Summer in [the] Paris[h]! What a Treasure We Have!
Exodus 20:1- Then God spoke all these words…
1 John 1:6, 7, 8, 9- If we say that we have fellowship…while…in darkness/ …if we walk in the light…we have fellowship/ …If we say that we have no sin/ If we confess…
Ruth 1:16b- ...your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Matthew 6:19-34- Your treasure and the kingdom.
Mark 10:21- …treasure in heaven…
Luke 12:13-34- What life consists of.
It is one month until the first day of summer as I write this. Hopefully, the needed rains will have come and the fields and gardens will be on their way to producing a treasure of produce.
I particularly hope all our effort and toil in the soil will be of use. Many of us will invest time, money and sweat equity into tilling and hoeing and nurturing, all in hope of enjoying the labor of our hands [even if part of the reward comes in being close to the earth]. However, there is another type of investment, toil and labor – tilling, hoeing and nurturing – that should be part of this summer. Biblical and Spiritual investment in ourselves and families.
Summer is not the time to divest ourselves of the study of Scriptures. Even if that only means 10 to 15 minutes a day, a couple, three times a week. That time invested will in the end of the season will produce 10-, 50- and 100-fold in treasure.
Now is not the time to act as the rich land owner in Luke 12, who discerned that he had an abundance of production, that now he could sit on his achievements and divest himself of responsibility for any more toil and for people around him – his neighbor.
We are using the Narrative Lectionary (NL). What makes NL so unique is that, over four years’ time, it gives us an overarching view of salvation history. Each year we begin in Genesis and move through history and prophets until Advent when we focus on the Birth Narrative. After Christmas, we focus on the Gospels after which, we read the Epistles. During the summer, we turn to four sermon topics series.
This summer our sermon series will be
The Ten Commandments – May 27-June 17;
1 John– June 24-July15;
Ruth– July 22-August 12;
Stewardship/Generosity– August 19-September 2.
The text-snippets at the top are verse introductions to each sermon series. These will give you a general idea of where the readings are going. The next page has the readings for the month of June. July to September will be listed in the July/August Newsletter. Deuteronomy 11:18-19 tells us, You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead.
Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Take time to read through each week’s readings to get a preview. Have a safe summer and a blessed Pentecost season. God give you rest and move in your life.
Thanks be to God!
~Pastor Kent