LIVING and LOVING IN LODI Sunday, January 17,
2021
From Pastor Pam:
Praying:
“America the Beautiful!”
Over
the years I have noticed that of the many, many hymns we sing the hymn "America
the
Beautiful" #696 often evokes the deepest emotions as it sung with
great ardor. This week as we pray for our nation in this time of
transition we may want to look to the beautiful and challenging words of this
hymn written in 1904 by Kathleen Lee Bates. Even as we honor and serve our
nation let us never forget that we are also citizens of an even greater
kingdom: the reign of God. May the ways we honor, serve, and shape our nation
be rooted in the kingdom values taught and lived by Jesus himself. As we
pray for our nation and prepare for Human Relations Sunday, I hope we all find
strength, wisdom, and guidance as we ponder this beautiful hymn that I am
sharing as our weekly E Bible Study. I am sharing some things that came
up in my meditation; I am confident that you will find riches in your
reflections as well.
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain;
for purple mountain majesty above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee,
and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.
For
Reflection: Try to savor the beauty of our land with thankful praise each
day.
How
do I show our gratitude to God for the amazing gifts he has given by my care
for natural resources?
Do
I honor the sacred duty of stewardship or do I sometimes see our
land as a commodity?
The
biblical understanding of grace in linked with empathy, compassion and mercy.
Where is God's grace
needed
in our nation? When looking at issues of racial or economic justice do I
listen with grace to the experiences of fellow Americans whose story
may be different from my own?
O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life.
America! America! May God thy gold refine,
till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine.
For
Reflection: Pray for those in the armed forces and their families and for
veterans who suffer from emotional, spiritual, and physical injury. While
I say "support our troops" do I advocate for vets, especially
homeless vets?
Some
suggest that any who name concerns about our nation as somehow
"unpatriotic." This hymn suggests the opposite "May God thy gold
refine." Over the years what has been "refined"?
Where
might more refining be needed? How can I help? (see also verse three)
What
does nobility in speech and character mean? Is it an outdated notion or a
critical component of good citizenship and Christian living?
Thinking
of Jesus' example and teaching as our core values, what would
"divine gain" look like?
What Gospel verses
help me name the divine gains?
"Who
more than self their country loved." Mom said actions speak louder
than words. How do my decisions regarding my time, resources, and
talents reflect true love of country and community?
O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years,
thy alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears!
America ! America ! God mend thine every flaw,
confirm thy soul in self- control, and liberty in law.
How
is my citizenship guided by Biblical hope rather than fear? I invite all
of us to pray our hopes, reflect on self- control, and meditate on
the notion of liberty in law as disciples of Jesus who understood our lives are
joined in sacred ways.
God
Bless America, the Beautiful!
Scripture: Acts 8:26-40
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward
the south[a] to the road that
goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So
he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the
Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come
to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated
in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then
the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So
Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you
understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can
I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside
him. 32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was
reading was this:
“Like
a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice
was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away
from the earth.” 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom,
may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone
else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with
this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As
they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said,
“Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”[b] 38 He
commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went
down into the water, and Philip[c] baptized
him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of
the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way
rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as
he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns
until he came to Caesarea.
Spiritual Support: Pastor Pam is available for a porch visits, to bring Holy
Communion for you to partake in your home, to listen, to pray with you.
Please call or text: 216 704 0307 or e-mail pamelab23@hotmail.com.
Even
though our building is closed, until the governor says we can reopen, we are
live on Facebook at 10:00am Sunday mornings AND once the service has
been uploaded, it will be on our private YouTube channel!!!! An
e-mail will include the link. A new website is being worked on – this
will make viewing the Sunday service much easier! Please be patient as
this takes time.
You can mail your offerings to: Lodi UMC, PO Box 3, Lodi,
OH 44254 (The church continues to need your tithes and offerings, each
week. Even though we are not meeting in person, the work of the church
goes on. Thank you for your continued support.) 2021 Offering
envelopes are just inside the single door at the church. Call Dottie for a
code 330-887-1471
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 Buzalka (216)704-0307 pamelab23@hotmail.com
Life Line Screening at Lodi United Methodist Church March 16,
2021 9am-5pm Life Line Screening, the nation’s
leading provider of preventive health screenings, will offer affordable, non-invasive
and painless health screenings at Lodi United Methodist Church on Tuesday,
March 16, 2021. A package of 5 screenings to identify risk for stroke,
heart disease and other chronic conditions will be offered:
· Carotid artery ultrasound to identify plaque buildup in
the carotid arteries, a major risk factor for stroke
· Abdominal aortic aneurysm ultrasound to identify
presence of an enlargement in the largest blood vessel in the body
· An EKG to identify the presence of atrial fibrillation,
which increases the risk for stroke
· Ultrasound of the lower legs to look for plaque buildup
known as peripheral artery disease
· Ultrasound of the shin bone to identify risk for
osteoporosis. These 5 vital screenings are offered for only $149 and take
60-90 minutes to complete. If you register today, you will receive a $10
discount. Register: 1-888-653-6441 or text the word
"circle" to 797979.
