First United Methodist of Redondo Beach’s Weekly News - Wednesday,
1 January 2014 – HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Sunday, January 5
Epiphany Sunday & Day of Discernment
8:30am Informal Worship in Epworth Lounge
9:30am Contemporary Worship in the Sanctuary
11:00am Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary
Sunday's Scripture:
John The Word
Became Flesh
1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into
being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come
into being 4 in him was life,[a] and the life was the light of all people. 5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came
as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8
He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true
light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.[b]
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through
him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own,[c] and his
own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in
his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of
blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have
seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,[d] full of grace and
truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said,
‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16 From
his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was
given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has
ever seen God. It is God the only Son,[e] who is close to the Father’s
heart,[f] who has made him known.
Footnotes:
a. John 1:4 Or 3 through him. And without him not one thing came
into being that has come into being. 4 In him was life
b. John 1:9 Or He was the true light that enlightens everyone
coming into the world
c. John 1:11 Or to his own home
d. John 1:14 Or the Father’s only Son
e. John 1:18 Other ancient authorities read It is an only Son,
God, or It is the only Son
f. John 1:18 Gk bosom
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John Wesley’s Notes-Commentary for John 1:1-18
Verse 1. In the beginning - (Referring to Gen. i, 1, and Prov.
viii, 23.) When all things began to be made by the Word: in the beginning of
heaven and earth, and this whole frame of created beings, the Word existed,
without any beginning. He was when all things began to be, whatsoever had a
beginning. The Word - So termed Psalm xxxiii, 6, and frequently by the seventy,
and in the Chaldee paraphrase. So that St. John did not borrow this expression
from Philo, or any heathen writer. He was not yet named Jesus, or Christ. He is
the Word whom the Father begat or spoke from eternity; by whom the Father
speaking, maketh all things; who speaketh the Father to us. We have, in the
18th verse, both a real description of the Word, and the reason why he is so
called. He is the only begotten Son of the Father, who is in the bosom of the
Father, and hath declared him. And the Word was with God - Therefore distinct
from God the Father. The word rendered with, denotes a perpetual tendency as it
were of the Son to the Father, in unity of essence. He was with God alone;
because nothing beside God had then any being. And the Word was God - Supreme,
eternal, independent. There was no creature, in respect of which he could be
styled God in a relative sense. Therefore he is styled so in the absolute
sense. The Godhead of the Messiah being clearly revealed in the Old Testament,
(Jer. xxiii, 7; Hosea i, 6; Psalm xxiii, 1, ) the other evangelists aim at
this, to prove that Jesus, a true man, was the Messiah. But when, at length,
some from hence began to doubt of his Godhead, then St. John expressly asserted
it, and wrote in this book as it were a supplement to the Gospels, as in the
Revelation to the prophets.
Verse 2. The same was in the beginning with God - This verse
repeats and contracts into one the three points mentioned before. As if he had
said, This Word, who was God, was in the beginning, and was with God.
Verse 3. All things beside God were made, and all things which
were made, were made by the Word. In the first and second verse is described
the state of things before the creation: verse 3, In the creation: verse 4, In
the time of man's innocency: verse 5, In the time of man's corruption.
4. In him was life - He was the foundation of life to every living
thing, as well as of being to all that is. And the life was the light of men -
He who is essential life, and the giver of life to all that liveth, was also
the light of men; the fountain of wisdom, holiness, and happiness, to man in
his original state.
Verse 5. And the light shineth in darkness - Shines even on
fallen man; but the darkness - Dark, sinful man, perceiveth it not.
Verse 6. There was a man - The evangelist now proceeds to him
who testified of the light, which he had spoken of in the five preceding
verses.
Verse 7. The same came for (that is, in order to give) a
testimony - The evangelist, with the most strong and tender affection,
interweaves his own testimony with that of John, by noble digressions, wherein
he explains the office of the Baptist; partly premises and partly subjoins a
farther explication to his short sentences. What St. Matthew, Mark, and Luke
term the Gospel, in respect of the promise going before, St. John usually terms
the testimony, intimating the certain knowledge of the relator; to testify of
the light - Of Christ.
Verse 9. Who lighteth every man - By what is vulgarly termed
natural conscience, pointing out at least the general lines of good and evil.
