The Concord Connection

Transcription

1 Concord United Methodist Church 1645 West Street, Concord, California, Phone: (925) , Web-site: April, 2018 The Concord Connection Seeking God, Serving the Community, Supporting Each Other Sunday Worship Schedule 8:00 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary 10:15 11:45 a.m. Nursery Care Available 9:00 a.m. Adult Bible Study 9:00a.m. New Life Celebration Oglesby-Close Hall 10:30 a.m. Children and Youth Sunday Schools 10:30 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary 11:30 a.m. Fellowship & refreshments in Oglesby-Close Hall Wednesday Hour of Prayer 6:30-8 p.m. Chapel Newsletter Deadline The deadline for articles is on the 1 ST TUESDAY, 10 AM of each month. No exceptions. Please articles when possible. Thank you, Hot Dogs Drinks Ice Cream- $8 Adults - $15 Families Marilyn Robrecht Editor

2 2 Why do I bless the homosexual persons as well as others? Pastor Lee I bless them because they are children of God like all of us. They are also sinners like us who need God s blessings. The Bible says that all the children of God are also sinners. There is no one righteous person in the world. We are all saved by God s Grace through Jesus Christ and regarded as children of God. We all need blessings from God. I bless all of us, including Homosexual persons, to have an abundant and happy life. I bless all of us to have a genuine relationship with God. I bless all of us to enjoy a loving relationship with others. I bless all of us to have a wonderful life! Question: However, aren t they doing something that God calls abomination? Answer: Yes. And we all do something that God calls abomination. The Old Testament word that is translated as "abomination" in the NRSV is a Hebrew word, tow'ebah. It is "a disgusting thing. It is abomination to God. Many people do not know that it has also something to do with other things than homosexual activities. Let us examine the references of tow ebah in the Old Testament. In a descending order, it has something to do with worship/sacrifice. For example, Leviticus 7:18 says, If any of the flesh of your sacrifice of well-being is eaten on the third day, it shall not be acceptable, nor shall it be credited to the one who offers it; it shall be an abomination, and the one who eats of it shall incur guilt. Any sacrifice of well-being eaten on the third day is abomination. Why? Because sacrificial foods should be shared with others before the third day! But you keep it to yourself. Greed makes us abomination. Idol worship is also an abomination. Because people worship idols to get what they want it is abomination. Idol worship is basically give-and-take exchange. I give something to idols to get what I want. This type of worship is abomination. For example, Solomon worshipped the idols of Ammonites to gain international peace and national prosperity. However, the Bible calls it abomination because King Solomon did not trust God but relied on his diplomatic strategy. 1 Kings 11:5 says, For Solomon followed Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Relying on other than God is abomination. Even when we worship God, when we worship from our selfish motive, it is an abomination. For example, Isaiah 1:13 says, Bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and calling of convocation I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Worshipping God for their selfish reason is abomination. Proverbs 15:8 says, The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. Sacrifice of the wicked turns God into an idol. It is an idolworship. Here again, greed makes us abomination. Many times abomination also means violation of dietary restrictions. For example, Leviticus 11:13 says, These you shall regard as detestable among the birds. They shall not be eaten; they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey This list goes on till the Leviticus 11:19, which ends with bat. Why? Because they touch dead animals they are unclean. God is life. Death is unclean. Anything that touches death is unclean ritually and thus abomination. Imagine what a funeral director would say to my comment! It shows that God is life. Abomination can mean many times certain behaviors. For example, Proverbs 12:22 says, Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. Lying, cheating, and deceiving are abomination. Why? Our greed breaks people s trust. (Continued on page 3)

