Bro. Bob Franz, Interim Minister
Berna Tanksley, Music Minister
Ann Bush, Organist / Pianist
Pat Beverly, Organist / Pianist
First Sunday of Advent, November 27
We were pleased to have the Stafford Family light the candle for the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is the beginning of the Christmas season including the four preceding Sundays. Please join us next sunday for the lighting of the second candle.
One Guy’s Reflection
Greetings Church! What a joy it is for some semblance of return to normal to be unfolding before our very eyes in the life of the church. We have been blessed over the past few weeks by the decision of Skylee Small to make her confession of faith. Skylee plans to be baptized on Easter. Scott Bourne transferred his membership. In person worship attendance is gradually increasing. The Woman’s Group and Youth Ministry Committee are making plans and implementing them. We have much for which to give God thanks.
As I was reflecting on all the good things happening in the life of our congregation, I was reminded of the prayer Paul offered to the church in Philippi in Philippians 1:9-11. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” The phrase that caught my attention with this reading is Paul’s desire that the church be able to discern what is best! We discern what is best through a variety of methods; prayer; meditation on scripture; and always living a life of love as Jesus gave witness.
As we make preparations for Easter, may our prayer include a desire to discern what is best and having discerned it to do it. Such a spiritual effort on your part will not only be a blessing to yourself, but to everyone around you. One spiritual method of prayer that may assist you in your discernment is called lectio divina or divine reading. M. Basil Pennington offers up the following summary that can guide us in this prayer practice:
- Take the sacred text with reverence and call upon the Holy Spirit.
- For five minutes (or longer, if you are so drawn) listen to God speaking to you through the text, and respond.
- At the end of the time, choose a word or phrase (perhaps one will have been “given” to you) to take with you and thank God for being with you and speaking to you. (Handbook of Spirituality for Ministers (Volume 1) pg. 26.)
God is at work among us and good things are happening. Come be a part of that good work for which God has called us and may we all learn to discern what is best and then put that best into practice.
Bro. Greg Guy