Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, still going strong in Vinita, Oklahoma.
Our past is anchored in 127 years of faithful worship, teaching and mission/outreach. Our present continues that great tradition.
To be sure tradition may enslave us and make us reactionaries. At Pilgrim Church, an alert community of faith finds that tradition has an opposite effect. Tradition here releases the congregation, and enriches it, as it invests time, energy, and yes, money in a spirit of living out the gospel in the present.
What do I mean? Simply this: you and I must spend our life, not hoard it. God has given us life, not to keep for ourselves but to use for others. This sense of giving marks Pilgrim Church as an example of true discipleship.
Our Pearl of Value today comes from Luke 9:24:
"Whoever would save life will lose it, and whoever loses life, for my sake, will save it."
Put a smile on your face and live to the hilt. It's only once around this earthly track.
Fond regards,
Richard
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
2009.10.19 Monday Morning!
Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
A good friend, the Rev. W. LeRoy Beckes, is pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Bradford, Pennsylvania. The monthly newsletter from that Church is always interesting and informative. Among his many gifts, Lee Beckes is a poet and a man of prayer. His "Labor Day Prayer" is excellent for all seasons, and I share it with you today.
Labor Day...a prayer
Lord Jesus, one day you shook the sawdust from your hair and left to take up other work. Did the blind man feel the callouses when you touched his eyelids? Did Simon Peter, slipping beneath the waves, feel the strength of your arms as you pulled him to safety? You knew splinters and sweat, you have felt the weight of heavy beam. Be with those whose labor and worth is measured in pieces and pounds; who must wrestle with fire and storm; who cross lonely miles while other sleep; who clean and carry what we leave behind; whose work goes unnoticed unless undone; who tend to those so often forgotten. May we find ourselves at your side, working for a world where wages are fair and all labor is respected. Then, when our work is done, may we hear you say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your Master's joy."
Genuine friendships are to be cherished!
Best wishes and in friendship,
Richard
A good friend, the Rev. W. LeRoy Beckes, is pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Bradford, Pennsylvania. The monthly newsletter from that Church is always interesting and informative. Among his many gifts, Lee Beckes is a poet and a man of prayer. His "Labor Day Prayer" is excellent for all seasons, and I share it with you today.
Labor Day...a prayer
Lord Jesus, one day you shook the sawdust from your hair and left to take up other work. Did the blind man feel the callouses when you touched his eyelids? Did Simon Peter, slipping beneath the waves, feel the strength of your arms as you pulled him to safety? You knew splinters and sweat, you have felt the weight of heavy beam. Be with those whose labor and worth is measured in pieces and pounds; who must wrestle with fire and storm; who cross lonely miles while other sleep; who clean and carry what we leave behind; whose work goes unnoticed unless undone; who tend to those so often forgotten. May we find ourselves at your side, working for a world where wages are fair and all labor is respected. Then, when our work is done, may we hear you say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your Master's joy."
Genuine friendships are to be cherished!
Best wishes and in friendship,
Richard
Sunday, October 11, 2009
2009.10.12 Monday Morning!
Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma, in beautiful green country! Yes, we've had a lot of rain! Lawns and pastures are lush-looking. Our Church lawn is as lovely as I've ever seen it, thanks to the rain and the excellent service of Todd Mariner, one of our new members.
At the beginning of summer I suggested that you read the story of Peter going to meet Cornelius (found in Acts, chapter 10). Cornelius was a Roman - a Gentile - and Jews were to avoid contact with Gentiles. Before going to the home of this Roman military leader, Peter was staying at the seashore home of a tanner. The law forbade Jews from touching the bodies of dead animals, and a strict Jew would hardly accept hospitality from such a home.
All this is noteworthy in that Peter had to unlearn rigid religious teaching. That isn't easy, but it is essential if we are to grow and develop our concept of the greatness of God!
And Peter said, "I have come to understand that God has no favorites."
How big is your God?
Fond regards,
Richard
At the beginning of summer I suggested that you read the story of Peter going to meet Cornelius (found in Acts, chapter 10). Cornelius was a Roman - a Gentile - and Jews were to avoid contact with Gentiles. Before going to the home of this Roman military leader, Peter was staying at the seashore home of a tanner. The law forbade Jews from touching the bodies of dead animals, and a strict Jew would hardly accept hospitality from such a home.
All this is noteworthy in that Peter had to unlearn rigid religious teaching. That isn't easy, but it is essential if we are to grow and develop our concept of the greatness of God!
And Peter said, "I have come to understand that God has no favorites."
How big is your God?
Fond regards,
Richard
Sunday, October 4, 2009
2009.10.05 Monday Morning!
Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.
These Monday Morning messages which began in September 2007, now find their way across the country and around the globe! I am surprised by and glad for the welcome they have received.
My intention is to reach out beyond our sanctuary with a pastoral concern. Our Christian faith, drawn from the rich source of the Bible, is profoundly inward and at the same time it is outreaching, with a will to action.
Faith is the activity of the whole life of every follower of Jesus!
Christ put a strong emphasis upon "wholeness of life". "Do you want to be made whole?" was a fundamental question he asked, and it is the message of the gospel to everyone.
The health of the body and spirit are integral to wholeness in life, and that is a reason daily quiet time is needed. At the start of summer I encouraged you to read, at your own pace, two books by Luke - the Gospel and the Book of Acts. Later I suggested you add the Gospel of Mark to your devotional reading list.
Today, I suggest some of my favorite readings from Psalms.
Psalm 1, 2, 8, 16:5-6, 19, 23, 24, 25:4-5, 34, 42:1-5, 8-11 and 43, 46, 67.
Good reading provides good company! Our Pearl of Value for this week comes from the Apostle Paul: 1 Corinthians 15:33 - "Bad company corrupts good character."
Good reading! Fond regards,
Richard
These Monday Morning messages which began in September 2007, now find their way across the country and around the globe! I am surprised by and glad for the welcome they have received.
My intention is to reach out beyond our sanctuary with a pastoral concern. Our Christian faith, drawn from the rich source of the Bible, is profoundly inward and at the same time it is outreaching, with a will to action.
Faith is the activity of the whole life of every follower of Jesus!
Christ put a strong emphasis upon "wholeness of life". "Do you want to be made whole?" was a fundamental question he asked, and it is the message of the gospel to everyone.
The health of the body and spirit are integral to wholeness in life, and that is a reason daily quiet time is needed. At the start of summer I encouraged you to read, at your own pace, two books by Luke - the Gospel and the Book of Acts. Later I suggested you add the Gospel of Mark to your devotional reading list.
Today, I suggest some of my favorite readings from Psalms.
Psalm 1, 2, 8, 16:5-6, 19, 23, 24, 25:4-5, 34, 42:1-5, 8-11 and 43, 46, 67.
Good reading provides good company! Our Pearl of Value for this week comes from the Apostle Paul: 1 Corinthians 15:33 - "Bad company corrupts good character."
Good reading! Fond regards,
Richard
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