Halfway
Upon reading this we, along with much of the Christian Church, will have marked the halfway point in Lent. I hope and pray that your Lenten journey has been one filled with grace and peace. Lent is akin to searching for something in the attic. One knows something is in the attic, but is never sure of exactly where! Lent offers us an opportunity to dig around in our "attic" to uncover things we should have been rid of long ago (hurt, habit or hang-up) or to discover something that should be treasured and cherished (acts of service, developing patience, etc.). With the halfway point upon us, how does your search for new life go?
I find it helpful to pause at this mid-point and consider my spiritual progress. These first three messages in Lent on Obedience, Prophetic Living and Devotion have challenged me deeply. I find that my searching in the "attic" is proving fruitful. But there is still more to discover.
What else might you need to focus on for these remaining days in Lent? How can you refocus on the intent you had when Lent began? Liturgically speaking we are as far away from the Transfigured Lord as we are to the Resurrected Savior. We are halfway there.
In John Wesley's words, "What is the state of your soul?"
Craig +
WORSHIP
SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014John 9:1-17
Ephesians 5:8-14
Sermon theme for coming Sunday (Lent) Lift High the Cross - Salvation/Redemption
Text to read: John 9:1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?” 9 Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.”
He said, “I am he.” 10 They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”
12 Then they asked him, “Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t know.”
13 They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees. 14 It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”
16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them. 17 Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight, 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”
24 So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25 He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
26 They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”
28 They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.[a] 32 Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
36 He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”
38 He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”
40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
Footnotes:
a. John 9:31 Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 15:29; 28:9
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, 10 proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them. 12 For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of. 13 But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light. 14 Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
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John Wesley’s Notes-Commentary for
John 9:1-41
Verse 2. Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? - That is, was it for his own sins, or the sins of his parents? They suppose (as many of the Jews did, though without any ground from Scripture) that he might have sinned in a pre-existent state, before he came into the world.
Verse 3. Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents - It was not the manner of our Lord to answer any questions that were of no use, but to gratify an idle curiosity. Therefore he determines nothing concerning this. The scope of his answer is, It was neither for any sins of his own, nor yet of his parents; but that the power of God might be displayed.
Verse 4. The night is coming - Christ is the light. When the light is withdrawn night comes, when no man can work - No man can do any thing toward working out his salvation after this life is ended. Yet Christ can work always. But he was not to work upon earth, only during the day, or season which was appointed for him.
Verse 5. I am the light of the world - I teach men inwardly by my Spirit, and outwardly by my preaching, what is the will of God; and I show them, by my example, how they must do it.
Verse 6. He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay - This might almost have blinded a man that had sight. But what could it do toward curing the blind? It reminds us that God is no farther from the event, when he works either with, or without means, and that all the creatures are only that which his almighty operation makes them.
Verse 7. Go, wash at the pool of Siloam - Perhaps our Lord intended to make the miracle more taken notice of. For a crowd of people would naturally gather round him to observe the event of so strange a prescription, and it is exceeding probable, the guide who must have led him in traversing a great part of the city, would mention the errand he was going upon, and so call all those who saw him to a greater attention. From the fountain of Siloam, which was without the walls of Jerusalem, a little stream flowed into the city, and was received in a kind of basin, near the temple, and called the pool of Siloam. Which is, by interpretation, Sent - And so was a type of the Messiah, who was sent of God. He went and washed, and came seeing - He believed, and obeyed, and found a blessing. Had he been wise in his own eyes, and reasoned, like Naaman, on the impropriety of the means, he had justly been left in darkness. Lord, may our proud hearts be subdued to the methods of thy recovering grace! May we leave thee to choose how thou wilt bestow favours, which it is our highest interest to receive on any terms.
Verse 11. A man called Jesus - He seems to have been before totally ignorant of him.
Verse 14. Anointing the eyes - With any kind of medicine on the Sabbath, was particularly forbidden by the tradition of the elders.
Verse 16. This man is not of God - Not sent of God. How can a man that is a sinner - That is, one living in wilful sin, do such miracles?
Verse 17. What sayest thou of him, for that he hath opened thine eyes? - What inference dost thou draw herefrom?
Verse 22. He should be put out of the synagogue - That is be excommunicated.
