This Week at Providence-Fort Washington - September 5, 2013

This Week at Providence-Fort Washington

Thursday, September 5, 2013

 

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from far away..

Where can I go from your spirit?

Or where can I flee from your presence?

For it was you who formed my inward parts;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

that I know very well.

Psalm 139, 1-2, 7, 13-14

 

This Week In Worship – September 1, 2013

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Communion Sunday

Pastor Stephen preaching: The Cost

Chancel Choir Anthem: Come Dine With Me

Special Music: On Eagle’s Wings, Dwight Short, soloist

 

Providence-Fort Washington Artist Series

A Musical Feast

Presented by the

Christian Oratorio Society of Greater Washington D.C.

2:30 PM – Saturday – September 21, 2013

Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist Church

 

Meetings this Week

United Methodist Women – Monday September 9 @ 1:00 pm

Finance Committee – Monday September 9 @ 7:00 pm

Trustees – Thursday September 12 @ 3:00 pm

 

Handbell Rehearsals Begin September 10^th

The Hand Bell Choir begins rehearsal

Tuesday, September 10^th at 6:30 pm

NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Come be a “ding-a-ling”

 

Sunday School Starts September 8th at 9:30 am

Learn and Grow in the Christian Tradition

Come Join Us in Christian Education

 

Welcome and Installation of the new

Washington East District Superintendent

On Sunday, September 22, 2013 at La Plata UMC

(3 Port Tobacco Road, La Plata, MD)

we will hold a service of welcome and installation

for the new District Superintendent of the Washington East District,

Rev. Dr. Rebecca K. Iannicelli.

The service will begin at 3 p.m.

with a reception of light refreshments following.

All are welcome to attend.

 

Life Line Screening

Providence-Fort Washington is pleased to offer a preventive health event.

Life Line Screening,

a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings,

will host their affordable, non-invasive and painless health screenings on

September 17, 2013.

More information is available in the Information Sheets in the Narthex

 

Wednesday Bible Study

A Close Reading of Genesis

The Group meets at 6:00 pm for a potluck dinner.

The Bible Study begins at 6:30 pm and ends at 8:30 pm.

 

Hopi Presentation

Pastor Stephen and Sandy will talk about

their Hopi VIM Trip on

Sunday, September 15

after Worship in the Fellowship Hall

 

RUMMAGE SALE - 2013

It’s that time of year again.

The Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist Women

will be holding their annual Rummage Sale on

October 4th (9 AM – 5 PM) and Saturday, October 5th (9 AM – 2PM).

and, of course, lunch is available for purchase both days.

Volunteers are needed for set up and cooking.

Donations for sale are needed as well.

More information to come in the following weeks.

 

United Methodist Men

Please plan to attend our first Fall Meeting on

Saturday, September 21^st.

We have invited men from the

Spirit of Elijah Kingdom Church

to be our guests.

So, come out and give them a big welcome.

 

Toiletries for Urban Ministry

We are continuing to collect toiletries for Urban Ministry

Please bring item and place them in the

basket in the narthex.

 

Pastor Stephen’s Blog

Pastor Stephen is again posting to his blog

http://pastorstephen.blogspot.com/

It includes recent sermons and Wednesday Bible Study notes.

 

2013 Worship Attendance Goal

Our Worship Attendance Goal for 2013 is 92.

Our average worship attendance through September 1^st is 79.63.

 

Altar Flowers

Please sign-up to supply altar flowers.

Flowers can be used to mark any significant occasion

including birthdays, anniversaries, and memorials.

Altar flowers are $22.00 per vase and

payment is due when you request flowers.

 

Urban Ministry Update

The Urban Ministry Group is now leading Worship Services

on the Third Sunday of every month at

House of Peace

meeting at 3^rd Street Church of God in Washington, D.C.

As part of our ministry, we provide lunch and

offer hats, gloves, and coats for those in need.

We are accepting cash donations to offset the cost of this ministry.

Contact Pastor Stephen or Mi Ja for more details.

The Group will meet on Saturday, September 16^th at 9:30 am

to plan and prepare for our next trip into D.C. on September 15^th

 

Giant Food Cash For Causes

Providence-Fort Washington has enrolled in the

Giant Food Cash For Causes Program

 

This program allows us to purchase

Giant Gift Cards at a 5% discount and then resell them for face value.

The 5% difference is then put in our General Operating Fund.

The difference between our cost and your purchase price

is also credited on your annual giving statement.

 

Pastor Stephen has some cards available for purchase

and you can order cards to be delivered next week.

The cards have no expiration date and can be used for anything Giant sells.

Please see Pastor Stephen to purchase cards or if you have any questions.

 

Charting Our Course

The Vision Committee has completed a “first sort” of all the suggestions received

and is distributing them to various groups within the church for their comments.

They expect to make recommendations for implementation of ideas soon.