And this light, if man did not hinder, would shine more and more to the perfect
day.
Verse 10. He was in the world - Even from the creation.
Verse 11. He came - In the fulness of time, to his own -
Country, city, temple: And his own - People, received him not.
Verse 12. But as many as received him - Jews or Gentiles; that
believe on his name - That is, on him. The moment they believe, they are sons;
and because they are sons, God sendeth forth the Spirit of his Son into their
hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Verse 13. Who were born - Who became the sons of God, not of
blood - Not by descent from Abraham, nor by the will of the flesh - By natural
generation, nor by the will of man - Adopting them, but of God - By his Spirit.
Verse 14. Flesh sometimes signifies corrupt nature; sometimes
the body; sometimes, as here, the whole man. We beheld his glory - We his
apostles, particularly Peter, James, and John, Luke ix, 32. Grace and truth -
We are all by nature liars and children of wrath, to whom both grace and truth
are unknown. But we are made partakers of them, when we are accepted through
the Beloved. The whole verse might be paraphrased thus: And in order to raise
us to this dignity and happiness, the eternal Word, by a most amazing
condescension, was made flesh, united himself to our miserable nature, with all
its innocent infirmities. And he did not make us a transient visit, but
tabernacled among us on earth, displaying his glory in a more eminent manner,
than even of old in the tabernacle of Moses. And we who are now recording these
things beheld his glory with so strict an attention, that we can testify, it
was in every respect such a glory as became the only begotten of the Father.
For it shone forth not only in his transfiguration, and in his continual
miracles, but in all his tempers, ministrations, and conduct through the whole
series of his life. In all he appeared full of grace and truth: he was himself
most benevolent and upright; made those ample discoveries of pardon to sinners,
which the Mosaic dispensation could not do: and really exhibited the most
substantial blessings, whereas that was but a shadow of good things to come.
Verse 15. John cried - With joy and confidence; This is he of
whom I said - John had said this before our Lord's baptism, although he then
knew him not in person: he knew him first at his baptism, and afterward cried,
This is he of whom I said. &c. He is preferred before me - in his office:
for he was before me - in his nature.
Verse 16. And - Here the apostle confirms the Baptist's words:
as if he had said, He is indeed preferred before thee: so we have experienced:
We all - That believe: have received - All that we enjoy out of his fulness:
and in the particular, grace upon grace - One blessing upon another,
immeasurable grace and love.
Verse 17. The law - Working wrath and containing shadows: was
given - No philosopher, poet, or orator, ever chose his words so accurately as
St. John. The law, saith he, was given by Moses: grace was by Jesus Christ.
Observe the reason for placing each word thus: The law of Moses was not his
own. The grace of Christ was. His grace was opposite to the wrath, his truth to
the shadowy ceremonies of the law. Jesus - St. John having once mentioned the
incarnation (ver. 14,) no more uses that name, the Word, in all his book.
Verse 18. No man hath seen God - With bodily eyes: yet believers
see him with the eye of faith. Who is in the bosom of the Father - The
expression denotes the highest unity, and the most intimate knowledge.
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Please Note: The church office will be closed December 25 -
January 4, 2014. Phone messages will be
checked during this time. Happy New
Year!
In This Issue:
In January...
Marriage Class
Prayer Quilting
Lay Looker
Gardeners WANTED
Special Thanks: Trey Kyle
This Week at Church...
www.beachfaith.org
Like us on Facebook
Adult Bible
Study
You are welcome to join our regular Thursday Bible Study with
Pastor Molly, each week at 11:00am in May Day Parlor. (Please note: there will
be no Bible Study on January 2; we resume on January 9.)
A Church That Responds to the Needs of the Community
Shared Bread
Every Wednesday, with help from neighbor congregations and many
volunteers, we host Shared Bread, a free meal for the community.
(Click the logo for more information.)
Groceries =
$$$ for Church
Looking for an easy way to support our church? Now you can do
your grocery shopping and the store will give a percentage back to FUMCRB!
Click the image on the left to learn how you can sign up for this easy giving
program. Our Stewardship Team can answer
any questions!
WANT TO STAY CURRENT ON
ANNUAL CONFERENCE NEWS?
