motorists. Do drive
slowly and carefully if you happen to follow large
equipment on the road. It will only take a few extra
minutes to get to your destination.
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21ST —
DORCAS-RUTH CIRCLE WILL MEET IN
ADAIR U.M.C. AT 1:30 P.M.

LENTEN SERVICES WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21ST
AT CASEY UMC @ 7:00PM

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SUNDAY, MARCH 25TH —
REV. ED KAIL WILL GIVE THE SERMON IN
ADAIR TODAY.

• HE WILL SHARE INFORMATION COLLECTED
DURING PREVIOUS PERSONAL CONFERENCES.
• THIS IS INFORMATION HE COMPILED IN A
CONGREGATIONAL REPORT.

THIS IS THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT
OUR COLOR IS PURPLE

SCRIPTURE READINGS —
JEREMIAH 31:31-34
(The Message)
God's new covenant requires no stone tablets. It
will be a covenant written in the people's hearts,
informing everything in their whole lives. God
will inscribe a new covenant on the people's
hearts (Jeremiah 31:33).
31 "That's right. The time is coming when I will
make a brand-new covenant with Israel and Judah.
32 It won't be a repeat of the covenant I made with
their ancestors when I took their hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant
even though I did my part as their Master."
God's Decree.
33 "This is the brand-new covenant that I will make
with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law
within them - write it on their hearts! - and be their
God. And they will be my people.
34 They will no longer go around setting up schools
to teach each other about God. They'll know me
firsthand, the dull and the bright, the smart and the
slow. I'll wipe the slate clean for each of them.
I'll forget they ever sinned!" God's Decree If This
Ordered Cosmos Ever Fell to Pieces.
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PSALM 51:1-12 (UMH 785)
(The Message)
A reprise of the confession of sin from Ash
Wednesday. Today the focus is verse 6 - - -
"therefore, teach me wisdom in my secret heart."
1 Generous in love - God, give grace! Huge in mercy
- wipe out my bad record.
2 Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your
laundry.
3 I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me
down.
4 You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all,
seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts
before you; whatever you decide about me is fair.
5 I've been out of step with you for a long time, in the
wrong since before I was born.
6 What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter
me, then; conceive a new, true life.
7 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
8 Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once
broken bones to dancing.
9 Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean
bill of health.
10 God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis
week from the chaos of my life.

11 Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe
holiness in me.
12 Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in
my sails!

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HEBREWS 5:5-10
(The Message)
Jesus is our great high priest by God's own
appointment and made perfect through his
obedience and suffering. Hebrews describes
the reality of Jesus' high priesthood having no
status earned from the honor codes of our own
human society, but the result of God's own
provocation.
5 Neither did Christ presume to set himself up as
high priest, but was set apart by the One who said
to him, "You're my Son; today I celebrate you!"
6 In another place God declares, "You're a priest
forever in the royal order of Melchizedek."
7 While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus
cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered
up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored
God, God answered him.
8 Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting
obedience by what he suffered, just as we do.
9 Then, having arrived at the full stature of his
maturity and having been announced by God as
high priest in the order of Melchizedek,
10 he became the source of eternal salvation to
all who believingly obey him.
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JOHN 12:20-33 (The Message)
The primary image from John's gospel is grains
of wheat. Jesus tells Phillip and Andrew that the
time for his glorification; i.e., his execution is
drawing near and that those who serve him will
be found with him wherever he leads or goes.
20 There were some Greeks in town who had come
up to worship at the Feast.
21 They approached Philip, who was from
Bethsaida in Galilee: "Sir, we want to see Jesus.
Can you help us?"
22 Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip
together told Jesus.
23 Jesus answered, "Time's up. The time has come
for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 "Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried
in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more
than a grain of wheat.

But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself
many times over.

25 In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just
as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless
in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal.
26 "If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me.
Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a
moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward
anyone who serves me.
27 "Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I
going to say? 'Father, get me out of this'? No, this is
why I came in the first place.
28 I'll say, 'Father, put your glory on display.'" A voice
came out of the sky:
"I have glorified it, and I'll glorify it again."
29 The listening crowd said, "Thunder!" Others said,
"An angel spoke to him!"

30 Jesus said, "The voice didn't come for me
but for you.
31 At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan,
the ruler of this world, will be thrown out.
32 And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract
everyone to me and gather them around me."
33 He put it this way to show how he was going to be
put to death.
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MONDAY, MARCH 26TH —
This is Pastor Bob's and Naomi's day off.
The office is closed today.