My, my! What a month it has been! Each weekend in September there has been something extra going on within our church families. The first Sunday, the Milligan church traveled to Schuyler to help build the Habitat house. The second Saturday, Courtney and Tyler Salmon were wed at the Fairmont church. The third Sunday, baby Kate Bettger was baptized at Fairmont. And this past Saturday, Dori and Steve Stimple were married at the Milligan church. That’s a whole lot of celebrating and witnessing to God being active and present in our lives! And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I wouldn’t trade my calling for the world. I love being able to join with families during these special times and help them remember just how much God loves them. And how much God loves each of us. Really. Much of my spare time this month, if you can call it that, has been connected with our little rental house. Tenants moved out the end of August. New folks are moving in October 1. It’s been our practice to “make all things new” for the new tenants. So we have been replacing a couple of doors, upgrading the flooring in two rooms, and making repairs, patching holes, and touching up paint here and there as needed. A labor of love, we said when we first bought Barth’s bungalow on a half-acre 30 years ago. But this time, making all things new seems more labor than love. Maybe it’s because we have a deadline this time. Maybe it’s because we’re older than we used to be. And maybe it’s something else altogether. Still, God is showing us love. In the ways we still work on our separate projects, yet support one another differently in them. In the way he is teaching me to use his tools. In the ways our patience and understanding of our own limitations seems to be growing day by day. So … when is that next wedding or baptism? Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat
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A couple of weeks ago we launched into our series on Creation. We began with Planting Sunday: Good Beginnings, looking at the Creation story from Genesis. We reminded ourselves that when God was creating in the beginning, God said that which God had created was good.
Last week was Sky Sunday. We celebrated that God gave us the heavenly bodies … the sun, the moon and the stars … to provide light and to remind us to look up in awe and in worship. We remembered how God gave humanity dominion over the earth, not to exploit nature, but to respect, care for, and be good stewards of creation. Today, we turn to Harvest; in particular, looking at cultivation and fruits. It’s amazing how many references to trees there are in the Bible! Next Sunday, our series concludes with Blessing All Creatures: Bring It. Since this is the Sunday immediately preceding the Feast of St. Francis (on October 4), plans are being made to hold pet blessings at our churches. St. Francis, a Catholic friar, deacon, and preacher who started the Franciscan orders, is remembered as the patron saint of animals and the natural environment. He is often depicted with animals around him, talking to a small bird that is resting on his hand. I can say more in person about animal blessings, but at this writing the times aren’t yet set. Stay tuned for details about blessings at Milligan and Fairmont which will likely be on Wednesday, October 3. I am also scheduled to offer blessings at York’s Adopt-A-Pet on Saturday, October 6, 10 AM to noon, if this better suits your schedule. Holy and most gracious God, Creator of All Things, and Giver of All Good Gifts, thank you for your good gifts of creation. The heavenly bodies. The birds of the air. The fish of the sea. The vegetation and trees. The animals and other creatures, including people. The land and water. The mountains and valleys. The earth and the cosmos. May we be good caretakers of your good creation. Amen. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat Time for another selection from Walter Brueggemann’s collection of prayers in Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth.
Your world-forming speech Light from light Creation from chaos Life from death Joy from sorrow Hope from despair Peace from hate All your gifts, all your love, all your power. All from your word, fresh from your word, All gifts of your speech. We give thanks for your world-forming speech. Thanks as well for our speech back to you, The speech of mothers and fathers Who dared to speak In faith and unfaith In trust and in distrust In grateful memory and in high hurt. We cherish this speech as we trust yours. Listen this day for the groans and yearnings of your world, Listen to our own songs of joy and our own drudges of death, And in the midst of our stammering, Speak your clear word of life In the name of your word come flesh. Walter Brueggemann Loyola University, Chicago, July 21, 1989 Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat Last Sunday a mission team from Milligan UMC gathered in Schuyler, Nebraska to help build a home for a young family. When we arrived at 510 Gold Street, we were greeted by Sheri Balak, from the Habitat for Humanity – Schuyler Extension team. We numbered eleven, from Milligan, York, and Denton and were joined by Jen from Omaha, soon-to-be homeowner Yessica Marino and her father, and Jim, our construction manager for the project.
Yessica was born in Schuyler, graduated from Schuyler Central High School, and Central Community College in Columbus. She works as a nurse at Pediatrics Clinic in Columbus. She has two sons, a 7-year-old and a 1-1/2-year-old. Yessica told me that she learned about the Habitat for Humanity house project in Schuyler when she attended her son’s parent-teacher conferences. Subsequently, she made application, agreed to provide a down-payment and 200 hours of sweat equity to build her home, qualified for a USDA rural housing loan, and was approved to become Schuyler’s first Habitat homeowner. Because our team would be traveling some distance, Sheri had arranged for our breakfast onsite. Wonderful! We got signed in, made introductions, learned a little about Habitat’s work, prayed together, then teamed up for our tasks. Together, we painted siding, hung more siding, prepared air vents for blown-in insulation, insulated some small openings, hung some fascia, and painted siding again. More importantly, the Church had left the building on Labor Day Sunday to labor together so a young family might soon have a home of their own. Everywhere I looked, I saw Christ’s hands, feet, and heart in action. A gracious welcome. Meals and snacks. Painting. Hammering. Light-hearted bantering. Measuring twice, cutting once. To echo what Lois said later on Facebook, it was “a great day with church family….” So thank you, Lois, Lila, Dan and JoAnn, Kim and Gerald, Braden, Briana, Carol and Kerri, Jen, Yessica and your dad, Sheri, Jim, and food hosts from St. John’s Lutheran Church and CHI Health Schuyler. And thank you, God, for each of them! Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat On this Labor Day Sunday, some of us are observing this day with rest and relaxation. Others are gathering for worship at a church of their choice. Still others are in Schuyler, Nebraska as a mission team helping to build a Habitat for Humanity house.
I offer here a selection of prayers for your worship and reflection. All can be found in The United Methodist Book of Worship. O God, you have bound us together in this life. Give us grace to understand how our lives depend on the courage, the industry, the honesty, and the integrity of all who labor. May we be mindful of their needs, grateful for their faithfulness, and faithful in our responsibilities to them; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr, #443 UM BOW O God, we realize you do not call us to be successful in the marketplace; you call us to be faithful as disciples of Jesus. You do not call us to achievement in work, but to responsible living. You do not call us to make a great fortune, but to labor for your reign. Guide us into greater understanding of your priorities. Amen. --Anton K. Jacobs, #539 UM BOW O Living Word, by whom all things are created, bless all who work daily in home, field, and marketplace. Labor with them until the creation of the new heaven and earth. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. --Andy Langford, #540 UM BOW Lord Jesus Christ, carpenter of creation, you knew the satisfactions and responsibilities of human work and hallowed it forever in a carpenter’s shop in Nazareth. May I be a blessing to others by living and working to the honor and glory of your holy name. Amen. --#538 UM BOW, adapted Give us, Senor, a little sun, a little happiness, and some work. Give us a heart to comfort those in pain. Give us the ability to be good, strong, wise, and free, so that we may be as generous with others as we are with ourselves. Finally, Senor, let us all live as your own one family. Amen. --from a church wall in Mexico, #465 UM BOW Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat |
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