What s The Buzz? Faith Forward (207)

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1 PHYSICAL ADDRESS 13 Hermit Thrush Drive Buxton, Maine What s The Buzz? Faith Forward (207) MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 424 Bar Mills, Maine Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:18-19 Researcher Harry Harlow once conducted an experiment with monkeys. A group of monkeys were locked in a room with a pole at the center. Some luscious, ripe bananas were placed at the top of the pole. When a monkey would begin to climb the pole, the experimenters would knock him off with a blast of water from a fire hose. Each time a monkey would climb, off he would go, until all the monkeys had been knocked off repeatedly, thus learning that the climb was hopeless. The experimenters then observed that the other primates would pull down any monkey trying to climb. They replaced a single monkey with one who didn t know the system. As soon as the new monkey tried to climb, the others would pull him down and punish him for trying. One by one, each monkey was replaced and the scene repeated until there were no monkeys left in the room that had experienced the fire hose. Still, none of the new guys were allowed to climb. The other monkeys pulled them down. Not one monkey in the room knew why, but none were allowed to get the bananas. (This is Chuck Swindoll s version of the story.) There is a phenomenon called collective memory, or cultural memory, which is defined as the memory of a group of people, typically passed from one generation to the next. You don t have to personally experience an event or an era; you are taught that it is part of your heritage, and it becomes as if you have personally experienced it. You feel the same pain, shame, or outrage that the original group felt. This can be positive or negative, but either way, it s a cause for concern. There are many injustices in our world. But I have to believe that movements such as black lives matter (racial), we are the 99% (economic), and me too (gender) are fueled by anger about the past. It may be a personal experience, but the collective memory makes it personal regardless. Writing in Our Daily Bread, Patricia Rayborn, an African American woman, says, I didn t mean to grow up bitter Everyone around me hated people. I learned hate from them. I taught others to hate I was obsessed with racial hatred, always looking for it in others not to root it out, or to ask God to end it, but to lay blame. To shout you re wrong. So I found wrong. Her story has a happy ending, as she took her bitterness to God, and God took it away. As our focus verse this month says, Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. Whether we are angry because of collective resonance with past injustices, or bitter because we long for the good old days when people were kinder and friendlier, we can remember, but we must not become obsessed. As we begin a new year, let s look forward, not back, and remember: If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17). If we can change our hearts, we may not have to change our history. We can be victors instead of victims. Always looking forward, Pastor Malcolm Hall

2 JANUARY WORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS: 1/7: COMMUNION SUNDAY Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-7 Meditation: The Wizard of OS This passage is often read at funerals because it speaks of life after death. Just as our computers eventually run out of updates, so do our physical bodies. And just as we get new computers, so we get new bodies. 1/14: Scripture: Psalm 90:1-12 Meditation: Walking Wounded Following up on last week s message, our bodies are designed to last only so long. But while we occupy them, God s mercies are new every morning. 1/21: Scripture: Luke 9:51-62 Meditation: Opposition and Opportunity Hard as it may be to believe, Jesus made many enemies during His earthly ministry. How He dealt with opposition is a good example for us to follow when we encounter it. 1/28: Scripture: Ezekiel 34:1-10 Meditation: Consumer Confidence This is a lesson in leadership. Shepherds have a responsibility to their sheep. It may be time to remember that government is for the people not for the government.

3 WOW! It is now time to take a minute to relax and reflect back on all the happenings of the past month. I hope that you got to come and enjoy at least one of the many performances that were held here at BMCC. The month started with the annual Christmas Market place. This was the best year yet for the fair. Thank you to all who donate your time and talents to make this event possible and thank you to all who come and support the event by purchasing the many handmade treasures. To start the month off we got enjoyed an evening of classical violin and piano performed by Angela Olszta and Alexander Romanul. We switched gears and did got to listen to a country/blue grass band and we sang some Christmas songs to get us in the mood for the holiday. We didn t forget about the children. The first week end in December Magic Fred came to dazzle the kids with his magic tricks. We shared the message of Celebrate Hope through music, humor, and true life stories with Tedd Fish and his wife. There were several other events such as: a violin concert by Margaret Hopkins and her students, gingerbread house building and a wonderful Christmas Eve service to top it all off. Many thanks to Mimi and her helpers for putting on a wonderful Christmas Tree Festival. We anxiously await for next year. The BMCC choir blessed us with their second annual Christmas Cantata. This year was even better than last year. This definitely got people in the mood for the upcoming holiday.

