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Lansdale United Methodist Church April 19, 2020 Wedding at Cana Icon 300 N. Broad Street ●Lansdale, PA
Transcript of €¦ · Web viewPractice spiritual disciplines, the means of grace, which fortify the body,...
Lansdale United Methodist ChurchApril 19, 2020
Wedding at Cana Icon
300 N. Broad Street ●Lansdale, PA ●19446
Second Sunday of Easter9:00 a.m. Live Stream Worship Service
Pre-Service Music Ruth Rineer
Greeting and Welcome Pastor Bill Lentz
We're glad you're attending our live stream service of worship. Your presence is a joy. We hope you feel welcome and essential to us. We pray that the Spirit of God will touch your soul as we worship. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] to let us know you “attended” today! Thanks!
Trio Prelude Rays Koshy, Ruth Rineer, Wayne Wylie
Call to Worship
Trio Song
Opening Prayer
Readings 1 Peter 1:3-5; John 2:1-11
Sermon
Trio Song
Call to Generosity and Prayers
Your offering to God through Lansdale Church touches lives, heals brokenness, expresses trust in God to provide for your future, and praises God for all you have in this life. Thank you for giving generously! Send a text contribution to 73256 with the message LansdaleFirstUMC, or use the QR Code to donate electronically.
Trio Song
Blessing
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Trio Postlude
We Need Everyone to Understand Where We Are!
On Monday, April 13th, the Pastor’s Cabinet met by Zoom Meeting. In attendance was Paul DeLong, chair of the church council, Paul Bonner, lay leader, Darren Johnson, treasurer, Warren Shaedle, financial secretary, Bob Snyder, chair of trustees, Ed Ingram, chair of pastor-parish relations, and Interim Pastor Bill. Since the church council could not meet due to current restrictions on social distancing, it was more practical to have the Cabinet meeting. The focus was primarily on first-quarter church finances. As you might imagine, the results are not encouraging.
Actual revenue for January 1 - March 31 is $86,878. The budget expected $103,553. The result is a shortfall of $16,675. The period includes 3 Sundays during Covid-19 restrictions and live streaming worship, which has slowed giving considerably. About $1,200 of the total is catch-up and non-member giving through Livestream appeals. Let’s be grateful! That’s good news! Catching up is good. Regular giving to improve cash flow is even better! Thank you for your generous giving!
Actual expenses during the same period were below budget. That’s good. The disbursements amount to $91,680. Overall, this means the church spent $4,800 more than it received. That’s not good. Although expenses were lower than budgeted, we’re falling farther and farther behind.
The second quarter is within Covid-19 restrictions, of course, which is having a devastating impact on so many people, businesses, and organizations like churches. LUMC usually sees increased giving around Palm Sunday and Easter. Sadly, with all the efforts made to connect and appeal, we fell far short of expectations, which means the church is even farther behind. Indeed, we’re all doing our best under such difficult and trying circumstances. Again, thank you for your generosity so far.
The Pastor’s Cabinet wants you to know that our treasurer, Darren, has on behalf of the church applied for CARES Act monies through our local bank. These monies aim at keeping employees in the church’s employ. We’ve applied for an amount to cover two months of payroll. We are waiting to hear about approval. If
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we get approval, then 75% of the money must be used for salaries, and then the loan becomes a grant. Stay tuned!
We Need Everyone to Give Generously!
Let’s face facts! The church began 2020 with a looming deficit. Recovering from the past’s difficulties and people leaving the church has been slow and uneven. Pastor’s Cabinet meetings have focused on ways to stabilize finances without taking severe measures. When Covid-19 hit, an unexpected period that’s imaginable in science fiction but not in real life put us all on edge. Fear leads to conservation and protection against scarcity. A scarcity mentality is not for disciples of Jesus Christ. Easter reminds us that with Christ, in Christ, in unity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, life is abundant even in times of challenge like we’re facing today. When Jesus fed so many people from scraps of bread and fish, his connection to the resources of God’s grace and love was put into action. It’s a lesson for us all.
Will I have enough to be okay? Will I have enough to do what I want, provide for those I love, and enjoy life? How much is enough, exactly? What if I get ill? What if I don’t get a job? Scarcity thinking tends to grow, the more secure we become. The less confident we are, the more interdependent we become, the more we tend to rely on others, share with others, and with God. “Your kingdom come!”
Fear and scarcity are understandable in this pandemic era. We must not let it grip us. After the meal of scraps was eaten, baskets of abundance were collected. That’s what we need everyone to do! Believe through the fear and scarcity and remember to trust in God.
Here’s how you can help your church:
Drive by the church—it’s still there!—and drop your giving in the slot!Catch-up! Pay ahead, if possible! Put your check in the mail today!Set up, e-giving! Go to the website at www.lansdaleumc.org! Hit Giving!Text LansdaleFirstUMC to 73256 and contribute immediately!Pray this prayer: “Lord Jesus, help me live abundantly! Help my unbelief!”
