Pastor’s Reflections
Out of My Hands
I like a white Christmas. I enjoy a cool and crisp Halloween night, and likewise prefer a reasonably warm Fourth of July afternoon. A little bit of snow is fine on Thanksgiving, but I certainly don’t want it around on Mother’s Day. As for Easter – well, spring should be just coming into its own, with new green grass, buds turning into blossoms, a warm breeze now and then. That’s how Easter is supposed to be.
But Easter defies reliable forecasting. It actually moves around on the calendar. This year it’s in March – I worry it might be too cold and could affect our attendance. Next year it’s the middle of April, which is better in my opinion.
But it turns out my opinion doesn’t matter at all on this subject.
A long time ago Easter was set for the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. This complex formula originally had something to do with the calculation for the Jewish Passover feast, but then the Council of Nicaea, a meeting of early church leaders A.D. 325, decided to use a different calendar than the Jews – the Gregorian calendar – which actually has fewer months. And if that wasn’t confusing enough, add the historic division between the Catholic church and the Eastern Orthodox church, with the latter choosing the Julian calendar. Now Christians around the world celebrate Easter at different times – sometimes as much as a month apart.
Bottom line, our foremothers and forefathers in the faith somehow managed to make Easter unpredictable for most of us, always changing from year to year, and celebrated at different times by different Christians. It’s annoying.
And yet, it might also be instructive.
We tend to want to make religion march to our tune, to fit our schedule, to accommodate our needs. We want it in our lives, but we want it to be a more controlled and predictable part of our lives. Some years ago it was common to see a bumper sticker that read, “God is my Co-Pilot.” Seemed an appropriate statement of faith at the time, but then someone must have thought it through and decided to produce another bumper sticker: “If God is Your Co-Pilot, Who’s Flying the Plane?” We put the Lord in a secondary position without even noticing. I do it, and you do it. Instead of following Christ wherever he leads, we make him our buddy who encourages us in the path we have chosen for ourselves.
I don’t have the answer to this human tendency; it’s been going on since Adam and Eve took that first bite. But the relative unpredictability of Easter can be a reminder to us that Christ is not answerable to our time table. He is our comforter and friend, but also a major inconvenience. His call to take up our cross is a disruption of both our schedules and our overall life plans – there’s no two ways about it.
Folks, we are celebrating Palm Sunday on March 20th, Holy Thursday on March 24th, Good Friday on March 25th, and Easter on March 27th. If those are bad times for you, you’re just going to have to deal with it. It’s out of my hands.
Peace,
John
The REST of the Story
Many of you might remember Paul Harvey and his famous radio stories. At the end, where he revealed all the facts about the topic, he would end by saying… “And now you know the REST of the story!!”
We all enjoy Christmas with its decorations and carols and wishes of goodwill. Then there are the Sundays we spend learning about the life of Jesus and his teachings, then Palm Sunday and the entry into Jerusalem with children waving palm branches and favorite hymns. But it’s only during Holy Week that we really learn the REST of the story. We can’t experience the joy of Easter without understanding the depths of Christ’s suffering that occurred during the events of Maunday Thursday and Good Friday. In understanding the REST of the story, we crave that sense of anticipation as we gather in the darkness of the early morning, much like the women who went to the tomb before the sun arose. We rejoice in fellowship as we share breakfast together. We rejoice and praise the Risen Christ at our 10:30 service with joyful worship as we hear the Easter story once again, confirming our belief that Jesus truly was the Son of God.
Be a part of the REST of the story as we urge you to attend all of our special services. A schedule of our Holy Week and Easter services can be found on page 8 of the newsletter.
