We're like children
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Psalm 119:35 (NRSV)
for I delight in it.
Psalm 119:35 (NRSV)
Dear friend,
You hear it a lot from folks like me. “You are a child of God.”
Yet, be honest, outside of this abstract concept, you don’t really like
being referred to as a child, do you? You’re all grown up now, right?
One of the privileges of being all grown up, most of us think, is finding more
freedom, which if asked, many translate as living with fewer rules.
Yet, is this true, or do the rules simply change?
Yes, you’re now allowed to get close to the kitchen stove so you can
cook the food, or the wood stove to heat your home. You can be trusted to
understand the dangers of hot surfaces and not to severely hurt yourself
or burn the house down. In this, you have indeed grown up.
Yet, as I’ll reflect in both worship (March 7) and podcast (March 10) this next week,
we are still very much like children. In Sunday’s worship (We’re like children) we’ll
consider and celebrate this, then through Wednesday’s podcast (Children are wonderful)
we’ll further celebrate so we may more deeply accept, embrace and even love this aspect of ourselves.
Of course we’ll celebrate our being like children.
Why?
Because children are wonderful.
Why?
Because children are wonder full.
We’ll also move towards celebrating the reality that rules can, when used justly,
increase our freedom, increase our joy, increase our life and the fullness
of our life. We’ll do this through worship, by considering The Ten Commandments
(Exodus 20:1-17) and the psalmist who says he delights in them. (Psalm 119:33-40)
You and I are like children.
Children need rules so they don’t hurt themselves and others.
Children need rules, so they may know they are loved.
We’ll talk more.
For now, blessings and love,
Pastor John
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
You hear it a lot from folks like me. “You are a child of God.”
Yet, be honest, outside of this abstract concept, you don’t really like
being referred to as a child, do you? You’re all grown up now, right?
One of the privileges of being all grown up, most of us think, is finding more
freedom, which if asked, many translate as living with fewer rules.
Yet, is this true, or do the rules simply change?
Yes, you’re now allowed to get close to the kitchen stove so you can
cook the food, or the wood stove to heat your home. You can be trusted to
understand the dangers of hot surfaces and not to severely hurt yourself
or burn the house down. In this, you have indeed grown up.
Yet, as I’ll reflect in both worship (March 7) and podcast (March 10) this next week,
we are still very much like children. In Sunday’s worship (We’re like children) we’ll
consider and celebrate this, then through Wednesday’s podcast (Children are wonderful)
we’ll further celebrate so we may more deeply accept, embrace and even love this aspect of ourselves.
Of course we’ll celebrate our being like children.
Why?
Because children are wonderful.
Why?
Because children are wonder full.
We’ll also move towards celebrating the reality that rules can, when used justly,
increase our freedom, increase our joy, increase our life and the fullness
of our life. We’ll do this through worship, by considering The Ten Commandments
(Exodus 20:1-17) and the psalmist who says he delights in them. (Psalm 119:33-40)
You and I are like children.
Children need rules so they don’t hurt themselves and others.
Children need rules, so they may know they are loved.
We’ll talk more.
For now, blessings and love,
Pastor John
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Would you pray with me?
O God,
to be really honest with you, whether we are four years old,
or forty years old, or eighty years old or more,
we don’t like being told what to do.
We like to do whatever we want to do.
We like to call that being free.
Yet forgive us God,
for way down deep we know that doing whatever we want, whenever we want,
gets us into trouble, and sometimes a lot of trouble.
Thanks for giving us the example of Jesus to follow and Holy Spirit to guide us.
Thanks for parents and friends and a church family who care about us too.
Help us know to live life fully with the happiness and joy you intend for us,
means accepting with gratitude your simple rules for living,
so we may live peacefully, humbly, kindly, gently, respectfully, compassionately.
Help us know this Jesus Way as a way of strength and what true freedom really is.
For Ten Commandments,… ten simple rules… we thank you.
As citizens of your kin-dom, protected and guided by your rules of love,
we are free.
For the freedom of your love and the hope of tomorrow… thank you.
Amen.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
O God,
to be really honest with you, whether we are four years old,
or forty years old, or eighty years old or more,
we don’t like being told what to do.
We like to do whatever we want to do.
We like to call that being free.
Yet forgive us God,
for way down deep we know that doing whatever we want, whenever we want,
gets us into trouble, and sometimes a lot of trouble.
Thanks for giving us the example of Jesus to follow and Holy Spirit to guide us.
Thanks for parents and friends and a church family who care about us too.
