September 5, 2021
September is the ninth month of the year. Sunday 4 is the first Sunday in the month. We have 118 days left in the year. Make the most of the time that you have left in 2021.
There are a few dates I would like to call to your attention.
Monday, September 6 is Labor Day.
Be well and safe as you celebrate. Labor Day reminds us that summer is ebbing into the annals of the past as autumn takes center stage in the present.
Sunday, September 12 is the 47th Anniversary of Christian Women On The Move.
The theme is "Christian Women Standing in the Gap." Reverend Helena Titus is the guest from First AME. The scripture is Ephesians 6:18-24.
18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 21But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: 22Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. 23Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Sunday, September 26 is Christian Education and Theological Education Emphasis.
Members of the Christian Education Commission will be leading in worship. Christian and Theological Education Emphasis has as its purpose responsible biblical interpretation as it communicates the message of the Bible to the contemporary concerns of life. Given how easily scripture gets misinterpreted and misused to alienate, isolate, perpetuate petty prejudices, promote proclivities and practices, it is absolutely necessary to responsibly interpret scripture and make the appropriate application to our lives. Otherwise we practice toxic churchianity and parade it as Christianity making bullying, narcissism, racism, and sexism acceptable.
Let me close with a poetic expression about time.
Time is that elusive entity that carries us with its motion / Without our permission time subjects us to more than one emotion / We are taken by its flow not always sure we know / The end to which we will eventually go / So use wisely what you can never regain / For if you lose it you cannot capture it again / This is a word for those who know without a doubt / That managing time is the best you can do to handle the route / That time provides for you to travel / So that you can fulfill your life with little to unravel.
Enough of my musing. Be well and make the most of the remaining portion of your life with enthusiastic fervor and faith to forge through the unknown future with the assurance that you have all you need to make the most of your life indeed.
Love and blessings,
-Pastor
Dr. William S. Epps, Senior Pastor
