Tinney Chapel Today

"TINNEY CHAPEL UMC, the quintessential country church, looks to the future," proclaimed a front-page feature on our church this past week by the editor of the North Texas Methodist Reporter newspaper. To read the online version of Rev. Dr. Joan LaBarr's article, click HERE
Photo by David Stanton.

SUNDAY WORSHIP TODAY, 9:00 A.M. SERVICE:

GREETERS: George Jordan & Matthew Stanley.

SOUNDMAN: Bob Deitering.

USHERS: Harvey (Buzz) Welch & George Jordan.

SONGLEADER: Angela Wylie.

PIANIST: Pat Hollingsworth.

SONGS: In The Garden; Open My Eyes That I May See; Count Your Blessings.

SPECIAL MUSIC by Tinney Chapel Choir, directed by Pat Hollingsworth:

Sanctuary/The Celebration of the Lamb/Christ the Lord is Risen Today.

Choir singers today included: Josie Garrett, Judy Spears, Alice Deitering, Angela Wylie, Bobbie Hollingsworth, Linda Hallman, Emmaline Hallman, Sadie Jordan, Angel Hensley, Stacey Stanley, Christi Noble, Randy Stanley, Ronny Ellison, David Wylie, George Jordan, Derrell Hollingsworth.

Call to Worship & Opening Prayer: Rev. Gene Miller.

Morning Prayer & Lord’s Prayer: Pastor Duncan Graham

LITURGY BY ASSOCIATE PASTOR GENE MILLER:

Offertory Prayer

Doxology

Gloria Patri

Apostles Creed

KIDS SERMON TODAY:

Senior Pastor Rev. Duncan Graham reminded the children that Thursday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day. Some of what we think we know about St. Patrick may be the result of slight exaggeration by Irish storytellers over the centuries, the Pastor suggested. “We do know, however, that he was born in Wales about 385 A.D.,” said Pastor Graham. “And, we know that St. Patrick was sold into slavery at the age of 16. We know, too, that he worked for about six years as a shepherd, and that he studied during that time, eventually becoming interested in religious studies.

“St. Patrick escaped slavery, and became a missionary to Ireland, with a goal of converting the country to Christianity,” added Pastor Graham. “Over the next 30 years, despite being arrested several times, St. Patrick became successful in his efforts to convert Ireland to Christianity. During his ministry, we know that he was credited with many great accomplishments, including some miracles, before his death at the age of 76.

“That St. Patrick’s Day is still celebrated today, and is a big event even in this country speaks to his enduring legacy,” said the Pastor. “One of the things that brought him fame was his use of the Irish Shamrock (a 3-leaf clover) to symbolize the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. St. Patrick said that all three leaves stemmed from the same source, and that each leaf was a separate manifestation of God.”

The Pastor distributed to each child a 3-leaf clover smiley-face pin to wear in honor of the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day. In his closing prayer, the Pastor called on our gracious, heavenly Father to help the children always remember the meaning of the Holy Trinity and the Presence in all our lives of the Father, the Son and the indwelling Holy Spirit that sustains us. “Strengthen us in our faith, always abounding in love,” concluded the Pastor. “Amen.”

ADULT SERMON TODAY:

Senior Pastor Rev. Duncan Graham’s sermon topic today was “Temple Discourses: Jesus Speaks in Parables,” To read the New King James Translation of the Pastor’s Scripture for today’s sermon, click on this link: Matthew 25:1-13.

"Today’s Scripture helps us understand some of the responsibilities of the Christian Church as the Bride of Christ," explained the Pastor. "But, perhaps we should also understand that the arranged marriages we read about in Bible times probably did not always occur without at least some input from both the bride and groom as well as the other members of each family. While there was no Biblical equivalent of modern-day dating, we may assume there was some contact between the bride and groom before arrangements got underway for their marriage ceremony.

“Very likely, the groom had a hand in choosing his future bride, perhaps from someone he grew up with, or someone who had caught his eye, and he made that known to his own family,” suggested Pastor Graham. “At some point, the prospective groom would meet with the girl’s parents to tell them about his dowry, and perhaps the girl had something like a hope chest or equivalent of that day. At this point, a contractual relationship was underway.

“But, at a certain point, the prospective bride would be brought into the room during negotiations, and the prospective groom would offer her a cup of wine,” added the Pastor. “If she took the cup and drank the wine, she symbolically accepted him as a prospective husband. If she did not, that was a symbolic message that he should search elsewhere for a bride. So, this was not always a simple matchmaker arrangement in ancient Israel.

“But, once the cup (and thus the prospective groom) was accepted by the prospective bride and her family, the suitor returned to his family to prepare for the bride,” explained Pastor Graham. “This meant that he worked at the task until his father said all was ready. Only then could the groom go to claim his bride, who had also been busy to get herself ready for the coming of the groom. But only the father of the groom knew the day and the hour, so both bride and groom had to adopt a policy of expectancy: Being in constant readiness for the time the groom came to claim his bride, which was usually in the middle of the night, and then proceed to a multiple-day wedding feast.

“While waiting for the groom to come, the bridesmaids carried lighted torches: sticks or poles wrapped with rags that had been saturated in oil,” explained the Pastor. “When these burned out, a wise bridesmaid would have brought extra oil to re-saturate the rags and re-light her torch.

