Richmond First United Methodist Church

Serving Richmond Since 1900

Current Newsletter

by

 Richmond First United Methodist News and Events

April 12, 2014

Pastor’s Perspective
Dear Friends,

Here is my message from last Sunday:

On Joy and Sorrow, John11:1-45
Pastor Dan Damon, Richmond 1st UMC, 4-6-14
  
Introduction
 
As we go on grieving Liam Thompson’s death, and remembering the joy of knowing him, we need renewed hope, transformed faith, and love that never dies. We search in vain for lasting comfort. But through the arts, we look beyond, to something greater than ourselves that we sense, but do not see. We turn again to poetry and story, to lift us from despair into a life of renewed joy and strength.
 
On Joy and Sorrow
Khalil Gibran, Lebanese artist, poet, and writer (1883-1931)
Alt. for simplicity and clarity by Dan Damon, 2014 for this sermon, 
The original was recently posted on Facebook by Amanda Peters.

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the same well
from which your laughter rises
was often filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

Is not the cup that holds your wine
the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit,
the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart, and you will find
it is only that which has given you sorrow
that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you will see
that in truth you are weeping
for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,”
and others say, “No, sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, 
and when one sits alone with you at your table, remember that the other is asleep on your bed.

 Truly we are suspended as if on a scale
weighing our sorrow and our joy.
Only when we are empty
are we at standstill and balanced.

 As long as we live,
our joys and our sorrows
will rise or fall.
Retell the Scripture Story
 
Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, was ill.
            Lazarus of Bethany, brother of Mary and Martha,
            (Martha is active, Mary is contemplative) According to John, this Mary             was the one who anointed Jesus’ with perfume and wiped his feet with             her hair.
They send word, but Jesus waits two days before coming.
            Martha met Jesus and said, “If you had been here Lazarus would not             have died.” There were many mourners present. Martha said, “Even             now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”
 
Mary came to meet Jesus, weeping and falling at his feet. Jesus was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?”  They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”
Jesus wept. John 11:35 NRSV Jesus began to weep…
And the people said, “See how he loved him.”
 
Raising Lazarus:
“Take away the stone. Father, I thank you for having heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me. Lazarus come out!” And when Lazarus came out, Jesus said, “Unbind him and let him go.”
 
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
 
Application
 
It has been said that Christianity is a religion of belief. “Are you a believer?” we are asked. Judaism, on the other hand is a religion of practice. You might ask a Jewish friend, “Are you practicing?” They might say, “Well, I observe the holidays. I try to preach and live a faith that depends on practice, not on belief. We believe what we believe. We have different personalities, different educations. Of course, we do not all believe the same thing, but we all can practice living lives of love and joy, sorrow and hope, aspiring to the greatest good that we can imagine, and then going a bit beyond that by way of the arts. We turn to poetry, song, story, humor, dance, and the visual arts as we practice day by day. We practice in communities of joy and sorrow, and we try to understand the unfolding mystery. Here is a poem I wrote in 1992 as I tried to understand Jesus’ death on the cross:
  
Jesus’ death was not God’s need,
but to offer grace;
anger did not make him bleed
for the human race.
Jesus’ life and what he taught,
more than any creed,
this the gift God’s joy has brought;
this love’s only need.
 
Find no fault with Jewish law,
nor with Roman rule;
fault the love that blessed the straw
with a wondrous jewel.
Better still to place no blame,
human or divine;
learn to share in Jesus’ name:
water, bread and wine.
  
Bless the stones that cry aloud
as the prince rides by;
bless the humble and the proud
who return to cry.
Jesus was not born to die
but to show the way;
Christ invites us each to try
living what we pray.
 
Dan Damon
Words and Music © 1993 Hope Publishing Company
 
One thing I know… God is with us in our joy and in our sorrow. There is enough to go on here. A step at a time, a day at a time, one conversation at a time, God leads us, and helps us to mourn and to rejoice. This is life as we experience it now. Our hope moves us forward, our faith sustains us as it changes and grows, and love never ends. Live each day with gratitude and compassion. Reach out in concern and service to the world.
 
Jesus told the woman at the well everything she ever did, “and the woman, with a question, told the world what she had found.” FWS 6
 
Christine Manderfeld, OSB has written a short SATB chant that will be coming out this summer in the At Your Altars collection. We will continue singing it now, because we need it. Here are the words:
 
            Risen Christ, let us walk in your presence.
            Let us live in the light of your shining. [repeat]
                                                                                    © 2014 Hope Publishing Company
Joys and Concerns
  • Barbara Haley requests your prayers for healing. As many of you know, she has macular degeneration and her good eye is active and being treated which has caused a decrease in vision.
  •  Lauren McLeod welcomes your prayers for healing.
  •  Our friend, Arinel Greene, from Easter Hill UMC, is being treated with chemo/radiation for uterine cancer. She is a woman of great faith and welcomes being on our prayer list for healing. If you would like to send her a card: 5326 Conestoga Way, El Sobrante, CA 94803.Please remember her in your prayers.
  •   Pat Dornan and Linda Pereira continue to need your prayers of support and healing. Linda is home and is making an effort to be more active,
  •    Robbie Robinson has been out with a virus for several weeks. He would appreciate your prayers for recovery.
  • Sandra Kokoruda (Fran Smith’s daughter) is undergoing more medical testing. Continue to remember her in your prayers
News
  • A Study and Survey of the Worldwide Nature of the United Methodist Church will be presented by Pastor Dan Damon and Jean Reynolds for four Sundays, May 18 through June 8 during Adult Sunday School 10 am in Friendship Hall. Anyone interested in joining the church is encouraged to come and all are welcome. Recommendations from the class will be presented at General Conference 2016. Weekly topics in order: 1. General Conference, Jurisdictions, and Central Conferences.2. The Book of Discipline.3.Boards, Agencies and Finances. 4. Education of Clergy and Laity. This is an opportunity to have input into proposals and changes
  • New 2014 Directory is available! Copies will be in Friendship Hall for you to pick up.
  • Junktique will be here May 3. Fran Smith is requesting you bring plastic bags and paper bags so that we have containers for purchases.
  • Flyers for Junktique: Attached is a flyer for Junktique. If you have a place to put one, please copy, snip the tags and make available to friends and neighbors!
  • Season of Love, A time for change: The Reconciling Caucus of the CA-NV UMC is coordinating a Circle of Love, Saturday, May 17 starting at 2 pm to support the marriage of two women at the Wesley UMC, 566 N. Fifth Street, San Jose. The marriage ceremony is at 3 pm and a possible press conference at 4:30 pm. You would not be attending the wedding, but supporting the church, minister and the union of these loving women by your presence. For more information: seasonoflove.info.

