Praise the Lord for the first day of October. The Lord blessed us with a full and abundant weekend of ministry, witness, and worship. We prepared and served dinner Saturday Evening at the First United Methodist Church, Endicott, followed by praise and worship. The Lord blessed us yesterday in His house as we gathered for worship and service. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from James 5:13-20. This passage deals with doing life together in Christ in the context of the Church, His Body.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was martyred in 1945 at the hands of the Gestapo when he was only 39 years old. He was a Lutheran pastor and theologian who was blessed with a very keen mind and a very brave heart, He loved the Lord and he loved His church. Bonhoeffer's ideas have continued to live through several popular theological books that he wrote. My favorite is a little book of only 100 pages entitled, Life Together. Life Together is a passionate call to Christian community. The book arose out of Bonhoeffer's experiences during the Nazi years. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The book talks about very simple things like singing together, living together, reading together. The role of personal prayer, worship , everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, yet profound words.
I have always been intrigued by the idea that life together in the church is the very essence of what the Gospel of Christ is all about. Personally, I can't imagine life without church. For me, church really is "life together." It is not just a matter of sharing time in the same building, but it is sharing all of life with other people who are vividly aware that life is to be lived under the boundless grace of our Lord Jesus.
The passage from James 5:13-20 is about life together in a typical local church. It's about praying, sickness, sin, and confession. "Is any among you sick?", James asked. Then he responded, "Let them call for the elders." We must reach out, asking others to care for us. James said, "Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (5:16). He ended by saying, "Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins" (5:20).
Fred Craddock said about this passage, "Everyday needs are addressed in this text. It pictures a community in which people suffer and pray, rejoice and sing, become sick and get well, sin and are forgiven. This picture reflects congregational life as we know it. People looking to the community of faith for help. And the church offers help in ways that are genuinely appropriate and effective."
A little girl got lost one day. "The little girl ran up and down the streets of the big town where they lived, but she couldn't find a single landmark. She was very frightened. Finally a policeman stopped to help her. He put her in the passenger seat of his car, and they drove around until she finally saw her church. She pointed it out to the policeman, and then she told him firmly, 'You could let me out now. This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here.'"
Annual Praise and Prayer Conference
Friday- Sunday October 12-14,2012
• Opening worship: Friday 7 PM at Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott
• Saturday 10 am - 1 PM We will gather at the sanctuary of the Union Center Methodist Church for a concert of prayer.
• Prayer teams will be available to pray. We will anointing with oil and will pray for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. We will be praying for deliverance and restoration.
• 6 PM First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott. We will gather for NEW YORK PIZZA Party
• 6:30 PM praise and worship. There will be time for prayer. There will be anointing with oil. We will be praying for miracles of healing, deliverance, salvation, restoration. We will also be serving Communion at the Altar.
• Sunday October 14, 2012, Morning worship will be at 9:30 AM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1000 Day Hollow Road
• 8:30 and 11:00 Worship services will be held at the Union Center United Methodist Church; 9:50 - Sunday School Hour
• 12:30 PM Prayer Banquet with international foods
Leaders for the prayer conference are:
Kelly Johnson from Memphis, TN
Andy and Sunita Groth, Rob Krech, Meredith Watson, and Amanda (all from Washington, DC).
The leaders and members of the Binghamton House of prayer will be joining for this conference Event. Laureen Naik will be leading in worship music. Come expecting a miracle.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/-ay18-7eOQw
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