My Last Living and Learning in Lodi for June 21, 2020

Last week’s service was richly blessed with Missy Laughlin’s music…thank you Missy! Also, I’m so thankful that Larry Scott sang the duet with me last week…a true blessing for me!

          The time has come…this is my last weekly email to us. When I came to Lodi UMC, I was not used to weekly communications and wondered how I would ever find something to say each week! But, four years later, I’m used to it and wondering how I will adapt to different patterns at Bell Chapel UMC!

          As you remember from when Rev. Don and Tammy were appointed to Mansfield, for the next year, we respect Pastor Pam as she begins serving at Lodi by refraining from communication between me and you all. For example, I’ll still be on Facebook…in the background…stalking you all!! But, I won’t respond to your posts as I have been. I’ll just be happy to see what you are doing and what is bringing you joy!

          I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday as you come and we get to say our good-byes. I have the giveaways for the women from Mother’s Day and will have this week’s giveaway for the guys for Father’s Day.

          Because this week’s message falls on Father’s Day, we’ll look at King David and his son, Solomon. King David longed to build a temple for the Lord, but the Lord God wouldn’t let him. Why?...you ask? Listen in to find out!

                                                                   Always yours…

                                                                        Pastor Diane

This Sunday’s service:  

I Chronicles 28:1a, 2-8, 11-13 & 20-21  

1 Chronicles 28:1

David’s Plans for the Temple

28 David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men.

1 Chronicles 28:2-8 

² King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. ³ But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’

⁴ “Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. ⁵ Of all my sons—and the Lord has given me many—he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. ⁶ He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. ⁷ I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.’

⁸ “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

1 Chronicles 28:11-13 

¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. ¹² He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. ¹³ He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service.

1 Chronicles 28:20-21 

²⁰ David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. ²¹ The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.”

Hymns:

Pass it On #572

Jesus Name Above All Names  TFWS #2071

Here I Am Lord #593

!THE CHURCH IN ACTION!

Saying good-bye: Sunday, June 21:  Please remember to respect the time and time frames that you were given. Bring a chair if you would like to sit under the tent and visit with others as no chairs will be brought out of the church.  Rev. Diane’s going away gifts will be displayed on a table, beside her, along with her Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts to us.

School My Sheep update:  Hello!  despite our not being able to gather, items for School My Sheep are accumulating in the background. Women's clothes are done, and we have enough supplies to send 60 children and teens back to school. What a blessing!  

Over the course of the next two weeks we will try to move forward with the purchase of headphones for the elementary children.  These we have done for the last several years and are more critical than ever, given the distance learning our children are experiencing. The headsets cost approximately $7.50 each.  If you’d like to contribute toward this next endeavor, a check can be sent to the church. Just put SMS in the memo.  

There are still plenty of clothes to sort! We have approximately 2 hours worth of work to do in that regard.  Looking for 3-4 volunteers for Thursday June 25th. We can't take more due to distancing.  This will be on the 3rd floor of the church and can get warm! We'll work from 9-11.  Let Katrina know, if you're interested.  Thank you again for all you do!   Katrina