 
Generosity
  • Easter Lilies: Pat Dornan has generously offered to coordinate the purchase of lilies for the altar Easter Sunday. Each lily is $10 and you may take them home after the service. Orders must be received by Wednesday, April 16. There are forms in Friendship Hall to fill out and mail to Pat along with your check, or to give to Bill or Alice Thompson. The lilies are in honor of or in celebration of someone dear to you. Pat’s address, 9 Cherrywood Court, San Pablo, CA 94806.
  • The Administrative Board met Thursday evening. We are having difficulty meeting our projected costs in the General Budget and have added a column called “How are we doing?” to keep you informed. Our General Fund receipts to date are $20,283. Our budget need is $26,439. We count on your generosity to keep us funded and if you haven’t increased your giving, perhaps you would give it consideration.
Events
  • United Methodist Women (UMW) meeting, Saturday, April 12, 1-3 pm at Doreen Leighton’s home, 236 Castro St., Point Richmond. Let Doreen know if you are coming: d3leighton@me.com.
  • An Evening with Dan Damon, Saturday, April 12, 7:30 pm. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond, suggested donation $15, choir members free. Come and sing new hymns written by Pastor Dan Damon. The session will be recorded for our new website. Join your voice with ours, no rehearsal needed. Experience congregational song at its best, singing hymns of peace, justice and joy.
  • Staff-Parish Committee Meeting: Sunday, April 13 after church.
  • Good Friday Service, April 18, 7:30 pm at Pinole United Methodist Church, 2000 San Pablo Ave., Pinole, Area United Methodist Churches will be participating.
  • Easter Sunday, April 20: 8 am Garden Service,9 am free community breakfast, 10 am Sunday School, 11 am Worship Service, after church Easter Egg Hunt. Please bring some plastic eggs filled with candies or coins.
  • Friday, April 25, 7:30 pm: Point Richmond Jazz presents The Real Vocal String Quartet with Irene Sazer, Alicia Rose and Dina Maccabee, violins and Jessica Ivry, cello. RVSQ’s broad repertoire embraces the diverse influences of all four players from classical jazz and rock, to songs and styles from Africa, Brazil and rural America. Tickets through prjazz, $15, at the door #20. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond. Further info: prjazz.org.
  • Junktique is coming! Saturday, May 3, 9am- 3pm.
  • We are accepting donations of still usable furniture, toys, books, electronics, appliances and other household items (no clothing, please) as we anticipate our eagerly awaited Junktique annual sale event. For a pick up, contact Jonathan Swett at jnscons@comcast.net or Betty Graham at BettyGraeham@gmail.com. You may also phone at (510) 236-0152 or (510) 234-2512. EMAIL GREATLY PREFERRED.
  • The church basement door facing West Richmond Ave. will be open for drop off donations Saturday, April 26 from 9 to 12 and 7 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, April 28th – May 2nd. 
    If you would like to help in other ways: to price, organize or clean items before the sale or to help move merchandise before, during or after the sale, either Jonathan Swett or Betty Graham would welcome your call or email. 
    The day of the sale, come early and avail yourself of the bargains and unbelievable one-of-a-kind items. The kitchen will dish up chili, minestrone soup, hotdogs, and pie by the slice at lunchtime to give you strength to stay longer.
  • Labor Day Weekend: August 29 through September 1st  2014, Stepping Out in Faith, sponsored by the Western Methodist Justice Movement which advocates compassionate US immigration policies, fully inclusive UMC ministries, human rights in the Philippines, a just peace for Israel-Palestine, reproductive justice and more.
  • Registration opens soon. Lake Tahoe, Zephyr Point Retreat Center. For more info: wmjm.org.
.
Send submissions for FUMC News and Events to Barbara Haley, editor: bahcats@sbcglobal.net

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Current Newsletter

by

Richmond First United Methodist News and Events

April 5, 2014

Pastor’s Perspective

Dear Friends,

Here are my notes from last Sunday:

One Thing I Know, John 9:1-41
Pastor Dan Damon, Richmond 1st UMC, 3-30-14

Introduction:

One of the great German systematic theologians, Karl Barth, was once asked
to express the most important theological truth. Instead of giving the
expected complex philosophical answer, he quoted William Bradbury¹s 19th
century hymn:

Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong,
they are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.

One thing I knowŠ Jesus loves me.

Retell the Scripture Story

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who had been blind since birth. He had
never seen the light of the sun, moon, and stars. The disciples asked, ³Who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?²
That is how they thought of things in those days. Do remember the story of
Job? It was the same then. But Jesus answered that it was not sin that
caused the blindness, but that the works of God would be shown in him. Then
Jesus said, ³I am the light of the world.²

Having said this, he spat on the ground, made some mud, and anointed the
eyes of the blind man with it. Jesus told him to go and wash in the pool of
Siloam. The blind man did as he was told, and he returned seeing the earth,
the sky, and the people for the very first time in his life.

