Get Ready For Advent

Special holidays always mess up our inner calendar and it may have felt like Thanksgiving was a Sunday. Do a "reset" and realize that tomorrow is Sunday. It is not only Sunday but it is the first Sunday in Advent. We talked about it a few days ago but we need to be reminded.

The Sermon will get us started preparing for Christmas with a look at the coming of Jesus.

Get your food prepared so that you will be able to get it together for the pot luck after worship. One of the best ways we seem to have to "celebrate" is with food. We'll eat and then we will work. We will be decorating the church and the children will be practicing for their pageant.

Oh, by the way, today would be a good day to call up that friend you invited (you did invite someone didn't you?) to remind them what time the services are.

Did you forget to take a "flyer" with you last Sunday? Grab several this week and put them into use.

Let's have an exciting Advent because an exciting, full Advent will lead to an exciting Christmas.

Thanksgiving Day Prayer
By Larry Linville

Take a few moments this thanksgiving day
To pray to God in a different way
When you think of the problems you’ve endured
Remember, as well, the good you’ve secured
When your kinfolks gather round the table
Pray for those whose families are unstable
As you see the love your family has shone
Pray for all those who are eating alone
As you see the clothing everyone chose
Pray for those who do not have many clothes
When you’ve eaten plenty and want to shout
Pray for all those who are doing without
When you relax in front of the TV
Pray for workers who protect you and me
Firemen and cops and the soldiers at war
Pray that they soon will be back on our shore
May God fill the void of that empty space
And give them an extra serving of grace
If this was your prayer when you are at rest
I know that you’ve felt how much you’ve been blessed

© Copyright 2007 Larry Linville (UN: larrylinville at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Larry Linville has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.

My Unfree Dr Pepper

I didn't get my coupon for the free Dr Pepper because the internet was not working.
Now I guess I'm not a Pepper.

I don't drink a lot of pop. (my kids went to college and learned to call it "soda")
I have it once in a while but I mostly drink a couple of cups of coffee and lots of water.
But I do like a Diet Dr Pepper once in a while. (And I never ran for vice president).

I received the news that Dr Pepper was given a coupon for a free soft drink
if I logged in to their site on Sunday.
Well, that was not true .
I tried several times during the day and I could not get through.
I watched the evening news and the local TV station was not able.
I logged in again about 11 pm when everyone else should have been in bed.
No Luck!
On Monday morning I check in and was excited because they had extended the offer
until 5 pm (my time) that evening.
Again, no luck!

After 5 pm I checked in again and they didn't extend the offer
even though I still couldn't get registered.
I don't know if I can drink their product again in good faith.

Then I began to think as a preacher.
Sometimes I do that well.
I am thankful that God's grace is not that difficult to receive.
Sometimes our churches seem to make it that hard but God doesn't.
I'm so thankful God doesn't take advice from Dr Pepper!

Pastor Larry

Advent Season is Coming

Sunday, November 30th is the first Sunday in Advent. Is it possible?

It will be a BIG day at Paradise UMC.
Pastor Arlin will be starting our Advent series of sermons with a sermon titled, "The Rest Of The Story." The text is Mark 13:24-28;32,33.

Following worship we will feast on a pot luck dinner and you know that will be great!

After the dinner the church will join in the "Hanging of the Greens" decorating the church.
The children will be practicing for the Pageant which they will present on Dec. 14.

One of the greatest secrets of having a great Christmas is to take in all the activities of Advent.
Plan on being present and invite someone to join you.

Share the news

When you arrive on Sunday morning, you will have the opportunity to pick up a few flyers about the activities for December. This one page sheet tells of all the special happenings during the Advent season.

You need to be thinking about persons you know who do not attend a church. It might be someone you work with, socialize with, or it may even be family. If such persons are invited to worship at Christmas time, 83% of them will say "yes."

Make of list of several persons you know with whom you could share one of these flyers. Think of bulletin boards where you could place one. Think of persons you could to whom you could mail one.

When you know how many you need, you will know how many to take with you Sunday.

Let's not keep Paradise a secret!

Sheep And Goats

On Sunday we will bring this series on the parables of Jesus in Matthew by looking at Matthew 25:31-46. The sermon will be "The Least of These." Jesus separates the sheep and goats and told them they did -- or did not -- help him as they did or did not help others. We will not use this to talk about a great big last judgment, but rather about how to deepen our spiritual life by including the outreach to those in need.

Please read the scripture several times this week.
Read it as if you are one of the sheep.
Read it again as a goat.
Read it as one who was hungry, or thirsty, etc.

Be sure to invite someone to attend the service and enjoy our time together.

Christmas Pageant - Dec. 14

One of the best ways to prepare oneself for Christmas is to attend a Christmas Pageant put on by the youngsters of a church. You will have that opportunity on December 14th during the 11 a.m. worship service.

If you'd like to get even more out of it, you can assist with the preparation for the pageant.
There will be practices at Nov. 30th immediately after the fellowship dinner
and on Dec. 7th after worship.
If a third one is needed, it will be on Dec. 10th between 6:15-7:30.

All parents who wish to have your children in the pageant should contact Amy Wallce: cjwamy@hotmail.com 8816.699.0668.

The pageant is titled "Double Take - A Christmas Pageant as Told by Matthew and Luke."

Begin telling family and friends that this is a highlight of the Advent season.

Bluegrass Music Anyone?

Lindley Creek Bluegrass is appearing on November 15th
at Gospel Music Heritage
Edgerton, MO
7:00 p.m.

This appears to be a young family from South Missouri and they seem to be very good.

What Are You Doing With Your Talent?