CLICK THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT TO LINK TO THE CAL-PAC WEBSITE.
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New Beginnings Baptism
The new year is a good time for resolving to do things better,
for committing ourselves to the things that matter most, for having hope that
things really can be different.
In our church life, it's an occasion to remember that we are
God's children, to remind ourselves that we are deeply and truly loved, and to
consider what it will take to live out God's love.
Maren Tirabassi has written a prayer for the New Year, which I'd
like to share with you:
Creative God, you make all things new in heaven and on earth.
We come to you in a new year with new desires and old fears, new
decisions and old controversies, new dreams and old weaknesses.
Because you are a God of hope, we know that you create all the
possibilities of the future.
Because you are a God of love, so know that you accept all the
mistakes of the past.
Because you are a God of our faith, we enter your gates with
thanksgiving and praise, we come into your presence with gladness and a joyful
noise, and we serve and bless you. Amen.
This Sunday, we will remember the blessings of baptism--of
Christ's invitation to be marked by grace and given a new identity as God's
own. May it be a time of hopefulness and promise for us all. I look forward to
being back with you all as we start 2014 in worship together.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Molly
Contact Info
Pastor Molly Vetter
PastorMolly@BeachFaith.com
310-372-8445 x 102
A Fresh Start in January
This month, our scriptures and worship will give us fresh
perspective on who we are, and what we're called to be in God.
On January 5, our congregation will join all United Methodist
churches in our California-Pacific Annual Conference in spending a bit of time
during worship talking about our vision and mission, answering three basic
question:
Who is Jesus Christ for you?
Finish the following statement:
"My walk with Jesus could be immeasurably improved if the church
would only . . ."
What is your hope for today and for future generations?
Our conversations here, and the ideas you share, will be
gathered together with those of other United Methodists across our region.
We're grateful for your thoughtful engagement, and for your willingness to be a
part of this effort together with our brothers and sisters in the UMC.
On January 12, as we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, we will
also welcome new members into our congregation. If you are ready to join--or
ready for a conversation with Pastor Molly about it--please contact us in the
church office. There is no formal membership class, but we ask new members to
have a conversation with Pastor Molly.
On January 19, we will welcome a special guest preacher, Reverend
Jay Vetter, a retired pastor who also happens to be the father of Pastor Molly.
He was with us as preacher last fall, and we're please to welcome him back
again.
On January 26,
we share stories of Jesus' calling the disciples to ministry, as we pray about
the ways God is calling us to service and devotion, now.
Would You Like a Box of Offering Envelopes for
2014?
Our Finance Committee has boxes of dated offering envelopes
available for anyone who would like them--you can pick them up in the church
office. We are switching to a new program for keeping our giving records, and
we will no longer need envelopes numbers (please just write your name on your
envelope).
We also are working to have two new options for giving your
tithes and offerings in 2014: a paper form to fill out to arrange regular,
automatic gifts to be transferred from your checking account and online fund
transfers (either automatic or one-time) through a new website option. Please
watch for more information about these options in upcoming weeks!
Shared Bread
Thanks for Helping Make Christmas Special
The Shared Bread committee sends a special thank you to everyone
who baked homemade cookies and came out to help with Christmas dinner at Shared
Bread.
We also thank the McCandless family for caroling and Faith UMC
for making our entrée and sending such a large crew. These were all beautiful
gifts for people who do not get many gifts...
Thanks for Your Help Supporting the Mission of
"Imagine No Malaria"
Our young people have been doing a great job leading us to raise
support for Imagine No Malaria, a mission of the United Methodist Church to
eradicate malaria in Africa.
This past Sunday, many of them--and you-- brought in jars of
change that you collected during Advent. (It's not too late to bring in your
jars if you forgot them or were gone last week!)
Making Good Marriages Better: a workshop
Led by Rev. Virgil and Elaine Brady, in Epworth Lounge from
12:30-3:30pm (optional light lunch at noon) on Sunday, January 12
Bring your spouse and join us for this an afternoon for
conversations about things that matter in marriage as we work together at
making our marriages healthier. The workshop will include presentation of 6 big
ideas, with time after each for one-on-one conversation with your partner.