The neighbors said, ³Isn¹t this the blind beggar?² Some said, ³No,² but the
man said, ³I am he.² Then the people asked the natural question, ³How were
your eyes opened?² He told them what Jesus had said and done. They asked
where is Jesus, but the man didn¹t know.
The people then brought the Pharisees to the man who had been born blind,
and the teachers of the law questioned him. The Pharisees said, ³This man,
Jesus, is not of God because he healed on the Sabbath day. Others said, ³How
can a sinner do such miracles?² So there was a division among the experts.

They asked the man born blind what he thought about Jesus, and he said, ³He
is a prophet.² The authorities called his parents to see if he had, in fact,
been born blind. The parents confirmed this detail. Then they distanced
themselves from the debate saying, ³He is of age. Ask him how he received
his sight.² His parents were afraid that if they confessed faith in Christ,
they would be put out of the synagogue.

So they called again the man who had been blind and said, ³Give God the
praise: we know that this man is a sinner.² But the man answered very simply
and powerfully from his experience: ³Whether he is a sinner or not, I don¹t
know. One thing I know: Once I was blind, but now I see.²

One thing I know: Once I was blind, but now I see.

Application

One thing I knowŠ God is with us in our times of deepest grief. When the
storms of life are raging, Jesus stands with us. When the sound of
conflicting voices is in us, and all around us, the Spirit of Peace can find
a way to come and to comfort, to give light for the next step.

One thing I know: Jesus loves me. [Barth/Bradbury]

One thing I know: Once I was blind, but now I see. [the man born blind]

One thing I know: God is with us always.

Christine Manderfeld, OSB has written a short SATB chant that will be coming
out this summer in the ³At Your Altars² collection. We will start using it
now, because we need it. Here are the words:
            Risen Christ, let us walk in your presence.
            Let us live in the light of your shining. [repeat]
                  
© 2014 Hope Publishing Company

Joys and Concerns
  • Barbara Haley requests your prayers for healing. As many of you know, she has macular degeneration and her good eye is active and being treated which has caused a decrease in vision.
  • Lauren McLeod welcomes your prayers for healing.
  • Our friend, Arinel Greene, from Easter Hill UMC, is being treated with chemo/radiation for uterine cancer. She is a woman of great faith and welcomes being on our prayer list for healing. If you would like to send her a card: 5326 Conestoga Way, El Sobrante, CA 94803.Please remember her in your prayers.
  •  Pat Dornan and Linda Pereira continue to need your prayers of support and healing. Linda is home and is making an effort to be more active,
  • Robbie Robinson has been out with a virus for several weeks. He would appreciate your prayers for recovery.
  • Sandra Kokoruda (Fran Smith’s daughter) is undergoing more medical testing. Continue to remember her in your prayers
News
  • A Study and Survey of the Worldwide Nature of the United Methodist Church will be presented by Pastor Dan Damon and Jean Reynolds for four Sundays, May 18 through June 8 during Adult Sunday School 10 am in Friendship Hall. Anyone interested in joining the church is encouraged to come. Recommendations from the class will be presented at General Conference 2018. Weekly topics in order: 1. General Conference, Jurisdictions, and Central Conferences.2. The Book of Discipline.3.Boards, Agencies and Finances. 4. Education of Clergy and Laity. This is an opportunity to have input into proposals and changes.
  • Pastor Dan and I attended an informational meeting and dinner at Pinole United Methodist Church March 8. The meeting was mainly an update on events in Camp Liberty. Food delivery has been stopped and there has been no food for 14 days. Medical care is also being denied. Drainage of the sewage holding tanks had also been stopped so raw sewage was leaking and overflowing. The inhumane treatment of the Iranian refugees continues unabated. Please remember them in your prayers. Update: Two food delivery trucks were allowed into Camp Liberty on Thursday. Sporatic food delivery is being allowed; enough to keep people from starving, but not healthy. Medications are not being allowed in.
  • A Bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 3707) by Rep. Dana Roherbacher (Orange Cty) in December that would allow admission to the United States for those who choose to come as refugees. The Bill was sent to the Foreign Relations Committee in December and to the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security in January. Congressman John Garamendi is co-sponsoring the Bill along with 47 other Representatives. Congressman George Miller is absent from the list of sponsors. If you would like to request that Congressman Miller support the bill, please contact his office at 510 262 6500.
  • New 2014 Directory is available! Copies will be in Friendship Hall for you to pick up.