Please consider spending your Easter morning with us by attending all three FUMC events. What a wonderful way to honor our Savior and his gift of Eternal Life……. now that you know the REST of the story! Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Mary Ellen Clinard, Director of Worship
Continuing Border Problems in Nepal
Update from Dr. Les and Debbie Dornon, missionaries to Nepal working in the Tansen Hospital
As of Feb. 1, the border with India remains closed. There are signs of relief – at one of the main border posts, items are allowed to cross now – as long as they are in carts pulled by animals or tractors – no trucks area allowed over. Why? The question rings in our minds daily. We continue to see many very sick patients here in Tansen – here are a couple more stories about people and their troubles which were increased due to the border problems.
Sita came to our hospital with bleeding for 1.5 months after taking abortive medication. Her first child is still quite young, and her husband is working in India and did not want this child. An extremely intelligent woman, her delayed presentation was not due to ignorance but due to difficulty in getting to our hospital and the strain her hospital admission costs would put on her family. When she arrived, her hemoglobin was 4 (normal over 12) and she was quite symptomatic. She received the necessary procedure to stop her bleeding, along with blood transfusions, but this will put her at risk in the future for other problems.
Pratiksha is a regular patient at our hospital with congestive heart failure. She ran out of her medications, but she was delayed in coming to clinic due to difficult and expensive transportation. She needed to be admitted due to how much she had deteriorated, resulting in even higher costs to her family, who needed to pay for her hospital stay as well as their hotel stay. The hotels have increased their prices because the costs of all goods have increased, many by as much as 100%. Fortunately, we can help some people with their hospital costs through the “free care for poor patients” fund which many of you helped support by donating on giving Tuesday in December. Thank you!
And – thanks for your continued prayers for Nepal. Only God can make a difference here.
In Him,
लेस (Les) and देबी (Debbie)
P.S. To see more photos and stories, please check our blog: dornonnepalmission.wordpress.com
Jr. Church News
Easter Egg Hunt – Donations Needed
FUMC is again hosting a Children’s Easter Egg Hunt the Saturday before Easter! We will need donations of plastic Easter Eggs plus bagged and wrapped candies brought to the church by Monday, March 21. The hunt itself is Saturday, March 26th, and will be for children ages 12 years and under. We will start at noon. Lunch will be at 12:45 pm in Fellowship Hall. The church will provide chicken strips/nuggets and juice/water, and families in attendance are invited to provide side dishes or desserts. Please call the church office with any questions.
We Applaud the UMW
The volunteers who work with The Pantry and the shoppers who benefit from its existence say, “Thank you, United Methodist Women, for the hard work you put into raising money for missions each year, and a special thank you for your generous donation to the Pantry for 2016!”
Flower Sale Changes
Spring is coming and the UMW will again have the Berns Greenhouse Flower Sale as part of its annual May Luncheon; the order forms will be available soon. You’ll see that the forms are different this year because Berns has streamlined their selections. The flower flats have changed from 32 plants to 24 and we can no longer offer the little 4-pack plants. However, geraniums and petunias will still be available in pots, and we’ll have a great selection of hanging baskets. As always pre-ordering is the best way to get what you want, but if we don’t offer your favorite plant we’ll also have $25 Berns gift cards. We also plan to sell herbs on the day of the sale (not on the form) which will be new. Until then stay warm while you’re planning your flower/ herb garden.
SHALOM at FUMC—March 13-19
The last week will be hosted by FUMC starting Sunday, March 13 and we will again need your help in keeping these folks warm, fed and safe for the night. Providing dinner or breakfast, just sitting and talking with them in the evenings, staying overnight with them, driving them to the laundry mat, and doing the linen and towel laundry after our week is over are all opportunities to serve in this ministry. The signup board is in the north foyer and you can contact John Tack at (513) 571-6487 or johntack@fairpoint.net.
Wanted: Drivers
Wesley Community Services is in need of drivers to deliver Home Delivered Meals to clients in Middletown and surrounding areas. Applicant must be 21 years of age, possess a valid driver’s license and proof of vehicle insurance. Applicant must be able to pass a physical, drug screen and a background check. If interested please call Colin Bolden at 513-628-4781 or Barbara Macke at 513-661-2777.
