The Beacon

    Blue Mound UMC May 2023

May has many different National Day of … days. May 2 is National Truffle Day. May 4 is Bird Day. May 6 is National No Diet Day. May 12 is National Limerick Day. The list goes on days celebrating hummus, buttermilk biscuits, chocolate chips, trees, walnuts, devil’s food cake, quiche, memos, vanilla pudding, turtles, asparagus, wine, cheesecake, popsicles, hamburgers, composting, flowers, and macaroons. My favorite day to celebrate in May is Mother’s Day.

Monica Muns has been a role model, voice of reason, advisor, and the best mom to me. I was not an easy child; I think she reminded me to “be nice” every time I exited the car before grade school and then every day before I left when I could drive myself to high school. I don’t think I was a malicious child necessarily, but I was very quick to correct others and I never turned the other cheek. One of my mother’s favorite stories from my childhood is when my dad purchased Parenting the Strong-Willed Child by James Dobson from Walmart. No, I think it’s safe to say that as soon as I could talk it was clear I was not an easy child.

My mother never allowed my “strong will” to be squished. She always encouraged me to do what I felt was right not what was easy and to chase my dreams as fast as I could run. She never hesitated to point out my wrongdoings even if it meant that I sulked for a few days. My mother has never quit being my mom, but one of the best things about growing up is that now I get to be her friend too.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers we have here at Blue Mound and to all of the moms who are not here to celebrate with us. There isn’t much in this world better than a great Mom.

– Karan Muns

Pastor’s Corner     What Is Salvation (Part Four)

Salvation has much to do with how we live in the here and now, but that is not the whole of it. Salvation also means that we will live with God forever in the resurrection. Through our faith in Jesus Christ and through our baptism, we enter into God’s family. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we receive the powerful work of the Holy Spirit, God gives us new life, and this new life continues forever. Our eternal life with God is a continuation of our present life with God. This eternal life with God is not a disembodied, entirely spiritual existence. It is a new kind of bodily existence.

We often hear people say that Jesus died for our sins. What does it mean? We call this the doctrine of atonement. The basic idea of Christian atonement is that human beings have sinned against God. We ourselves, however, cannot heal this relationship. We simply do not know how. God, therefore, has taken the initiative to come to us.

The Christian philosopher Eleonore Stump tells a story that helps us understand this. She writes of a mother, Anna, who has a young son, Nathan. Nathan, while playing soccer, carelessly destroys Anna’s much-loved flower bed, despite her admonition that he not play soccer near her flowers. He utters a hasty apology, but the apology does not restore the flower bed, nor does it restore his mother’s hurt feelings. Not only did she love the flowers, but she also feels that Nathan does not care for her feelings or wishes. As Stump puts it, “So what Nathan has done has created some distance between himself and his mother. His will and hers are not in harmony and he does not love her as he might; and her recognition of both of these facts makes her sad.

Now, suppose that Nathan comes to a realization of the way in which he has hurt his mother. If he is truly sorry, he may in fact attempt to restore the flower bed, but he is too young to provide any real help. He cannot undo what he has done. If Nathan had someone to ask for help such as a big brother, the two of them might be able to combine their efforts and repair the damage. Even if his brother does most of the work, Nathan’s desire to make right his wrong may restore the relationship between him and his mother. Nathan does not have a big brother, though, or anyone who can help him repair what he has destroyed.

Suppose, however, that Nathan is not sorry. He does not realize the damage he has done, and he shows not a care for his mother’s feelings. His mother, then, will have to repair the flower bed entirely herself, doing the work that Nathan should be doing, in a sense, enduring his punishment for him, otherwise, the flower bed will simply remain in ruins. Seeing his mother do this work that he himself should do, however, might just cause Nathan to realize what he has done wrong and move him to repent of his actions. At that point, he might add his efforts to hers, attempting to work alongside her in the act of repairing the flower bed. In fact, he might not help very much, but his willingness to help, his desire to make things right, and his demonstrated love for his mother would make it possible for the two of them to be reconciled. The flower bed is thus repaired and the relationship is restored.

That is much like God’s work in the Incarnation for us. God came to us in Jesus Christ to repair our broken relationship. We ourselves are incapable of so great a task, and so God, in Jesus Christ, took this work upon himself. Christ has atoned for our sins. He has made us “at one” with God. We can never do what Christ did, but we can add our own, imperfect efforts to his.

Next month we’ll complete our discussion of What Is Salvation.

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

May Celebrations

Birthday

05 Diane Langum

09 Wanda Graham

16 Kris Schertz

31 Mary Millar

Special Note: Is your name is not on our Newsletter Birthday and Anniversary List? It is hard to keep up with everyone. Please let me know if you need to be added. Or if someone needs to be removed from our List.

Thank You and God Bless You, Linda

Heroes come in many forms, Miliary, Fire Fighters, First Responders, Police

 and many more, maybe even a member of your own family.

Remember Our Heroes All Year Round!

     May Calendar

   07 Holy Communion

14 Mother’s Day and Second Sunday Lunch, Noon

20 Armed Forces Day

 27 Family Fellowship Night, 6:00 pm Fun, Games, and Food.

28 Memorial Day Sunday (Memorial Day Monday 29th)

** Keep in Touch, Many More Things are Happening.

Denton County National Day of Prayer, Thursday May 04, 2023, James 5:16

Music begins 11:00 AM – Prayers begins 12:00 Noon

At the Amphitheater, One Courthouse Drive, Denton, Tx 76208

If rainy weather location will be moved to Commissioners Court located in the Courthouse.

Don’t Forget! Tuesday Morning Bible Study with Pastor Buster, 10:00

And Seekers Study, 9:30, Every Sunday Morning before Worship Service.

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