 
Generosity
  • UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) has sent out a request for School Supply Kits. UMW (United Methodist Women) are spearheading a request for items from you to fill 10 kits by April 1st. Kit supply lists are in Friendship Hall. UMCOR is very specific about the supplies needed and will remove those not on the list. UMCOR has been very busy in the Philippines and is sending a shipment of school supplies shortly. They need to restock their shelves. This is an easy way to help. A carton is in Friendship Hall for your donations. UMW will assemble the kits at their April meeting.   We have all the pencils, rulers, scissors, pencil sharpeners, erasers, boxes of crayons and the paper. We are having trouble finding 14″ by 16″ cloth bags in heavy duty fabric with no advertising on them. Linda Woody-Wood has graciously offered to make them for us and we will help with the cost of the material.
  • One Great Hour of Sharing: We will be collecting donations for One Great Hour of Sharing on Sunday, April 6. When you give on this special Sunday, your gifts finance UMCOR  (United Methodist Committee on Relief) administrative costs so that other monies donated to UMCOR go directly for disaster relief. Please give generously.
Events
  • Special Sunday, April 6, One Great Hour of Sharing. Your gifts pay administrative costs for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) so that all other donations to UMCOR can go directly for disaster relief.
  • Administrative Board Meeting: Thursday,  April 10, 7 pm in Friendship Hall.
  • Friday, April 11, 8 pm: Richmond Acoustic presents Craig Carothers. Craig is a prolific songwriter with a mix of helpless romanticism and just enough cynical humor to make it believable. He has recorded 10 albums, teaches lyric writing at the University of Miami, tours for half the year and continues to write music. His music has been recorded by Trish Yearwood, Kathy Mattea and Peter, Paul and Mary, Maria Quiles and Rory Cloud open the show. They are from San Francisco. Their music is dynamic and imaginative. Their first album,”:Long Time Coming” was nominated for a Grammy Award. Tickets $18: Students and Seniors $15 at the door. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond.
  • United Methodist Women (UMW) meeting, Saturday, April 12, 1-3 pm at Doreen Leighton’s home, 236 Castro St., Point Richmond. Let Doreen know if you are coming: d3leighton@me.com.
  • An Evening with Dan Damon, Saturday, April 12, 7:30 pm. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond, suggested donation $15, choir members free. Come and sing new hymns written by Pastor Dan Damon. The session will be recorded for our new website. Join your voice with ours, no rehearsal needed. Experience congregational song at its best, singing hymns of peace, justice and joy.
  • Staff-Parish Committee Meeting: Sunday, April 13 after church.
  • Good Friday Service, April 18, 7:30 pm at Pinole United Methodist Church, 2000 San Pablo Ave., Pinole, Area United Methodist Churches will be participating.
  • Easter Sunday, April 20: 8 am Garden Service,9 am free community breakfast, 10 am Sunday School, 11 am Worship Service, after church Easter Egg Hunt. Please bring some plastic eggs filled with candies or coins.
  • Friday, April 25, 7:30 pm: Point Richmond Jazz presents The Real Vocal String Quartet with Irene Sazer, Alicia Rose and Dina Maccabee, violins and Jessica Ivry, cello. RVSQ’s broad repertoire embraces the diverse influences of all four players from classical jazz and rock, to songs and styles from Africa, Brazil and rural America. Tickets through prjazz, $15, at the door #20. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond. Further info: prjazz.org.
  • Junktique is coming! Saturday, May 3, 9am- 3pm. Planning Meeting Sunday, April 6 after church.
  • We are accepting donations of still usable furniture, toys, books, electronics, appliances and other household items (no clothing, please) as we anticipate our eagerly awaited Junktique annual sale event. For a pick up, contact Jonathan Swett at jnscons@comcast.net or Betty Graham at BettyGraeham@gmail.com. You may also phone at (510) 236-0152 or (510) 234-2512. EMAIL GREATLY PREFERRED.
  • The church basement door facing West Richmond Ave. will be open for drop off donations Saturday, April 26 from 9 to 12 and 7 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, April 28th – May 2nd. 
    If you would like to help in other ways: to price, organize or clean items before the sale or to help move merchandise before, during or after the sale, either Jonathan Swett or Betty Graham would welcome your call or email. 
    The day of the sale, come early and avail yourself of the bargains and unbelievable one-of-a-kind items. The kitchen will dish up chili, minestrone soup, hotdogs, and pie by the slice at lunchtime to give you strength to stay longer.
  • Labor Day Weekend: August 29 through September 1st  2014, Stepping Out in Faith, sponsored by the Western Methodist Justice Movement which advocates compassionate US immigration policies, fully inclusive UMC ministries, human rights in the Philippines, a just peace for Israel-Palestine, reproductive justice and more.
  • Registration opens soon. Lake Tahoe, Zephyr Point Retreat Center. For more info: wmjm.org.
.
Send submissions for FUMC News and Events to Barbara Haley, editor: bahcats@sbcglobal.net

Current Newsletter

by

Richmond First United Methodist News and Events

March 29, 2014

Pastor’s Perspective 
Dear Friends:

Here are my notes from last Sunday’s sermon. Please continue in prayer for the Thompson family as they grieve the loss of their son, Liam.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Dan Damon

Experience, Exodus 17:1-7
Pastor Dan Damon, Richmond 1st UMC, 3-23-14
Introduction
This is the fourth of four sermons on a methodology for theological reflection called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. Today at 2 pm we will have a service in memory of Liam Thompson who was taken from us too soon. We will never be the same. We will experience the community of friends and family coming together to mourn his passing and to remember the many ways that he blessed us while he lived. He will live on in our hearts, and in the hope that springs eternal in faith and love. Experience is a teacher. Some experiences are joyful, some are very sad. Tears are a blessed release in times of sadness or joy. Sharing our experience with others helps us through the hard times and makes our joys more full as well. We experience joy and sorrow in life because we dare to love deeply. We try to make sense of it using our Reason, and as people called Methodists we use the stories of scripture and the traditional interpretations to guide us through the wilderness. A very human question is this: Who are we, and how are we to live? At a time like this some other questions come to mind: Who is God? Is there a God? How can God allow the sadness we experience both here and around the world?
 
History
John Wesley, founder of Methodism, said, “Apart from scripture, experience is the strongest proof of Christianity. What the scriptures promise, I enjoy.” We cannot have reasonable assurance [Fanny Crosby, Blessed Assurance] of something unless we have personally experienced it. In a gospel story a man who was born blind says, “One thing I know, I was blind, but now I see.” In our gospel lesson today, the Samaritan woman says, “This man told me everything I ever did.” These people in the gospel stories met Jesus and experienced a dramatic life change. Have you met Jesus in this way? He comes to us today in the experience of the community of faith gathered in worship this morning, and gathered again at 2 pm for a service in Liam’s memory. Experience these meetings, and you will be changed forever. I am talking about the experience of love eternal. Allow it to fill you to overflowing. Share this experience with others. Overcome your shyness and tell others about the love that is so powerful that it can help begin to heal the wounds we feel right now. Tradition established the evidence of faith a long way off. Experience makes it present to all persons here and now. What are you experiencing now? Notice it and, as you are able, let your experience combine with reason. Do not try to be like me in your experience of faith and doubt. Accept yourself. You are lovely. In my humble theological terms, “You are a child of God, loved eternally.” Our faith gives us comfort in times of great sorrow, and courage for the living of these days. Share your experience, strength, and hope with others. Imagine with me a fountain of peace and love springing up into life eternal. Take these stories deep into your soul and let them nourish your creative life. Try this experiment and see what happens.
 
