The Beacon
Blue Mound UMC October 2022
A Pumpkin Christian
Being a Christian is Like…. Being a Pumpkin…
God Picks You…. From the Patch… Brings You In …
Washes Off All the Dirt…
Then He… Goes in From the Top and Scoops Out
All of the Yucky Stuff,
He Removes the Seeds of Doubt, Hate and Greed.
Last …
He Gives You A New Smiling Face…
Puts His Light Inside You,
For All The World To See!
Pastor’s Corner
What Are Human Beings? (Part One)
In 1730, John Wesley gave his first university sermon preached at Oxford, titled “The Image of God.” One of the things he claims in that sermon is that human beings are created in the image of God. This idea comes from the first chapter of Genesis where God says in verse 26: Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness…
Humans are not simply one more species of the animal kingdom. Humans represent a different kind of creation than all that has been created before. Like God, we have will, reason, and morality.
It is, in fact, as one of us, that God came to us in Jesus Christ. And in Hebrews 2:9 we read: … (Jesus), who for a little while was made little lower than the angels, (is) now crowned with glory because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In other words, having become human, Jesus died for all people, and for that reason is honored more highly than any other of the divine beings.
The problem with the claim that human beings are created in the image of God is that we often act so contrary to God’s will. In other words, human beings sin. We do sin, but we must not lose the fact that we are created in the divine image. What happens is that through sin we actually lose the image of God.
The story of Adam, Eve, and the forbidden fruit and the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) is a story about how humans defied God. In fact, they tried to be like God. They were created in the image of God, but that was not enough. They wanted to be more like God, and they reached too far. This sin has repeated itself again and again through history: humans confuse their role with God’s role, and the results are catastrophic.
This, of course, is not the end of the story. Through Jesus Christ, we have the ability to recover the image of God. Greater understanding, a will that is like God’s will, love toward others, and true happiness are ours through Jesus Christ. When our will is at odds with God’s will, when we seek to go our own way instead of God’s way, we who are created in God’s image fail to reflect that image. It is as though human sin causes us to be like untuned instruments, and we become no longer in harmony with God’s will.
But God’s Holy Spirit is at work on all people all of the time, enabling anyone who wishes to accept God’s gift of salvation to do so. And yet, we human beings have free will, and God does not force our hand to make us do what is right for us and best for the world.
It is important to realize, though, that when human beings defy God and act in ways that are contrary to God’s will, these kinds of actions do not nullify God’s love for us. In fact, one of the most basic truths of Christian faith is that God loves us while we are sinners, and the salvation that God offers us is a proof of that love. Human beings matter. Whether Christian or non-Christian, righteous, sinful, or somewhere in between, human beings matter. We matter so much, in fact, that the Son of God died on a cross for us. Paul says in Romans 8:38-39: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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
A Time of Celebration
Birthday
01 Stacy Schertz
Suzanna Stenger
13 Susanne Barnett
15 John Smith
16 Charlie Ziegel
Jeanne Levelle
17 Charles Bressler
21 Wallace Trietsch
22 Ryan Trevino
24 Carolyn Brooks
27 Shirley Haisler
Anniversary
03 Aaron and Katie Klein
10 Bob and Kay Goodman
11 Shayne and Jesse Miller
20 John and Dorothy Smith
A Celebration of Life was held on September 24, 2022, for Patricia Howell.
Many of her family and friends shared their memories.
Pat, We Will Miss You
April 14, 1936 -August 29, 2022
Fall Word Scramble
Can you unscramble these words?
- seleva __________________________
- varehst __________________________
- nrco __________________________
- palpe __________________________
- eakr __________________________
- racno __________________________
- cosrwrcae __________________________
- wrog __________________________
- nsu __________________________
- kippunm __________________________
Practice the Pause
When in doubt, Pause.
When angry, Pause.
When tired, when stressed, Pause.
And when you Pause, Pray.
October Calendar
02 Holy Communion
09 Second Sunday Lunch, Noon
22 Family Fellowship Night, 6:00 pm Fun, Games, and Food.
There are so many events during a month’s time that they cannot all be told in this newsletter. Please check with a friend, the Sunday Bulletins and/or our weekly email updates for more information.
Work Day Saturday
Starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, October 29th, there will be a Work Day at the church.
Do you like gardening or yard work? How about helping with the inside of the church? There will be something for everyone. Come and join us to make our church building shine like the beacon on the hill it is.
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