We are still interested in your ideas on how to move our church forward.

 

Collection of Stamps and Labels

Information update:

I have just sent a batch of canceled stamps

to Stamps for the Wounded program and also box and can labels

(bar codes) to the Board of Child Care Auxiliary.  Thank you for

your donations, and please continue to save these two items.

 

Donna D., Secretary, P-FW United Methodist Women

 

Aluminum Can Recycling

We are collecting and recycling aluminum cans.

Please bring your aluminum cans in

and we will sell them to the recycling center.

 

Do you have something to add?

Do you have an announcement that need to get out to everyone in the church?

If so, please e-mail it to me (srricketts@verizon.net) and I will include it in the next

This Week at Providence-Fort Washington.

 

Blessings,

Pastor Stephen

 

Sermon - September 1, 2013 -

Who’s On The Guest List?

Sermon by Stephen Ricketts

Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist Church

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 1, 2013

 

Did you know that there are people who make it their business to study the meaning and dynamics of where people sit in a business meeting? I was looking on the internet recently and came across an article by Donna Loyle at www.bizme.biz entitled, “Where to Sit in a Business Meeting … and Why It Matters.” Loyle identifies several different seats at the standard rectangular table (like the one down the hall). I think everyone knows that the chair at the head of the table is reserved for the “boss” – that is where the most important person sits. Typically this is offered to important guests or is taken by someone who plans to dominate the meeting. But,  Loyle also identifies other important seats. The seat to the right of the boss is usually where the boss’ chief supporter sits. The seats on the sides are where observers sit. And, the seat directly opposite the boss is where you will typically find the main opposition or “devil’s advocate.” It is a fascinating study and Loyle even suggests that a boss can transform an opponent into a supporter simply by placing that person at their right hand. All of this is a long way of noting just how current the Bible really is – it speaks to our modern lives today in unexpected ways. For example, in today’s reading from Luke, Jesus talks about how to choose the correct seat at a dinner party so a person is appropriately recognized and honored and not humiliated. Who knew that Jesus could have worked as a business consultant giving people advice on were to sit in a business meeting?

Actually, there is a temptation to dismiss today’s gospel reading because it really does sound like something you might find in a report by a business consultant. But, as I was trying to make sense of this passage I realized that it is a parable, not an entry in a business blog. A parable is a short tale that illustrates universal truth and this sent me looking for the universal truth contained in Jesus’ words.

When I study a parable, the first thing I do is to identify the characters. In this case there seem to be just two characters, the host and the guest. The host is the one who prepared the banquet and the host is the one who prepared the guest list. The guest is just that; the guest is there at the invitation of the host and does not know who else may be coming to the banquet. The next thing I do when studying a parable is to try and find my place in the parable. In some cases this is obvious; I can only fill one role. In other parables there are more options and I can see myself in various roles. Well, in this case, I do not think I am the host. In fact, Jesus makes it pretty clear that we are the guest. Look at his first words, “when you are invited;” Jesus is talking directly to us and telling us to hear his words from the perspective of the guest. Jesus makes one (unspoken) assumption about the guest; Jesus assumes we always want the best seat in the house. Now, some may disagree, but I think Jesus is right on this score. I know that when I attend an event it is nice to be given a seat of honor. I sometimes feel disappointed when I go to a banquet that has assigned seats and discover that I have been assigned to the table at the back of the room.

So, if I am the guest, then who is the host? Well, I do not think it is too much of a stretch to see God in the role of host. And, when we place God in that role the whole parable begins to take on a new meaning. Instead of just thinking about where to sit for dinner, I start thinking about the heavenly banquet that God has prepared for his children at the consummation of time.

So, which seat do you think we should take at God’s heavenly banquet? Well, the answer depends on who else is coming. (And remember that only God knows everyone who is on the guest list.) I am pretty sure that Saint Peter is going to get a good seat and I do not want to inadvertently take his place. Mother Teresa’s seat is probably a good one as well so I do not want to take her place either. But, as we are all milling around waiting for the banquet to begin, I suspect we would see some people who (in our opinion) do not rate great seats. You know the people I am talking about, the people who lead horrible lives and only accepted Christ with their last breath. So, most of us would expect to get better seats than them – right? Well, I am not so sure. After all, where we sit all depends on who is on the guest list.

Now, I am very reluctant to usurp God’s role as host – God is the one who decides who gets an invitation to the banquet. So, when people ask me if I think so-and-so is likely to get into heaven, my favorite response is “I am not on that committee.” I do not know, maybe Adolf Hitler will be there. I do not know for sure if some of the people we call saints will really be there. I do not know who has made the cut and I think that is as it should be. After all, I am a poor judge of people. I am sure I would be too harsh on some people and I know I would be too lenient on others. No, who is on God’s guest list is one decision that is best left to Jesus Christ who is coming to “judge the quick and the dead.” That being said, I think we can know some of the criteria God uses when putting people on his guest list.

