LIVE ! LINE…October 30, 2011
October 28, 2011
LIVE ! LINE
Sunday Night LIVE!
Fairmont United Methodist Church
2501 Clark Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607
Hello, LIVE! Friends!
So glad YOU are part of the Sunday Night LIVE! community!
We’ve studied St. Paul, and may have to revisit him in the near future. Sunday, we’ll take up Peter, in Luke’s introductory story, Luke 5:1-11, where Peter says to Jesus, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” Powerful stuff!
One of our own will bring the music – come share the joy with Julia Lowrimore.
Many blessings,
Pastor Steve
FLASH FOCUS…October 30, 2011
October 28, 2011
FLASH FOCUS
Fairmont United Methodist
2501 Clark Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607
Hello, Friends of Jesus!
Sunday marks the annual “Children’s Sabbath.” It is a day that calls for justice for children, with this theme:
“Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue:
Answering God’s Call to Protect Children.”
Jess and our young people have lots in store for us!
Sunday’s Outreach:
* Bring Your Cans to Church (Urban Ministries)
* CROP Walk is at 3 pm Sunday, Marbles Kids Museum (breaking news: we’ve topped $1,000)
* The mission lunch will help put funds in place for our “lunch bag” ministry for hungry neighbors.
SNL! will feature Julia Lowrimore!
Peace and Prayer,
Pastor Steve
A Day in the Life…Reformation and Saints
October 28, 2011
And all this time, you thought October 31 was all about Halloween! For Lutherans and for many in the “reformed” traditions, it’s Reformation Day – a watershed celebration for those who claim “faith alone” for salvation. Doesn’t float your boat? Then how about this:
“Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” which came to be known as The 95 Theses. Hans Hillerbrand writes that Luther had no intention of confronting the church, but saw his disputation as a scholarly objection to church practices and the tone of the writing is accordingly “searching, rather than doctrinaire.” Hillerbrand writes that there is nevertheless an undercurrent of challenge in several of the theses, particularly Thesis 86, which asks: “Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money.”*
Now that ought to stir the blood! Ah, but for those of us who did not grow up in the traditions of “high church” (did that make us “low” church?), talk of days of Reformation and even All Saints strike us as somewhere between vague and irrelevant. There is much there to consider.
What if Luther’s timing was important, even critical? On All Saints Eve (or All Hallows Eve, from which comes our Hallowe’en), just before marking the lives of the faithful who had lived and died in and for the sake of Christ the Lord, the church’s business-as-usual would no longer do. When we name those we have loved, those beside whom we have served, those from whom we have learned the faith, we, too, might pause and consider the life of the church, the community of the faithful, and the “business” we carry out in Christ’s name.
Our United Methodist Book of Worship says
“All Saints (November 1 or the first Sunday in November) is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place. We celebrate the communion of saints as we remember the dead, both of the Church universal and of our local congregations.”**
We United Methodists have worked to recover this important celebration. Next Sunday’s worship will include a time of naming the seven individuals who have died since last All Saints Day, those who by faith have now gained the eternal kingdom. The candles representing each of them will be alight throughout our worship, and as we gather for communion, give us a sense of the “communion of saints” in which we believe (see The Apostles Creed).
Reformation Day is October 31, All Saints Day is November 1. I invite you to add to your prayers on those days some reflection about Luther and others of the great reformers, and to reflect upon the saints we have known and loved and have known and loved us. May we do so with hearts filled with praise.
Pastor Steve
* Citation from Wikipedia.
** Abingdon, Nashville, 1992, no. 413.
To All the Saints in the Making…Consecrate
October 28, 2011
Could there be a more important sounding day than “Christ the King?” For the day that culminates the entire church year, it may get little more than a quick glance at the worship bulletin and a “Hmm, Christ the King… Ok.” I don’t remember it being mentioned in my childhood, it was those seminary-types (!) that brought it to my attention.
As you might guess, I looked it up. Alas, instead of confirming my vast knowledge, I learned how much I did not know. I found that Pope Pius XI instituted the day in 1925. Why? Rising secularism questioned the authority of Christ and the church—sound familiar, 21st century folk? Then as now, a parallel rise in individualism (singing, “I did it my way!”) challenged the authority of not just the church but of institutions in general.
So can “Christ the King” work in 2011? We’re a little suspicious of kings these days…we are fascinated by royalty, but more from the vantage point of spectators. I like to think it can work if we’ll work it. The “church year” has moved us from Advent through Christmas and Epiphany, from Lent through Easter and Pentecost—the two great “cycles” of each year. It seems fitting that the one we name king at his birth be claimed as king beyond the manger.
The celebration comes just as we also mark our Consecration Sunday. Yes, that confluence is deliberate. Unless you just came in, you know that’s the day we receive well-prayed-over commitments (estimates of giving) for the next year. What does it mean to “consecrate” something? Something is set apart as holy, sacred; something is dedicated to a specific purpose. So when we ask God to bless us as we consecrate “the elements” of holy communion, it is a very big deal!
