The Beacon
Blue Mound UMC April 2024
God’s Celestial Display – Total Solar Eclipse
The Lone Star State is known for its vast landscapes, rich history, and diverse culture. But did you know that it has also been a stage for many celestial wonders?
Texans had the privilege of witnessing an annular solar eclipse on April 7, 1940. This celestial spectacle left a lasting impression on those who were fortunate enough to experience it.
Here in Texas, we are to witness another wonderful display of God’s creation, a Total Solar Eclipse on April 08, 2024. According to a website time chart, for Denton it will happen between 12:23 and 3:02 p.m. lasting 2 hours, 39 minutes. This spectacular event is rare and highly anticipated by many skywatchers.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers the center of the Sun, leaving a “ring of fire” or annulus around the edges. A total solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon. Long ago, solar eclipses were thought to happen as a sign that something bad was going to happen. A total solar eclipse can frighten people who do not know what it means, because the Sun seems to disappear during the day and the sky turns dark. But many people who view an eclipse are touched by the majestic power of God.
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8: 3-4
This month we’re continuing to look at What Are the Bible and Creeds? How should we think of God’s role in the production of the Bible and the creeds? Does God inspire the Bible and then leave the Church to figure out what to believe by developing a creed? If this is the case, then we should distinguish between the Bible, the Word of God, and the creeds, the traditions of human beings. Or is the Holy Spirit at work inspiring the Church to develop both the Bible and the creeds? If this is the case, we receive both the Bible and the creeds as great gifts from God that have their own unique role to play in our spiritual maturity.
All serious Christians believe in God’s self-revelation through the history of Israel and in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God really spoke to the people of Israel in the covenant with Abraham, through mighty acts of deliverance, through the words of the prophets; and spoke even more powerfully and definitely in Jesus. So, we do have a genuine word from God; and that word is made available in the Bible. We have special revelation. Because this is so, then we can expect God to inspire those who received the word of God to preserve it, reliably interpret it, and make it available. This is clearly one reason why the Bible is crucial. It gives us access to divine revelation; we are not left to sort things out on the basis of mere reason or experience. God has provided an inspired account of what he has done to free us from sin and death.
However, there is more to the Bible than special revelation. We also see the response to that revelation, say, in the Psalms and in Wisdom literature. And we see believers wrestle with the meaning of divine revelation in the letters of the New Testament. God works in this process too, inspiring what we should think and do as we follow Christ. Such material forces us to wise up about our need for God, drives us to repentance, and helps us both understand and respond to the gospel. The most famous verse on biblical interpretation makes this clear (2 Timothy 3:16). The purpose of the Bible is spiritual; it both informs our faith and builds up our faith. The inspiration of the Spirit works at the origination of the Bible and in the reception of the Bible here and now.
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Pastor’s Corner – What are the Bible and Creeds? Page 2 of 2
Because of the work of the Spirit, the Bible is reliable in what it tells us about God and salvation, and it is effective in bringing us to experience the word of God and grow in the wisdom of God.
Some Christians have wanted to go further and insist on the inerrancy or infallibility of the Bible in everything it intends to say. However, when explored to the full, it has created conflict with the best work we have in both history and science. Many have then lost their faith because they were promised more than the Bible delivers. It is much wiser and much more spiritual to see the Bible as both reliable in it giving us special revelation and in making us wise to the reality of salvation.
Equally, it is much better to see the Holy Spirit at work in every aspect of the Church’s life, giving us not only a marvelous book that conveys the word and wisdom of God but also an in-depth summary of the heart of the faith in the great creeds of the Church. The creeds were written for those coming to baptism so that they could have a basic orientation to the faith. We can trace their origins to Scripture itself (1 Corinthians 15:1-6). It doesn’t make sense to think that God would come to the world in Christ and save it at such cost and then refuse us help when we sought to provide a deep summary of the faith for those coming to baptism. The Spirit was at work throughout the life of the Church: in its witness, its preaching, its evangelism, its sacraments, in the choice of leaders, in the production and adoption of the Bible, and in the creation of the creeds. What makes the Bible unique is not its mode of production by the Spirit, but its role in providing us the word and wisdom of God that operates as a pivotal source and norm in the life of faith.
Next month we’ll begin to look at How Should We Live? I pray that you may come to understand and believe more and more with each passing day, just how special and loved by God you are!
Peace be with you, Buster
Let’s Celebrate !!
Birthday
05 Todd Smith
09 Jeremy Kraft
11 Caden Elijah Penrod
Jim Levelle
13 Melvin Haisler
21 Patti Temple
27 Ricky Schertz
D’Lynn Ewing
29 Kelsey Digby
Anniversary
16 Jim and Morgan Bridges
19 Robert and Dorothy Franklin
30 Charlie & Gayla Ziegel
Please help me keep the newsletter Birthday and Anniversary List up-to-date. When is your special day. Thank You, Linda
Kid’s Corner
April Calendar
07 Holy Communion
14 Second Sunday Lunch, Noon
22 Earth Day
Passover Begins at Sundown
27 Family Fellowship Night, 6:00 pm Fun, Games, and Food.
What’s happening! Our Newsletter comes only once a month, So Keep in Touch.
Check the Sunday Bulletin, Our Website, or Church Weekly Email Updates for Current Events.
Can You Help Around the Church?
There are many things you can do to help with the upkeep of our church. Check with Sam Reynolds about signing up for mowing. You can also volunteer for other inside and outside maintenance tasks.
Every small thing benefits our church.
BLUE MOUND UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
8421 N. Interstate 35, Denton, TX 76207-1537 (940) 382-0825
Midway between Denton and Sanger at Exit 473
Sunday School: 9:30 am, Sunday Worship: 10:45 am
Website: www.bluemoundumc.org
Linda Boyer, Newsletter Editor
Need to contact Pastor Buster Noah?
Email: pastor@bluemoundumc.org