2012.04.16 Monday Morning Message

Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.

Holy Week, the most significant week of the Christian calendar, is a drama that portrays life in three acts.

Jesus endured the stress of his arrest and trial, and then was hoisted to a cross to hang in excruciating  pain.  To be sure he was dead, soldiers, with a spear, pierced his side.  Then he was laid in a borrowed tomb, sealed by a large boulder.

The world of his disciples, and those earliest followers of Jesus, collapsed.  When the women went to the tomb on Easter morning to annoint his dead body they found the tomb was empty.  They discovered that Jesus was alive, their Lord and Master was free.

When the disciples got this report, they dismissed it as an idle tale.  But after the report of the women was confirmed, they came alive again!  Jesus was risen from the dead.  Jesus was free!  With that good news, the spirit of the disciples was restored.

How often are you really down?  When everything seems to go wrong, when you are disappointed, when you are in the pits,  Jesus comes with a helpful word or a kind act and you are inspired again.

Let Easter be your year round experience.  Through us, Jesus wants to work to help people, to free people, to cheer the lonely and to heal the afflicted, and to guide the lost.

God needs each of us and we can be joined in a partnership with God, through the living Christ.  Let's not run away from the important part we have in God's plan.

With blessings and fond regards,

Richard

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Bingo at Burroughs Manor Sat. April 21 - 2:00 - 3:00

Helpers are needed

The Reverend Craig Gibson will be in the pulpit this Sunday April 22

(we refer to him as the one who brings his kids)

Please plan to attend.

Attendance April 1 -- 31

April 8 (Easter) -- 79

April 15 -- 32

　

2012.03.05 Monday Morning Message

Greetings and all good wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, Vinita, Oklahoma.

We have had a mild winter in Oklahoma, with only one day of snow so far, and that covered the ground like powdered sugar for less than a day.

I was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Michigan, where we saw lots of snow and plenty of sub-zero temperatures.   At the first signs of snow, I remember seeing signs in front of gas stations which read "Check Your Chains!"  I am a loyal "Badger/Cheesehead", but I don't think I could survive another winter in my hometown.

There are other 'Chains' than those I once put over my tires to get through snow.  People in the mid-east and north Africa,  living under dictators and totalitarian governments have been fighting and dying to be free of despots.

And there are 'Chains' that prevent us, living in freedom, from living a whole, balanced, harmonious life, to which Jesus summons us.  Some are 'Chains' of blind prejudice and "Chains" of tyrannical habits.  Still others are bound by 'Chains' of fear and anxiety, by 'Chains' of greed and a distressing disregard for the well being of others.

What are you doing to dethrone any inner despots which may be holding you in 'Chains'?

With blessings and in friendship,

Richard

 

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The funeral of long time member Anna Belle Mitchell was held in the church Monday at 2 p.m.  Please keep the family in your prayers.

Dr. Don Roulet from Broken Arrow will preach Sunday.  We will have Communion on this Third Sunday in Lent.

Jim Ratcliff continues to do well after his recent fall.  

Sunday is Birthday Sunday - we celebrate:  Irene Conine, Suzie Cresap, Gage Kroll, Bob Hartley, Bobby Hartley, Janie York and Pat Sowers.

 

Daylight Savings Time Saturday night -  Spring Forward

Final Monday Morning for 2011...

Pilgrim Presbyterians in Vinita, Oklahoma send greetings and best wishes as you make your  journey to the New Year 2012.

I am cleaning out my overstuffed files and found this piece, One Solitary Life, by an unknown author.  It is appropriate for after Christmas, and at the threshold of a New Year.  I hope you like it.  Of course, it comes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, Vinita, Oklahoma.

 

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

 

Here is a man who was born of Jewish parents in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.  He grew up in another obscure village.  He worked in a carpenter's shop until he was thirty, and then for three  years he was an itinerant preacher.

 

He never wrote a book, he never held an office, he never owned a home.  He never had a family.  He never went to college.  He never put his foot inside a big city.  He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born.  He never did one of these things that usually accompany greatness.  He had no credentials but himself.