Last week Pastor Larry talked with us from the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. We concluded that we need to be alert .... be awake...be prepared.

This week Pastor Arlin will reach into the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). He will help us examine the talents we have and how we can use them to "enhance the lives of others." He will help us see that the more we use our talents, the more we also benefit. You will be able to ask yourself what you are doing with your talent.

On the 23rd, Pastor Larry will follow up with the parable of the judgement. This will be the final sermon in our series of looking at the parables. It will challenge us to see that when we use our talents to help other, we grow spiritually and are actually serving Jesus.

Please read this week's scripture several times. Read it alone. Read it with your family. Pray and ask God to help you be prepared to receive the blessing.

Not Yet!!!!!!

I saw in the news that the city of Independence had the lighting of the Mayor's Christmas tree over the weekend. I'm seeing Christmas commercials on TV. Merchants used to have the courtesy to wait until after Thanksgiving but not any more. We can do nothing about the commercialized Christmas. We can't stop it. But we don't have to be involved with it.

I'm not one to rant and rave about taking Christ out of Christmas. I don't think government needs to be involved in promoting the festivities. It is the place of the church to proclaim the "glad tidings of a great joy..." I'm not one to complain that nativity scenes are not allowed on government facilities. There are plenty of churches and Christians who can place such witnesses to our faith on our own yards.

But even with this aside, we need to individually look at how we will prepare for Christmas. Will we get caught up in all the materialism? Perhaps this would be a good year for each of us to plan ways of bringing out the spiritual celebration in our lives. We will soon be announcing the activities we are planning at Paradise UMC. These will include a Christmas Pageant by our Children, Christmas Eve Candlelight service, and we pastors will be preaching in the month of December about the Advent/Christmas message.

We will be suggesting ways that you and your family might be more involved in your home in a way that gets to the real message of Christmas.

But we aren't going to do that yet.
Let's have Thanksgiving first.


Pastor Larry

How Can You Help?

There is always something to do in God's Kingdom and at Paradise UMC. Let's list a few:
1. Children's Church - be in a rotation to do the children's sermon - resources are available via the internet or books on most topics.

2. PowerPoint - be in a rotation to prepare the presention for Sunday worship.

3. Song Leader - stand in front of the congregation and lead the singing during worship.

4. Worship leader - take your place in a rotation to lead the worship service.

5. Sunday School Substitute - fill in on an "as needed" basis when regular teachers are not available or just to give them a break.

6. Website - keep the web site updated - changing the newsletter and other information. If you feel creative, you may change the layout, etc.!

Do you hear God calling? Contact Pastor Arlin or Pastor Larry.

Smell That Turkey?

I know it's not possible, but I swear I can smell that turkey.
We can eat it on Friday, November 7th.
We dig in at 6:30 p.m.
You haven't forgotten have you?
Have you invited someone to share it?

Our fellowship nights are so important to the life of our church. We grow in our relationships with each other. We share in a time with Christian friends. We are in God's presence.

So, bring your appetite, a friend, and a little donation for the free will offering.

The Emotion of the Last 24 Hours

I was so surprised!
I know I'm emotional, but I didn't expect tears to flow.
It hit me hard. It may be a great historical moment.
The fact that our next President is an African-American person, turned the tears on.
They were not tears of fear or anger, but tears of joy.

I have seen so much hurt and pain caused by our imperfect love of all God's children.
I have had persons in my churches who were black, white, Asian, Native American. I have seen some of these who were young persons being teased by others because they were different.

But last night, it hit me that our nation may be turning a big corner.
We have not allowed the color of a person's skin to disqualify him from being elected.

My mind went back to 1963 as I sat in front of a TV and heard Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. I remember 1968 when Robert Kenney and M.L. King lost their lives serving this country.

I remember growing up in Chillicothe where the water fountains at the Ben Bolt theater were marked for "whites" and for "colored."

I remember when we were forced to integrate the swimming pool and I shared the water with them.

I can't imagine what the black kids were feeling in Chillicothe.

Whether we are Democrats or Republicans....
Whether we voted for Obama or McCain...
The decision has been made and it is time for us to be in prayer for all the leaders who have been elected including our future president.
Just as I have prayed for every president we have had, I will continue to be in prayer for our new president.

I pray further that this may be a time which will get rid of the hate and bitterness that has been so much of the speech in our deadlocked society for the several years.

Finally, let me say that I shed tears when John McCain gave such a positive concession speech. What an example he was! He could have been bitter, but he gave the example of acceptance and good will.

Pastor Larry

Preparing for Sunday

Have you ever needed something and you didn't have it because you had not been prepared? Have you opened your suitcase and saw that you forgot some important article of clothing? How would you feel if you were a bridesmaid waiting for the bridegroom to arrive and it became so late that you fell asleep? When they woke you up you didn't have batteries for your flashlight (or oil for your lamp)? Well, this is what we are going to deal with on Sunday.

The scripture is Matthew 25:1-13. You may wish to read this several times between now and Sunday. The sermon will be: "We Need More Lerts -- So Be A Lert."

This would be a good week to invite someone to attend with you. They will be blessed and so will you.

VOTE

Voting is not only a privilege, it is a responsibility.
As a church, we do not tell anyone for whom to vote, but we certainly encourage you to vote.

Here's a prayer to pray as you get ready to cast your vote:

O God of freedom. I ask you to guide me as I go to vote this day. Help me to do my final study about the issues and the candidates. Help me to try to vote as I would if you were in the booth with me. I pray for the persons who will be elected --- even those I will vote against. Give them a special blessing and help them to have your guidance as they make decisions which will touch the lives of all our people. Amen.