Remember to support your church by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness to the Gospel. Thank you! Christ is risen! Risen, indeed!
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Happy Birthday to You!
Ryan Neild (4/1)Don Dietterich (4/4)Koshy John (4/4)Joseph Yard (4/5)Steve Miller (4/6)Donna Beausoleil (4/7)Jean Weaver (4/9)David DeLong (4/10)Ruth Dietterich (4/10)Frank Mensah (4/10Eric Beideman (4/11)Tony Fischer (4/11)Stephanie Ringbloom (4/13)Sandi DeLong (4/16)Chase Snyder (4/16)
Justin Filaferro (4/19)Tara Reinmiller (4/19)Don Vance (4/20)Stella Pitts (4/22)Pete Clelland (4/24)Pastor Bill (4/25)Rita Conaway (4/26)Shirley Eyre (4/26)Kerri Joyce (4/26)Timothy Kurtz (4/27)Gary Silknitter (4/26)Zachary Dasch (4/29)Patrick Sandahl (4/29)Lizzie Kosten (4/30)James Linde (4/30)
Happy Anniversary to You!
Jim & Stacey Spencer (4/9)Ed & Barb Hartmann (4/15)David & Lynn Whitman (4/22)
Dick & Louise Lehman (4/27)Nancy & Ron Fasano (4/29)
ALERT!If there are any meetings scheduled through April 30, 2020. Please consider
holding them by teleconference or virtual meeting on Skype, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams. No meetings are to held in the church until after April 30th, if then!
Watch for more details.
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Mission Emphasis for April – 2 Annual Conference Camps
In April, we will support United Methodist Camps LUMC has had relationships with Camp Innabah and Pocono Plateau, we will designate the money for those two camps. The Website links are below. To support this emphasis, make checks payable to “LUMC,” memo: “UM Camps.” Use your blue boxed or a yellow pew envelope. You may also give online through our website (www.lansdaleumc.org) or text LansdaleFirstUMC to 73256 to give your gift electronically. Use these links: https://www.innabah.org/ and https://www.poconoplateau.org/ .
Covid-19 Devotion 7
"The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,the world and those who dwell therein..."-- Psalm 24:1
"My message is simple: keep looking up!"--David Lindo, famed British Ornithologist, from his building’s rooftop in Spain where he’s in quarantine. (1)
A pair of cardinals is making a racket just outside the window where I’m typing this devotion at 5:38 a.m. this morning. Perhaps they’re bickering about where all the humans have gone and why it’s so quiet.
Recent monitoring of ambient sound around the planet has shown the same conditions as on a typical Christmas Day. Planes, trains, and automobiles are so still, and with it--the earth. Animals are wandering around the streets of the world’s cities--wild turkeys in Oakland, pumas in Chile, even highly prized species of orchids are coming back with fewer people to pick them by riverbanks. And let’s not forget the spotted salamanders!
Cooped up indoors as we are, people are beginning to miss nature, and nature is glad we’ve been indoors. Nature is having a field day.
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David Lindo is recommending birdwatching as a Covid-19 treatment. "Keep looking up," he urges. That’s an interesting bit of advice, both literally and idiomatically. "Keep looking up" to see the birds of the air reminds us that the losses we’ve experienced in this experience are not all bad ones. While unable to pursue our ordinary pursuits, we have time on our hands to begin new routines and to fulfill longed-for desires to start new pastimes. Psalm 24:1 is a calling to take notice of all that God offers in nature. Fewer of us currently occupying the space outdoors has prompted animals and birds to reclaim land once their habitats. Don’t wait for Earth Day on April 24th! Let your everyday habits shift a little to take in the fullness of God’s good earth!
"Keep looking up" is also a calling to practice "bounded optimism." Professor Albert Mehrabian of UCLA coined the phrase as part of his teaching on the importance of verbal and nonverbal messaging. Bounded optimism is like hope attached to realism. Pollyanna’s optimism is harmful in a crisis like the one we’re all enduring. Magical thinking and romantic platitudes about God are unhelpful. The disruption is severe. The suffering is real and tragic. People may feel that God is absent while we’re in our greatest need. Keep looking up!
… And to my listening earsAll nature sings and round me rings
The music of the spheresThis is my Father’s world…
Realism promotes fruitful optimism, one that acknowledges we’re in a season of unfamiliar disruption, which requires us to behave and perform in healthy ways. Keep washing those hands! Start wearing a mask! Practice spiritual disciplines, the means of grace, which fortify the body, heart, and soul. Be an exemplar of the bounded optimism, which says, "Not everything may go well, but everything will be okay in the end." Keep looking up!