3 3 Not only the behaviors but also the plan to cheat is abomination. Proverbs 15:26 says, Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord, but gracious words are pure. Once again, greed makes us abomination. These hypocritical behaviors and plans destroy our nation. Jeremiah 6:15 says, They acted shamefully, they committed abomination; yet they were not ashamed, they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the Lord. In this passage, abomination is a violation of social justice, which brought national disaster. When people act with greed, break the trust of others, use deceptive means, God scattered the community as God did at the Babel Tower (Genesis 11). Sometimes it is not clear about what they mean by "abomination." For example, Daniel 9:27 says, He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease; and in their place shall be an abomination that desolates, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator. What is this abomination? Many scholars suggest different ideas like Hitler or Pope. It seems to me that anything that the writer does not like can be named as abomination. From our examination, however, anything that expresses our greed, deceptive plans, and misuse of divine name should be abomination mentioned here. It can also mean discrimination. For example, Proverbs 29:27 says, The unjust are an abomination to the righteous, but the upright are an abomination to the wicked. Wicked people think the upright are abomination! Because the upright point out the greed of the unjust people the unjust want to exclude the upright as abomination. This is moral discrimination. Genesis 43:32 says, They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. Eating with Hebrew people was an abomination to the Egyptians. This is racial discrimination. Any kind of discrimination is abomination. It can also refer dishonest commercial practices. For example, Proverbs 11:1 says, A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight. Same idea is expressed in Proverbs 20:10 ( Diverse weights and diverse measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord. ) and Proverbs 20:23 ( Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord, and false scales are not good. ) Why? Because of greed, people deceive others with a false balance, diverse weights, and false scales. Greed is abomination. And lastly, two times homosexual behaviors are abomination. Specifically, Leviticus 18:22: "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination."; Leviticus 20:13 says also "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them." In the ancient times, victors humiliated the losers through anal penetration in the military campaigns. It is an expression of sexism. Treating men like women is extreme form of sexism. In these acts, macho males show off their strength through sexist behaviors. It is an abomination because it is based on sexism. Sexism is abomination. We can see above that there are many abominations, things that God hates. However, if I may categorize those abominations, it can be named as Violation of social justice and Love of Flesh (as an opposition of Spirit). People pursue power, money, and sex. They worship idols to get them. In this process they ignore God s commandments. They belong to the world and they follow the desires of Flesh. They are running towards death. They do not seek Life, Love, and God! That is the essence of abomination. Question: Shouldn t we treat the same things equally? Answer: Yes, if we do not marry homosexual persons because they are abomination, we should not marry people who discriminate others or have dishonest commercial practices. If we do not ordain homosexual persons because they are abomination, we should not ordain who worship God with selfish motive! How about those who violate dietary restrictions or have haughty eyes? (Proverbs 6:16-17) (Continued on page 4)

4 4 Question: Shouldn t we keep all the commandments in the Bible? Answer: Yes, we should but we couldn t. That is why we need God s Grace. To those who thought that they have kept the law, Jesus said, You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28) What does this mean? Let me explain the meaning of this using the story in John 8: The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, 4 they said to him, Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say? 6 They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him (They wanted to bring charges against Jesus and not the woman!). Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. [Did Jesus write down what he said earlier? You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)] 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. We should keep the law but we cannot. Without God s Grace, we should be all stoned to death! Jesus said, Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17). As we have seen in the case, Jesus did not abolish the law. Pharisees tried to test Jesus but Jesus fulfilled it. Literally, only the woman committed adultery. However, when Jesus fulfilled the law, it became obvious that everyone who looked at the woman with lust had already committed adultery with her in his heart. Remember, this was the court of Men Only! Then we all should be stoned to death! Jesus said, In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12, Golden Rule) If we do not want to be stoned to death, we should not stone others to death. That is why everybody left the woman! Question: Why do we have commandments then? What is the use of them? Answer: The best use of commandments is to help us to realize that we need God s Grace and we need Jesus. The function of the law is to help us to know that we are sinners. As the Bible says, No human being will be justified in his sight by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20) This is exactly how Jesus used the law when he said, You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28) Jesus showed us both the impossibility of keeping the law and the need of God s Grace. Why did God give us laws then? God gave laws not to torture us but to lead us to God through Jesus! It works this way: 1. Without law we do not know that we are sinners. (Romans 5:13) 2. We know that we are helpless sinners through law but sin will have no dominion over us because we are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14). 3. Still we see in our members another law at war with the law of grace, making us captive to the law of sin that dwells in our members. (Romans 7:23) 4. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:2-4) (Continued on page 5)