Retell the Scripture Story
The children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, and pitched their tents in Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. The people therefore chided Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said, “Why do you chide me, and tempt the Lord?” Then the people murmured against Moses saying, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to kill us, and our children, and our cattle with thirst?”
 
Strike the rock, water comes out…
 
And Moses called the place Massah [contention], and Meribah [chiding or strife] because the children of Israel tempted the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
 
Application
Both the power and the danger of experience is that it is different for each person. It is real. We can feel it. We personally have our many life experiences, both joyful and painful. But if we focus only on our personal experience, even our personal faith experience, this can lead us onto a strange path of isolation and error. It is when we combine our experience and our reason with the experiences and thoughts of others through the centuries that we begin to benefit from the tradition that tends toward justice in a long arc, and from the scriptures that guide us toward loving actions here and now. In our United Methodist Churches we are talking about biblical obedience as it relates to human and civil rights for the LGBT community. We are following the biblical command to love, rather than the church law which places limits on that love.
 
Like the characters in the Hebrew scripture and in the New Testament, many of us experience a wrestling match with God. God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. According to Natalie Sleeth’s “Hymn of Promise” which will open our service this afternoon, there is “something God alone can see.” Our lives do not follow a straight line. We wander in the wilderness, but we have a community of faithful, hopeful, loving people who travel with us. This community helps us, if we can be open to the gifts.
 
My dear friends, let us love God with heart, mind, soul, and strength. Let us love our neighbor, as we love ourselves. Let us pray that God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. As we use our experience, rooted and grounded in a community of faith, let us proclaim that Love is eternal. This statement seems true to most of us, but it can’t be proved. The statement, “Love is eternal,” joins the temporal and the eternal, the physical and the spiritual. Love is eternal. Love lives again. Jesus lives in us. This is a faith that can help us through the present pain and lead us on with hope. This room is full of love. Experience it, remember it, and talk about what you experienced here today. In this way you will help others to find what they have been looking for— not a doctrine, but a loving way of life.
 
Let us give thanks for this water in the wilderness,
for days of life and strength,
and let us move on together
toward the land that still flows with milk and honey.
 
Amen.
Joys and Concerns
  • Liam Thompson’s Memorial Service was poignant and funny. We all continue to mourn his loss. I want to thank all of the people who made the service and reception run smoothly from friends and family of Liam to our community and El Sobrante UMC. Everyone worked so hard and in a heartfelt way for our church to accommodate and feed such a large group of people. Thank you.
  • Lauren McLeod welcomes your prayers for healing.
  • Our friend, Arinel Greene, from Easter Hill UMC, is being treated with chemo/radiation for uterine cancer. She is a woman of great faith and welcomes being on our prayer list for healing. If you would like to send her a card: 5326 Conestoga Way, El Sobrante, CA 94803.Please remember her in your prayers.
  •  Pat Dornan and Linda Pereira continue to need your prayers of support and healing. Linda is home and is making an effort to be more active.
  • Robbie Robinson has been out with a virus for several weeks. He would appreciate your prayers for recovery.
  • Doris Swope’s niece, Susan Wickesser, who has been recovering from pancreatic cancer and had a clear scan in December after chemotherapy and radiation treatments had a follow up scan in February that is showing some “hot spots” in her lymph nodes near the pancreas and lung. The doctors don’t think it looks like typical cancer and want to biopsy one of the “hot spots” to see. She is encouraged by this and welcomes your prayers of support and healing. The biopsy is negative for cancer!
  • Sandra Kokoruda (Fran Smith’s daughter) is undergoing more medical testing. Continue to remember her in your prayers.
  • Barbara Haley’s friend, Pat Cahill, fell and had a torn shoulder cuff with surgical repair. She is now going to outpatient rehab and slowly gaining movement and strength. Prayers for healing are welcome. She is out of the sling most of the time now.
News
  • A Study and Survey of the Worldwide Nature of the United Methodist Church will be presented by Pastor Dan Damon and Jean Reynolds for four Sundays, May 18 through June 8 during Adult Sunday School 10 am in Friendship Hall. Anyone interested in joining the church is encouraged to come. Recommendations from the class will be presented at General Conference 2018. Weekly topics in order: 1. General Conference, Jurisdictions, and Central Conferences.2. The Book of Discipline.3.Boards, Agencies and Finances. 4. Education of Clergy and Laity. This is an opportunity to have input into proposals and changes.
  • Pastor Dan and I attended an informational meeting and dinner at Pinole United Methodist Church March 8. The meeting was mainly an update on events in Camp Liberty. Food delivery has been stopped and there has been no food for 14 days. Medical care is also being denied. Drainage of the sewage holding tanks had also been stopped so raw sewage was leaking and overflowing. The inhumane treatment of the Iranian refugees continues unabated. Please remember them in your prayers. Update: Two food delivery trucks were allowed into Camp Liberty on Thursday. Sporatic food delivery is being allowed; enough to keep people from starving, but not healthy. Medications are not being allowed in.
  • A Bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 3707) by Rep. Dana Roherbacher (Orange Cty) in December that would allow admission to the United States for those who choose to come as refugees. The Bill was sent to the Foreign Relations Committee in December and to the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security in January. Congressman John Garamendi is co-sponsoring the Bill along with 47 other Representatives. Congressman George Miller is absent from the list of sponsors. If you would like to request that Congressman Miller support the bill, please contact his office at 510 262 6500.
  • New 2014 Directory is available! Copies will be in Friendship Hall for you to pick up. With changes and additions below.
Please add:
Karim Davy, 448 Tewksbury Ave, Pt. Richmond, 94801
(650) 290-3140  darimkavy@gmail.com
 
