Scriptures  for All Saints Day,
Friday, November 1, 2019
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Psalm 149
Ephesians 1:11-23
Luke 6:20-31

Scriptures for Sunday, November 3, 2019
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Psalm 149
Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4
Luke 19: 1–10

The Ancient One came;
   then judgment was given
      for the holy ones of the Most High,
         and the time arrived
            when the holy ones
               gained possession of the kingdom. ...
   ... their kingdom
          shall be an everlasting kingdom...
                                               -Daniel 7: 22, 27
This Friday will be November 1, All Saints Day.  Many of us Protestants observe All Saints Day, even though we don’t share all of the Catholic practices that go with declaring someone to be a “saint.”  We understand that certain people in this world live lives that are set apart to glorify God.  One doesn’t have to “judge” very deeply to notice when we’re in the presence of someone who is deeply committed to serving God, who is walking the way of Jesus. 
In both the Old Testament and the New, we read of “holy ones” among humankind: that is the meaning of the word translated “saints.”  The authors of the book of Daniel and of most New Testament books are not shy when it comes to calling some people “saints.”  So, while I don’t rush to label folks as “saints” myself, it seems silly to refuse to admit it when I find myself in the presence of a “holy one.” 
Besides that, wiser people than I have told me, get ready to be surprised at who we meet in heaven. 
This coming Sunday in worship, we will take a little time to say the names of people who have gone on before us.  I urge you to pray about this, and to thank God for the people God put in your life to show you examples of holy living. 
Did you know that “Halloween” gets its name from All Saints Day ? 
In earlier forms of our English language, All Saints Day was called All Hallows.  “Hallows” as in “Hallowed be Thy name,” part of the Lord’s Prayer.  The evening before All Hallows is thus All Hallow’s E’en, which got shortened to Halloween.  Each year, October 31 and November 1 stand at the center of the season of Autumn, halfway between the Autumnal Equinox (when dark and light are of equal length) and the Winter
Solstice (the shortest day of the year).  The other cross-quarter days are May Day, Midsummer Day, and Groundhog Day.

On Saturday, October 19, Nancy B and I attended the Fall Meeting of the Shenandoah Association, which was held at St. Michael’s UCC, south of Bridgewater.  About a dozen of our churches were represented.  We received reports from our Treasurer and from our Central Atlantic Conference, and we approved our Association budget for A.D. 2020.  Our budget is small, mostly funded by the annual “dues” of member-churches including Bethel.  Church dues are based on their number of members, so if Bethel claims 100 members, our contribution amounts to $700.
Our budget helps ministers-in-training, pays toward the salary of Angela Megna (the secretary in the Conference Office in Catonsville who looks after anything relating to our Shenandoah Association), and supports programs which show churches how to improve our practices and our understanding in order to thrive.
At this year’s Fall Meeting, we focused on Justice.  This program was led by Associate Conference Ministers Rev. Audrey Price and Rev. Marvin Silver, plus Rev. Katie Low (Chaplain and Professor at Mary Baldwin) and Rev. Mary Norville (newly ordained and installed pastor of Grace UCC, west of Mt. Jackson).  Rev. Silver is our Conference’s leader of the Justice and Witness Action Network, which educates and engages members in community organizing, grassroots advocacy, prophetic witness and action, and shaping public policy that advances our vision of securing a just and compassionate world for all. 
In our discussions of justice, we were challenged to stand up for anyone we see being discriminated against or oppressed.  This touches upon not only racial prejudice but also injustice toward anyone based on their national origin, poverty, gender, disability, body type, and more.  In the coming months, I hope to share more practical information with our congregation about working for justice.  Justice is the work of each and every one of God’s people.
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
   and what does the LORD require of you
      but to do justice,
      and to love kindness,
      and to walk humbly with your God?
                                               -Micah  6:8

Scriptures for Sunday, October 27, 2019
Psalm 65
Joel 2: 23-32
2 Timothy 4:6-22
Luke 18: 9-14

Over the past weeks in church, we have been reading through the books of the New Testament called “1 Timothy” and “2 Timothy.”  These books contain some of the most memorable sayings in the Bible. 
Here is an anthology of phrases which stand out to my mind:
 
1 Timothy 1:15--
“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--
of whom I am the foremost.”
 
1 Timothy 2:2-4--
“…God our Savior,
Who desires everyone to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
 
1 Timothy 4:4-5--
“For everything created by God is good,
and nothing is to be rejected,
provided it is received with thanksgiving;
for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.”
 
1 Timothy 4:12--
“Let no one despise your youth,
but set the believers an example in love, in faith, in purity.”
 
1 Timothy 6:10--
“For the love of money
is a root of all kinds of evil,
and in their eagerness to be rich
some have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many pains.”
 
2 Timothy 1:7--
“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice,
but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.”
 
2 Timothy 1:11-12—
“For this gospel I was appointed
a herald and an apostle and a teacher,
and for this reason I suffer as I do.  
But I am not ashamed,
for I know the One in Whom I have put my trust,
and I am sure that He is able to guard until that day
what I have entrusted to Him.”
 
2 Timothy 2:9—
“Remember Jesus Christ,
raised from the dead,
a descendant of David—
that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship,
even to the point of being chained like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.”
 
2 Timothy 2:11-13—  
“If we have died with him,
we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.”
 
2 Timothy 2:15—
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by Him,
a worker who has no need to be ashamed,
rightly explaining the word of truth.”
 
2 Timothy 2:24-25—
“And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome
but kindly to everyone,
an apt teacher, patient,
correcting opponents with gentleness.”
 
2 Timothy 3:2, 5— 
“…people will be … holding to the outward form of godliness
but denying its power.”
 
2 Timothy 3:16-17—
“All Scripture is God-breathed,
useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that everyone who belongs to God
may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”
 
Now we come to this week’s lesson, the last of this series in 1 and 2 Timothy.  Here in 2 Timothy 4, Paul is depicted as living under house arrest at Rome, awaiting the second part of the trial which had requested, claiming his right as a Roman citizen (Acts 25:10-12, 27:32).  Paul sees his trial as a sacrifice to God: whether he lives through it— to enjoy teaching, having visitors from the churches he founded, etc.— or whether he is put to death: either way, he knows that he has “fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.  
From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day,
and not only to me
but also to all who have longed for His appearing.”
​                                       (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
 
In our life with God, it is good to have God’s words in our hearts and minds, guiding our actions.  Each week, we suggest Bible passages to read. 
Of course, you are totally free to follow any course through the Bible that you prefer. 
Absorb all that you can, feeling God’s breath at your ear.