Verse 27. Are ye also - As well as I, at length convinced and willing to be his disciples?
Verse 29. We know not whence he is - By what power and authority he does these things.
Verse 30. The man answered - Utterly illiterate as he was. And with what strength and clearness of reason! So had God opened the eyes of his understanding, as well as his bodily eyes. Why, herein is a marvelous thing, that ye - The teachers and guides of the people, should not know, that a man who has wrought a miracle, the like of which was never heard of before, must be from heaven, sent by God.
Verse 31. We - Even we of the populace, know that God heareth not sinners - Not impenitent sinners, so as to answer their prayers in this manner. The honest courage of this man in adhering to the truth, though he knew the consequence, ver. 22, gives him claim to the title of a confessor.
Verse 33. He could do nothing - Of this kind; nothing miraculous.
Verse 34. Born in sin - And therefore, they supposed, born blind. They cast him out - Of the synagogue; excommunicated him.
Verse 35. Having found him - For he had sought him.
Verse 36. Who is he, that I may believe? - This implies some degree of faith already. He was ready to receive whatever Jesus said.
Verse 37. Lord, I believe - What an excellent spirit was this man of! Of so deep and strong an understanding; (as he had just shown to the confusion of the Pharisees,) and yet of so teachable a temper!
Verse 39. For judgment am I come into the world - That is, the consequence of my coming will be, that by the just judgment of God, while the blind in body and soul receive their sight, they who boast they see, will be given up to still greater blindness than before.
Verse 41. If ye had been blind - Invincibly ignorant; if ye had not had so many means of knowing: ye would have had no sin - Comparatively to what ye have now. But now ye say - Ye yourselves acknowledge, Ye see, therefore your sin remaineth - Without excuse, without remedy.
Ephesians 5:8-14
Verse 8. Ye were once darkness - Total blindness and ignorance. Walk as children of light - Suitably to your present knowledge.
Verse 9. The fruit of the light - Opposite to " the unfruitful works of darkness," chap. iv, 11. Is in - That is, consists in. Goodness and righteousness and truth - Opposite to the sins spoken of, chap. iv, 25,&c.
Verse 11. Reprove them - To avoid them is not enough.
Verse 12. In secret - As flying the light.
Verse 13. But all things which are reproved, are thereby dragged out into the light, and made manifest - Shown in their proper colours, by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest is light - That is, for nothing but light, yea, light from heaven, can make anything manifest.
Verse 14. Wherefore he - God. Saith - In the general tenor of his word, to all who are still in darkness. Awake thou that steepest - In ignorance of God and thyself; in stupid insensibility. And arise from the dead - From the death of sin. And Christ shall give thee light - Knowledge, holiness, happiness.
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Daily Devotional
SANCTUARY WORSHIP
Pastor Craig Brown | 8 AM ~ Communion | 9:30 | 11 AM
MODERN WORSHIP
WATER'S EDGE | at The Cove, Krause United Methodist Center9:30 AM | Pastor Elbert Kim | Band | Communion
We Will Overcome
Watch the video with the title track "We Will Overcome" from the CD by Anxious Sunday Anxious Sunday CD Release Party and Potluck
Sunday March 30 | 10:30 AM | The Cove
All the songs on this new CD are written by Water's Edge band leader Chris Durrand, and many current and old band members are also featured. Read more about the band Anxious Sunday...
Join us at Water's Edge this Sunday! Enjoy some good food and fellowship at our monthly potluck as you listen to all the songs. You will also be able to purchase your own CD ($15, cash only).
F5 CHURCH | Linder Hall
11 AM | Band | Pastor Craig - video message from Sanctuary Pastor Craig has invited you to prayerfully consider attending F5 through September to support this important ministry of the church. Register yourself and your family members here...
CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL
9:30 ~ 11:30
NEW info about family worship time and Sunday School schedules here...
Easter Lily
Easter Lily Orders
Remember or honor a loved one this Easter with an Easter lily plant in our worship services on Easter Sunday. Each lily plant is $10 and may be ordered here online or in the church office on Sundays and weekdays. Last day to order is Palm Sunday, April 13.