Betty Graham:  BettyGraeham@gmail.com
 
And change:
Nancy Compton, 5601 Natomas Blvd. #21113, Sacramento, 95835
(916) 900-4861 (Nancy’s email is the same)
Generosity
  • UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) has sent out a request for School Supply Kits. UMW (United Methodist Women) are spearheading a request for items from you to fill 10 kits by April 1st. Kit supply lists are in Friendship Hall. UMCOR is very specific about the supplies needed and will remove those not on the list. UMCOR has been very busy in the Philippines and is sending a shipment of school supplies shortly. They need to restock their shelves. This is an easy way to help. A carton is in Friendship Hall for your donations. UMW will assemble the kits at their April meeting.   We have all the pencils, rulers, scissors, pencil sharpeners, erasers and 7 boxes of crayons. We are having trouble finding 14″ by 16″ cloth bags in heavy duty fabric with no advertising on them.
  • One Great Hour of Sharing: We will be collecting donations for One Great Hour of Sharing on Sunday, April 6. When you give on this special Sunday, your gifts finance UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) administrative costs so that other monies donated to UMCOR go directly for disaster relief. Please give generously.
Events
  • Special Sunday, April 6, One Great Hour of Sharing. Your gifts pay administrative costs for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) so that all other donations to UMCOR can go directly for disaster relief.
  • Administrative Board Meeting: Thursday,  April 10, 7 pm in Friendship Hall.
  • United Methodist Women  (UMW) meeting, Saturday, April 12, 1-3 pm at Doreen Leighton’s home, 236 Castro St., Point Richmond. Let Doreen know if you are coming: d3leighton@me.com.
  • An Evening with Dan Damon, Saturday, April 12, 7:30 pm. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond, suggested donation $15, choir members free. Come and sing new hymns written by Pastor Dan Damon. The session will be recorded for our new website. Join your voice with ours, no rehearsal needed. Experience congregational song at its best, singing hymns of peace, justice and joy.
  • Staff-Parish Committee Meeting: Sunday, April 13 after church.
  • Good Friday Service, April 18, 7:30 pm at Pinole United Methodist Church, 2000 San Pablo Ave., Pinole, Area United Methodist Churches will be participating.
  • Easter Sunday, April 20, 8 am Garden Service, 9 am free Community Breakfast, 10 am Sunday School, 11 am Easter Service.
  • Junktique is coming! Saturday, May 3, 9am- 3pm. Planning Meeting Sunday, April 6 after church.
We are accepting donations of still usable furniture, toys, books, electronics, appliances and other household items (no clothing, please) as we anticipate our eagerly awaited Junktique annual sale event. For a pick up, contact Jonathan Swett at jnscons@comcast.net or Betty Graham at BettyGraeham@gmail.com. You may also phone at (510) 236-0152 or (510) 234-2512. EMAIL GREATLY PREFERRED.
The church basement door facing West Richmond Ave. will be open for drop off donations Saturday, April 26 from 9 to 12 and 7 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, April 28th – May 2nd. 
If you would like to help in other ways: to price, organize or clean items before the sale or to help move merchandise before, during or after the sale, either Jonathan Swett or Betty Graham would welcome your call or email. 
The day of the sale, come early and avail yourself of the bargains and unbelievable one-of-a-kind items. The kitchen will dish up chili, minestrone soup, hotdogs, and pie by the slice at lunchtime to give you strength to stay longer.
  • Labor Day Weekend: August 29 through September 1st  2014, Stepping Out in Faith, sponsored by the Western Methodist Justice Movement which advocates compassionate US immigration policies, fully inclusive UMC ministries, human rights in the Philippines, a just peace for Israel-Palestine, reproductive justice and more.
Registration opens soon. Lake Tahoe, Zephyr Point Retreat Center. For more info: wmjm.org.
.
Send submissions for FUMC News and Events to Barbara Haley, editor: bahcats@sbcglobal.net

Current Newsletter

by

Richmond First United Methodist News and Events

Pastor’s Perspective
Reason, John 3:1-17
Pastor Dan Damon, Richmond 1st UMC, 3-16-14
 
Introduction
Today I continue a series of four sermons on the Wesleyan Quadrilateral: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. The use of reason is common enough, even unavoidable, but its limits may be reached very quickly. Reason grows out of our experience. We try to understand why things happen the way they do. Sometimes reason falls very short, as in the case of Liam’s death. We can’t understand why. We try to think things through, but fall on our knees in shock and disbelief. Perhaps a passage of scripture, a traditional hymn, or the experience of others who have passed through times of great grief may give us some comfort, but we have sustained a lifetime loss. It boggles the mind. There is no reason for this loss, but later we may try to find comfort and meaning in our faith, we look for some hope that will lead us through the day, we find some comfort in hugs, prayers, cards, and visits of the extended family.
 