5 5 In Spirit there are only two laws that we should keep: Love God and love your neighbors as yourselves! When Jesus was asked to summarize the whole laws and prophets this was his answer. Let us not think that we are better than Jesus, our Lord and God. When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:34-40) God loves all God s children. Jesus died for all humans. The Holy Spirit leads all the sinners to God through Jesus. Nobody is excluded. That is God s will. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17) So ask the homosexual persons as well as to all the others only these two questions: Do you love God? Do you love your neighbors as yourselves? All of us will answer: I am trying but I am not there yet. Isn t it enough to God? Question: However, if they really try, shouldn t they stop homosexual practices knowing that God hates that? Answer: Let us leave that part to the person who tries. Let us not just pick on homosexual persons. There are so many abominations that we know of. We all try. We all have our own battles. They have their battles and I have my battle. I believe that I am saved by God s Grace and so are they. Everybody will stand before God alone. Let us not judge others. It is up to God. We try our best loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves. The rest of it is up to God. GOOD TIMERS Tuesday, May 8, noon, Sherrill Hall Bring a friend. Bring a sandwich, drinks and dessert provided. Please call Pam Hall: so she will know how many will be attending! Summarized Statement of Activities March 31,2018 YTD actual YTD Budget Variance INCOME 92,652 93,482 (830) In Our Prayers Marian Lee and family following the death of her mother, Gum Foon Lee on April 4. She was 100 years old. Lee Woods who is having trouble with weakness in her legs and is in Kindred Rehab. Kathleen Conley who is having heart valve replacement surgery on April 12. Continued Prayers: Carole Engler, Don Johnson, Bud & Babe Busick, Marge Boyer, Sud & Midge Sundsten, John & Connie La Coste, Bill Shannon, Doug McLeod, Diane Rogers, Chris Gregory. EXPENSE 96,152 90,382 (5,770) DEFICIT (3,500) 3,100 (6,600) Had it not for the bequest of $10K received from the estate of Conrad Taylor, the deficit would have been ($13.5K). Pledges and Open plate received were $12K below budget and expenses exceeded budget by $6K.

6 6 UMW General Meeting SATURDAY April 21, 2018 Business Meeting: 10:00 am in Sherrill Hall Program begins at 11 am. CHURCH WIDE FUNDRAISER Guest Speaker, Micheal Pope Spirituality for Everyday Life Potluck Lunch to follow. Guests are welcome! You do not need to be UMW members. SALE DATES FRIDAY & SATURDAY, MAY 18 & 19, 2018 Friday 9AM-5PM Saturday 9AM-2 PM, Oglesby-Close Hall From the Missions Committee: The cows, sheep, Heifer speaker and Bike-a-thon biker sign-up sheets are returning to CUMC once again! You will also see Marilyn Forrey handing out Heifer donation containers before and after Services please ask for one to fill with coins and bills for Heifer International. May 6, Heifer Sunday Come hear invited guest speaker Jill Kilty-Newburn from Heifer International during all 3 services. Plus, we will be accepting donations of $2 (or more if you like) for Black Cow Sodas outside of the Church after the 9:00 and 10:30 Services. What's a Black Cow you ask? Come on over and check it out. It has ice cream. May 5, Heifer Bike Ride Warm Up May 12, Heifer Bike-a-thon #42 After April 15, items may be left in rooms 1 & 2. Start your Spring Cleaning now and gather up the items you no longer use or need. Hold on to them until after April 15 and then donate them to the church!!! (No shoes or clothing) Also start thinking about helping during the Rummage Sale. We will need people to price items, arrange them on tables in O-C Hall and cashier. Sign up sheets will be available in April. We hope you will help as this is the churches only Fundraiser Event! Monies from the Rummage Sale go to the General Fund of CUMC.

7 7 Winter Nights 2018 Seven families from the Winter Nights traveling shelter visited CUMC for two weeks beginning February 26. The families this year were all sizes from 2 members to 8 and included 10 adults and 18 children ages 5 months to 15. One family had two sets of twins. Some families came in very late because of their late night work schedules. The families, including the kids, were very polite and often helped with cleanup. During the two weeks, one family moved out, hopefully to a home, and another family of three moved in. CUMC and our co-hosts Good Shepherd Lutheran and St. Bonaventure s worked very hard to make sure our families were comfortable and cared for. We also had wonderful help from the Concord High School Key Club with members coming many evenings and weekends to help with homework, fun and games both indoors and out, and even help with dinner. Our Men s Group unloaded and loaded the Winter Nights truck and set up our facility for the families visit. Delicious meals were provided by Good Shepherd, St. Luke, and First Lutheran Churches, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Bonaventure s Venture Scout Troop 444, and another group from St. Bonaventure s, our neighbor across the street, the International Seventh Day Adventist Church, our Boy Scout Troop 465, Abigail, Anna, and Esther Circles, the Men s Group, Church and Society, the Sergey family, and Carl and Yin Roner. Special activities included haircuts by Betsy McLeod, bracelet making with Harriet Hoselton, Tai Chi (the kids wanted Karate) with Irving Lee, fun activities with James Wakefield and our youth, and coloring and quiet conversation with Mary Ann King. Showers were very popular and wet towels kept volunteers and their washers and dryers busy. Bill De Garmo managed to get the teenage boys off their electronic devices and outside for some tetherball and basketball. A lot went on during the two weeks. To our members and friends who donated food and supplies, money for needed items, who slept over, came early for breakfast cleanup, were coordinators each evening, did laundry, helped with homework, played with little ones, did whatever needed to be done to make the two weeks go well, the families and Winter Nights say, Thank you and God Bless! P.S. If you have bills to be reimbursed, please give them to Delores Loague or place them in the Church and Society Box in the office. Thank you. COMING SOON!! SUNDAY APRIL 29, 2018 D.W.C.N.W. AFTER THE 10:30 SERVICE Oglesby-Close Hall Hospice of the East Bay will talk to us about hospice and palliative care. Please come and get answers to your questions about these vital services.. A light lunch will be served. Diagnosed with Cancer, Now What? A small group for cancer patients. Meets the Second and Third Thursdays of the Month, 6pm -7pm in Susannah Wesley Room Led by Steve Pierce,

