Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-11-02
Monday November 2nd, 2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
To Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
This from Don Follis:
Crazy Quilt
by Jane Wilson Joyce
Quilt Pieces (Gnomon Press, second printing, 2009).
The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia
is cracked. California is splitting
off. There is no East or West, no rhyme,
no reason to it. We are scattered.
Dear Lord, lest we all be somewhere
else, patch this work. Quilt us
together, feather-stitching piece
by piece our tag-ends of living,
our individual scraps of love.
* * *
The change to daylight savings time badly messed up our Sunday worship that premiers on Facebook and YouTube at 9 a.m. We apologize. Eric Corbin reports this: The worship videos on Facebook and YouTube are now fine. The links of http://FirstPres.live will take people to the videos. If you’re like me, watching them live, on Sunday morning, when and while others are watching (and sometimes commenting) is meaningful. Tune in next week for another effort.
* * *
Thank you in advance for voting tomorrow. If you haven’t already signed up for our prayer vigil on Tuesday, election day, please do so. First Pres commits to being in prayer for our community, state, nation, and world on this Election Day. We are asking people to choose 30 minute timeslot(s) when they will be in prayer on Tuesday, November 3rd. Timeslots are available while the polls are open in our community, from 6 AM until 7 PM. Please sign up here: https://firstpres.
* * *
The Illinois Conference of Churches encourages all people to vote in the upcoming election.
The love of neighbor is at the core of the Gospel. Participating in our democracy by voting is part of what many Christians believe being a good neighbor means. May the divisiveness of this election not deter Illinoisans from going to the polls, and may God encourage our love for and mutual forbearance of neighbors no matter how, or if, they vote.
* * *
Be thou my vision (300 churches in Ireland produced this inspiring song). Thanks for sharing, Ann Webbink:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
News
Thanks to all who helped with out Styrofoam Drop-off Event! Thanks to our Environmental Stewardship Committee for helping us take better care of the earth.
Tuesday Men’s Bible Study 8 am
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.
* * *
KITCHEN, KITCHEN: What is your vision for our new kitchen? After Covid, should we have weekly Sunday brunches? Monthly dinners? Community meals? Sunday Night Jazz? What ministry awaits us? Ideas? Please be in touch with Gary Peterson (or me) with thoughts. Thanks.
Humor (Hard times need godly laughter):
From Skip Pickering: Logic from an uncluttered Mind
The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note and posted on the apple tray: “Take only ONE. God is watching.”
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”
Good Word:
Matthew 25:1-13
1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
LET US PRAY:
I Dis – Believe; Help My Belief/Frederick Ohler
En – able us
mercy – full God
to confess and repent of our sins—
not just the itsy-bitsy ones
but the great one the root fault
our atheism.
We’re not asking forgiveness for our questions
the honest “why?” in the face of death
the “why?” in the midst of great injustice
the Job
the Jeremiah
the Jesus in us feeling sometimes God – forsaken.
We’re not asking forgiveness for the “atheism” of dis – believing
a doctrine a system somebody else’s answer
anybody’s false god.
But we are asking forgiveness for the real atheism of
our superficiality
our skimming along
our ordered utopias
our terrible craving for safety
our trivial religiosity
our preference for religion over faith
for law over gospel.
The fast which You want
is not to boast of our humility
but to liberate the prisoner
to “break every yoke”
to have compassion
for that sad little person
who needs our love—
who is ourselves.
Love us
shake us
lure us to the gaps
to where it is more dangerous
and bitter
and extravagant
and bright—
to where Your glory flashes.
amen.
Much, much love to you all.
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church
