Midweek News - August 7, 2024

In this week's issue:

Message from Pastor John
Worship News - New Worship Series "Three Simple Questions"
Sermon Video
Missions News - McCurdy's new Locker 505
Church News
New Website is Up - LAFUMC.ORG
Programming Night
Men's Lunch
Choir News
Fellowship Activities - Sunday, August 11th, Pool Party and Potluck at 1 p.m.
Prayer Concerns
Birthdays/Anniversaries for August

Message from Pastor John

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Last week I was in Phoenix with the family helping to begin to clean out my parent’s home, which is its own story. While I was driving to their house one morning, I was listening to the radio and the morning program was talking about the Olympics and what they were watching, or whether they were watching. One of them said that the problem with the Olympics is the times that the events take place is during the day in the US, so you already know what happened before the primetime show starts. “What they need to do,” they said, “is to tell the Olympics that they need to start the important events to coincide with primetime viewing in the United States, regardless of what time that represents in France.”

Now, I have to say that I am assuming they were serious about this, because they gave the example that apparently the WWE does this when they have matches out of the US. But, they are a morning show, so perhaps they were just trying to be funny. Regardless, my thought was “wow, how provincial.”

That is that they could believe, and certainly plenty of people do, that the broadcast of the Olympics is all about what works best for the US. Not thinking about every other country who also watches the Olympics, let alone what works best for the host country. But clearly, since we think we “dominate” the Olympics, then we should be in control because it’s all about us (and US), isn’t it? It’s not just provincial, but there is a large degree of narcissism involved as well.

A quote widely attributed to Mark Twain, although he didn’t say it, is that "it’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, then to open your mouth and remove all doubt." Proverbs, coming much earlier, says something similar, “Even fools who keep silent are considered wise; when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.” (17:28)

Those things were all swirling around in my mind when the controversy from the opening ceremony, and those claiming it was an attack on Christianity also began. Let me say that I did not watch the opening ceremonies as I was at the summer concert that night (long live George Michael). But the response is, not only blown out of proportion, but I also think not appropriate for how we as Christians are called to respond.

First, there were many clues that this had nothing to do with Da Vinci’s Last Supper, the first being there were a lot more people at the table than 13. Instead it was based on a painting very famous in France, although more obscure elsewhere, painted in the same time frame as Davinci, and so using the same motif of people sitting at a long table. It also was based on Greek mythology, connecting it to the start of the Olympic games, and there were lots of other clues showing this connection.

I will also note that Davinci’s painting has nothing to do with what the last supper would have looked like, other than they actually would have been sitting on the same side of the table, but the table was U shaped for easy of serving (called a triclinium). Jesus would also have been at the head of the table, not in the center. But that’s a different message.

Second, while France, like most of Europe, is more secular, Christians still make up the majority of the country. So, the question we should first ask is why the French Olympic Committee would do something that would potentially offend 2/3 of their population, and large portions of the western world? The answer is they wouldn’t, that should be where we start in our response. Now could they have done a better job of thinking about how it appeared, certainly, and they did apologize for that.

Third, the response by many that it was offensive to Christians was, in my opinion, overblown and did nothing to help either dealing with it, or help how others who are not Christians view the church. Outsiders watching it were thinking “this is what you’re upset and making a fuss about? There are people dying of poverty, of violence and war, of treatable illnesses and lack of clean running water, amongst other things. Be angry about that, because this seems a little ridiculous."

That became even more apparent after the Olympic Committee explained what happened and apologized. The appropriate response then is to say thank you, we understand, and move on, not to continue to show foolishness. But the biggest problem for me comes from a passage from Romans we heard not too long ago, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (12:14, 21)

This is not to say that there aren’t times and places to raise issues, but there are good and bad ways to do it, and when the response seems provincial and narcissistic (as well as ignorant) then, in my opinion, it’s not the right way. Instead, those who were upset could have said, “this is how I perceived this, this is why I have an issue” and then talked about why we consider that last night and communion so important to our beliefs and practices.