I believe one thing everyone on God’s guest list has in common is that they all love the Lord with all their heart, all their mind, and all their soul. It makes sense to me that God will not include anyone against their will – no one is ever forced to come to the banquet. So, if we do not love God; if we do not want to be included then our name will not appear on the guest list. One thing everyone at the banquet will have in common is that we love the Lord above everything else.

I also believe that those on God’s guest list will be those who love their neighbors as themselves. Jesus said that the world will know we are his followers when they see us loving one another; they will know we are Jesus’ disciples when we stoop down and wash each other’s feet. So, another thing all those at the banquet will have in common is that we love one another.

But, I wonder if anyone who always puts themselves first will ever see the inside of the banquet hall. I wonder if those who push aside the lost and vulnerable will be included. I wonder if anyone who creates petty rules to restrict access to God and God’s grace will receive an invitation to the banquet. In the parable, Jesus warns against putting ourselves above others lest we find ourselves being invited to take a lower seat or even being forced to leave. God’s great banquet is no place for people who come to boast about what they have accomplished.

And, we should not forget that the second part of today’s reading gives us some insight into who will be on God’s guest list. When we are hosting a banquet Jesus calls us to invite “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.” Why would Jesus want us to invite these people? I believe “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” are especially dear to God’s heart. I have spent a little time among some of the world’s poor and one thing I have noticed is that the poor tend to live closer to God. The poor do not have the luxury of stockpiling supplies against a coming disaster; they really do receive their “daily bread” from their heavenly Father’s hands. The crippled, the lame and the blind are not able to impose their will on others and must align themselves with God’s will. Now, I do not want to glamorize the poor, many are just as selfish and greedy as the wealthy; but, God does seem to take special care to look after them. So, I suspect that many people on God’s guest list will be drawn from among the least and the lost.

So, while we can never know exactly who will be included on God’s we can be sure that those who love the Lord will receive invitations to God’s banquet. Those who love and serve their neighbors as themselves will be included on the guest list. And, many among “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” will also find their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Earlier I noted that this passage is a parable and that a parable uses a short story to convey a universal truth. But a parable does one more thing – a parable calls us to “go and do likewise.” This parable calls us to take on the role of the host and prepare a banquet; this parable calls us to prepare our own guest list. So, who’s on your guest list?

When I was talking about God’s guest list it was okay to talk in generalities. After all, I can never be sure exactly who will, or will not, be included. But, when I am the host I need to be specific. It does us no good to say, “we want to invite ‘the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind’” without naming those individuals we want at our banquet. So, who’s on your guest list?

It is unfair for me to put you on the spot without giving you some of the people on my guest list. So, here are some of the people on my guest list. One person I want to invite is Jen. Jen is a self-described atheist and I am not sure she would want to be on my list. But, the reason I have included her is because I know God loves her and God wants her to feel his love. I believe I need to be open to honest conversations with those who have rejected God, and to love them even when my words do not change them. I need to keep the invitation open because I know God is at work in their lives. There is another person I want to include but I do not know his name; he is someone I have met at the House of Peace in D.C. Probably the best way to describe him as someone who is confused. I feel he loves God but he struggles to deal with reality and this has left him confused. Many might reject him because he is unpredictable, but I believe he needs an invitation. Another person I would include is Charles. Charles is a good guy whose best days are behind him. Many might ignore him because he has little left to offer (at least in a material way). But, I love Charles and I think he too should receive an invitation. And then there is George. George is a great and strong Christian who loves God and loves God’s people with an intensity few can match. George too needs an invitation because George needs to feel my embrace and know he is loved. These are just a few of the people on my guest list; I could go on for too long if I tried to name everyone I would invite.

So, now it is back to you, the saints of Providence-Fort Washington, who is on your guest list? Does it include the people of our immediate neighborhood? I want to tell you one person or persons I believe we need to have on our guest list. This past Wednesday we had a theft here at the church. While several people were out doing yard work someone stole several hundred dollars worth of equipment that was laying in the grass. We do not know who stole the equipment. But I suspect they are lonely; I suspect they feel rejected by society; I suspect they are lost. And, I know they need to feel God’s love. So, they should be on our guest list. I am sure I could suggest others, but I am going to let you fill in the rest of your list. But, I do make one request. Where it is possible, do not just put people on your guest list; really invite them to come here at feel our hospitality and feel God’s love.

Now, if you would turn in your hymnals to page 12, I want to extend an invitation to all of you, because we are all on God’s guest list for the feast that is before us.

 

 

This Week At Providence-Fort Washington - August 29, 2013

This Week at Providence-Fort Washington

Thursday, August 29, 2013

 

Hear, O my people, while I admonish you;

O Israel, if you would but listen to me!

