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Quieting the Shout of Should by Crystal Stine

“As God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentle- ness, and patience.” -Colossians 3:12

I took a walk around the soccer field the other night. I was trying to escape the swarm of hardy bugs that were enjoying the hot summer night and hoped to clear my mind while burning a few calories. The more I walked, the more my mind raced – from to-do lists to upcoming events to random bursts of conversation with God about frustrating situations to what to have for dinner. I was so lost in the noise of all the thoughts that I nearly had a heart attack when a bunny jumped out of the woods near the path. I knew most of what I wished god could fix for me here things I’d said “yes” to without consulting Him. I was overwhelmed and feeling frazzled. Instead of intentionally putting on “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12), I had chosen to start my days with a thick covering of crabbiness, fear, doubt, comparison, and pride. Choosing to listen to all the things I “should” do had taken me out of a place of peace. Instead of enjoying a lovely walk at the park, I was fearing death by small, furry wildlife. Where the world says we should hold grudges, be the best, say “yes” to all things, and fight for what we deserve, a little time in God’s Word will show us a different path. One that required doing the hard work of forgiveness, staying humble, inviting others to participate in opportunities we don’t need to take ourselves, and leaving the fight up to God. It’s on that path, the narrow one, where we’ll discover peace and joy as we quiet the shouts of should. Quiet Quest: Whether it’s in your living room, around the block, or at the local park, go for a walk today. No music in your headphones, no podcast to listen to, just yourself and your thoughts. Pray as you walk, sharing it all – the good, bad, messy, and confusing – with God. In what areas of your life have you put on something other than love lately? VERSE OF THE WEEK PRAYER OF THE WEEK Lord of the feast, you have prepared a table before all peoples and poured out your life with abundance. Call us again to your banquet. Strengthen us by what is honorable, just, and pure, and transform us into a people of right- eousness and peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

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Message by Dennis Boyd My first recollection of attending church was on the South side of around 67th and Loomis, a short walk from our house to the Ogden Park Methodist Church. My brother, sister and I were baptized there around 1952. We moved from Chicago to Lake Village, Indiana in 1954 and we began attending the Lake Village Presbyterian Church there where my dad had been baptized and belonged and where he met my mother. The L.V. Church had been in town for decades and, at the time, was one of only three around. It seemed like everyone in town went to one of the three churches and I’d never heard the term atheist. Yes, there were a few people that rarely attended, but for sure you’d see them on Christmas Eve or Easter. As I grew older, I joined the church with a communicant class of around 8 or 9 other kids. The church would always be full on Sunday and, like the other churches in the area, there was a rich tradition of ba- zaars, fall festivals, Easter breakfasts and other activities. Upon graduation from high school and getting married my last year at Purdue, my wife and I attended a Methodist Church in West Lafayette. The church was always full every Sunday with more than half of the attendees being Purdue students. After Purdue and living in our first home in Taylor, MI we attended Southminster Presbyterian Church. Again, the church was full and growing in numbers each year. After ten years working in the De- troit area and getting laid off from Ford Motor we moved back to South Lafayette. There was a very small church in Romney, IN that we started attending, Romney Presbyterian. The church had more than 100 peo- ple attending each Sunday with the sanctuary being standing room only. This was a wonderful church but early on was fractured with two groups of families, long attending members, being opposed to everything offered by the opposing group...very similar to our political parties today. With this strain and the loss of the pastor the church melted to 20-25 attending each Sunday and finally closed and was torn down. At that time, my wife and I began attending a large Presbyterian Church in Lafayette...1500 members with about 350 in church each Sunday. This, to me, was a “cold” church, political and pretty stuffy. Around this time and with a promotion offered, we moved to Washington, IL and began attending Washington Pres- byterian. What a wonderful, friendly group of people. The church had been there for over 150 years but like other churches, began experiencing declining membership. After 10 years and with retirement, we left and moved to Monticello, IN. In Monticello we found the Presbyterian church, again with a warm caring family. Well here we are, 13 years later and we haven’t grown. Through the years there has been to me, a visual of a declining church attendance in many denominations...why? What is happening in America and across the world to Christian- ity? Since I was nine years old church was always an important part of my life and still is. Why are there mega churches that continue to grow, and yet other established churches many years in their communities that are dwindling in numbers and closing? Is it the need to “entertain” with music blasting, coffee shops in the sanctuaries, gigantic video boards in the sanctuaries, etc. that draw people to them? Would those churches exist if their offerings were traditional services? I can’t answer why people attend church... I do because I want to get closer to God and be around loving fellow Christians. I attended as a young parent to carry on the traditional idea of laying a moral foundation for my children so that they might become better people. I attend to have fellow Christians to lean on dur- ing times of trouble or sorrow and to offer the same to my church family. I wanted to continue to learn about Christ and have found so many sermons helping me do that, and most of all to be part of a faith com- munity. Well here we are, well into the 21st century and God is as important to me as ever, especially in our di- vided country and today’s world. How do we bring more people to realize they need God in their lives? Whose job is it, our pastor’s, or ours? This is a perplexing question and one all Christians need to fo- cus on as we move forward into 2021! Think about this and think about what part you can play...

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First Reading: Isaiah 25:1-9 1O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 2For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the pal- ace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. 3Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. 4For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their dis- tress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, 5the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled. 6On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; 8he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Psalm 23 1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.2The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. 3You restore my soul, O Lord, and guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake. 4Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running over. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall fol- low me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Second Reading: Philippians 4:1-9 1My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. 2I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3Yes, and I ask you al- so, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your re- quests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatev- er is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:1-14 1Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ 5But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7The

4 king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wed- ding robe, 12and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the out- er darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14For many are called, but few are cho- sen.”

This song was written by, Will Lamartine Thompson. He was born in East Liverpool, . His music abilities took him to the Boston Conservatory of Music and to Leipzig Germany where he studied with the greatest. Will was interested in writing music that was secular and patriotic but did not make much money doing this. Feeling defeated, he packed up his music and returned to East Liv- erpool and prayed on what to do next. He later went to New York, on business for his father and sent his songs toa printer, intending to publish and sell them himself. His songs, “My Home on the Old Ohio,” and “Gathering Shells from the Sea,” were hits and he eventually became a millionaire. He often credited the Lord for his success and wanting to thank Him for his dedicated himself to writing Christian songs. He later established Will L. Thompson & Co. and his quartet numbers sold over two mil- lion copies. In 1880, the hymn, “,” appeared in a book that was published by Thompson & Co. Despite being a millionaire and his major success over the years, he was considered a simple and sincere man. He would load up his piano on his two-horse wagon and drove into the country to sing and play his songs in small churches throughout the Midwest. “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me.” Referenced from the book, “Then Sings My Soul” by Robert J. Mor- gan

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It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm fonds. Johnny asked them what they were for. “People held them over Jesus’ head as he walked by,” his father old him. “Wouldn’t you know it,” Johnny fumed, “the one Sunday I don’t go and he shows up.” In the Rejoice lord always

For those who are watching from home you may still send in your offerings to the church each week. For FPC please send to 104 N. Illinois St. and for NHL please send to P.O. Box 869.

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