It would have also been a time to be open to hearing the other side, their reasoning, and their apology and then offering that whole forgiveness thing that’s supposed to be important to Christians. Instead people just cursed and missed a great chance to show love and demonstrate what we are supposed to be about as Christians.

Another lost opportunity to be Christ to the world.

Blessings,

John

What I'm Currently Reading:

The Girls of the Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

Worship News

Sunday, August 7, 2024

Prayer for the week: Bread of heaven, you feed us in the depths of grief, sin, and hostility. Nourish us with your word through the long hours of tears, and in the dawning awareness of our need for forgiveness, so that we may be redeemed by your steadfast love. Amen.

Next Sunday: The scripture readings for Sunday, August 11, are Exodus 3:1-7, 10, 13-15; Psalm 130; 1 John 4:16b-21 and John 15:1-8. Sunday's message, "Who is God?" will be on the passages from Exodus and 1 John. Sunday is a contemporary service and we will also receive communion.

Questions to help you prepare: Who is God to you? What is the most comforting belief about God? Where do you struggle with an understanding of God? What does it mean that God is love? How does that effect what we believe and how we live?

10 a.m. Worship

streamed online at Facebook.com/FirstInYourHeart,

our website at FirstInYourHeart.org

http://lafumc.churchcenter.com/

Sermons

Did you miss Sunday's sermon or perhaps want to share it with a friend?

You can find other sermons in this series on our website.

Mission Opportunities

McCurdy is Opening Locker 505

Locker #505 is a new ministry at McCurdy providing students in need with the opportunity to select school clothes and supplies. Children from 0 - 18 years old will be able to shop and select 5 outfits and new socks and underwear free of charge. The Locker 505 at McCurdy opened August 9th.

While your going through your child's closets please consider donating their like new and gentle worn clothes to Locker 505. The mission team is planning a collection in the near future, so be on the look out for more information.

For Referral: please contact McCurdy Ministries (505)753-7221 or email Tiffany at thollums@mccurdy.org. Questions? Please email Tiffany at thollums@mccurdy.org.

Check out Locker 505 at https://locker505.org/

Community Food Pantry

Our food pantry continues to get use when you're at the grocery maybe consider picking up a few items. You can either place them in box outside or in the basket in the entry. Thank you for helping us to be God's love in action.

Here are some ideas of items you can bring:

● Shelf-stable milk

● Canned fruit, vegetables, beans, meat and soup with pop tops

● Packaged meals, such as Macaroni and Cheese, Rice-a-roni, or Tuna Helper

● Individually packaged snacks (granola bars, nuts, dried fruit, cheese and crackers…)

Please check expiration dates and donate only items that are to date.

Bring unopened packages only. Thanks for your help us to be God's love in Action!

Four Corners Mission Trip Invitation

St. John's UMC Santa Fe is preparing for a mission trip to the Shiprock area in September. We have ten spots open and welcome anyone who would like to come work and fellowship with us.

When: Monday - Friday, Sept. 9-13, 2024

Where: We will be working with the Four Corners Native American Ministry of the NM United Methodist Conference in the Shiprock area. The dorm/camp is in Ojo Amarillo just outside of Farmington.

Cost: About $165 per person, with scholarships available as needed.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Bob or Marilyn Galano at bmgalano@gmail.com or 505-795-1919.

Church News

Hymnal for Joe & Suzy

Joe and Suzy Richardson will be moving to Salida, CO. They will be in worship with us for the last time on Sunday, August 18th. We invited you to come and send them off with warm wishes.

There is a hymnal in the narthex that we ask everyone to sign and it will be presented to them before they move. If you are unable to stop by the church you can email a greeting to the church office and Julie will enter into the hymnal.

Programming Night 2024

We will enter our third year of Programming Night on August 18th at 4:00 p.m. We are so excited to get back into the swing of things and offer new classes and new opportunities with this same beautiful community of programs.

With this new year comes a new calendar and a new type of meeting. An “Alternate Meeting” is a regularly scheduled meeting with a different focus, such as fellowship, service projects, or a mix.