History
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is a methodology for theological reflection that is credited to John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement in the late 18th Century. The term itself was coined by 20th century American Methodist scholar Albert C. Outler. Upon examination of Wesley’s work, Outler theorized that Wesley used four different sources in coming to theological conclusions. For Wesley, every doctrine must be able to be defended “rationally.” He did not divorce faith from reason. Tradition, experience, and reason, however, are subject always to scripture, which is primary in Wesley’s view.
            According to Wesley, if we would either understand ourselves, or explain to others those living oracles [the scriptures] we must use our reason. Without reason we cannot understand the essential truths of scripture. He said, “Reason must be guided by the Holy Spirit, if we are to understand the mysteries of God. Reason cannot produce faith, but it can shorten the leap.” John Wesley was more logical than his brother Charles. Charles, the hymnwriter, was more emotional. These personality traits guided them in their living and in their preaching. It has been said that John won the day by using logic, while Charles allowed his emotions to lead his preaching.
            Some of us are more logical by nature. A few of us may have taken a course in logic, or in philosophy. We are different. We move through our grief in different ways. It comes and goes, and comes again.
 
Gospel
In our gospel reading today, Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night. He was troubled in his mind, his reason. He said, “We know you are a teacher come from God.” Knowledge/reason is preeminent in his statement.
            Jesus answered his concern “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This made matters worse for Nicodemus who said, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter into his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
            Jesus said, “Unless you are born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound, but cannot tell from whence it comes or where it goes: so is every one who is born of the Spirit.”
            Nicodemus, still confounded by reason, said, “How can these things be?”
Jesus said, “I have told you earthly things, and you do not believe. How will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” This leads to one of the most famous verses in the New Testament: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” KJV
 
Application
We do not check our minds at the door of Richmond First United Methodist Church. Some of us come at 10 am to study the scripture and to discuss differing views. We are a non-creedal church. This means we can say the ancient creeds of the church, or refrain from saying them, as we seek to live as people of faith and compassion in this hurting and lovely world. Some of us read books on theology that will challenge us to think differently. All of us are learning to care for others and to celebrate the diversity and beauty of creation. In sorrow and joy, we are learning to love, to pray, and to serve others with our lives. We expect to leave something good for future generations to enjoy. We expect to leave this beautiful sanctuary, the kitchen, the hall, and the garden to future generations.
            Our pastors usually have a Master of Divinity degree from an accredited seminary, not a mail-order ordination certificate. We go through a long difficult process toward becoming an “elder” in the United Methodist Church. We learn how to express our beliefs and doubts to our colleagues, each of whom has their own set of beliefs and doubts. We learn to live to live our faith in the most difficult times, to practice loving those who are hard to love.
 
As we use reason, we are free to imagine a God, or no God. In a recent New Yorker article, “Bigger Than Phil,” God is bigger than the biggest guy in the village, bigger than the lighting, but then God shrinks as science makes new discoveries. The reasoned philosophical arguments for or against the existence of God all fall far short. Roman Catholicism uses the natural light of human reason to arrive at the existence of God. Buddhism does not concern itself with such matters. I imagine a God who is love and truth, including masculine and feminine and transcending them. My imagination takes me along the Christian orthodox lines of trinitarian thought: one God in three persons, and I view Jesus as fully human and fully divine. In this room we have much diversity of thought on these matters. This is as it should be. If we agree to love, that is enough. Wesley asked for unity in essentials, and charity [loving action] in all else. I say to you, the only essential is love.
 
As United Methodists, living in the early 21st century, in the diverse San Francisco Bay Area, we use everything we have to understand our lives: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. Reason doesn’t take us all the way to faith, but it is part of being human to try to understand the great mysteries of birth, life, and death. By faith, some of us can also place our hope and trust in the next life, the life with God. Years ago at a CFO Camp I learned to say by faith, “We come from God. God is with us while we live, and we return to God when we die.” Love is eternal. Perfect love casts out all fear.
 
Faith is different than science. We benefit from the advances of science. Science is based on the controlled experiment. Repeat the experiment in another lab and report your findings. Lives of faith can be seen as experiments of another kind. We cannot repeat the experiments, but we can learn from the experience of others. We can observe the strength of people of faith as they go through grief with hope. We can benefit from living our own lives with hope and faith also. Reason doesn’t produce faith, but it lessens the leap.
 
We struggle to understand the lives we live. The choices we make have consequences. When we consider the brevity of life, and how precious it is, we are stunned or amazed. We may discover or re-discover what is most important to us, what we value most. When we look at the night sky, the ocean, the redwoods, or a mountain range, we may feel awe and wonder. When we consider the beginning of the cosmos, or its end, we may accept the reasonable leap that we are not God, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. Like Job, we may weep and tear our clothes, we may throw dust on our heads in the direction of heaven, and we may sit in silence for a long time. We may deny what has happened, we may try to bargain it away, and we may ask all of our questions, but finally we hope to find a way to accept what has happened, and, throughout the rest of our lives, to give thanks and praise again for the blessings we may still discover along the way.
 
