Bethel United Church of Christ
  • Home
  • Church Info
    • Church History
    • Pastor's Page
    • Related Links
  • Get Involved
  • Photos
  • Contact
    • Submit a Prayer Request
    • Join Our Church Newsletter

WEEK OF APRIL 26 - MAY 2, 2020              MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR

4/29/2020

0 Comments

 
Scriptures for Sunday, May 3, 2020
Psalm 23
Acts 2: 42-47
1 Peter 2: 19-25
John 10: 1-10

Doggone, it!  I always love to spend Good Shepherd Sunday morning with you-all in church.  Good Shepherd Sunday rolls around each year on the fourth Sunday of Easter.  Each year, the gospel lesson for this Sunday is a different “sheep and shepherd” message of Jesus from John.  This year: John 10:1-10.
Like many of you, I’m impatient, fenced in like a sheep in a sheep-fold because of the virus threat.  I want the sheepdog, er, virologists with God’s help, to defeat the vile germ and leave us safe and free.  And I don’t want the sheepdog to punch the clock with the wolf at the end of the workday and go home, to come back another day to do it all over again.  I WANT THAT VARMINT, er, virus, EXTERMINATED WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE, ONCE AND FOR ALL.
Picture
Sam Sheepdog, Ralph Wolf
created by Chuck Jones for Warner Bros., 1953
But this week I read the Scriptures again and realize, again, that real life has always been more complicated, and frustrating, than a Looney Tunes short.
1 Peter 2:25 : You were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
It seems that we live in a universe where there is a Shepherd and Guardian: however, in this universe, it is up to us “sheep” to keep choosing to follow and stay with our Shepherd and Guardian through a long series of threats and challenges. 
 
And if our stories are like those of our elders, one of the challenges we will go through is death…  but not the cartoon variety death, where the wolf falls for a mile, goes SPLAT!!, and shows up again in the next scene.  No.  The kind of death that the world believes is final.
Like some of our elders, we know The LORD is my Shepherd, and He is with me through the valley of the shadow of death.  For good reasons, Psalm 23 is probably the most popular psalm.  We all live in or near the valley of the shadow of death, whether that’s our own death or someone we love.  We know Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.  God uses His “rod” to hit anything that would try to steal us out of His flock.  God could also use His “staff” for hitting enemies, but it has that crook at one end so God can pull us back when we’re getting dragged away from His flock.  Comforting.
Keep in mind, we and God are not attacking or resisting material, physical people or things: Our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  (Ephesians 6:12)  That is, our real enemies are spiritual forces which are trying to attack us spiritually, trying to drive us or drag us out of God’s flock. 
Please take some time to list whatever influences (think: influenza, an unseen force) may be working to separate you from God now.  What about temptations of our bodies?  For one list of these, check out Galatians 5:17-21, “the works of the flesh.”  Other spiritual forces against us include pride and aimlessness.  They can take you away!  When you discover any of these enemies messing with you, run to the Good Shepherd.  On your way to Him, you can also call your pastor (a junior shepherd who works for the Good Shepherd) and your trusted, godly friends.  We are part of God’s flock, too, and we really don’t want to lose you.
And pray to stay close to our Good Shepherd.  To some degree, that is up to each of us.  I hope it helps you to be part of the church, where we strive to be that spiritual flock, like the early church described in Acts 2:46-47, having glad and generous [or “simple”] hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.
0 Comments

WEEK OF MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2020      MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR

4/5/2020

0 Comments

 
Scriptures for Sunday, April 5, 2020
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Matthew 21: 1-11

(Christ’s Triumphal Entry)
 
Isaiah 50: 4-9
Psalm 31: 9-16
Philippians 2: 5-11
Matthew 26: 14 – 27:66

(Christ’s Passion)

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!

       Blessed is the one
   who comes in the name of the Lord!
       Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