 

He had nothing to do with this world, except the naked power of his manhood.  While still a young man the tide of popular opinion turned against him.  His friends ran away.  One of them denied him.  He was turned over to his enemies.  He went through a mock trial.

 

He was nailed to a cross, between two thieves.  His executioner gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth, while he was dying - and that was his coat.  When he was dead he was taken down and laid in  a borrowed grave, through the pity of a friend.

 

Nineteen wide ceturies have come and gone, and today he is the centerpiece of the human race, and the leader of the column of progress.  I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon earth as powerfully as has that solitary life.

 

Thanks be to God for self-revelation in Jesus Christ.

 

With blessing and all good wishes for the New Year.

 

Richard

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This is the last Monday Morning message I have received from Richard as he is still ill.

 

There will be no Morning Worship Service at Pilgrim Presbyterian this Sunday, January 1.

Services will resume the next Sunday, January 8 at 10:00 a.m.

I would ask that everyone keep Richard in their thoughts and prayers this Holiday Season.  

Peace and Love to him and us all!

Brian

2011.12.12 Monday Morning

Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma, at America's crossroads, on historic Route 66.

 

My Christmas message is simple and direct:  your life in Christ, and Christ's life in you, will change your very being for the better!

 

It is this affirmation that Dickens, in A Christmas Carol, wrote a classic story that is a favorite around the world.  It is beloved because it is a story of hope.

 

You may remember that Ebenezer Scrooge is pictured as a wealthy man who employs his nephew, Fred, at pitiful poor wages, supported a joyful, closely bonded family, including a handicapped son.

 

By every reasonable standard Scrooge should have been on top of the world.  He wasn't!  And, the clerk's family should have been miserable.  They were not!

 

Dickens implied that faith makes the difference.  Faith has its own ability to change a person for the better.  In this dramatic story, Scrooge was confronted with two facts:

1. The fact of Christmas - the fact that God has come to dwell with us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth;
   
2. and the fact of his own selfishness. 

Scrooge had to choose which of those two facts he was going to embrace.  After intense struggle, Ebenezer scrooge consciously chose to embrace the fact of Christmas - God with us.  The result of that choice was a remarkable, dramatic change in his life.

 

Jesus - God with us - does change lives.  What are some of the enduring changes we cherish as Christians?

The power of compassion, the healing of forgiveness, the transforming power of love, the energizing power of prayer and the sustaining power of faith.

 

With fond regards and all good wishes for a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

Richard

2011.11.14 Monday Morning

Greetings and all good wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, OK.  Your keeping in touch with us "offsite-online" is appreciated.

 

A story is told of a faithful church member who rocked back and forth as the pastor denounced dancing, drinking and gambling, crying "Amen".  But when the pastor denounced gossip she sat bolt upright and muttered loudly, "Wouldn't you know it!  He's begun meddling."

 

The Old Testament prophet, Amos, was chief among meddlers.  He lived in the 8th century before Christ in the southern kingdom of Judah.  A blunt, plain spoken man, Amos went to the northern kingdom of Israel, where he denounced its policies and practices.

He condemned Israel for oppressing the poor and powerless.  As a result, he was branded a meddler.

 

Amos' attitude is echoed in the words of William Faulkner, when he wrote:  "I love my country to want to cure its faults and the only way I can cure its faults within my vocation is to shame it, to criticize it...to show the difference between its evil, its good, its moments of honesty, integrity and pride.  Just to write about the good qualities won't change the bad ones."

 

The value of criticism, even of harsh words, must be grounded in loving concern and passion for a better world for all people.

 

With blessings and all good wishes,

 

Richard

 

2011.10.17 Monday Morning!

Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma. 

If you are in the area any Sunday morning at 10:00, come worship with us. If that's not possible, please say a prayer for us wherever you are. Thank you.

I want to tell you today about a good friend who was a professor of New Testament studies. He had escaped from his beloved Hungary during the uprising in the mid-1950's. More than a quarter million Hungarians left their homes at a time when Communists were oppressing dissidents, including Christians.

