Why an Advent Wreath?

Can you imagine how it was in Europe in “the old days?”  Before there were furnaces to keep houses warm and electric lights to brighten dark days, winter seemed like a very long, very cold, very dark season. 

Families didn’t have refrigerators or canned food, or grocery stores, and so winter was also a time when people worried about whether what they had dried and stored would last until the days lengthened and warmed again.

People looked for signs of hope, bringing evergreen branches into their homes for the holidays, and lighting candles to symbolize the light of life, tenaciously burning in the dark and cold.

When people in Europe began to follow Jesus, they keep these traditions, knowing that Jesus, the Christ, is the source of life and hope.  They made advent wreathes in a circle to show that God’s love is with us all the time and everywhere.  “Emmanuel” is an old name (from Middle English) for Jesus that means, “with us is God.”

Christ followers named the candles for gifts that Jesus brings and lit them, one a week, as Christmas celebrations drew near, names like “Peace,” “Hope,” “Faith,” and” Joy.”

                 Your family can share this tradition too, lighting an advent candle each Sunday to celebrate Jesus’ presence in your home.  Remember to pray for all the other families in Jesus’ network of hope as they light the candles too!

*The words for our Advent songs were written by Rev. Steve Garnaas Holmes, Pastor of Bows Mills  United Methodist Church in Concord New Hampshire, and are used by permission.

These Advent wreath meditations were created by Rev. Karen L. Munson, Pastor of Readfield United Methodist Church © 2010 and may be copied with permission.  

Zaccheus

UM Pastor Steve Garnass Holmes shares daily creative engagement with lectionary scripture via unfoldinglight.net.  Today's is an expecially perceptive view from the wee man's tree.  Did you ever meet Zacheus in Sunday School?  Check out his story and see if he's grown up!  (Luke 19).

You've got me treed,

held in the cross-hairs

of your sharpshooter grace

up here with all my complications,

trapped among these anxious limbs

(we hold each other nervously).

I just wanted to peek,

to keep my distance,

observe and play it safe—

but now you've named me,

nailed me

(I could just die)—

and there is no way to save myself

from this tree of my undoing

(I could just fall)

but through you,

through your grave command,

your invitation

to become the host

in breaking bread

(still clinging, white-knuckled)

where I will recognize myself at last,

at last let go,

and rise from the table

into a spacious place,

a future I can't imagine

until it cuts me loose.

- Steve Garnaas Holmes


(image by William Hole)

Happy anniversary!

You are invited to join the Readfield United Methodist Church for a very special celebration of the Torsey Church’s 175^th anniversary on September 26, 2010. Bishop Peter Weaver, Episcopal leader of the New England United Methodists will be present as guest preacher.  Period hymns and refreshments will help bring history to life and Readfield UMC’s popular musicians are preparing to celebrate in song.

The Methodists on Kents Hill, the second oldest branch of five that form the congregation’s merged history, built the Torsey Church for worship in 1835.  It replaced an older sanctuary completed by Luther Sampson, founder of Kents Hill School, then the Maine Wesleyan Seminary.  During a later renovation supported by school alumni, the sanctuary was renamed to honor Dr. Henry P. Torsey, headmaster for 4o years, as well as a key figure in emancipation and reconstruction efforts in American History.   In more recent years, the site has become well known for generating many mission and outreach efforts as well as hosting popular community suppers.

Sunday, September 26, 10:00am.

For more information contact 207-685-4211, office@readfieldumc.org, or visit www.readfieldumc.blogspot.com

Three Simple Rules to Change the World

Last Saturday teams from the church scattered around our area to change the world. It was part of the larger United Methodist movement (www.umc.org for more stories). Here's some of the places that groups went, we know that there were many individuals making a difference on their own.
*May basket deliveries
*8 walkers on the Walk for Hunger (on the Augusta/Gardiner rail trail)

*6 Road clean up and recyclers.








*9 finishing Camp Mechuwana staff cabins.

*2 claening out the Camp Mechuwana Village.

       *Cub Scout Beach clean up and land restoration

*3 Readfield Community garden raised bed constructors

*24 supporters of the annual Sexual Assault and Crisis Counseling Center fundraiser.

All participants shared a challenge that you can too, wherever you find yourself today.
BE YEAST. The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.

John Wesley's 3 simple rules can help, as they guided our local mission teams:
*Do all the good you can. (For all the people you can, in as many places as you can).
*Do no harm.
*Stay in love with God.

Dear Jesus, as we follow you together today, may our hands be put to your work, our hearts be open to your love, and our fellowship be blessed by a spirit that rises to the occassion.  Amen.

Heifer Project update

Yesterday we watched the new Heifer Project International film in worship. It was fun to remember how our own ark project got started with three Sunday School students in 2002.  Instead of a carefully planned 5 year project, the ark raising went at break neck, community fueled speed. The Sunday School grew to 23 students.

Five years later, what difference might that local effort be making in a community far away? Watch this shorter version of "12 Stones" and let the Spirit guide your viewing! You can borrow the full (20 minute) video from the church office or order your own (free) from www.heifer.org




There were some great conversations about the film during fellowship time after worship. Many notice that few men appeared in the film, and one woman talked about her father's alcohalism. Charles Piddock, who spent time working in this part of Nepal, said that the men would usually be working in the fields, farming. In his experience, alcohalism was not a wide spread problem.

Have you ever spent time in this part of the world?
Do you have a heifer project story?
Add your comments to the conversation!

Easter flower album

Seed

by Luci Shaw  

 (From Accompanied by Angels, 2006)

God dug his seed

into dry, dark earth.

After a sprouting up 

in hopeful birth

and healing bloom

and garland grace,

he buried it again

in a darker place.

Twice rudely planted seed,

root, rise in me

and grow your green again.

your fruited tree.

Joy Walters and Elizabeth Reinsborough send these favorite spring flowers.

Rosie's new friend, Paul

In I got to hang out with Paul ( a retired Middle School teacher from South Bend, Indiana) and we became great friends. At first we just started out as two regular old strangers and insulation partners. But the entire time we where were working on the first day, all we did was talk. We talked about hockey, his grandsons, and Tennesse. We became great friends in like three minutes!!!

At the end of the week we acted like we had known eachother for years!!! He even ended up giving me a book that he wrote and his girlfriend illustrated.

It was a great time meeting new people like Paul, and even getting to hear stories from other people about their experiences through hurricane Katrina. It was also very interesting how different things were from being outside the city, to going downtown. The damage that was done, and could be noticed, was completey different.

Over all I had a wonderful time,

-Rosie Guimaraes UMVIM team '10

P.S. Paul from South Bend is a member of the church my parents were married in.....God's small world! -Karen Munson