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7 John the Baptist Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 1, 3, John 1 An Angel Announces the Birth of John A man named Zechariah was a priest of the Jewish temple. He and his wife, Elizabeth, were very holy people. They had prayed for children but had never been able to have a child, and by now they were too old. One day, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah. Zechariah was terrified, but the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! For I have come to tell you that God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. You will both have great joy and gladness at his birth, and many will rejoice with you. For he will be one of the Lord's great men. He must never touch wine or hard liquor - and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from before his birth! And he will persuade many a Jew to turn to the Lord his God. He will be a man of rugged spirit and power like Elijah, the prophet of old; and he will precede the coming of the Messiah, preparing the people for his arrival." (TLB, Luke 1:13-17) Zechariah should have had faith in the angel and given thanks to God for the good news he received, but Zechariah was not convinced. He told the angel that he and Elizabeth were too old to ever have a child. For his irreverent lack of faith, the angel told Zechariah he would be unable to speak until the time John was born! Everything the angel said came true. Zechariah was unable to speak, and Elizabeth did become pregnant. It was not until after John was born that Zechariah was able to speak again. A Fiery Preacher When John grew up, God called him to be a preacher and reformer. But John was no well-dressed "feel good" preacher. He lived in the wilderness and ate grasshoppers and wild honey. He wore primitive clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt. John bluntly told people they would suffer the wrath of God if they did not change their ways. Yet, when John preached, people felt that God was working among them, and huge crowds of people went into the wilderness to listen to him. John announced that the kingdom of God was coming near. He warned the people that being God's chosen people was not enough to save them from God's wrath. They must repent - change their sinful ways. He warned the well-to-do that they must share their food and clothing with the less fortunate. He exposed the greed of tax collectors and warned them not to cheat people. He warned soldiers to be satisfied with their wages and not take advantage of people. John criticized King Herod for unlawfully marrying his brother's wife. This confrontation eventually led to John being beheaded on the king's order. John baptized people with water. It was a symbol of washing away the old sins and making a new beginning toward living a holy life.

8 Many people thought John was the Savior, the Messiah that they had been waiting so many years for. But John told them, I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. (NRSV, Matthew 3:11-12) John Baptizes Jesus That one more powerful than John was Jesus. John, with his baptism and announcement of the coming kingdom of God, had prepared the way for Jesus. There was a spirit of revival and a new religious fervor among the people. It was time for Jesus to begin His ministry. Jesus was about 30 years old by this time. So far, He had lived His life quietly as a carpenter. But one day Jesus came to the wilderness, where John was preaching, and asked to be baptized. John knew Jesus was the Messiah and told Him, "No, I am the one who needs to be baptized by You. Why are You coming to me?" But Jesus said it was the proper thing to do, so John baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. After Jesus was baptized, as He was coming out of the water, the Spirit of God came down on Jesus like a dove from heaven. A voice from heaven was heard to say, "This is my beloved Son, and I am very pleased with Him." Question How Were Jesus and John the Baptist Related? Jesus' mother, Mary, and John's mother, Elizabeth, were relatives (Luke 1:36). The old King James Version of the Bible says they were cousins, but the word "cousin" used to mean any relative in the 17th century when the KJV was written. They may have been cousins, or because of the age difference, Elizabeth might have been Mary's aunt. Lessons There was an Old Testament prophecy that the great prophet Elijah would return to prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 4:5-6). John the Baptist was seen as fulfilling that prophecy (Matthew 11:14; Mark 9:12-13, Luke 1:17). He dressed like Elijah (2 Kings 1:8, Mark 1:6) and was also a great preacher and moral reformer in the mold of Elijah. The events at Jesus' baptism - the Spirit descending and the voice from heaven - are two more signs that Jesus was no ordinary man. Like His miraculous birth, these events show that Jesus was truly the Son of God.

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11 January 2018 Sunday River Ski Resort Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday AA Meeting 6:00 pm Choir Rehearsal :00 am Worship Service & Sunday School AA Meeting Council Meeting 11:30 am Take- Out Lunch Noon 6:00 pm Choir Rehearsal Eat- In Lunch :00 am Worship Service& Sunday School AA Meeting 6:00 pm Choir Rehearsal :00 am Worship Service& Sunday School AA Meeting 6:00 pm Choir Rehearsal 5:00 pm Free Supper Drop N Shop Annual Meeting after service :00 am Worship Service& Sunday School AA Meeting BIRTHDAYS January 3 rd - Joann Coney January 4 th - Jane Gerrish January 21 st - Barbara Laveault January 25 th - Bev Harriman ANNIVERSARIES January 5 th - Judy and Nils Swede Sjulander January 8 th - Sue and Pastor Malcolm Hall