When we prayerfully estimate our giving, we do so in that spirit of consecration: we name all that we have as a gift from God, setting apart a portion of it, to use biblical language, to “make it holy unto the Lord.” That is a very big deal!
Is there anything that can be allowed to get in the way of such “consecration?” And is there any place on the economic spectrum where we are not under this kingship, this lordship of Christ?
Lately we heard Jesus say to his critics, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”* In my home church, we did not use the usual Old 100th doxology, but sang this:
We give thee but thine own,
Whate’er the gift may be,
All that we have is thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from thee.
On Christ the King Sunday, we will set apart a portion of God’s trust in us, asking God’s blessing upon our actions together. It will be “holy unto the Lord.”
Pastor Steve
* Matthew 22:21
LIVE ! LINE…October 23, 2011
October 21, 2011
LIVE ! LINE
Sunday Night LIVE!
Fairmont United Methodist Church
2501 Clark Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607
Hello, LIVE! Friends!
Sunday night, we’ll take one more look at Paul, now The Apostle, from Acts 9:19b-31, “Saul’s Pall Lifted.:
We are grateful to hear once more the gifted Roenitia Steward – one in a long line of wonderful SNL! musicians.
Will YOU be in our number?! Hope so!
Peace and Prayer
Pastor Steve
FLASH FOCUS…October 23, 2011
October 21, 2011
FLASH FOCUS
Fairmont United Methodist
2501 Clark Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607
WESLEY SUNDAY!
Hello, Friends of Jesus!
“Wesley” Sundays are that time of energized creativity, when students of the Raleigh Wesley Foundation lead us in worship. Come and see!
The CROP Walk is only 7 days from Sunday! 3:00 pm, Marbles Kids Museum, about 3 miles. To sign up OR sponsor, go to cropwalkraleigh.com, follow the links to sign up OR sponsor us who are walking. We walk because the poor of the world walk!
Our charge conference will be shared with three neighboring congregations. Come see what these annual gatherings are all about: Sunday, 3:00 pm, Avent Ferry United Methodist, 2700 Avent Ferry Rd.
See you Sunday?
Peace,
Pastor Steve
A Day In The Life… Percentages
October 21, 2011
Blame Abram, if you must blame someone. Not only is he the father of peoples more numerous than the stars of the sky, he is also the father of (get ready for it) the “tithe.” At first memory, Abram is the old guy (75) whom God called to have a child with Sarai (65), and for many years (25), that didn’t work out for them. But then it did, and there was Isaac who begat (don’t you love that word?) Jacob and Esau, and off we go.
Even as I rapidly approach Abram’s age, maybe I’m an age-ist—I just don’t expect “high adventure” from ol’ Abram. But it’s there. His nephew Lot was kidnapped. When “old” Abram heard about it, he rounded up 318 trained fighting men and went after the kidnappers. He divided his forces, and the way I read Genesis 14, he put a hurtin’ on ‘em. He brought back Lot, all Lot’s people, and all the possessions that had been stolen.
The first we hear of a “priest of God” appears about then, King Melchizadek of Salem. He brought out bread and wine (sounds familiar), and blessed Abram like this:
Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.
Pretty impressive. Not content to merely receive that blessing, Abram gave one in return. Here’s what it says:
And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything.
That’s it: one-tenth, or a “tithe.” The concept is named about 40 times in the Torah,* and throughout scripture, including the New Testament. Try as we might to finesse that, to talk tithe of net or gross, or expand it into all charitable giving, this is at the heart of it—one tenth of everything given to God.
I suppose St. Paul bears equal blame as, after all, he gave us “God loves a cheerful giver.” The larger passage (2 Corinthians 8 and 9) is worth a careful reading. Here he connects the giving of the faithful to the need of many. The church in Jerusalem (the mother church?) was in great need, so Paul devoted himself to meeting two goals: generosity and meeting the need. (The two seem to stay connected, don’t they?) Here’s how he puts it:
The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.
Tithing is the pathway to planting “bountifully.” Many are not there yet, but here’s a way to get there. Remember first learning “fractions?” I was really thrown, and stayed thrown until… the invention of calculators! (Yes, I’m that old). Here’s an exercise: grab your calculator (or phone) right now: divide your monthly giving by your monthly income. That’s the percentage you give. The first time I did that, my giving was 2.5%. Hmm, thought I. Even as my student expenses mounted, I grew that to 5%. When I began to work full time, 10% felt natural and right. And at this point in Peggy’s and my lives, the tithe is not a ceiling for our giving.
Abram got the ball rolling, Paul kept it rolling—the ball’s in your court!
