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Closed til next summer.
Communion Service -
November 6-
10:00am
Pantry -
November 11 and 18-
10 - Noon
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Rev. Dr. David W. McShane
From Rev. McShane…
In last month's MESSENGER I wrote about two catchy phrases, one old fashioned, "hot ziggedy," and one very current, "going forward." I suggested that both apply to our present situation. We are looking forward toward a new pastor, new energy, new opportunities for faith and service. It really is a "hot ziggedy" time. And we know in the words of James Russell Lowell's old hymn when going forward we sing, "New occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth."
Whenever we "go forward" we came from somewhere and we do not, we cannot, take that somewhere with us. That is a good thing because some of yesterday does not outfit us for tomorrow. There are hurts, and errors of judgment, and mistakes that need to stay there, yesterday, forgiven, over with. It is 'hot ziggedy' time and we are not going to let any of that burden our glad efforts in a new day.
But we cannot invent tomorrow out of whole cloth. In a sense we are not the decider. We belong to a two millennia long effort that has always kept 'looking forward.' It is looking for, and represents a new order, a really new deal, a Kingdom, Jesus called it. God's Kingdom. And we claim he is the King.
That's a big thing we are up to, a staggeringly big thing. It would be simply nutty to think we could figure that out all by ourselves. But the team we are on, the Church, has a play book called the Bible and the team has a game plan which comes right out of that play book. The game plan is called "The Great Ends of the Church." They are a kind of weather vain pointing in the direction in which the wind of the spirit is blowing. That is how we shall 'go forward,' letting the spirit blow us in the direction pointed by the Great Ends. These are found in the first chapter of The Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church USA.
The great ends of the church are
the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;
the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;
the maintenance of divine worship;
the preservation of the truth;
the promotion of social righteousness;
and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
It is the same way Paul of Tarsus went forward when he wrote to the Philippians: 3:14 I press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Friends in faith here in Dimondale, we are 'going forward,' as with St. Paul, "forgetting what lies behind, we press on toward the end to which the Lord Jesus beckons us.
Dave McShane