There shall be no strange god among you;

you shall not bow down to a foreign god.

I am the Lord your God,

who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

Psalm 81:8-10

 

This Week In Worship – September 1, 2013

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Communion Sunday

Pastor Stephen preaching: Who’s On The Guest List?

Special Music: Just a Closer Walk With God – Peggy Righter

 

Sunday School Starts September 8th at 9:30 am

Learn and Grow in the Christian Tradition

Come Join Us in Christian Education

 

Providence-Fort Washington Artist Series

A Musical Feast

Presented by the

Christian Oratorio Society of Greater Washington D.C.

2:30 PM – Saturday – September 21, 2013

Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist Church

 

Welcome and Installation of the new

Washington East District Superintendent

On Sunday, September 22, 2013 at La Plata UMC

(3 Port Tobacco Road, La Plata, MD)

we will hold a service of welcome and installation

for the new District Superintendent of the Washington East District,

Rev. Dr. Rebecca K. Iannicelli.

The service will begin at 3 p.m.

with a reception of light refreshments following.

All are welcome to attend.

 

Life Line Screening

Providence-Fort Washington is pleased to offer a preventive health event.

Life Line Screening,

a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings,

will host their affordable, non-invasive and painless health screenings on

September 17, 2013.

More information is available in the Information Sheets in the Narthex

 

Wednesday Bible Study

A Close Reading of Genesis

The Group meets at 6:00 pm for a potluck dinner.

The Bible Study begins at 6:30 pm and ends at 8:30 pm.

 

Hopi Presentation

Pastor Stephen and Sandy will talk about

their Hopi VIM Trip on

Sunday, September 15

after Worship in the Fellowship Hall

 

RUMMAGE SALE - 2013

It’s that time of year again.

The Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist Women

will be holding their annual Rummage Sale on

October 4th (9 AM – 5 PM) and Saturday, October 5th (9 AM – 2PM).

and, of course, lunch is available for purchase both days.

Volunteers are needed for set up and cooking.

Donations for sale are needed as well.

More information to come in the following weeks.

 

United Methodist Men

Please plan to attend our first Fall Meeting on

Saturday, September 21^st.

 

Toiletries for Urban Ministry

We are continuing to collect toiletries for Urban Ministry

Please bring item and place them in the

basket in the narthex.

 

Pastor Stephen’s Blog

Pastor Stephen is again posting to his blog

http://pastorstephen.blogspot.com/

It includes recent sermons and Wednesday Bible Study notes.

 

2013 Worship Attendance Goal

Our Worship Attendance Goal for 2013 is 92.

Our average worship attendance through August 25^th is 79.59.

 

Altar Flowers

Please sign-up to supply altar flowers.

Flowers can be used to mark any significant occasion

including birthdays, anniversaries, and memorials.

Altar flowers are $22.00 per vase and

payment is due when you request flowers.

 

Urban Ministry Update

The Urban Ministry Group is now leading Worship Services

on the Third Sunday of every month at

House of Peace

meeting at 3^rd Street Church of God in Washington, D.C.

As part of our ministry, we provide lunch and

offer hats, gloves, and coats for those in need.

We are accepting cash donations to offset the cost of this ministry.

Contact Pastor Stephen or Mi Ja for more details.

The Group will meet on Saturday, September 16^th at 9:30 am

to plan and prepare for our next trip into D.C. on September 15^th

 

Giant Food Cash For Causes

Providence-Fort Washington has enrolled in the

Giant Food Cash For Causes Program

 

This program allows us to purchase

Giant Gift Cards at a 5% discount and then resell them for face value.

The 5% difference is then put in our General Operating Fund.

The difference between our cost and your purchase price

is also credited on your annual giving statement.

 

Pastor Stephen has some cards available for purchase

and you can order cards to be delivered next week.

The cards have no expiration date and can be used for anything Giant sells.

Please see Pastor Stephen to purchase cards or if you have any questions.

 

Charting Our Course

The Vision Committee has completed a “first sort” of all the suggestions received

and is distributing them to various groups within the church for their comments.

They expect to make recommendations for implementation of ideas soon.

We are still interested in your ideas on how to move our church forward.

 

Collection of Stamps and Labels

Information update:

I have just sent a batch of canceled stamps

to Stamps for the Wounded program and also box and can labels

(bar codes) to the Board of Child Care Auxiliary.  Thank you for

your donations, and please continue to save these two items.

 

Donna D., Secretary, P-FW United Methodist Women

 

Aluminum Can Recycling

We are collecting and recycling aluminum cans.

Please bring your aluminum cans in

and we will sell them to the recycling center.

 

Do you have something to add?

Do you have an announcement that need to get out to everyone in the church?

If so, please e-mail it to me (srricketts@verizon.net) and I will include it in the next

This Week at Providence-Fort Washington.

 

Blessings,

Pastor Stephen