                                               -Matthew 21:8-9
As we receive guidance from our government leaders to avoid being in crowds— usually defined as ten or more people— I wonder how God would want us to respond if Jesus came down our street today.
I see so much of our faith through the lens of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25, where he informs us that what we do to “the least of these” sisters and brothers of Jesus, we do to Jesus himself.  So in that light, we look down our street to see who is coming, and we ask ourselves, “Given the current situation, how should I treat these brothers and sisters here ?”
Probably, we don’t need to form a crowd to serve Jesus.  We may not even need to shout out archaic words like “Hosanna!” to please the Lord.  But there will be good things we can do to be a blessing to Jesus and his siblings.
By the way, “Hosanna!” is what people would shout out to leaders who they hoped were coming to rescue them and make things better— it means something like, “O save us!”  So I bet the same thought is a part of your prayers, as we live through these strange, challenging times.... 
Lord, save us!
During our current crisis, some of our neighbors have lost their livelihoods, while other people keep getting the same, fixed incomes.  Some among us are running up extra expenses or running out of necessities, while others of us find we are now able to get by with less expenditure, or we may now have a surplus of stuff that we would ordinarily use up quickly.  Perhaps during ‘normal’ times we mostly saw ourselves as helpers, but now we need more help— or vice-versa.  So we are in new territory, encountering people and events in ways we never did before.
If we were going through the springtime in the usual way at church, for the past three weeks you would have been hearing about the One Great Hour of Sharing (“OGHS”) special offering. 
As I noted above, for some of you, this may not be the time to be giving to national and international ministries, but for some of you, this might be the perfect time to do something to make a difference, while so many things seem so “out of control.”
“The OGHS special mission offering of the United Church of Christ involves you in disaster, refugee/immigration, and development ministries throughout the world.  When a disaster strikes or people are displaced or made refugees by violence or extreme poverty, you are part of the immediate response and of the long-term recovery.  Through OGHS you engage in holistic development programs including health care, education, agriculture, food sustainability, micro-financing and women’s empowerment.  Because the UCC relates in mutual partnership to churches and organizations through Global Ministries and worldwide response & recovery networks, your contributions to One Great Hour of Sharing put you in the right place at the right time for the relief, accompaniment and recovery of the most vulnerable.  You meet immediate needs and you address the underlying causes that create those needs in the first place.  Thank you for your generous contribution.”
Here are two links to videos that explain OGHS:
https://youtu.be/P9GzDb12MW4
https://youtu.be/R3P3I6EGq3c
You may donate to OGHS by sending your offering to our Financial Secretary Dianne, simply marking it “OGHS.”

Meanwhile, right here in the Shenandoah Valley, Page One and Elkton Area United Services (EAUS) are struggling onward, trying their best to serve people who need a hand up.  You may not have realized this, but those thrift stores— in Elkton, Shenandoah, and Luray— have been the biggest source of revenue for our home-grown social service agencies.  And those thrift stores are closed now.  So, if you feel led to make a difference on the local level, Page One (35 North Bank Street, Luray, VA 22835)  and EAUS (PO Box 383, Elkton, VA 22827) will be grateful for your help. 

Volunteers are still needed, too !  “Blessed is ....”
0 Comments

WEEK OF MARCH 22-28, 2020                   MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR

4/5/2020

0 Comments

 
Scriptures for Sunday, March 29, 2020
Psalm 130
Ezekiel 37: 1-14
Romans 8: 6-11
John 11: 1-45

Pandemic                       by Lynn Ungar, 3/11/20
 
What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath--
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing.  Pray.  Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
 
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
 
Promise this world your love–
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
 
http://www.lynnungar.com/poems/pandemic/
 
Today I witnessed a group of Christian leaders [online] searching their souls, calling forth any wisdom they could share to help us church folk weather these difficult times.  There was plentiful good advice.  Someone shared the poem, above. 
Later this afternoon, our Conference Minister shared a letter from Rev. Matt Crebbin, pastor of Newtown Congregational Church, UCC, in Newtown, Connecticut— yes, THAT Newtown: the one where a man invaded the elementary school and shot many children.  Rev. Crebbin ministered to traumatized people beside that school, on that horrible day and through the years since.  But today Rev. Crebbin ministered to us, his colleagues, advising us about some things he had learned through crisis.  One of his suggestions was to use our bodies to calm our minds— our minds which are tempted to go off in unhelpful directions in the midst of ugly, unwanted events.  He recommends walking, yoga, Tai Chi, dancing, breathing techniques, meditation, prayer, and mindfulness training as possible ways to let our bodies lead our troubled minds to a better state.
 
If you have been curling up inside with stress since this current wave of trouble hit us, it is time to focus on taking good care of your body and your spirit.  Unless we do that, we will be of little use to anybody else, and we’ll certainly fail to live up to our God-given callings.
So please, seek out some healthy exercise, some intentional ways of meditation and prayer, some spiritually uplifting (which is not the same as feel-good mind candy) art and practices of body and mind.  I and others of our church folk will be sharing opportunities— perhaps in the form, of TV programs or online videos you can follow.  Who knows— perhaps some of our people will share their skills and abilities with a personal flavor (yoga together on Skype?  Chair exercises while on the phone together?  Can that old VCR still play the exercise tapes you bought for it?)
Our Old Testament lesson this week features Ezekiel and the Dry Bones.  I intend to make a video to share: you know if we were in the sanctuary, this Sunday, I’d be up there with the kids, putting some ham on Dem Bones !!  But maybe we can dance it together through the wonders of modern media.  Or maybe you’ll struggle to recall the words you learned, back in the day, and teach the youngsters how it’s really done !!  Let them see you touch your toes and sing,
Well, the toe bone connected to the… foot bone;
The foot bone connected to the… ankle bone;
The ankle bone connected to the… shin bone:
Now hear the word of the Lord !!
 
If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also
​through His Spirit that dwells in you.

                                            Romans 8:11

0 Comments
    Picture

    Contact info

    Rev. Dan Bassett
    Bethel United Church of Christ
    2451 Bethel Church Rd
    Elkton, Virginia 22827
    540-298-1197

    betheluccelktonva@outlook.com

    Archives

    December 2022
    October 2022
    June 2022
    February 2022
    June 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.