Lunenburg United Methodist Charge
Antioch UMC Williams UMC
On our walk. . . . .
September 26, 2008
Luke 16: 19-31
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire. "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. "He answered, 'Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
'No, father Abraham, he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.
Everyone will be going to their ETERNAL HOME some day. But where will that home be? Will it be the home of this rich man in the story? Or will it be the home of Lazarus? There’s no third option, just as there’s no third option in the story….we do not see another option given in the Bible. It’s either Heaven, or Hell
Our Eternal Home is not based on what we POSSESS. Our Eternal Home is not based on what we PROFESS. Our Eternal Home is based on WHO WE KNOW.
LOOK AT THE RICH MAN
a) He had wealth
b) He had what money could buy
c) He had friends…prestige…clout in the community…(this is inferred from the passage). No doubt he had political connections….Board member of some prestigious institution …A person of community status……well thought of…
d) he had a great send-off…. “was buried”…….
No doubt….well-known officials came to his funeral and said something respectful and honorable……he got some pretty flowers…the funeral parlor looked so pretty….so soothing…His friends / family..dressed him up…made it look so pretty…so dignified….soft music played in the back ground… The rich man found his eternal homecoming in hell. And the bands were not playing…no one was making great speeches then, no one applauded his arrival, no welcome party was awaiting him…..all he heard was the screaming of his own voice…screaming and crying in excruciating pain….a place of incredible torment…
BUT LOOK AT LAZARUS….
• He was a beggar. He did not have the purple and fine linen. He wore the beggar clothes….an awful sight to see. His clothes were not of the fashionable type….He didn’t have the famous designer labels….he wore the scraps, the leftovers…nothing matched… (the Pharisees believed the beggar…was a sign of God’s displeasure…and the least likely candidate for Heaven.) • Going to heaven….is not based on what you possess in material things…don’t have a penny to your name….fancy clothes….this poor ole’ beggar clothed in robe of righteousness…washed in the blood of Jesus…
What did Lazarus possess…..that made it possible for him to go to Heaven? He had Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior….
Who do you know?
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!
This Weeks Event:
Monday, Sept 29
Bible Study @ Antioch @ 7:00 PM
Tuesday, Sept 30
Bible Study @ Audrey Smith’s @ 10:00 AM
Charge PPR @ Williams @7:00 PM
Wednesday, Oct 1
Prayer Meeting @ Williams @ 5:45 PM
Choir Practice @ Williams @ 6:30 PM
Mission, Evangelism, and Family Ministries meeting @ Antioch@7:00 PM
Worship Events –Sept 28
Services will be held at Williams @ 11:00 AM
This week’s Sermon text : Luke 15:11-15:32
Hebrew text : Malachi 3: 16-18
Communion will be celebrated
Heritage Days at Williams - Sept 27&28
Saturday, September 27 will be the start of Williams 3rd Annual Heritage Day weekend. Please plan to join them as they celebrate not only their heritage but God’s love all weekend. It will be a weekend of food, entertainment, worship, reunion. There will be a flea market on Saturday along with live entertainment. Sunday worship will start at 11:00 AM. Williams thanks Antioch for allowing worship to be moved to their time. A homecoming luncheon will take place after worship on Sunday
Sunday School is available each Sunday morning. The importance of Sunday School is that, though you may think hearing the word will suffice for you, you really need to be in attendance at Sunday School to gather all the information that you can in an open discussion classroom. Jesus’ word cannot be totally understood just by listening to a sermon. You have to interact with it and with other Christians to learn what He was saying to us. This is a life long study and you should take part. There is a class for every age so please plan on joining us to learn more about our Lord, Jesus Christ. Sunday School at Williams begins at 10:45 AM and at Antioch at 10:00 AM.
Evening Bible Study Evening Bible study will continue on Sept 29 at 7:00PM at Antioch. We will be reviewing II Kings 13-25. We will discuss the events depicted in the book. If you are looking for a study of God’s word join us not only for the study, but good fellowship.
Morning Bible Study. Morning Bible study will continue on Sept 30 at 10:00AM at Audrey Smith’s house. We will be reviewing II Kings 1-12. We will discuss the events depicted in the book. If you are looking for a study of God’s word join us not only for the study, but good fellowship.
If you cannot reach Rev. Ed at the parsonage, you may call him on his cell phone: 252-532-0952. He can also be reached via e-mail at revedumc@yahoo.com .
Charge PPR committee will meet on Sept 30 @ Williams @ 7:00 PM
UMW Stew will be held on Sat. Oct 4th. If you would like to order please contact a member of the UMW.
The Mission, Evangelism, and Family Ministries Committees will meet @ Antioch on Oct 1 @ 7:00 PM
Prayer List
Please keep the following families in your prayers:
Marjorie Thompson
Christian Sutton
Dorothy Shields
Sarah Agnes Callis
Sheila Cage
Tommy Hawthorne
Earl "Chucky” Barnes
Sara Sutton
Laura Crowder
Edna A. Bagley
Our Military
Tom Tanner
Virginia King
Betty Potts
Mark Mc Henry
Becky Eades & boys
Edith Parham
Margaret Smith
Unspoken
Randy Gee
Layton Powell
Buddy Christian
Grace DiStefano
Bernard Bottoms
Jimmy Chumney
Betty Roegge
Doug Winn
CV & Agnes Thompson
Junior McHenry
Danny Horne
Dorothy Driskill
Tee Jones
Betty Reese
Margaret J. Conner
Allie Tuck
Tommy Cage
Rev. & Mrs. Robert Day
Virginia Overby
Walter B. Moseley
David King
Dee Welch
Jesse Edmonds
Jeff Hendricks
Walter Daniel
Brenda Napier
Nathan Hendricks
Kathy McReynolds
Bertha Arthur
Maria Kay
Jason McReynolds
Frances Hawthorne
Elizabeth Biggerstaff
Prayer Gram.
Please, when putting somebody’s name on our prayer list, PRINT their names and addresses if you have them. This will help us get the prayer grams out sooner and it will also make it easier to read during services.
To: YOU Date: TODAY From: GOD Subject: YOURSELF Reference: LIFE This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you. P.S. And, remember... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.
Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.
If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!
Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know! Now, you have a nice day. God
Ø Have a blessed week