Bell Choir and Choir

Make a joyful noise to the Lord! Ps.100:1

Our bell choir and choir will begin practices on Wednesdays after Labor day. We invite new ringers and voices to join us Wednesday, September 4th, 2024.

6:30 p.m. Bell choir

7:15 p.m. Choir

Men's Luncheon

August 7, 2024

Beef and Leaf, 3801 Arkansas Ave Suite G, Los Alamos

This week’s Thursday lunch, August 7, 2024, will be at 11:30 at the Beef and Leaf, 3801 Arkansas Ave Suite G, in the same shopping center as Papa Murphy's and Gillian's. Please RSVP to Phillip Ortega at faith@lafumc.org, to reserve your spot.

All men of the church (and friends and neighbors) are invited.

All Booked Up Selects New Book

Our book for September is Stephanie Land's book Maid. There's a Kindle, a Hoopla audio book, a hardback book (in White Rock) at Mesa Public Library. We have it in the UWF library and on our Kindle.

"A single mother's personal, unflinching look at America's class divide (Barack Obama)," this New York Times bestselling memoir is the inspiration for the Netflix limited series, hailed by Rolling Stone as "a great one." At 28, Stephanie Land's dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer quickly dissolved when a summer fling turned into an unplanned pregnancy. Before long, she found herself a single mother, scraping by as a housekeeper to make ends meet.

Maid is an emotionally raw, masterful account of Stephanie's years spent in service to upper middle class America as a "nameless ghost" who quietly shared in her clients' triumphs, tragedies, and deepest secrets. Driven to carve out a better life for her family, she cleaned by day and took online classes by night, writing relentlessly as she worked toward earning a college degree. She wrote of the true stories that weren't being told: of living on food stamps and WIC coupons, of government programs that barely provided housing, of aloof government employees who shamed her for receiving what little assistance she did. Above all else, she wrote about pursuing the myth of the American Dream from the poverty line, all the while slashing through deep-rooted stigmas of the working poor.

Maid is Stephanie's story, but it's not hers alone. It is an inspiring testament to the courage, determination, and ultimate strength of the human spirit.

Happy reading!

Carol

Website Launch

We are excited to announce we launched our new website on Friday: LAFUMC.ORG

Its new modern appearance will be easy to navigate and has a special feature for those who regularly attend called MEMBERS. This button is designed for our current participants to easily navigate and find information on worship, calendar of events, streaming, giving, and newsletter.

We have more features coming in the near future, and can’t wait for you all to see it.

Midsummer's Fellowship

Sunday, August 11th at 1p.m. join us for our final Midsummer's Fellowship Event of the summer. Bring a side or dessert to share the church will provide the main dish. Meet up at the kiddie pool.

Giving

Available in apple store and google play!

There are several ways you can make your

tithe and offering payments.

Go to our website then click on "Give Securely Online" at the top right-hand column. Set up a one time or a reoccurring gift.
"Text any dollar amount to 84321 to give."
In-person drop off your check
You can mail your checks to the church office:

715 Diamond Drive, Los Alamos, NM 87544

We thank you for your faithfulness!

Steps to setup Online Giving

Prayer Concerns

Praise and Thanksgiving:

Praise for Pastor John and our church leadership.
Thanks, and praise for those who came to help Lee Weinland move things from his home. Lee was so grateful for your help!

New and Ongoing Prayers:

Prayers for Jeannie Gibson's son, AJ who suffered a serve head injury.
Prayers for teachers and students as they prepare for school to begin.
Prayers for healing for Mary Courtright.
Prayers for Pastor John and his family.
Prayers for Margot and her family.
Prayers for Eric Multer as he continues his fight against leukemia.
Prayers for healing for Ryder Armes, Terry Barnes, Amy Cross, Ashley Johnston, Jim Little, Sandra Jo Rudloff, and Lee Weinland.
Prayers for our world.

**If you have a prayer request or praise that you would like to share please call, 505-662-6277 or email, office@lafumc.org, the church office. If you would like your prayer to be confidential just let us know.