A Peaceful, Easy Feeling
That passes all understanding
Hello church family and neighbors near and far!
I made the mistake of catching up with one of my favorite writers just now. Sean Dietrich, otherwise known as Sean of the South. I was talking with a friend the other night, and he said something that brought Sean to mind, and I recommended him. I realized I hadn’t read his column in awhile, and I wondered how his pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago went (he was writing about that a couple months ago), so I logged in and read back…and now I’m all teary and warm inside and so thankful that God has gifted people like him with the ability to write like that. And that God has gifted the world with people like him.
It was a mistake, though, because now I can’t find any words of my own to write. I’m sure they’re here somewhere.
I was having trouble finding them in the first place, when I was trying to write earlier this morning. All week, I’ve been torn between the same stuff I was when I gave my sermon on Sunday: intense gratitude for the mindblowing courage of first responders and those who serve in our military, who sacrifice themselves and make impossibly difficult decisions to keep us and others safe and free…and at the same time, an intense hatred of war in general and the very specific horrors it visits on human beings that God in Jesus Christ made, and loves, and died for. A knowledge that we must rise to the occasion if evil is threatening destruction…but a fear, too, of escalating and intensifying that destructive impulse rather than eliminating it. And the underlying question: what would Jesus, the Prince of Peace we claim to follow, have us do?
Pray, first of all. Because really, the workings of world governments are mostly out of any of our hands, as we live our lives here in Fallon, Nevada.
And yet, on the other hand, it’s very much IN our hands, and praying is what will lead us in the right direction. Because here in Fallon, Nevada – or wherever we happen to live – is where everything begins. Right here at our feet is the root of it all, which leads to the sprout, which grows the whole plant. And when we are tapped into the True Vine, we bear healthy, abundant, life-full fruit. And that, ultimately, affects everything else.
I was inspired by a quote I saw the other day. Paraphrasing Ram Dass: “Whether this is the first day of the Apocalypse or the first day of the Golden Age, the work remains the same: to love each other and ease as much suffering as possible.”
Sean Dietrich, in the piece he wrote today, said he prays for tiny, simple, everyday peace. Not world peace, or even national peace, he says, but the kind of peace where you feel just at ease and unafraid and in love with everything. “If it spread, this peace would eventually take hold of random people’s hearts. Infiltrating their defenses, spreading even more. Soon, it would unfurl itself across the Atlantic, whisking throughout the Northern Hemisphere, across the Mediterranean, eastward into Asia, flying through the wilds of Africa. All the way to Timbuktu.
“And everyone on the planet would realize that there is nothing to be afraid of. There is only love. That’s all there has ever been. That’s all there ever will be. All you have to do is reach out and touch it.
“Maybe,” he writes, “I’m praying for world peace after all.”
Maybe I am, too. Let’s pray for that together, shall we? A peace of mind and heart that passes all understanding. Amen.
Pastor Dawn
“And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.”Psalm 39:7
Worship This Week
End of Days and the Day to Come
This week we have the great joy of hearing a sermon from Steve Fraker, while Pastor Dawn and our Lay Delegates Margaret Knox and Kathy Fraker are worshiping from afar at Annual Conference in Sacramento. Steve is preaching on our great hope in Jesus Christ, and how all of this story resolves in God’s ultimate victory. We’ll also hear special music from Tim Bennett, who will sing his favorite song “Sanctuary” for us, and tell us why he loves it. As you prepare your heart for worship, you might like to read and pray with Psalm 39:4-7, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, and Revelation 7:9.
Worship begins at 9:00am every Sunday. If you can’t be there, remember to find us on YouTube so that you can watch live from wherever you are, or join us on KVLV radio on AM980 every Sunday beginning at 9:30am. If you listen on the radio, or watch online, let us know and tell us how we can improve those broadcasts too! If you have ideas or questions, or if we can be in prayer for you in any way, please call the church at 775-423-4714. We’d love to hear from you.
Wednesday Evening Prayer
Wednesday Evening Prayer is held on the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm on YouTube Live. We pray together in the tradition of lectio divina, a special way of using the Bible to guide us in prayer and help us listen for the voice of God. If you subscribe to our YouTube channel, you’ll be notified by email when we go online…otherwise, just go to our channel at 7pm and we’ll be there. We’ll meet next on July 2.
News and Fun Stuff
Wolf Center Community Services
Summer is bringing new guests and new volunteers to the Wolf Center. Thanks to our new Facebook page and new listings on JustServe.org we’ve had a bunch of new inquiries and new faces volunteering to help serve lunches on Wednesdays and Saturdays, donate canned goods and nonperishables to our food pantry and lunch ministries, and new guests at dinners. We’ve even had some folks call offering to help us do some yard work and painting! Stay tuned for a clean up and beautification day coming up soon.
July 4 Celebration Booths Need You!
We have 2 booths this year, one for Epworth and one for the Wolf Center, right next to each other, and we need smiling faces to set up and staff each one from about 8am til 2pm on July 4. Both will be shaded, stocked with water and snacks for us, and giveaways for kids and adults. Plus bubbles to draw attention!