“But in today’s Scripture, only five of them were wise,” reminded the Pastor. “The other five were foolish, fell asleep, and upon awakening, found themselves without extra oil to light their way, and so missed out on the procession to the groom’s house. They were not ready! Sadly, tragically, after they scrambled to find new oil and returned, they were not admitted to the wedding feast. Because they had not been ready, the groom knew them not.

“Jesus often taught in parables, and I don’t think it was altogether so that unbelievers would not understand His message,” added Pastor Graham. “I think he also believed that parables caused believers to stop and think!

“When Jesus will return, only the Father knows,” added the Pastor. “But, as the Bride of Christ, the Church should always be making preparations for the return of the Groom. Nothing is more important for the Bride than being ready for the Bridegroom. Certainly, in the culture of ancient Israel, it was the most important thing, although modern society may have a difficult time understanding that.

“But, this is what I would say to the Church: Bride, get ready,” emphasized Pastor Graham. “The attendants are called to be ready as well, and to fail to be ready is to miss out on the Wedding Feast. For us here today, our Lord is calling on us to walk in His Holiness every day with our torches trimmed and the oil representing the Holy Spirit. We are to walk in the Righteousness of the Living Christ every day.

“A friend recently told me about encountering people who are aware that something in their lives is not quite pleasing in God’s sight, and they intend to clear it up one of these days,” the Pastor related. “But, so many never get around to it, and go to their graves without clearing it up, without being ready. I told my friend that it seems equally tragic that some are in that situation, but they also think that a loving God will not condemn them to hell for not clearing up that one item, whatever it might be. After all, they say they are otherwise pretty good folks and do not rob, steal or cheat.

“Yet, Jesus says in today’s Scripture that if you are not prepared, you will not be admitted,” concluded Pastor Graham. “It’s up to you, individually, to be prepared. You will not be assisted just because your friends are prepared, if you are not also walking in righteousness. In this series of sermons on the Temple Discourses, Jesus tells us what we need to be doing. The Bridegroom will come, but we don’t know when or where.

“Sooner or later, we will be called up, and He will either know us as His own or not, and if not, then you can’t come to the Wedding Feast,” said the Pastor. “I believe it’s His desire that all be ready, that all walk in righteous holiness. Still, each person has to make their own decisions on how they will live their lives. Is your life filled with a desire to meet Jesus or is it filled with the pleasures you desire? Do you throw away options to do things for God, in the Name of Jesus Christ, that show Him you are prepared for whatever the hour or do you pursue things that make you happy? He will come, and He will know if you and I are ready. We will soon observe Good Friday and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, who has already let us know that the decision to be ready is the most important decision in our lives.”

In his closing prayer, the Pastor asked the gracious Lord that our life choices and actions be pleasing in His sight as we try to encourage others toward God’s gift of Everlasting Life. “By Your Grace, help us to be as the five wise virgins, walking in holiness and righteousness in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

CLASSES TODAY:

SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS TOPICS:

WISE ONES, Frankie Brewer: God judges all people.

LADIES BYKOTA CLASS, Elaine Graham for Peggy Boyd: Guarding against sin.

TINNEY CHAPEL MEN, Bill Knoop: The Case For Christ, a study by Lee Strobel.

OVERCOMERS, Jenna Nelson: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

YOUTH, Ronny Ellison: Life Lessons from 1 & 2 Peter, a study by Max Lucado.

CHILDREN, Linda Hallman: Do this in remembrance of me.

REMNANT, Joe Dan Boyd: Overview of Old Testament Book of Proverbs and study of Chapter 1.

The Remnant Righteousness handout, Life Lessons # 258, is below:

1. The social structure ordained & upheld by God in this book entails an inseparable connection between deed and destiny, writes Bruce Waltke in Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology.
2. While Christianity may regard itself as a faith, says Waltke, the Book of Proverbs, like most of the Bible, regards the faithful as following a way, a life-path.
3. Waltke develops this thought with a Road of Life metaphor in which our life-path is determined by specific choices and behavior described in Proverbs.
4. The Proverbial path to Abundant Life requires a choice of fellowship with the eternal and living God, a concept rooted in Genesis 2:17, which Waltke interprets to suggest that disruption of fellowship with this source of life means death.
5. Wisdom literature regards life as both already and yet to come, says Waltke. The sage emphasizes embracing life now.
6. Proverbs contains no unscientific statement or inaccurate observation, which should alert any thinking person that the Book of Proverbs is God-inspired, says commentator J. Vernon McGee.
7. The Proverbs do not contradict themselves, while man’s proverbs are often in opposition to each other, notes commentator McGee.
8. While the Book of Proverbs seems to be a collection of sayings without any particular regard for orderly arrangement, commentator McGee believes it tells a story that transcends all dispensations.
9. The One in this book whose wisdom it is, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, declares commentator McGee.
10. A thumbnail sketch of every character in the Bible can be found in the Book of Proverbs, says McGee.
11. The challenge of the entire Book of Proverbs, McGee believes, is expressed by Proverbs 1:5, and suggests that the truly wise person never stops learning and seeks out the wisdom of others.
12. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom & instruction: Proverbs 1:7.

The Remnant

Sunday School Class

Tinney Chapel UMC

Winnsboro, Texas

ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT SUNDAY: 03-20-05

READ PROVERBS 2.

AFTERWARDS, REFLECT UPON THESE THINGS:

1. Turning your ear to wisdom.

2. Applying your heart to understanding.

3. Calling out for insight.

4. Crying aloud for understanding.

5. Protected by discretion.

6. The paths of Life.

BIBLE READINGS TODAY:

Readings for the Fifth Sunday in Lent: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45.