Baptism Opportunities for Adults and Children
Older children and adults: Easter Vigil, Saturday, April 19, 7:15 PM
Infants and young children: Sunday, May 4, at any service:
8:00 sanctuary;9:30 or 11 sanctuary or modern (Water's Edge or F5).
If you are interested in being baptized, or having a child baptized, contact Demmie Divine, 619-297-4366 ext 108.
WEDNESDAYS IN LENT
M O R N I N GVespers10:30 AM - Lenten Bible Study focuses on one of the Lenten themes each week, with Pastor Craig Brown | Linder Lounge
E V E N I N G
5:15 PM - Vespers | Sanctuary | Music for meditation | Communion 6 PM - Dinner ($6)| Linder Hall| RSVP to the office, 619-297-4366 by Mon.
6:45 PM - Lenten Bible Study focuses on one of the Lenten themes each week, with Pastor Craig Brown | Linder Hall
SERVE
Easter EggsFood Ministry Easter Outreach
Sundays, March 30, April 6-20
Each Sunday our food ministry provides assistance in the form of supplemental food to low-income families and individuals. We served over 6,000 people in 2013. This Easter we would like to provide each family with a ham (canned or fresh) or chicken (large whole roasting) and a dozen eggs (hard-boiled and colored or fresh) in addition to the regular distribution items. To donate a ham or chicken, please drop it off at the patio table on Sundays starting March 30. Bring eggs on Sunday, April 20. Cash donations are also greatly appreciated to help support this project. Please feel free to contact Brenda Blake, 619-297-4366 ext. 125.
Serving at Cherokee Point Elementary School
We are committed as a church to partner with Cherokee Point Elementary School and facilitate positive and lasting change in the lives of children and families living in poverty. You are invited to discover how God might be calling you to reach out in service to a child, parent, or family at the school. Find a list of the many different opportunities to serve here... Questions? Contact Brenda Blake or Rev. Jessica Strysko, 619-297-4366.
YOUTH & CHILDREN
Glow-In-The_Dark Egg HuntGlow-in-the-Dark Easter Egg Hunt coming April 11Friday, April 11 | 7-8:30 PM | The Plaza and Amphitheater
Come join us for a fun evening, filled with yummy desserts, glow-in-the-dark fun and games, concluding with a Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt. Children of all ages are welcome to attend... bring friends and don't forget your Easter Egg Basket!
Photo: pleasegivepeasachance.blogspot.com
Children and worship: Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday
Palm Sunday, April 13
Children will be joining in the Palm Sunday processional at the beginning of the worship service in the Sanctuary at
9:30 and 11 AM. We ask that all children gather in front of the sanctuary in the plaza area. For this week only, children will be checked in to Children's Ministry BEFORE worship. After the children are dismissed from the sanctuary they will immediately go into Sunday school.
Egg Hunt Easter Sunday, April 20
All children will begin attending a sanctuary or modern (Water's Edge, F5) worship service with their families. After a blessing of the children, they will be dismissed for Sunday school. Please remember to sign your child in with the pink check-in card (found in the pew racks in the sanctuary, and check-in table at modern worship). All children will be picked up in the Amphitheater following the worship service.
District Sky Zone Overnighter for Youth
Friday, April 25 - Saturday, April 26 | 8 PM Friday - 10 PM Saturday
6th - 12th Grades | Cost: $25 | RSVP by April 15
Overnight fun with youth from across the district in a warehouse full of trampolines! Contact Richard Annett to sign-up or questions.
ART
Seeking Artists for Stations of the CrossCalling all artists! This year First Church is inviting people on a journey to reflect on 14 biblical Stations of the Cross. On Good Friday, April 18, from 7-9 PM, stations will be set up around the outside of the church for people to walk around and prayerfully engage with at their own pace. Each station focuses artistically on one part of Jesus' life. We invite your help in creating a station. You can choose to artistically represent any one of the station themes that inspire you. Read all the details here...
MUSIC
Anxious Sunday CD Release Party and PotluckCDSunday, March 30 | 10:30 AM | The Cove
All songs are original and written by Anxious Sunday leader, Chris Durrand, who has been writing and performing music and leading worship in the San Diego area for over 20 years. Chris performs the lead vocals, plays acoustic guitar and ukulele, and is joined by other band members on vocals, drums, bass, flute, piccolo, keyboard, mandolin, ukulele, and occasional saxophone and electric guitar. Become a fan of Anxious Sunday on Facebook...