Please RSVP for the class and for a $5 lunch beforehand
(optional) by emailing the church office. The class is free; couples are
encouraged to read Dr. Brady's book, "Kiss and Tell," before or
after. Copies are avialable in the church office for $10.
Rev. Dr. Virgil Brady is a retired United Methodist pastor; he
and his wife, Elaine, married for 50 years, live in Lawrence, Kansas. We are
pleased to welcome Virgil and Elaine to our church, and count them as extended
family--especially because their son and daughter-in-law, Kip and Gina Brady,
are members of our congregation!
Fresh Lessons in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount
During February, our worship scriptures will focus on Jesus'
sermon on the mount (from Matthew's Gospel.) His words are comforting and
confronting, and give us a whole lot to live up to as we seek to follow his
ways. Join is for worship (and in Sunday School) for the adventure!
Prayers and Squares
Sponsor a Quilt for Someone in Need of Prayer
Our prayer quilt ministry is ready to share prayers and
quilts--if you would like to sponsor a quilt for someone you know, we simply
ask that you ask the recipient's permission, and then be here on a Sunday to
help people tie knots and say prayers. Request forms are available in the
church office or on our website.
Our January quilting meeting will be Saturday, January 25--from
10am-noon at the church (hosted by Carol Walter). To participate in our January
group quilt, we invite you to make a square in pastel floral fabrics, using the
directions on our website!
Lay Looker by Bob Peterson
Read Bob Peterson's column here and on our website!
The Lay Looker will be taking a holiday from writing this
week. There will be more in 2014.
[Read the rest of the Lay Looker by clicking here!]
GARDENERS WANTED!!
If you enjoy being outdoors, and can give any time-one hour, two
hours, one time only, or weekly- to assist our volunteer gardeners in
maintaining our church campus, your help would be welcomed. NO experience
necessary! Please call the office for more info.
(310)372-8445
Trey Kyle
Special Thanks for our New Sound System
At our 9:30 worship on Sunday, December 22, Trey Kyle was
honored with a special recognition by our Board of Trustees Chair, Don Burrows,
and Pastor Molly Vetter. For well over a decade, Trey has been involved in
discussions about a new sound system; in early 2012, when we began to design
and get bids for the system, he jumped in, making it possible to redo the
sanctuary audio for $30,000 less than the lowest bid. Many people have been
involved in the work--crawling under the sanctuary and into the attic and
more--but we are especially grateful to Trey for coordinating and planning the
project. Without his leadership, we could not have done it. Thank you, Trey!!
Thanks also to those who contributed memorial funds for the
project. We are blessed to have been able to make such an improvement to our
audio.
Now that the system installation is basically done, we are ready
to train new volunteers in how to operate it. We are particularly eager to
recruit more volunteers who come to the 11:00 service for this work. If you are
interested, please contact the church office.
Like Us On FaceBook
Visit the page and "like" us so you can see and share
the latest photos, news and links from the church.
This Week at Church...
Nursery
The Nursery is open all three services for ages 6 weeks to 4 yrs
old. Located right off of the parking lot across Epworth Lounge. Any questions
email the Nursery Coordinator: Adriana Hwang
Children's Ministry
This Sunday kids will be with us all in worship; there will be a
special Time with Children. Bring your Imagine No Malaria change jars with you
to worship!
Church R Us (4th and 5th grade):
Join us for Sunday School at 9:30 am. This week we will review our unit on the
Early Life of Jesus!
Youth Group (6th-12th grade):
A big "THANKS" to all who helped with the
Flashmob. Hope everyone had a fun
time!
We will not meet again as a group until January 5th.
--Have you RSVPd for the Winter Retreat on Jan 10-12?
--Middle School Sunday School will resume on Jan. 26th!
Adult Sunday School: Join
us every Sunday at 9:30am for study and discussion of this week's scripture
lesson. (May Day Parlor)
Men's Breakfast: Our next breakfast is Monday, January 6 at
7a.m. All men of the church and their friends are welcome to join us for
fellowship. At Billy's Deli, 5160 W 190th St, Torrance, CA 90503.
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First United Methodist Church of Redondo Beach
(310)372-8445 main
310-372-5696 fax
Reverend Molly Vetter, Lead & Teaching Pastor
PastorMolly@beachfaith.com
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