8 8 SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED! ALL CHURCH CONFERENCE Sunday April 22, :00pm Sherrill Hall Love and Hope District Superintendent Schuyler Rhodes and Conference Lay Leader, Micheal Pope will be leading the session. We will begin with a potluck supper followed by a discussion period. Please bring a dish to share. Everyone is welcome to attend!! Our K thru 5th grade Sunday School is in need of teachers. Please consider becoming a part of helping our children grow in their faith by being one of their teachers! The curriculum is in place and there are helpers for the classroom. The teaching schedule would only be once a month or so. Please contact Vince Gregory at: vince_gregory@yahoo.com or phone: Gift cards available to purchase from our inventory or to order from over 500 participating vendors! Visit the Prosperity Table in Oglesby-Close Hall After the 9 and 10:30 services Many hands make light work. Money counters are needed. Please contact John Sergey or Ruby Perez if you are able to help.

9 9 Concord United Methodist Church SHARE Food Pantry Suggestions MOST NEEDED FOOD ITEMS FOR 2018 (Post on your fridge as a friendly reminder) Food Pantry Needs SHARE food pantry is a non-profit organization manned entirely by volunteers from the local community and funded entirely by various types of donations. SHARE's mission is simple: We are committed to help feed the hungry in central Contra Costa County without prejudice and with dignity. All nourishing food donations are appreciated, but the list below shows important items that frequently run out. No glass, please. Food contributions should be placed in the basket in the Narthex. They will be taken to SHARE by Ken Carpoff. May Oatmeal, Other Cereal (Unsweetened, if possible), Tuna, Spaghetti June Powdered Milk, Vegetable Oil, Tuna, Spaghetti July Macaroni & Cheese, Rice, Tuna, Spaghetti August Peanut Butter, Jelly, Crackers (Saltines, Graham), Tuna, Spaghetti September Canned Meals -- Pasta, Chili, Stew October Canned or Dried Beans, Refried, Pinto, Black, Kidney, Pork & Beans, Tuna, Spaghetti November Sugar, Flour (preferably 4 or 5 pound bags), Tuna, Spaghetti December Anything from the above list Cans with pop top are especially appreciated for the homeless. Fresh fruits and/or vegetables are also welcome.

10 10 Quiet Time of Prayer Wednesdays 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Chapel will be open for a weekly time of prayer. We invite all who want to pray and are feeling a little depressed because of all the tragedies in the past few months. We feel that a quiet time of prayer will help those who are feeling down and don t know how to get feeling better. Prayer is a very powerful way to get us through times that are difficult, so please come and join us. You need not be a member of our church community, just someone who needs a little extra prayer. God Bless Learn Chi Gung/Tai Chi Fridays at 9am Sherrill Hall Tai Chi exercises our brain and body. The gentle exercises helps with your balance to prevent falls. The emphasis is on breathing, and getting oxygen flowing throughout the body. Helps one keep calm and lowers the blood pressure. The key is to keep the body moving. Although we gear this towards the senior citizens anyone may attend. If you can t stand you may sit. Classes led by Irving and Marian Lee as a Community Service. There is no charge. Irving Lee (925) The Concord Connection Concord United Methodist Church 1645 West Street Concord, CA / Return Service Requested NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 76 CONCORD, CA It s vacation time! We need people to fill in for vacations and to be on call. You will be trained and be teamed up with experienced ushers. If you are interested in helping at the 8 or 10:30 service please call Chuck or cmorones@pacbell.net. For the 9am service please Sandy wyrmlady@aol.com Concord United Methodist Church Concord United Methodist Church And Alzheimer s Services of the East Bay Invite Individuals living with memory loss and their caregivers to a specially designed worship service. Sing, worship and fellowship with families that are coping with Alzheimer s and other forms of memory loss. Every 4 th Saturday from 2pm 2:30pm, In the Chapel