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Mission - Make Disciples |
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Snippets from the Staff Pastor Jack Dear High Streeters: I can remember this time of year quite well as a child. It was always accompanied with a sense of excitement and optimism. It was a reminder that time was moving forward. It always brought opportunities as well as challenges. Starting a new school year was always an adventure for me. There was something about it that embraced new starts, new knowledge, and new school clothes. While I always enjoyed the freedom of the summer days, I think I was always ready to move forward to another year of school and learning. Fresh new starts are important in all phases of our lives. It is amazing to think how life keeps changing. The only thing that keeps reoccurring regularly is change. Pearl S. Buck wrote: “You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea.” When we think of change and our faith two things are sure. First, God expects us to change. God wanted Adam and Eve to change their self-centeredness. God wanted Abram to change and start a new life in a new place. Jesus wanted fisherman to change and become disciples. Jesus wanted the Pharisees to change and be less legalistic. Jesus wanted Zacchaeus to change and become a new person. God calls us to change in ways that enhance his life in us. God’s change in us should be evidenced in our thinking, in our attitudes, and in our behavior. Paul in writing to the church reveals ultimate truth: “If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” I think an accurate paraphrase of these works is: “If any one is in Christ, he is continually becoming a new creation; the old slips always while the new continues to come.” Life is all about the journey to become more than we have ever been. The second truth is that in the midst of the change in our life, God does not change. God’s unchanging nature brings comfort in the midst of his call for us to change. He is not forgiving one day and vindictive the next. He is not loving one day and hateful another. He is not righteous one day and unrighteous the next. Hebrews 13:8 boldly states of Jesus as the revelation of God: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.” God calls us to change with the assurance he will not change. Join me this week in worship at “God’s Changing Place” we call High Street Church. Pastor David Spiritual Insights from Fatherhood: The Living Mirror It’s a typical afternoon lunch break and I’m sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a peanut butter and jelly sandwich over conversation with the family. Suddenly gravity takes control of some loose strawberry jelly and it plummets onto my khaki pants below. “Yuck,” I exclaim with disgust. From the booster seat to my right, a small voice echoes out “Yuck!” Later that afternoon I casually ask Cindy about taking down the baby gate in the hallway. Seconds later, a little boy crawls up towards us responding with clarity and volume, “Gate Down, Gate Down!” I have always been humbled when something I say would be worth repeating, yet Addison finds great excitement and joy in giving our words that echoing feel throughout the house. He watches, he listens, and learns and then copies our lives so we see what we are really doing. Sure, he makes us more careful of what we say and causes us to rethink how we react. But Addison also teaches us the subtle art of listening and taking in that which is new. He hears words and sees actions, and then makes them his own. Christ understood this type of mirroring connection with the heavenly father as he took in those words and behaviors of the divine life and made them real in the world. God craves for us to allow the Spirit to guide us in this way, to absorb the life God wishes us to lead, to take hold of the holy words and faithful responses that God has shown us. We are not too unlike a one year old as we take in God’s words and not only hear them but allow them to swirl around in our head until we figure out how to speak aloud the Good News for the world to hear. As children of God how do we mirror our lifestyle of the Creator? How can we allow the walk of Christ to become more our way of moving about this place? We are the living mirror of Christ for our community and the world, reflecting a way of being and a way of believing. We reclaim aloud the words we have already heard that move from the mouth of the Savior into our mouths and lives. “You are loved, you are forgiven, you are designed for a purpose, you can make a change, hope is real.” Addison is always on the verge of hearing a new word and echoing it out for all in the grocery store or church hall to hear. Let us proclaim to the world what great things God has shared with our ears and grown upon hearts. Pastor Charlotte “How Old Is She?” My daughter laughed when she told me that this was the question her daughters (ages 8 and 6) asked of their other grandmother when she had told them, “We are gong to make a visit to a special friend of mine.” Lydia laughed because she knew the source of the question. You see, on quite a few occasions, I have taken my grandchildren with me to visit some special people in my life. We’ve been to the nursing homes to visit folks in their 90’s. They remember visiting Helen McNary in her home; in fact, they took a rose from Helen’s home to someone we visited at Muncie Health Center. Recently I shared with them a beautifully written get well note I had received, and I told them the woman who wrote it was 98 years old. I want them to know how vital and important folks are, no matter what their age. Don’t be ashamed of your age. Wear it like a badge of honor. Count each year as one more blessing given you by God, 365 more days to sing God’s praises and to share God’s love.
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Mornings: 8:30, 9:45 & 11:00 a.m. Sunday School: 9:45 - 10:45 a.m. |
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| Our
Purpose: To make disciples of Jesus Christ and transform them into passionate followers who are equipped to serve others. Our Vision: To intentionally reach, teach, and send disciples of Jesus. Our Core Values: • Vital Worship that enables people to experience God. • Radical Hospitality that incorporates people into the life of the church. • Transformational Learning that informs and changes lives. • Inclusive Fellowship that connects people with Christ and each other. • Risk-taking Mission and Outreach that engages people in ministry and service to others. |
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High
Street United Methodist Church w
219 S. High Street w
Muncie, IN 47302 w (765) 747-8500 w
Fax (765) 741-5282 |