LIVING
and LOVING IN LODI Sunday, November 29, 2020
From Pastor Pam:
Advent Week One: The Grace to Hope
I love the holy season of Advent; it is a season of resting in the
gentle darkness that cradles our growth; this is the sacred space that is at
once a place of non-action and a place of powerful, divine creative work. This
may sound strange, but if we were to read through our beloved Advent
and Christmas hymns we would quickly see the elements
of waiting in hope, profound peace, silent nights ... and
amazing activity on the part of God! God sent angelic choirs to
bring good news to shepherds; God invited the Wise Men from distant Babylon to
follow the star; God spoke to Joseph in his dreams, and God brought forth his
child, our savior, in the womb of a young women who despite her
astonishment said Yes to the Holy One and lived into the grace of
hope.
Oddly, we have turned this around in our contemporary culture; Advent has become a time of frantic activity on our part which often leaves little room for us to rest as clay in the hands of the potter. We often fill our hands with the easy to grasp "knowns" like so many ornaments and jingle bells and often miss the grace of hope that calls us to the miraculous unknowns still in the hands of God.
Perhaps this very, very difficult time of Covid related stillness may have a surprising gift grace that will allow us to experience a more holy Advent. As much as we struggle with restrictions, they do promote our physical health. In truth, these often painful limitations may nurture our spiritual as well as our physical health.
This is indeed an unexpected Advent. We have never done it this way before! Hope allows us to trust God as all things are made new; hope allows us to let go and let God. The grace of hope is not so much about the whats of life- the outcomes-- as it is about the Who. We place our hope in the One who is "our hiding place and shield." (Psalm 119:114) We take refuge in the arms of God even as we lift the shield of love's power over that which harms.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Fill Our Hearts with the Grace of Hope!
Weekly Scripture: Mark 13: 25-37
Hymns: #213 (verses 1,2 “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”
#720 (verses 1,2) “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying”
#221 (verses 1,2,4) “In the Bleak Midwinter”
****Advent Booklet – it’s ready for pick up! You can
pick it up at the church along with the $5 Challenge envelope. The
booklet and challenge envelope will be placed in gallon Ziplock bags, in a bin,
right inside the single door of the church. Many of you have a door code, for
various reasons. Those of you that do not have a code to the door, call
me or text me, (Dottie 330-887-1471) and I will give you a code to get in the
door. The booklet is full of wonderful thought-provoking stories and
thoughts. We will all read it together, each day of Advent. ****
$5 Challenge – are you up for it?
Our $5 challenge this year will be to share the warmth of Christ’s love by
helping others, who are struggling to pay their utility bills and to help make
sure they have food on their tables. Due to the virus, there are so many things
we cannot do (our dinners, adopting families for Christmas, etc.) HOWEVER
there are still many things we CAN DO!
The $5 challenges you to:
1. Give back your $5 to the grocery/utility fund.
2. Grow your $5 then give to the grocery/utility
fund.
3. Challenge others to join you in sharing the warmth of
Christ’s love by group donating to the grocery/utility fund. (The
grocery gift cards will be for Miller Brothers. Keeping it local!)
The $5 Challenge envelopes are in with the Advent booklets.
~We are SO SORRY that we had to close our Sunday worship
services in the building, yet again, due to the virus. Your safety is very
important to us! However, we are still live on Facebook at 10:00am AND
later, once the service has been uploaded, our private YouTube
channel!!!! The link will come Sunday afternoon, in an e-mail. You MUST click
the link, each week, to be able to watch the service as it is private on
YouTube. We are doing the best we can to keep people connected and
worshiping!
~Lodi
Tech Team: We
hope you're finding ways to share in Sunday worship as we, in turn, get better
at filming and uploading. So glad we have these opportunities. In a year
that has us distanced; we've found a way to worship together. Once the
Covid-19 numbers go down, we will be training more people to be a part of our
team (Travis and Nicholas!). We're also starting to take a look at our
website to see if we can update and make it more available to those searching
for a church. Text Katrina if interested or with ideas. (330-819-6890)
BEACON
OF HOPE PROJECT
Elva
Dunham recently shared an idea, since we cannot be meeting in the church, that
we should consider lighting up the outside of the church to serve as a Beacon
of Hope to all in our community. The project has gained instant support
and enthusiasm and the following are some of the ides we plan to accomplish.:
1.
Re-install the Cross that used to hang on our building facing the parking lot.
Elva has agreed to pick up any expenses involved, as a memorial to Bill Dunham.
Donny Graves and his son, who is a licensed electrician, are coordinating this
project.
2.
Carillons: Donny and his son are working on the electrical needs to get it
playing, again, through the bell tower speakers. Missy has agreed to select the
music. Larry Scott along with his two brothers with pay for this project.
3.
Place our wooden Nativity set out, with a spotlight, set on a timer.
4.
Place LED lights around the Fellowship Hall door and the door facing Medina
St. The lights will be on a timer and fastened to the church building. We
will use existing Christmas wreaths but will purchase some Christmas garland.
What
a wonderful gesture to reach out to our community with this Beacon of Hope
theme. If you would like to contribute any monies for the lights and Christmas
garland, we need about $150 to cover these expenses. Mail your checks to the
church and designate that the money is for our Beacon of Hope project. Any
additional monies will be placed in a fund to help us expand this theme next
year. Thank you in advance for supporting this project.
