Richmond First United Methodist News and Events
Pastor’s Perspective
Dear Friends,
Here are my notes from last Sunday:
Turning Points, Matthew 2:1-12
Pastor Dan Damon, Richmond 1st UMC, 1-4-15
Introduction
The wise came late to see the Christ child. Luke does not tell their story at all. His gospel moves from the manger to the temple. The old man, Simeon, had been waiting for the consolation of Israel. When Joseph and Mary brought their eight-day old baby boy to the temple Simeon took the baby in his arms and said, “Now let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation, a light for all people.” Luke also tells us about the old woman, Anna, who gave thanks for the child and spoke to all about Jesus. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth in Galilee. “The boy grew, was strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.” The next scene in Luke gives us a glimpse of Jesus in the temple at age twelve talking with the elders. His parents had to go find him. Luke gives us the comic and human dialogue, “I thought he was with you.”
Retell the Scripture Story
Details of Jesus’ early life are few. Next week we will turn to the baptism of the young adult Jesus as told by Mark, but today we look at Matthew 2 and the unique and powerful story of the wise, the wealthy, the powerful coming to worship the child, giving their rich and exotic gifts. Do you remember what they gave to Jesus? Gold: a valuable, frankincense: a perfume, myrrh: an anointing oil. The gifts were commonly given to kings. The spiritual or symbolic meaning of the gifts may be noted as well: Gold was a symbol of kingship on earth. Frankincense was symbolic of deity. Myrrh was used in preparation for burials. Matthew does not tell us how many scholars came to see Jesus. Tradition gives us three wise men because there were three gifts mentioned in the story.
The wise came late to see the Christ child. They had come from the east. They had travelled far. [They may have been really good singers, as we had in our pageant.] They were wise enough to ask directions, but foolish enough to ask directions of the wicked king Herod. They were wise enough to listen to their dreams and to return to their country by another way.
Matthew gives us this story to show that the light of this child shines not to the Jews alone, but to all the nations of the earth. This is a huge insight. Jesus was a Jew. The Jews felt they were chosen by God. They had stories of origin and struggle, slavery and freedom, psalms of praise and lament, visions of a peaceable kingdom. They had the insight that God is one. The internet did not yet exist, and yet Matthew tells the story of this Jewish boy reaching out to all the world in a new way. The symbol for the season of Epiphany is the star, a new star, rising in the east, leading to this particular boy child, born a Jew in Roman occupied Judea, now called Palestine. The light from the star shines to all. It shines on the just and the unjust, on the wise and the foolish, on people of all faith traditions and no faith tradition. As we remember from John 1: The light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it.
Application
I like preaching at the beginning of a new year. It gives us a natural opportunity to look back, and to look forward. It is a turning point. The ancients observed the winter solstice. They celebrated the return of the light. There is wisdom in that celebration. In our culture we put pretty colored lights on our picket fences during the darkest time of the year. We need a little emotional boost to get through the season of darkness. Electricity helps us. Songs and stories shared with the community of faith help us a lot. We heard Jean Reynolds read the year in review at our recent Church Conference. We wept together as we remembered Liam Thompson’s death last spring. We celebrated the many good things our church did in the past year.
There are many turning points in our lives: the birth of a child, the death of a child, the excitement of a new romance, the sadness of divorce, the blessing of good health, the discovery of a serious illness, coming and going of the light. How can we live as people of hope and faith in this turning world? How can we embrace life as it is? Can we follow the light in our own faith tradition in a way that acknowledges and respects the traditions of others? When we are angry, can we admit it to God and to ourselves? Can we talk about it, and learn to forgive? Then the anger will lose its power to create the depression that may poison our lives for years. The darkness has not overcome the light. Hope can rise again in us as long as we live.
We can do something now that future generations will thank us for. We are deeply grateful to those who gave the land for this church, to those who planned and build this lovely sanctuary that has held our songs and stories, our hopes and fears, our laughter and our tears. As we look back with gratitude, we can look forward with an eagerness to act now to give future generations their chance to live and work, to worship and pray, to continue the song of the church. What will we do with the time that is ours, with the talent that is ours, with the treasure that is ours to share? It is our caring actions that give our lives meaning. It is our caring actions that make us people of faith and hope— that turn us toward the light in the darkest of times.
Let us be in prayer.