Help us know to live life fully with the happiness and joy you intend for us,
means accepting with gratitude your simple rules for living,
so we may live peacefully, humbly, kindly, gently, respectfully, compassionately.
Help us know this Jesus Way as a way of strength and what true freedom really is.
For Ten Commandments,… ten simple rules… we thank you.
As citizens of your kin-dom, protected and guided by your rules of love,
we are free.
For the freedom of your love and the hope of tomorrow… thank you.
Amen.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sign Up for PJ's Place
If you wish to receive Pastor John's weekly e-mail, known as PJ's Place, please contact
Pastor John at jwhite3646@charter.net with a request to be put on the mailing list.
_______________________________________________________________________
If you wish to receive Pastor John's weekly e-mail, known as PJ's Place, please contact
Pastor John at jwhite3646@charter.net with a request to be put on the mailing list.
_______________________________________________________________________
Suspended, Canceled or Closed
until further notice:
In-person worship
MOST meetings within our church building.
LIMITED GATHERINGS:
Senior High Youth Fellowship is now able to meet in Jacobs Hall
following CDC, state and church guidelines for meeting.
For more information, email Michaela.
AA is now able to meet again in Jacobs Hall, following
CDC and state and church guidelines for meeting.
(Conversations continue about when and how to
reopen for all other meetings and gatherings)
Open
(Always)
Our collective heart, which continues to be a beacon of light beyond the
hill on which our church building stands, extending throughout our communities.
Our collective prayer
which continues to be a beacon of hope beyond the hill on which our
church building stands, reaching beyond ourselves to all people.
Our collective seeking after God who is always seeking after us...
Our collective financial giving, which continues to be a beacon of sustaining resources on
which the work of our church family depends, reaching beyond ourselves to all people.
Please... continue to give financially to your church family.
Checks can be made out to First Congregational Church of Dudley
If you use church envelopes, please include that
in the envelope you send to your church at
135 Center Road - Dudley, MA 01571
Our Deacon's Fund reaches out to those, within our church family, in
financial distress. Please, if your financial situation allows, give to our
Deacon's Fund at this time. Simply send a check to
The First Congregational Church of Dudley (UCC)
135 Center Road
Dudley, MA 01571
in the memo write "Deacon's Fund."
Please...regardless of when we gather again for worship, do give to HANDS.
(Helping Address the Needs of Dudley's Seniors / Heating Assistance)
The organization needs extra help this year to rebuild its funds
for the next heating season. Donations have been down due to
COVID 19 and fundraisers have had to be canceled.
You may make your check payable to: HANDS
and mail it to:
HANDS
PO BOX 343
DUDLEY, MA 01571
No amount is too small!
Thank you, on behalf of the HANDS Board!
until further notice:
In-person worship
MOST meetings within our church building.
LIMITED GATHERINGS:
Senior High Youth Fellowship is now able to meet in Jacobs Hall
following CDC, state and church guidelines for meeting.
For more information, email Michaela.
AA is now able to meet again in Jacobs Hall, following
CDC and state and church guidelines for meeting.
(Conversations continue about when and how to
reopen for all other meetings and gatherings)
Open
(Always)
Our collective heart, which continues to be a beacon of light beyond the
hill on which our church building stands, extending throughout our communities.
Our collective prayer
which continues to be a beacon of hope beyond the hill on which our
church building stands, reaching beyond ourselves to all people.
Our collective seeking after God who is always seeking after us...
Our collective financial giving, which continues to be a beacon of sustaining resources on
which the work of our church family depends, reaching beyond ourselves to all people.
Please... continue to give financially to your church family.
Checks can be made out to First Congregational Church of Dudley
If you use church envelopes, please include that
in the envelope you send to your church at
135 Center Road - Dudley, MA 01571
Our Deacon's Fund reaches out to those, within our church family, in
financial distress. Please, if your financial situation allows, give to our
Deacon's Fund at this time. Simply send a check to
The First Congregational Church of Dudley (UCC)
135 Center Road
Dudley, MA 01571
in the memo write "Deacon's Fund."
Please...regardless of when we gather again for worship, do give to HANDS.
(Helping Address the Needs of Dudley's Seniors / Heating Assistance)
The organization needs extra help this year to rebuild its funds
for the next heating season. Donations have been down due to
COVID 19 and fundraisers have had to be canceled.
You may make your check payable to: HANDS
and mail it to:
HANDS
PO BOX 343
DUDLEY, MA 01571
No amount is too small!
Thank you, on behalf of the HANDS Board!
