Shelby County Today

August 20, 2020 - One of the great themes of the New Testament is the concept of individual spiritual growth. When Paul wrote the letter to the church in Corinth, it was a congregation beset with problems. There was a party spirit and the church was divided into factions. In Chapter 3 he tells them he cannot write unto them as being spiritual because they are carnal. They are still babies spiritually. They have been fed with milk and not with meat because they cannot handle meat.

The Hebrew Christians are told in Chapter 5 that they have reached the point they should be teachers. Yet, they have not grown and need someone to teach them the first principles again. He says they have need of milk and not of strong meat. They are babies.

Peter comes along in I Peter Chapter 2 and tells his readers to lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisies, envy, and evil speaking. Instead, they are to desire the sincere milk of the word that they might grow spiritually.

Yet, that was Peter’s first letter. In the second letter, as he brings it to a close there is a further instruction on growth. In Chapter 3 and verse 18 he writes, “go on growing in grace” (Moffat). Now think about those words. There are a lot of people who are born again but never seem to progress much further than infancy. The reason is, that they soon learn to be a “’spiritual couch potato”. 

You see, growing in Christ means hard work, commitment, and dedication. Are you up to the task?

It’s something to think about…..tbp

Center Church of Christ
110 Hurst Street
Center, Texas
www.centerchurchofchrist.com

August 17, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. You can tell it is August, and you can tell you live in Texas. Even my puppies are avoiding too much time outside. But those people who track our weather for us say there is a cool front coming in. Of course, everything is relative—a cool front means lower nineties and lower humidity. But we will gladly take what we can get.

Sue and I are still pretty much home bound. A doctor in Dallas who deals with high-risk individuals projects 2022 as the year to expect anything more normal. The number of Covid cases and deaths are on the rise in Texas and many other states. We need to follow the science and those experts and doctors who have dealt with infectious diseases, doing what they tell us. It is the patriotic thing to do.

We decided today that our Sunday School lesson writer has a theme, loud and clear. He seems to be hammering home the idea that we must be more compassionate and caring. Our class is made up of folks who really do care and try to treat others as we would like to be treated. But I guess we can always be better. The scripture was Luke 10: 25-37, about the Samaritan, who unlike the priest and the Levite, helps the man attacked by thieves and left for dead on the side of the road. That the hero of the story was a hated Samaritan was certainly not lost on those listening to Jesus. Our author says we all know we should do what is right: It is actually doing it that trips us up.

My sermon focused on Matthew 15: 21-28, Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman. The lady’s motives were simple and pure—she wanted healing for her sick daughter. Jesus and his band of followers are in Gentile territory, and once again the lesson of this story is how Jesus extends his grace and love beyond the prejudices of his homeland and his times. How often does Jesus seem to tell his Jewish listeners of Samaritans, foreigners, and immigrants showing nobility and purity? Many, many times in the Gospels. This idea bothered his listeners and the Jewish folks in the synagogues after Jesus’ crucifixion. The need to put behind us our own prejudices and preconceived ideas about others is hard for modern listeners also. We really hope there is some way we can convince ourselves that Jesus doesn’t really mean what he says—but we know he does. That makes us very uncomfortable. Compassionate care is required by Jesus, no matter the time or the circumstance. Look for ways to choose kindness. 

Paxton Methodist will continue to collect children’s underclothes and socks during the rest of August. The August goal of Christian Services for over thirty years has been to help kids get ready for the start of school. We don’t know how this school year will unfold, and I think we are all still in a state of shock that this deadly pandemic has disrupted our lives so greatly and so long. The school staff has worked hard to make education accessible and safe; we pray that students and parents will find peace in this process and forge ahead.

Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here. Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, and Open Minds.” Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist, you can send your email address to the Paxton email address, and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed.

August 12, 2020 - At long last and after an extensive search, the perfect preacher has finally been found.

His knowledge is deep, his delivery is eloquent and he preaches only 15 minutes. He condemns sin in unmistakable terms and does not offend anyone.

He works from 8:00 a.m. until midnight, including janitorial and maintenance work. He makes $200.00 per week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a nice car and gives $100.00 per week to the church.

He is 28 years old and has 30 years preaching experience. He has one brown eye and one blue eye and a great shock of hair on a distinguished bald head so that he is perfectly wonderfully handsome.

He relates well with teenagers and spends all his time ministering to older folk. He smiles with a straight face because his well developed sense of humor keeps him seriously dedicated to his work in a no nonsense manner.

He makes 15 – 20 calls per day on church family, shut-ins and sick folks while spending most of his time evangelizing the lost being always in his office when needed.

NOTE: Of all of God’s creation, only men and women are able to laugh and to smile. Hopefully, this brought a smile to your face and a chuckle to your heart.

It’s something to think about…..tbp

Center Church of Christ, 110 Hurst Street, Center, Texas or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com.

August 10, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We have had more rain, slightly cooler temperatures, and lower humidity the last week or so—but that is changing. The temperatures are reaching the high nineties, and the air is really thick. A relatively mild August was too good to last.

For many years, this was when Sue and I geared up for the beginning of another school year. We are especially enjoying our retirement this year and would hate to have to make decisions on how to start a school year in the Covid pandemic. I saw the school parking lots full of cars here in Joaquin as the staff was getting ready to welcome the kids back on August 10th. But then I read Friday night that a staff member tested positive and that the school district was going to start the year remotely. Some are probably sighing with relief, while others are saying, “Here we go again.” Our hearts go out to them all.

Our Sunday School lesson was a difficult one, as it dealt with the radical hospitality of God. The word hospitality in Greek context refers to someone who has a love of strangers. Jesus certainly showed this love in the scripture for our Sunday School lesson about the Samaritan woman at the well. There had been distrust and dislike between Jews and Samaritans for generations. Our author said it was regrettable that prejudice and racism still separate people. He went on to say that some individuals or groups of people somehow conclude that they are better and more deserving than others. His point of view, by contrast, is that racism and other forms of discrimination are ugly and have no place in the body of Christ.

The Gospel lesson for Sunday came from Matthew 14: 22-33. In this story, a favorite of many, we see Jesus walking on water: Peter steps out of the boat in faith but weakens and must be rescued by Jesus, who calms the waters. Mark and John also have a story of Jesus calming the waters, but only Matthew tells of Peter stepping out. Luke doesn’t have this story at all. Our Old Testament Lesson was 1 Kings 19: 9-19, where we see Elijah having a close encounter with God. It doesn’t come accompanied by winds, earthquakes, or fire. Instead God comes to Elijah as “a softly whispering voice.” This mystical experience reminds us that God can appear to us in the most ordinary of circumstances if we have honed our spiritual eyesight and hearing.

All month long we will be collecting children’s underclothes and socks for Community Christian Services. Christian Services has collected these items at the beginning of the school year for thirty years. We hope and pray that everyone will be careful and safe during this deadly pandemic. We need to stay home as much as possible and at least six feet from others when we are out. And of course, we should wear masks in public. Health officials say that if we all wear masks, we can save over 70,000 lives between now and the end of the year. We need to care enough to help out.

Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here. Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, and Open Minds.” Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com.

If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist, you can send your email address to the Paxton email address, and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed.

Randy & Sue Smith/Paxton United Methodist Church