Weekend Update
1-13-2012
| Do All the Good You Can The year was 1739. John Wesley had been preaching all around England to great effect. His words usually contained a caution. Be careful how you live, for God intends to judge your life according to God’s desires for you. His words were for those who desired to “flee from the wrath which is to come.” Of course, this was in a time which threats of wars that could not be thwarted, natural disasters threatened to undo life for generations and evil was pervasive in all of society. The understanding of many of those threats was that God might at work in any one of them to get the attention of people. The year 1739 marked at turning point for Wesley, though. A few of those who had made the salvation “transaction” with God found that the promise of salvation after life in this world wasn’t enough. They wanted more. They wanted to experience not only an assurance of their future, but their present. They wanted to go deeper in their life with God by pursuing a life of holiness. It wasn’t enough to know their sins were forgiven, they wanted to know they could overcome them. Wesley’s wisdom was to give them advice about overcoming sins, to remind them that assurance was an inner reality promised by God through Paul that “The Spirit witnesses to our spirit that we are children of God,” and that they should meet in groups for supportive accountability. Now, not only would they be accountable to God for their sin, they would open themselves to be accountable to each other for growing as Christian disciples. Further, it was not enough to just seek a deeper faith. Knowing the content and focus of the New Testament book of James, faith must be lived out in one’s life by the way one lived. A response to grace included more than a desire to flee from God’s judgment, faith that did not create in the person an urge to do good with and for people around them was a “gospel of straw.” Now, I believe we understand that as well as any congregation could. We know what it means to do all the good we can, since we have opportunities to help in mission almost every month. However, I wonder if we missed what motivated Wesley and the people in his movement at the very beginning. Are we folks who fled from the wrath that is to come, and yet have become comfortable with who we are and what we do? Would we ever sit in a room with other loving and supportive Christians who would help us grow by asking us how our walk with God is REALLY going? Would we ever trust one another that way? Perhaps our doing good is only a diversion or distraction from something we know we need on a deeper level. Do we need to grow? See you soon, in the place where He calls us from comfort to challenge. |
SERVING IN MINISTRY
January Greeters-Team #1
8:00 Wendy Dickman, Mona Lindly, Jeanne Baker
9:30 Gail Hernandez, Laurie McBride, Bobbie Rettig, Jeanne Baker
11:00 Betty Rae Barney, Richard Kusserow, Barbara Kusserow, Diane Jackson
January Ushers-Team #1
8:00 Doyle Smith, Sara Smith, Dick Johnson, Joy Wilson
9:30 Larry Rothman, Robert Ferrell,
Bobby Rettig, Katherine Martinez, Mario Martinez
11:00 Jerry Wallace, Gary Noble, Susan Noble,
Sandra Myers, Gene Myers, Bill Peters Joe Barnhill
Coffee Time
9:00 Pam & Bill Hooten
10:30 Michelle & Tony Aguilar & Family
Muggers
Jeanette & Torey Moye
Media Ministry
Manny González, Bob Phillips,
Dave Beck, Don Wilkinson,
Marty Alexander, Robert Underwood, Rick Snow
The Gathering Band
Alan Shioji, Felipe Perez, Jackie Gaines, Charles Ogren,
Steve Putnicki, Paul Behrendsen, Adrien Reyes,
Melissa Ogren, Mary Gaddy, Kerry Boone
Hospital Ministry Visitor
Roberta Harrison
Acolytes
8:00 Christopher Martinez, Stone Smith
11:00 Denali Gonzales, Jimmy Gallardo
Altar Flowers
Today’s flowers are given by Suellyn Lehrschall in celebration of Dave’s birthday.
Scripture
Hebrews 13:1-16