: Richmond First United Methodist News and Event
Joys and Concerns
Lauren McLeod welcomes your prayers for healing.
Sandra Kokoruda (Fran Smith’s daughter) up date: Fran Smith visited with Sandra for a week and feels very good about the medical care she has been getting. Her Social Worker is very involved and capable which makes Fran feel more at ease. Sandra is doing well. She just had her stitches removed so her abdomen is less tender. Sandra has a good support system there including her son, Robert. She still has a drain in her abdomen. Please keep her in your prayers for healing.
Molly Smith is requesting prayers for her brother who has been treated for a brain tumor for several years and has recently entered the Hospice program. Prayers for his family and her brother as they go through this very difficult time.
Deby McFadyen is asking for prayers for her father, Jack McFadyen, who has lung cancer. Currently he is doing well.
Pat Dornan and Linda Pereira continue to need your prayers of support and healing. Pat is inviting people to pop in and say “Hello”. Linda is sad and needs some different faces to cheer her up.
Robbie Robinson would appreciate your prayers.
Helen Wysham welcomes your prayers for healing as she undergoes chemotherapy.
Please keep the people of Camp Liberty in your prayers as chaos reigns in Iraq and near the camp.
News
Katherine Parker, our missionary in Nepal, has sent a Christmas message. Please see attached letter.
The complaint against retired Bishop Melvin Talbert has been resolved. He will not face a church trial or possible loss of his clergy credentials. The complaint occurred after Bishop Talbert had officiated and blessed a same sex marriage in Alabama. One of the requests from the review committee asks that the Council of Bishops consider options in addition to the complaint process to address differences that reflect our Wesleyan heritage and acknowledge that ways of resolving disagreements within a faith community should be distinct from those of a civil judicial process.
Pastor Dan will be attending the Gathering of the Orders Conference, Tuesday, January 20 thru Thursday, January 22 at the Mt. Hermon Retreat Center. He is part of the Worship Planning Committee regarding the music for the program.
Generosity
Don’t forget that donations for Imagine No Malaria are always welcome.
How are we doing? The Administrative Board met on Thursday evening and the final figures for our general budget are available. The great news is that we made our budget! We can’t thank you enough for your generosity to our church. Between our fundraising events and your gifts to the church and our faith that we could do it, and we did.
Events
Saturday, January 10, 7:30 pm the Palomarin Chamber Music Foundation presents “A Musical Offering” to welcome in the new year. This is an intimate chamber music concert featuring the music of Bach, Telemann and Martinu. Yael Ronen, flute, George Hayes, violin and Burke Schuchmann, cello. Suggested donations $20, Seniors $15 and children $5. For more information about Palomarin: http://www.palomarin.org/ First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond.
Tuesday, January 13, 6:30 pm; Swearing-In Ceremony for Tom Butt, Mayor, and for Councilmembers Jovanna Beckles, Gayle McLaughlin, Eduardo Martinez and Jael Myrick. Richmond City Council Chamber, 440 Civic Plaza Center, Richmond. Pastor Dan has been invited to give the Invocation. All are welcome.
Sunday, January 18, Human Relations Day Sunday. The first United Methodist Special Sunday offering for this year. Your donations support vital community ministries working with at-risk youth, the disadvantaged and underserved struggling to survive on the margins of society.
Friday, January 23, 7:30 pm: Point Richmond Jazz presents the Sylvia Herold ensemble featuring Julian Smedley, violin. This will warm up the evening for Point Richmond Jazz’s first concert of 2015. Julian Smedley, long a fixture in the Bay Area jazz scene, returns to join guitarist and vocalist extraordinaire, Sylvia Herold, formerly of the Kats “n” Jammers and Wake the Dead. This will be an evening of elegant swing jazz favorites. Both Julian and Sylvia are alumni of the Hot Club of San Francisco. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St. Point Richmond. Tickets are $20 at the door and $15 through prjazz.org.
Saturday, January 24, 11 am to 1 pm. Workshop with Julian Smedley, ” Sources of Jazz Violin”. First in a series of master classes/workshops designed to bring bowed instrument players and aficionados face to face with the finest and most stylistically varied jazz violinists available. More information and advance tickets $30 at prjazz.org. Tickets at the door $45. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St. Point Richmond.
Please send submissions for FUMC News and Events to Barbara Haley, editor: bahcats@sbcglobal.net.
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