My friend, and a group of anti-Communists, captured the Communist headquarters in his home town. They held it for only a short time before being crushed. In that brief time he and his friends discovered a list of 'informers'. On the list was the name of my friend's best buddy.

When my friend confronted him, the man broke down and through his sobs asked, "What would you have done when the Communists threatened your wife and children?" The next day the informant committed suicide.

Life is complex. Evil is powerful. It is not easy to be a Christian in all circumstances.

When we become too smug in our faith and are tempted to find fault in how others respond to horrific situations, we will do well to hear the haunting question of that Hungarian informer: "What would you have done in my situation?"

With blessings and fond regards,

Richard

www.pilgrimpresbyterian.blogspot.com

2011.10.03 Monday Morning!

Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

We have a choice. We can choose to build up one another, or we can choose to tear down one another. Let me share two encounters to illustrate what I mean.

I stopped at a gas station in Vian, a small town in Oklahoma, near Dwight Mission, our Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center. A gas attendant came out in the rain to pump gas. He smiled, and said hello, and seemed to be genuinely happy to serve his customers. After filling my tank, he did an extraordinary thing: he shook my hand, said "Thank you" and wished me well. He made my day.

Later, in Tulsa, I bought gas at a self-service station. The attendant was in a glassed-in-booth. Her eyes never met mine. Sullen lines marked her face. I felt like an intruder as she cracked her gum, took my money, all the while looking down. She seemed completely disinterested in her job. That young woman made me sad.

Every time we meet another person, each of us is given an opportunity to create or destroy by the way we dignify or deny that person.

Jesus was on target when he taught us to do to others as we want others to do to us.

With blessings and all good wishes,

Richard

www.pilgrimpresbyterian.blogspot.com/

2011.9.12 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

After Jesus, perhaps the best known New Testament character is Peter.  We think of him as a gregarious, outgoing man of action.  He was out in front of the other disciples who accepted him as a leader. Yet, like all of us, Peter had his weaknesses.

The low point in his life came the night of Jesus' arrest when he denied knowing his Master.  We might have done the same thing in similar circumstances.  The instinct to survive is strong.   There is no telling how a person will react in a critical situation.

Peter was only one among many Bible heroes to default.  Moses became a fugitive on the run after he murdered an Egyptian and then fled the country.  David was an adulterer and also an accessory to murder.  The Apostle Paul, before his conversion, presided over a lynch mob.

We live in an imperfect world and no one is an angel.  We live battered lives and we are often sorry for things we do and say, and, like Peter, Moses, David and Paul, we are given a second chance - all by the grace of God.

With blessings and in friendship,
Richard

2011.6.20 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, Vinita, Oklahoma.

 

In ancient times, when God gave the 10 Commandments to Moses, every person in a family or tribal unit was needed to work so all might survive.

 

When a person was unable to work, there was a threat to the survival of the family or tribe.  The old, the weak and frail were frequently abused and discarded.

 

In this setting God spoke with a new commandment to Israel, saying:  "You are not to treat the elderly, the weak, in in the same manner other tribes do.  You are not to discard them.  By keeping in connection with them you honor your father and mother.

 

Today, most people welcome Father's Day with unreserved feelings of gratitude and affection.  Yet, we know there are others who dread Father's Day as a harsh reminder of abuse and unhappiness.

 

So do your best to keep in contact with your parents.  If that is not possible, don't feel guilty; you've done what you could.

 

For those of us whose parents are no longer living, this is a time to remember pleasant times shared.  That's a good way to honor parents.

 

With all good wishes,

Richard

2011.5.30 Monday Morning!

Greetings and best wishes on this day after Memorial Day from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

 

Memorial Day began in the United States in the late 1860's, after the American Civil War, when a women's Sunday School Class in a small southern town adopted a spring project.  The women decided to decorate the graves of their sons, husbands and sweethearts with flowers out of their gardens.

 

Upon arriving at the cemetery, they expanded their plan.  The graves of all soldiers were decorated, including the graves of soldiers from the North.

 

It was one small step toward reconciliation!

 

When their project was reported in newspapers, the Sunday School Class began to get letters from people in the North, thanking them for putting flowers on the graves of their loved ones, buried so far away from home.

