Vacation Bible School next week!

Vacation Bible School at Zion UMC: August 2 thru August 6, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., we will be serving Supper from 6:00 til 6:30. Tell your family and Friends!

Scripture Notes for Sunday, July 25th, 2010: Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11

Jesus' Teaching on Prayer

1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

2He said to them, "When you pray, say:

" 'Father,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

3Give us each day our daily bread.

4Forgive us our sins,

for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation.' "

5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'

7"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Scripture for Sunday, July 18th, 2010: Luke 10:38-42

Luke 10:38-42

Jesus at the Home of Martha and Mary

38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

A Single Picture is worth a Thousand Words...

Scriptural Text for Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Luke 10:25-37

10:25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

10:26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"

10:27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

10:28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."

10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

10:30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

10:32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

10:33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.

10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

10:35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.'

10:36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"

10:37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Happy Fourth of July 2010!

Scriptural Text from this morning's message:

Jeremiah 5

 ¹ "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,
       look around and consider,
       search through her squares.
       If you can find but one person
       who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
       I will forgive this city. 

 ² Although they say, 'As surely as the LORD lives,'
       still they are swearing falsely." 

 ³ O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth?
       You struck them, but they felt no pain;
       you crushed them, but they refused correction.
       They made their faces harder than stone
       and refused to repent. 

 ⁴ I thought, "These are only the poor;
       they are foolish,
       for they do not know the way of the LORD,
       the requirements of their God.

⁵ So I will go to the leaders
       and speak to them;
       surely they know the way of the LORD,
       the requirements of their God."
       But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
       and torn off the bonds.

⁶ Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them,
       a wolf from the desert will ravage them,
       a leopard will lie in wait near their towns
       to tear to pieces any who venture out,
       for their rebellion is great
       and their backslidings many.

⁷ "Why should I forgive you?
       Your children have forsaken me
       and sworn by gods that are not gods.
       I supplied all their needs,
       yet they committed adultery
       and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.

⁸ They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
       each neighing for another man's wife.

⁹ Should I not punish them for this?"
       declares the LORD.
       "Should I not avenge myself
       on such a nation as this? 

 ¹⁰ "Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
       but do not destroy them completely.
       Strip off her branches,
       for these people do not belong to the LORD.

 ¹¹ The house of Israel and the house of Judah
       have been utterly unfaithful to me,"
       declares the LORD.

¹² They have lied about the LORD;
       they said, "He will do nothing!
       No harm will come to us;
       we will never see sword or famine.

 ¹³ The prophets are but wind
       and the word is not in them;
       so let what they say be done to them."

¹⁴ Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty says:
       "Because the people have spoken these words,
       I will make my words in your mouth a fire
       and these people the wood it consumes.

 ¹⁵ O house of Israel," declares the LORD,
       "I am bringing a distant nation against you—
       an ancient and enduring nation,
       a people whose language you do not know,
       whose speech you do not understand.

 ¹⁶ Their quivers are like an open grave;
       all of them are mighty warriors.

 ¹⁷ They will devour your harvests and food,
       devour your sons and daughters;
       they will devour your flocks and herds,
       devour your vines and fig trees.
       With the sword they will destroy
       the fortified cities in which you trust.

 

¹⁸ "Yet even in those days," declares the LORD, "I will not destroy you completely.

 

¹⁹ And when the people ask, 'Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'

²⁰ "Announce this to the house of Jacob
       and proclaim it in Judah:

²¹ Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
       who have eyes but do not see,
       who have ears but do not hear:

²² Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD.
       "Should you not tremble in my presence?
       I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
       an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
       The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
       they may roar, but they cannot cross it.

²³ But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
       they have turned aside and gone away.

 ²⁴ They do not say to themselves,
       'Let us fear the LORD our God,
       who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
       who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'

²⁵ Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
       your sins have deprived you of good.

 ²⁶ "Among my people are wicked men
       who lie in wait like men who snare birds
       and like those who set traps to catch men.

 ²⁷ Like cages full of birds,
       their houses are full of deceit;
       they have become rich and powerful

²⁸ and have grown fat and sleek.
       Their evil deeds have no limit;
       they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it,
       they do not defend the rights of the poor.

 ²⁹ Should I not punish them for this?"
       declares the LORD.
       "Should I not avenge myself
       on such a nation as this?

 ³⁰ "A horrible and shocking thing
       has happened in the land:

 ³¹ The prophets prophesy lies,
       the priests rule by their own authority,
       and my people love it this way.
       But what will you do in the end?