Sincerely,
Elva Dunham and Larry Scott. (Call Larry with any questions (330) 887-5224)
The Celebrate “100” group is laying the groundwork for celebrating our church building turning 100 next year. If you have anything you would like to contribute or help with contact Larry Scott 330-887-5224 or scottlandyard@neo.rr.com
You
can mail your offerings to: Lodi UMC, PO Box 3, Lodi, OH 44254
Noteworthy News and Needs: Do you have News or Needs or
Prayer Concerns? Please share them with Dottie (lodiumcsec.dottie@gmail.com ,
330-887-1471) or Pastor Pam. We want to stay connected!
Rev. Pamela Buzalka (216)-704-0307 pamelab23@hotmail.com
******** Pastor Pam's Christmas present********
If
you would like to donate to Pastor Pam's Christmas present, please send your
donation to Lodi UMC, PO Box 3, Lodi, OH 44254
Gift
cards to local restaurants (for carry out), gift shops and grocery stores will
be in a basket, with some other goodies from local businesses for her.
She is still learning all about our little community, and it's quite the
challenge with the world in such turmoil. This will be a nice treat basket!
Have
a wonderful Thanksgiving, however it looks this year! We are all blessed,
more than we realize!
Lodi United Methodist Church Bulletin, Sunday, November 29 Worship Advent
Prelude
Melissa Laughlin
*Call to Worship
Grace Harvey
Grace: This holy season, may our hearts receive the gift of
hope.
Community: Even when manger is empty and the stable cold and
the night is dark, the grace of hope shines like a star. Amen.
Lighting the Advent Wreath:
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
Melissa Laughlin
Isaiah 60:2-3 “For behold, darkness shall cover the land and
thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory
will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to
the brightness of your rising.”
We light this candle as a symbol of Christ our hope. May the
light sent from God shine in the darkness to show us the way of
salvation.
(UMC Book of Worship p.262)
*Hymn
“Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying” (verses 1,2)
#720
1 Wake, awake, for night is
flying, the watchmen on the heights are crying;
Awake, Jerusalem, at last! Midnight hears the welcome voices and at
the thrilling cry rejoices;
Where are the virgins pure and
wise? Come forth, ye virgins, night is past; the Bridegroom comes, awake;
Your lamps with gladness take:
Alleluia! And for his marriage feast prepare,
for ye must go and meet him
there.
2 Zion hears the watchmen singing, and all her heart with joy
is springing;
she wakes, she rises from her gloom; for her Lord comes down
all-glorious,
and strong in grace, in truth victorious. Her Star is risen; her Light is
come.
Ah come, thou Blessed One, God's own beloved Son:
Alleluia! We follow till the halls we see where thou hast bid us sup with
thee.
*Unison Prayer
Grace Harvey
God of all hope and joy, open our hearts in welcome, that your
child Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a dwelling prepared for
himself, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now
and forever. Amen.
*adapted from A New Zealand Prayerbook, 1997, p.554
Church
in Action
Grace
Harvey
Joys
and Concerns
Pastor Pam
Prayer
Song
“Open Our Eyes”
TFWS #2086
Open our eyes, Lord, we want
to see Jesus, to reach out and touch him, and say that we love him.
Open our ears, Lord, and help
us to listen. Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.
Silent Prayer and Lord’s
Prayer
“Our
Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass
against us; and, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever. Amen.
Hymn
“Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”
(verses 1,2)
#213
1 Lift up your heads, ye
mighty gates; behold, the King of glory waits;
the King of kings is drawing near; the Savior of the world is here!
2 Fling wide the portals of
your heart; make it a temple, set apart
from earthly use for heaven's employ, adorned with prayer and love and
joy.
Offertory
Melissa Laughlin
*Doxology
“Praise God From Whom All Blessings
Flow”
#95
*Prayer
of
Dedication
Grace Harvey
Blessed are you God of all creation; wellspring of Hope; through
your goodness we have these gifts to share.
Accept and use our offering for your glory and for the service
of your kingdom. Amen.
* p.420
Scripture, The Good News of Hope :
Mark
13: 25-37
Grace
Harvey
25 the stars will fall from the sky, and
the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[a] 26 “At
that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power
and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and
gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of
the heavens. 28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig
tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that
summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these
things happening, you know that it[b] is
near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this
generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have
happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but
my words will never pass away. 32 “But about that day or
hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[c]! You
do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like
a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge,
each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore
keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come
back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at
dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find
you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to
everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Message
The Grace of Hope: Awake to God's Presence
Pastor
Pamela
Hymn
“In the Bleak Midwinter” (verses 1,2,4)
#221
1. In the bleak midwinter,
frosty wind made moan, earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on
snow, snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago.
2.
Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain; heaven and earth shall flee
away
when he comes to reign. In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed the Lord
God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
4. What can I give him, poor
as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
if I were a wise man, I would do my part; yet what I can I give Him — Give my
heart.
*Benediction
Let us go forth as a people of Hope awake in the Spirit. May
we find our lives in the Christ, who was born into our world, who is to come in
glory, and who is present to us always and everywhere. AMEN.
Postlude
Melissa Laughlin