 

Soon the practice spread, and for decades May 30th was called Decoration  Day, now it is called Memorial Day - a day the nation stops to give thanks for the sacrifice made in all the wars for the preservation of liberty and freedom.

 

Let us never forget the cost paid for our freedom, and let us resolve never to abuse that freedom or soil it.

 

Let us remember ... and may God's grace and mercy remain with you, and your loved ones, always.

 

Richard   

2011.3.21 Monday Morning

Greetings from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma, the second oldest town in the state, founded in 1871. Eleven years later, in 1882, our Presbyterian Church was organized. It continues a vital ministry, sharing God's redeeming love and forgiveness with all people.

Our Bible tells us that "it is more blessed to give than to receive." Of course, children and young people are not likely to agree. They love getting birthday and Christmas presents.

As we get older, we find giving more satisfying than receiving. This is evident as we see care and concern flow to the disaster stricken people living in Japan.

How gratifying it is to see the international community offer prayers and material aid as symbols of the deepest feelings for those suffering from a three-fold disaster; earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis.

There are times when we think selfishness rules, but it doesn't. In the long run selfishness fails. If we do not learn that in advance, we will learn it afterward in catastrophe.

With blessings and in friendship,

Richard

P. S. We are thankful that the editor of our BLOG, Brian Dishman, and his wife, Motoko, and their daughter, Rina, all living in Japan, are safe. Sadly, members of their family are either dead or missing, and our heartfelt sympathy goes to them.

2009.03.09 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning from Vinita, Oklahoma, where "Pilgrims" meet to worship at the Presbyterian Church and from where they scatter into the community to serve God in big and little ways.

One big issue confronting the whole world today is "drug abuse".   Can the Church reach out to those engulfed in this epidemic?  Put your thinking cap on and let's hear your suggestions as to how Church and faith can help.

It is obvious that laws are not enough to curb this insidious evil.  Medical, psychological, social science AND religion are needed to combat this nightmare.

Instead of cursing the darkness which is ruining lives and destroying families, is there one small step we can take to overcome this critical problem?


Hopefully,
Richard

2008.10.27 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma. We want to "keep in touch" with the Pilgrims past and present, living far and near. We are celebrating the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Church on Sunday, November 9. You'll get a letter about planned events, and be sure to attend, if at all possible. If you cannot attend, please send an email greeting.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), we meet a Priest who ignored a badly injured man lying on the roadside. His view of life: "What's mine, I'll keep it." The Priest had no time or concern to share.

This attitude reminds me of a classic story which Dostoevsky wrote about a woman who died and went to hell. In her agony, she cried for help. At length, an angel answered: "I can help if you remember one altogether unselfish thing you did on earth." Finally, the woman remembered a withered carrot she had once given to a beggar. Checking the record, the angel confirmed that this was an unselfish act.

So down the limitless space which separated heaven from hell was lowered a withered carrot on a slender string. It did not seem that it could bear her weight and lift her out of torment. She grasped the carrot and slowly began to rise. Then she felt a weight dragging her. She looked down and saw others clinging to her, hoping to escape torment. "Let go", she cried, "the carrot won't hold us all." But they held on and again she cried, "Let go, this is my carrot." And at that point the string broke, and she fell back into the pains of hell.

That sums up the fate of anyone who lives with the view "What's mine, I'll keep it."


Peace,
Richard

2008.04.21 Monday Morning!

Greetings from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma. We are an inclusive congregation that welcomes everyone to share in our life and work. Our Sunday morning service begins at 10:00 a.m. I kid the Presbyterians because an early service gives them plenty of time to get to the restaurants before neighboring congregations.

On a more serious subject, I call your attention to the accelerated change which we experience in almost every aspect of our lives. It is exciting to be alive in a time of change, but it is also bewildering.

Our capacity to change and improve ourselves needs to be balanced by clinging to things that do not change! Here are a few things that don't change:

...the power or compassion
...the transforming power of love
...the supreme value of character

You may add to this list, but never forget the ultimate worth of human life!

Peace and in friendship,
Richard