Members of Anxious Sunday lead worship music every Sunday at 9:30 AM, at the Water's Edge Modern Worship at First Church. The band plays original Christian folk-rock and covers contemporary Christian music. All ages are welcome. For information regarding Anxious Sunday recordings and chord sheets, email anxious.sunday@gmail.com. CDs will be available in the Cove this Sunday ($15-cash only). See the music video here...
Lenten Choral Concert slated Sunday, April 6
7 PM | Sanctuary | Free-will Offering
The combined Chancel Choir and Masterwork Chorale will perform Ola Gjeilo's Sunrise Mass and Franz Josef Haydn's Missa Cellensis in C: Kleine Mariazeller Messe No. 8, accompanied by orchestra and organ; directed by Dr. Stanley M. Wicks. Free childcare with RSVP to 619-297-4366. Sponsored by the Cultural Events Committee. Read in-depth about the composers and music on the concert's event page on our website ...
STUDY
San Diego School of Christian Studies:Matters of Life and Death
Wednesday, April 16: What does it mean to be alive?
Wednesday, April 23: What does it mean to be dead?
6:45-8:45 PM | The Cove
Tuition: $10 each lecture, students with ID free, register online...
Dr. Rebecca Moore, SDSU, examines different cultural perspectives on life and death through the lenses of religion, anthropology, biology, and ethics. More info about the classes and Dr. Moore, here...
The Way: Walking in the footsteps of Jesus
All-Church Study begins in May
Adam Hamilton's The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus
May - June 8
Beginning in May, our church will offer a six-week study ending on Pentecost (June 8th): The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus. Travel to the Holy Land in this third volume of Adam Hamilton's Bible study trilogy on the life of Jesus. Hamilton retraces the footsteps of Jesus from his baptism to the temptations to the heart of his ministry, including people he loved, the enemies he made, the parables he taught, and the roads that he traveled.
Pray through the devotion guide, reflect on the sermon and participate in a small group. It will touch your heart in new ways as you walk the way of Jesus. This year we have lunch and groups after church as well, and there are several neighborhood groups offered.
Books are available for purchase in the church office and on the patio on Sundays, $15 for the book, $8 for the devotion guide. Lunch on Sundays for group members will be by reservation and $5 per person. You may also sign up online here... Questions? Contact Beckett Kirk at bkirk@fumcsd.org.
HEALTH
National Healthcare Decisions Day WorkshopWednesday, April 16 | 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM | Linder Hall
First Church's Health Ministry Task Force welcomes the San Diego County Coalition for Improving End of Life Care here on April 16 for a workshop that coincides with the National Healthcare Decisions Day. The mission is to educate and raise awareness about End of Life issues and to provide resources to help people make informed decisions. You will learn about "advance care directives" and the "Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment" known as the POLST. Three physicians will be present to share their own end-of-life decisions. Come, be informed, so you can learn and help educate people you love and care about. Download flier here...
Nurse's Notes: Free Seminar on Contentment
"Contentment--Make it an Everyday Experience" | Friday, April 11 | 6-7 PM
at Kaiser's Positive Choice Wellness Center
WOMEN
Mark your calendar: Spring Fling is coming May 10!Saturday, May 10 | 11 AM | Sanctuary & Linder Hall | $20 purchase online
Are you hungry for something satisfying? Whether you're a gourmet cook or culinarily-challenged, this year's "Spring Fling" is for the foodie in every woman! Bring your appetite because a fabulous "feast" awaits you, featuring Food Network and Cooking Channel star, Melissa d'Arabian.
Details here ...
NOTICES
Friday Night Singles (50+ or -) meets every Friday at 6 PM for a meal followed by activities. Email Karen Maczka or call 619-263-3743. Griefshare Class continues in Trotter Chapel at 11 AM on Sundays for those who have lost a loved one. You are welcome to join at any time. Please contact Ken Licht at 619-297-4366, x111, for information.
DivorceCare(R) continues this Sunday through May 25, at 12:30 PM for those who are going through, or have gone through divorce. Information here ...