Music Notes by Mary Ellen Clinard
Several years ago, I taught piano to students whose teacher was recovering from surgery. The teacher didn’t want them to slide down the slippery path of not practicing for the competitions and recitals coming up that Spring. I agreed, with some hesitation, because it had been 20 years since I had taught piano. The idea of students depending on me for musical wisdom was intimidating. I had spent too many years “flying by the seat of my pants,” my technique was rusty, and I worried that I would not be able to offer anything to help move them forward in their studies.
After the initial week of teaching was over, I had learned a valuable lesson…the importance of getting back to the basics. As I answered their questions about slurs, sharps, and the meaning of “allegretto,” I began to realize that the rudiments of music I learned all those years ago were still with me. With a bit of practice, I could remember fingerings for scales and cadences. It was good for me to go back and think about the basics of music. I realized that a good solid foundation in music theory sets you free to play anything from Bach to Broadway.
As Lent continues and Easter is before us, we should all remember the basics of our faith–those rudiments that form the structure of our beliefs. There are hundreds of books and programs about faith and Christianity and it’s easy to get lost in all that yapping about how one new concept or another will be the answer to all our problems. But where the REAL answer lies is in the basics that we already know but maybe haven’t thought of in a while… “Christ has Died, Christ has Risen, Christ will Come Again,” the Mystery of Faith that we proclaim each time we share in Holy Communion. And another important basic found in the two greatest commandments from the New Testament…“Love God and love your neighbor.”
Take some time this month to remember the basics of your faith. Look into getting involved in 9am Adult Sunday School, join a Bible Study, or start one yourself and invite others to join you! Put the foundation of your faith to work for the glory of God.
First Friday Concert Series 2016
MARCH 4 | The Dedication Band
If dulcimers, banjos, and fiddles are your instruments of choice, you will want to hear this band! Learn about the origins of Early American music from musicians in period costumes as English and Celtic music moved across the ocean to the New World and melded into what we know as truly American music and the grandfather of bluegrass.
April 1 | The Jazz People (Jazz vocals and guitar)
This groovy duo jumped at the chance to play on April Fool’s Day, promising a swinging “fool-themed” set of jazz standard favorites….come up with your own list…. “The Fool on the Hill”… “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”… “Ship of Fools”….we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us!
This concert series would not be possible without the support of the Middletown Community Foundation, the Barnitz Fund, Miriam Knoll Foundation and the congregation of First United Methodist Church, Middletown. Thank you for your support!!
Holy Week/Easter Schedule
Palm Sunday, March 20
Celebrating Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Service at 10:30 am in the Sanctuary
Holy Thursday, March 24
Remembering the Last Supper, Tenebrae Service at 7:30 pm in the Sanctuary
Good Friday, March 25
Focusing on the Crucifixion, Services at 8:00 am, Noon, & 5:30 pm in the Sanctuary
Ecumenical Good Friday Service at 6:30 pm at Second Baptist Church
Easter Sunday, March 27
Ecumenical Sunrise Service at Mt. Zion AME at 6:30 am
Morning Service & Communion around the fountain at 8:30 am
Breakfast in Weatherwax Commons at 9:00 am
Traditional Worship service in the Sanctuary at 10:30 am
March Birthdays
2 Beth Miller, Becki Roof
3 Scott Wills
4 Barbara Dillon, Keeghan Wills
6 Michael Alderton, Laura Griffin
7 Max Grandey
8 David McGraw, Neal Walke
9 Brandi Daniels
10 Ellen Pratt
12 David Morgan
13 Mary Maurer
14 James Irwin, Patty McGraw, Rhonda Scholl
16 Scott Tucker
17 Breanne Dickson
19 Ron McGuire, Alma Taulbee
20 Dick Roof
23 Tom Atkinson, Jean Stamper
24 Shiela Bailey
27 Barb Orth
28 Shelley McDaniel
29 Linda Schmitt
30 Pat Ickes
31 Lon Fairchild