The
part for my laptop should be here tomorrow! I will have updated balances and
will send out statements as soon as it is fixed. – It’s been a crazy two weeks
without my laptop! Thanks for your patience! Dottie
Lodi United Methodist Church Bulletin, Sunday, January 17, 2021
Worship
Human Relations Sunday
Prelude “Holy and Anointed One with
Christ, We Do All Adore Thee”- Missy
Call to Worship - Bob Wooley
Bob: Come, let us worship the Lord in spirit and in truth
that we might live the great commandment Jesus has given us.
Community: Jesus has commanded us to " love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind...and
to "love our neighbor as yourself." Amen
adapted from Matt. 22:
36-40
Hymn "Christ for the World We Sing"
#568
1. Christ for the world we sing, the world to Christ we bring,
with loving zeal;
the poor, and them that mourn, the faint and overborne, sin-sick and
sorrow-worn, whom Christ doth heal.
2. Christ for the world we sing, the world to Christ we bring,
with fervent prayer; the wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed, redeemed at countless cost, from dark despair.
3. Christ for the world we sing, the world to Christ we bring,
with one accord; with us the work to share,
with us reproach to dare, with us the cross to bear, for Christ our Lord.
Unison Prayer - Bob Wooley
On this Human Relations Sunday we recall our baptismal
covenant. In those holy promises we renounced sin and professed our
faith; we confessed Jesus Christ as our Savior, and we vowed to
serve him as Lord in union with people of all ages, nations, and races. We
accepted the freedom and power God has given us "to resist
evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves....
With God's help we will proclaim the Good News and live according to the
example of Christ." Amen adapted from
" The Baptismal Covenant," The United Methodist Hymnal, p.40
Church in Action – Bob
Wooley
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 “The Gift of Love” #408
1. Though I may speak with bravest fire, and have the gift to all
inspire,
And have not love, my words are vain, as sounding brass, and hopeless gain.
2. Though I may give all I possess, and striving so my love profess,
But not be given by love within, the profit soon turns strangely thin.
3. Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control, our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed; by this we worship, and are freed.
Offertory - Missy
Bob Wooley: We pray that we may offer our gifts to God in
prophetic and faithful ways. Take a moment to thank God for the gifts and
graces of the week.
Moment of Silent Prayer
Bob Wooley: Let us with one heart and one voice praise the
Holy One.
*Doxology “Praise God From Whom All
Blessings Flow” #95
*Prayer of Dedication - Bob Wooley
As each of us offers unique gifts to God united as the Body of
Christ, let us recall that in the reign of God for which we pray "there is
neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave or free, nor is there male and female, for
all are one in Christ Jesus." Amen 1
Corinthians 12, Galatians 3:28
Special Music: "Open the Eyes of My
Heart" Melissa
The Good News Acts
8:26-40 Bob Wooley
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip,
“Get up and go toward the south[a] to
the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So
he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the
Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come
to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated
in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then
the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So
Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you
understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can
I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside
him. 32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was
reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent
before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his
humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his
life is taken away from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may
I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone
else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with
this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As
they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said,
“Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”[b] 38 He
commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went
down into the water, and Philip[c] baptized
him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of
the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way
rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as
he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns
until he came to Caesarea.
Message An Unexpected
Neighbor Pastor Pam
Hymn "There's A Spirit in the
Air" #192
1. There's a spirit in the air, telling Christians everywhere:
'Praise the love that Christ revealed, living, working, in our world!'
5. When a stranger's not alone, where the homeless find a home,
praise the love that Christ revealed, living, working, in our world.
6. May the Spirit fill our praise, guide our thoughts and change our ways
God in Christ has come to stay. Live tomorrow's life today!
*Benediction
We are sent forth to be beacons of hope, living reminders that God
is love and those who abide in love abide in God and God in them.
For how can we say we love God if we do not love all of our neighbors as
ourselves? Let us rejoice in the way that is Christ! Amen
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