Pastor Steve
* Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
LIVE ! LINE…October 16, 2011
October 14, 2011
LIVE ! LINE
Sunday Night LIVE!
Fairmont United Methodist Church
2501 Clark Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607
Hello, LIVE! Friends!
Oh, what glorious fall days! It gets dark earlier, light later…soon we’ll be back on “standard”
time (November 6).
Sunday night, we’ll think some more about Paul (not yet Saint Paul), with Saul’s New Call, from Acts 9:9-19.
Randy Shepard and Friends are stepping up once again – it’s always a joy to greet him and his surprise guest musicians!
Peace and Prayer,
Pastor Steve
FLASH FOCUS….October 16, 2011
October 14, 2011
FLASH FOCUS
Fairmont United Methodist
2501 Clark Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607
Hello, Friends of Jesus!
The Bazaar was fabulous! Why? Because of the many who prepared AND took part!
Sunday is World Food Day. For the first time, we will have the option of an “offering of letters.” I DO hope you’ll come and take part.
Speaking of food, you can sign up for the CROP Walk on line! Search “Raleigh CROP Walk,” then click on “sign up,” then you’ll see “Fairmont Faithful” listed. You may also donate to your favorite walker (hint, hint) on line.
After taking a deep breath (whew!) for the Bazaar, we resume our “home” meetings, seeking to deepen our understanding of both the church’s financial life AND how to live generously in a “down” economy. Each family represented will receive a wonderful book that addresses that issue (it’s a gloriously short book!). I regard spending such time with you as very precious. Please add your name to one of these settings by return email.
Thank you!
Pastor Steve
Thursday, October 20, 7:00 pm , Lynne and Walter Brock, 4600 Grenadine Ct., Raleigh, 27612
Henry Jarrett, Bob & Tamara Ladich, Zachary Bugg, Brenda Johnson
Saturday, October 22, 6:00 pm , Fairmont United Methodist (probably The Hut)
Peggy Hickle, Larry Burks, Sydney Deck, Edith Futrell, Marianne Clayter, Betsy Lampley, Phoebe Rummell, Jean Porter, Carol Shearin, Louise Tippett
Thursday, October 27, 10:30 am, Barbara Maddrey, 4124 Jane Lane, Raleigh 27604
Margarete Hermanson, Dixie Kennedy
Thursday, October 27, 7:00 pm, Diane & Ken Dulaney, 207 Whitehall Way, Cary 27511
Kraus House
A Day in the Life…A Hand Written Letter?
October 14, 2011
When was the last time you wrote one of those? Or received one?? That’s exactly the point! When our senators and representatives receive such missives, they recognize that effort has gone into them. In an age of “fwd,” that registers! Today is “World Food Day.” During this morning’s musical interlude, as I announced some weeks ago, we’ll have the opportunity to do just that. If you choose not to write, or to do it later, I hope you’ll spend the time in a season of prayer for the world’s hungriest. Thanks be to God! – Pastor Steve
Date ___________
Dear Sen. __________ or Rep. ________________,
As Congress and the Super Committee work to reduce our nation’s deficits, I urge you to create a circle of protection around programs for hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world.
The numbers are staggering. Millions of families in the United States continue to feel the effects of the recession—nearly one in six people in our country are poor. Around the world, nearly 1 billion people are hungry, and one child dies every 3.6 seconds from poverty, hunger, and preventable diseases. This isn’t the time for Congress to cut programs that provide vital assistance to those in need.
Programs for hungry and poor people make up only a fraction of the federal budget, but they have a tremendous impact. The Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit keep millions of families out of poverty, reward work, and promote economic mobility. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) has responded quickly and effectively to need, preventing an increase in the percentage of families struggling to put food on the table for three consecutive years.
International poverty-focused development assistance reduces the likelihood of conflict and strengthens our national security. Moreover, cuts to poverty-focused development assistance will restrict our ability to respond to humanitarian emergencies, such as the ongoing famine in the Horn of Africa.
We must do all we can to reduce the budget deficit but not on the backs of the most vulnerable people. As you consider deficit-reduction proposals, I ask you to take a balanced and fair approach and consider all areas of the budget, including revenues. Please form a circle of protection around funding for hungry and poor people at home and abroad.
Sincerely,
Your Name and Address
FOUR SIMPLE STEPS
1. Write your name and address at the end of your letter AND on the envelope, so your members of Congress will now you are one of the people they represent.
2. Ask for specific action, using this sentence or your own words: I ask you to reform foreign aid to make it more effective in reducing poverty.
3. Give reasons why. Some examples:
· Share your personal story about what motivates you to write. Letters with personal stories are the most compelling and effective.
· My church is already helping (example), but I also expect my country to take the lead in combating global poverty.
4. Send your letter to congress. Each letter goes in a separate envelope, stamped and addressed to:
US Senator Hagan or Burr
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510
&
Your US representative
US House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515