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Isaiah 40:26 (CEB)--
"Look up at the sky and consider:Who created these?
God! The one who brings out the people one by one,summoning each of them by name.
Because of God’s great strengthand mighty power, not one is missing."
Isaiah 40 is a chapter of comfort to all people in exile--in all kinds of exile. We, too, are an exilic people for a while--exiled from people, from work, from school, (from baseball!), and from the church itself. It’s normal to feel discouraged, despondent, and even a bit defeated. But then Isaiah 40 comes blaring its trumpet: "Comfort! Comfort, my People!" Read the chapter! God’s voice rings out from the absence and into the world, promising hope! The exile will end!
Keep looking up!
Prayers continue,Pastor Bill.(1) Daily Monitor, April 3, 2020
Join Pastor Bill online forLectionary Bible Studies through Zoom
Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m.https://www.lansdaleumc.org/zoom-bible-studies/
Meeting ID 968-6161 6463 Password 020706Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting ID 965 4177 8998 Password 014790
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Save Lives from COVID-19!Save Our Planet!We Can Do Both!
www.earthday.org
Here is one easy action for both:
Reading is good for the mind, the soul and it turns out, the planet: A pastime like reading easily replaces streaming, which is notoriously carbon-intensive. So, dust off that massive book you’ve been meaning to read, and get to work. Also, if you’re craving sports amid a sports-less pandemic, why not crack open a biography about your favorite athlete or sports moment? Since libraries are closed, opt for an e-book through your library’s digital platform. Our staff is some recommendations to get you started.— Brandon Pytel, Communications Manager/Writer
https://www.earthday.org/11-actions-for-the-planet-during-a-pandemic/
Here’s How to Contact Our Interim Pastor and Staff
Interim Pastor – Bill Lentz [email protected] Assistant – Becky Conrad [email protected] of Music Ministry – Rays Koshy [email protected] – Ruth Rineer [email protected]’s Education Director - Liz Bonner [email protected] Beginnings Nursery School Dir. – Liz Bonner [email protected] Director – Donna Fritz [email protected] Directors– Ian Bonner and Mike Richardson [email protected] – Bill Scheetz [email protected]
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2020 Easter Sermon SeriesOn the 3rd Day...This!
Among the Bible’s deeply symbolic metaphors is the reference to the 3rd Day! The references to three-day periods signify and identify acts of divine inter-vention, which bring rescue and salvation. On the third day refers to moments of transformation, release, and restoration from sickness, despair, grief, danger, and death. On the third day stories and readings are dynamic appearances of God’s grace, love, and power in words and actions leading to comfort, joy, and hope.
April 19, 2020 — Easter 2...Comes the Wedding Feast of Heaven
1 Peter 1:3-5; John 2:1-11
The Wedding at Cana’s story begins with the words “‘On the third day’ there was a wedding...” Long proclaimed as the story of Jesus’ first miracle, today the story is read as a foreshadowing and as an anticipation of the Easter miracle yet to come when the resurrected Jesus “weds” heaven to earth. The New Adam and the New Eve are spiritually wed to bring the Church to life. There is an ancient Orthodox legend that says John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene were the bride and groom married that day in Cana of Galilee!
April 26, 2020 — Easter 3...God Creates the Land
Genesis 1:9-13; John 20:19-23
“On the third day” of the creation story, a striking change in language occurs in Genesis 1. On that day, God, the Sun, and the Land come together in the creative process. Plants and trees reproduce by the sun’s power and the land’s nutrients. From the Land, God will create humanity. We are the dust of the earth, and we will return there, to be sure. Yet, our hope is in Christ, who sets our spirits free to be with him in glory!
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Third Sunday of Easter9:00 a.m. Live Stream Worship Service
Pre-Service Music Ruth Rineer
Greeting and Welcome Pastor Bill Lentz
We're glad you're attending our live stream service of worship. Your presence is a joy. We hope you feel welcome and essential to us. We pray that the Spirit of God will touch your soul as we worship. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] to let us know you “attended” today! Thanks!
Trio Prelude Rays Koshy, Ruth Rineer, Wayne Wylie
Call to Worship
Trio Song
Opening Prayer
Readings Genesis 1:9-13; John 20:19-23
Sermon
Trio Song
Call to Generosity and Prayers
Your offering to God through Lansdale Church touches lives, heals brokenness, expresses trust in God to provide for your future, and praises God for all you have in this life. Thank you for giving generously! Send a text contribution to 73256 with the message LansdaleFirstUMC, or use the QR Code to donate electronically.
Trio Song
Blessing11
Trio Postlude
Lansdale United Methodist ChurchApril 26, 2020
Creation Day 3 Land and Plants
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300 N. Broad Street ●Lansdale, PA ●19446
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