WEEDNESDAY CHURCH
on the Internet
(This is your mid-week Christian power
surge with Pastor Mike Fonfara, D.Min.)
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Pentecost Season, Week 9
Hello, Summer Saints!
Have you had plenty of rain? Hopefully, your home gardens flourish and the nearby farmers had corn "knee high by the 4th of July." Here in Florida, the crops are lush and harvests ample. We are blessed!
Too many people take such blessings for granted. We assume that there will always be enough safe tap water when we need it. The current trend to pay expensive prices for fancy bottled water gives a clue of how much we see Mother Nature's basics as guaranteed commodities and not God's blessings. Shame on us!
Today's Wednesday Church on the Internet thanks God for the gifts of rain and water. Perhaps this week's Church will start a trend for us to humble ourselves and express gratitude for the most basic essentials of life. We would have no life without God's blessings of soil, air, water, and the flora as well as fauna of Creation. Thank you God!
Thank you for being a part of this appreciation revolution.
Pastor Mike
OPENING THOUGHT ...
"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than
down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbows."
- Gilbert K. Chesterton
(Accessed on www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/rain - July 15, 2013.)
WORSHIP ...
THE GATHERING
Creator God, You made the Earth in perfect balance.
Resurrected Jesus, You added our salvation to this balance.
Active Holy Spirit, You invite us to accept this salvation.
Creator God, appearing as three-in-one, we worship You for your majesty!
WE CONFESS OUR SINS AND RECEIVE NEW LIFE
Gracious God,
We will never know the scope of your forgiveness. We do know how hard we try to walk a Christian path each day. Still, we sin. Forgive us of our wayward thoughts, words, and deeds. Cleanse our souls, O God. Make us anew so that on this day we can do our best to live righteously. This is the desires of our hearts. We humbly submit our confession of sin and gratefully seek your forgiving mercy in Christ's name.
Amen.
(Google Image)
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE James 5:17-18 (NIV)
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly
that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land
for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the
heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
MESSAGE
Do you like rain? Most people like rain in just the right amounts. Have too much of the wet stuff and mud abounds. Too little of the same and the earth dries up harder than an old buttermilk biscuit. We have little control over the weather.
Is there anything we can do about the weather? Yes! Let God know through prayer that we appreciate all of the weather we experience. Tell the Creator about your weather needs. Put your trust in God's providence. Rain will come when the Earth's flora and fauna need it. So, thank God for rain!
CLOSING PRAYER
Benevolent God,
We live good lives because You take care of us. Our needs are met. Thank You for every way You bless us. As You have blessed us, let us strive to be blessings to others.
Amen.
BENEDICTION
CLOSING PRAYER
Benevolent God,
We live good lives because You take care of us. Our needs are met. Thank You for every way You bless us. As You have blessed us, let us strive to be blessings to others.
Amen.
BENEDICTION
Let us go forward in our Christians lives
always trusting in God to provide the
means for faithful living.
("A Rare Rainy Day on the Dead Sea" - Photo by Pastor Mike)
SACRED MISCELLANY ...
1. Here is a spin-off of an old folk story that I learned a long time ago.
"NATURE TEACHES A LESSON"
I went to town and it was raining. I went by the backyard path. I slipped and fell in the mud. It wasn't my fault.
The next day, I went to town again and it was raining. I went by the backyard path. Again, I slipped and fell in the mud. This time it was my fault.
The next day, I went to town again and it was raining. I went by the backyard path. I walked around the mud. Still, my shoes got wet. I am learning.
The next day, I went to town again and it was raining. I went by the front yard path. It had drainage and therefore no mud or wet grass. I stayed dry. I learned a lesson. Did you?
Point: Consider your path before you go. (This is good advice for life-plans, too.)
2. Here is a Native American prayer-poem expressing much gratitude for life's essential blessings.
O our mother the earth, O our father the sky,
Your children are we, and with tired backs
We bring you gifts that you love.
Then weave for us a garment of brightness,
May the warp be the bright light of morning,
May the weft be the red light of evening,
May the fringes be the falling rain,
May the borders be the standing rainbow.
Thus weave for us a garment of brightness
That we may walk fittingly where grass is green,
O our mother the earth, O our father the sky.
- Tewa Pueblo Prayer
3. Here are some rainfall facts about the Holy Land.
- Jerusalem has about 22 inches of annual rainfall, which happens from May through October
(Fact from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem accessed on July 16, 2013.)
- The Dead Sea area has an average of 3 inches of annual rainfall, which is 2 inches at the south end and 4 inches at the north end.
(Facts from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea accessed on July 16, 2013.)
- Lake Tiberias (Sea of Gallilee) area has about 11.8 inches of annual rainfall.
(Fact from enj.wikipedia.org/wiki/geography_of_Israel accessed on July 16, 2013.)
4. Joke time!
Q. When does it rain money?
A. When there is "change" in the weather.
Q. What do you call two straight days of rain in Tampa, FL?
A. The weekend.
Q. What do you call it when it rains turkeys and chickens?
A. Foul (fowl) weather.
Q. What does daylight-savings time mean in Seattle?
A. An extra hour of rain.
Q. What did one raindrop say to the other?
A. Two's company, three's a cloud.
PASTOR MIKE'S FINAL THOUGHTS ...
"Humankind takes God's gifts of basic life elements, such as air, soil, flora, fauna, water, etc., for granted. We abuse them and ignore the generosity of the Giver. Let's change our ways. We can begin by thanking God for the summer rains that provide beautiful flowers, delicious foods, and amazing rainbows. Do it now, and keep it up for the rest of our lives! Then, we can move on to more active eco-justice projects. Amen.
That's all for this week's Wednesday Church on the Internet. Please visit again next week, Wednesday, July 31st, when new materials are published.
If you like this mid-week Christian power surge, please tell your family, friends, and neighbors about it. The blog address is www.wednesdaychurch.blogspot.com. Let's grow this Church together.
Please let me now if you have positive suggestions for improving this ministry or if you would like me to include something that your have created, please send your request and materials to mefonfara@gmail./com.
Thank you for being a part of today's Wednesday Church family. I'll see you next week. Please use the blog address, www.wednesdaychurch.blogspot.com, to access Wednesday Church on July 31st.
Rev. Mike Fonfara, D.Min.
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