UMW Unit Meeting, Thursday, March 27, 9:30 AM - 12 :30 PM, Linder Lounge. Karen Anderson will demonstrate sewing a receiving blanket for junior military wives, Janice Lau will present a Covenant Circle video, Dr. Beth Cooper from SDSU's Wesley Foundation will speak. Salad lunch for all - no charge. All are welcome, do not need to be a member.
UMW District Study Event, "The Roma of Europe," Saturday, March 29, 9:30 AM - 12 PM, Escondido FUMC, 341 S. Kalmia. Cost is $15 at the door, contact your Circle Chair to reserve.
Next Neighborhood Family Meal is March 31, 5:30-7 PM, at Normal Heights UMC. Help provide and serve food and enjoy fellowship with families, teens, seniors and people in need of a nutritious, hot meal. Address: 4650 Mansfield St. Volunteers prepare and bring a main dish, salad or dessert. Email Brenda Blake or call 619-297-4366, x125.
"Tab and label" volunteers urgently needed for the First Church newsletter mailing on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month. Training provided. Some assistance with other bulk mailings including the Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas is needed. Please contact the church office.
Childcare Workers Needed. Parents, grandparents, retirees: Looking to earn little extra cash? Want to spend some time with our youngest children? Children's Ministry is seeking individuals who would like to work in our church nursery during Sunday worship services, and during special events held on campus. Interested? Contact Laura Schwarcz for more details, 619-297-4366, x140.
Ushers needed for all of our sanctuary services: 8, 9:30 and 11. Choose the service time and amount of Sundays in a month that works best for you. Please contact our Head Usher, H. E. Reichert, at 619-424-7961, or leave your contact info with the church office.
The Altar Flower Calendar has openings for Sundays in April/May 2014. Please help us fill those dates. Call Eleene in the church office at 619-297-4366 to make your reservation. Each bouquet is $50.
Sponsor a Prayer Quilt for someone in need of prayer -- whatever the reason. Submit a request
or call Cheryl Johnson at 619-297-7575.
Prayers & Squares Prayer Quilt Ministry meets twice a month. For our next meeting, see our 2014 schedule.
Our "Just a Little Gift' Shop" is open Sundays, 9 AM to 12:30 PM. It's located below the sanctuary and through the sanctuary meeting room.
J. Crew necklace, $44
Vintage & costume jewelry, reasonably priced.
MISSION OUTREACH THRIFT STORE
3186 Adams Ave.
Open Monday to Saturday 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
New items are added every day.
Proceeds from the Thrift Store support several local missions and
the United Methodist Women.
Last year we raised $34,000 for local missions.
In Our Prayers
We invite you to join us as we keep these individuals and families in our prayers this week.IN MEMORIAM
Jiwu Bassett passed away on March 23. She was received into membership in 2013 and is survived by her husband, Paul, and daughter, Ruxin Zhang, parents, Yuan Fu, Huang Xingnong and siblings, Yuan Bing and Yuan Jihue. A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 4, at 3:00 p.m.
Amy Cox passed away on March 11. She was received into membership in 2006 by Jim Standiford and is survived by her partner, Sylvia Flanagan, mother, Wanda Cox, and brother, Alex Cox. Services are pending.
Donna Stanley passed away on March 13. She was received into membership in 2006 by Dr. Jim Standiford and is survived by her spouse, Morton, and sons, Craig and Todd Stanley. A graveside service was held at 1:00 p.m. on March 20 at El Camino Memorial Park.
Joseph S. Wiler passed away on March 25. He was received into membrship in 1982 by Rev. Mark Trotter and is survived by his wife, Marty, daughters, Jen (Casey) Johnson, and Lesley (Matthew) Hyatt and sister, Susan Burchett. A memorial service will be held in our sanctuary on Saturday, March 29, at 10:00 a.m.
Hospitalized (as of 3/25/14): Pam McPherron and Reg Becker.
Members of our congregation in the military who are deployed and their families:
Sam Adams
Jason Constantine
Jake Huntley
Chris Lemon
Doug Samples
Collin Sullivan
Matt O'Neal
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First United Methodist Church of San Diego
2111 CAMINO DEL RIO South
San Diego, CA 92018 United States
(619)297-4366
WWW.FUMCSD.ORG
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