Celebration of Life for Jeanette Strong on Saturday July 12, 11am
We are still planning the details, but we have a date! We will sing, pray, hear some of Jeanette’s favorite scriptures, tell stories, and celebrate the life of our wonderful friend. We’ll share lunch together afterward, and then go together to her gravesite to sing and pray. It will be a beautiful day.
Celebration of Life for Gaye Johnston on Saturday, Aug 16
Mark your calendar to be with our beloved Gaye’s family and friends on Saturday, August 15 (exact time TBA). Gaye has been living in Texas with her daughter Ella for the past few years, but we remember her as beautiful, funny, faithful, loving, active in her church and several community groups, and a wonderful friend. Please send prayers and love to her family, and join us to celebrate her in August.
Faith Night with the Reno Aces
We have a block of tickets to see the Reno Aces play the El Paso Chihuahuas on Friday August 15! We’re in the shade on the 3rdbase side, and tickets are $24 apiece. Tickets include a free hat, a Christian concert, and personal testimony from a couple players before the game. Let Pastor Dawn know if you’d like to go so we can reserve your tickets, and get more if we need. We’ve been going to the game as a church for years, and you are welcome to invite friends and family and folks from other churches too! The more the merrier.
Attend or Help Cook for Mission U on August 8-9!
Epworth is hosting, so we need a team to provide 3 meals, snacks, and drinks for probably about 30 people. We can do this! Let Margaret Knox, Kathy Fraker, Carol Roeder, Edith Isidoro-Mills, or Pastor Dawn know you’d like to help, and we will create a menu and make it happen. This year’s topic is “Practicing Hope Together”, and there is curriculum and activities for all genders and all ages. “Mission U is a transformative education program that offers biblically grounded studies that inform, motivate and enrich our commitment to being in mission and ministry for a more just and equitable world.” Go to canvuwf.org/mission-u to register.
Join our Saturday Lunch Team!
We make generous bagged lunches on Wednesdays and Saturdays for anyone who needs them, and our Saturday team especially needs some extra help. We set up around 9:30am, serve from 10am til 1pm, and are finished cleaning up by around 1:30pm. It’s lots of fun and very rewarding. Talk to Debbie Sherman, Dianne Taylor, or Pastor Dawn for more information. 775-423-4714. We’d love your donations of money or supplies, too! And fresh baked sweets are always welcome, they make folks feel so special.
“When We All Get to Heaven”
from articles at UMDiscipleship, Wikipedia, and more
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“When We All Get to Heaven” by Eliza E. Hewitt
The United Methodist Hymnal, 701
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus; sing his mercy and his grace.
In the mansions bright and blessed, he’ll prepare for us a place.
Refrain:
When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!
Philadelphians Eliza E. Hewitt (1851-1920) and Emily D. Wilson (1865-1942) combined as poet and musician respectively to give us a gospel song that captures the revival spirit of the late nineteenth century in a uniquely American way.
Eliza was born on June 28, 1851, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Eliza Edmunds Hewitt to sea Capt. James Stratton Hewitt and his wife Zeruiah Stites Edmunds. She completed her school education at the Girls' Normal School in Philadelphia where she graduated as a valedictorian of her class. She later started teaching at the Northern Home for Friendless Children, but her professional career was cut short by a serious spinal problem, in 1887, caused by a student who struck her across the back with a heavy slate for being disciplined. As a result, she was put in a heavy cast for six months. Though she partially recovered, she remained an invalid for an extended period of her life. During her prolonged convalescence, she studied English literature and started writing poems for the primary department of her church. She soon became a prolific writer of children's poems, using the pseudonym Lidie H Edmunds for some of them.
Despite her health problems, she showed interest in Sunday school work. She began teaching the primary class in Sunday schools. She later became Sunday school superintendent at the Northern Home for Friendless Children, and the Calvin Presbyterian Church. She prepared study materials for Sunday schools and regularly contributed for children's periodicals.
Eliza was a close friend of Fanny Crosby, prolific hymnist, and the two often attended the Methodist camp meetings at Ocean Grove, New Jersey together. It was at one such camp meeting where Eliza met Emily Wilson, who set several of her poems – including “When We All Get to Heaven” – to music.
Emily was the wife of Methodist Minister John G Wilson. The minutes of the Philadelphia Methodist Conference noted:
“Mrs. Wilson was the acknowledged inspiration of her esteemed husband. She was beloved by the congregations of the churches served. Her musical ability was a great contribution to the local church, together with her ability in dramatic art.”
The stanzas of “When We All Get to Heaven” are filled with Biblical imagery and allusions, from the bright lights and pearly gates, to the joy and restful sighs in Christ’s presence, to the mansions with many rooms and places prepared for each of us. The ambiguity of “all” could refer to the full inclusiveness of God’s grace in the Wesleyan tradition, or more specifically to the folks worshiping together at the very camp meeting in Ocean Grove where it was written.
Both Eliza Hewitt and Emily Wilson lived all their lives in Philadelphia. Eliza died on April 24, 1920, and is buried in Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.