Let us be in prayer.
Joys and Concerns
  • For those of us who have known Liam Thompson, this is a sad time indeed. He was a wonderful young man and will be sorely missed by our community. Our thoughts, love and prayers are with his family. Memorial Service is Sunday, March 23 at 2pm here at First United Methodist Church. Alice requests that you wear comfortable and colorful clothing! Who can forget Liam’s pants? Please carpool if able, parking is limited. Donations may be made to our building fund in memory of Liam.
  •  Pat Dornan and Linda Pereira continue to need your prayers of support and healing. Linda is home and is making an effort to be more active,
  • Robbie Robinson has been out with a virus for several weeks. He would appreciate your prayers for recovery.
  • Doris Swope’s niece, Susan Wickesser, who has been recovering from pancreatic cancer and had a clear scan in December after chemotherapy and radiation treatments had a follow up scan in February that is showing some “hot spots” in her lymph nodes near the pancreas and lung. The doctors don’t think it looks like typical cancer and want to biopsy one of the “hot spots” to see. She is encouraged by this and welcomes your prayers of support and healing. The biopsy is negative for cancer!
  • Sandra Kokoruda (Fran Smith’s daughter), surgery still unscheduled since Sandra has a bad cold. Continue to remember her in your prayers.
  • Barbara Haley’s friend, Pat Cahill, fell and had a torn shoulder cuff with surgical repair. She is now going to outpatient rehab and slowly gaining movement and strength. Prayers for healing are welcome.
News
  • Pastor Dan and I attended an informational meeting and dinner at Pinole United Methodist Church March 8. The meeting was mainly an update on events in Camp Liberty. Food delivery has been stopped and there has been no food for 14 days. Medical care is also being denied. Drainage of the sewage holding tanks had also been stopped so raw sewage was leaking and overflowing. The inhumane treatment of the Iranian refugees continues unabated. Please remember them in your prayers. Update: Two food delivery trucks were allowed into Camp Liberty on Thursday.
  • A Bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 3707) by Rep. Dana Roherbacher (Orange Cty) in December that would allow admission to the United States for those who choose to come as refugees. The Bill was sent to the Foreign Relations Committee in December and to the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security in January. Congressman John Garamendi is co-sponsoring the Bill along with 47 other Representatives. Congressman George Miller is absent from the list of sponsors. If you would like to request that Congressman Miller support the bill, please contact his office at 510 262 6500.
  • New 2014 Directory is available! Copies will be in Friendship Hall for you to pick up.
  • On Monday, Jean Reynolds attended a press conference at the Elk Grove United Methodist Church protesting the Methodist Church’s ban on gay marriage. They will continue to press for change at the Cal-Nev Conference in June. They are asking churches to sign the Declaration of Inclusion that gives all the rites of the church to same sex partners. 49 churches from seven states have signed the declaration including our own First Methodist. To read the article:

Declaration of Inclusion

 
    We The Administrative Board of Richmond First United Methodist Church declare
    That no one will be denied the services of our church because of sexual orientation.
    This includes the use of our property for same-sex marriages and holy unions.
 
   This action is in accordance with the United Methodist Book of Discipline:
1.       “Inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination” (P. 140)
2.       “We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the
Image of God” (P. 161f)
3.       “All persons , regardless of age, gender, marital status or sexual orientation
are entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured.” (P. 161f)
4.       “We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay
members and friends.” (P. 161f)
                 Therefore, we commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons because we
                 understand that each individual is of sacred worth. We do this in a spirit of biblical
                 obedience as we practice the radical hospitality of Jesus Christ.
 
Generosity
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) has sent out a request for School Supply Kits. UMW (United Methodist Women) are spearheading a request for items from you to fill 10 kits by April 1st. Kit supply lists are in Friendship Hall. UMCOR is very specific about the supplies needed and will remove those not on the list. UMCOR has been very busy in the Philippines and is sending a shipment of school supplies shortly. They need to restock their shelves. This is an easy way to help. A carton is in Friendship Hall for your donations. UMW will assemble the kits at their April meeting.   We have all the pencils, rulers, scissors, pencil sharpeners, erasers and 7 boxes of crayons.
Events
  • Saturday, March 22, 9:15 am-2:30 pm Bridges District United Methodist Women is having a day of spiritual growth, “Open My Ears That I May Hear God’s Call”. Rev. Dorothy Williams is the main speaker. Eater Hill United Methodist Church, 3911 Cutting Blvd., Richmond. Advance tickets $15, after March 7, $17. It is an opportunity to attend a District presentation that is close to home! Lunch included. Come meet your district leaders. Sign-up forms are in Friendship Hall.
 
  • Friday, March 28, 7:30 pm Point Richmond Jazz presents David LaFlamme and It’s a Beautiful Day Acoustic, featuring Linda LaFlamme, vocals and Phil Lawrence, mandolin. Pre-concert tickets $15 through prjazz.org; $20 at the door. First United Methodist Church, 201 Marina St., Point Richmond.
  • It’s   A Beautiful Day Acoustic  incorporates acoustic hot swing instrumentals and   original compositions by Phil Lawrence, as well as classic rock songs by violinist   and vocalist David LaFlamme, from   the premiere San Francisco rock band, It’s   a Beautiful Day, including “White Bird”. David LaFlamme sings,   plays the five-string violin, and fronts the band, spinning stories and yarns   from San Francisco’s golden era of rock and roll, the Sixties; Phil Lawrence   composes some of the music and plays a vintage 1916 Gibson mandolin; Ned Boynton,   guitarist,  utilizes a unique open-tuning that enriches the band’s harmonic   tones; Ned Ripple from On the Air, adds   a hot rhythm guitar; Linda LaFlamme sings harmony vocals; and Jeff Martin plucks   and bows the acoustic bass.  The band is also available in smaller ensembles   as a quartet or a trio.
  • An Evening with Dan Damon, Saturday, April 12, 7:30 pm. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond, suggested donation $15, choir members free. Come and sing new hymns written by Pastor Dan Damon. The session will be recorded for our new website. Join your voice with ours, no rehearsal needed. Experience congregational song at its best, singing hymns of peace, justice and joy.
  • Good Friday Service, April 18, 7:30 pm at Pinole United Methodist Church, 2000 San Pablo Ave., Pinole, Area United Methodist Churches will be participating.
  • Junktique is coming! Saturday, May 3, 9am- 3pm.
We are accepting donations of still usable furniture, toys, books, electronics, appliances and other household items (no clothing, please) as we anticipate our eagerly awaited Junktique annual sale event. For a pick up, contact Jonathan Swett at jnscons@comcast.net or Betty Graham at BettyGraeham@gmail.com. You may also phone at (510) 236-0152 or (510) 234-2512. EMAIL GREATLY PREFERRED.

The church basement door facing West Richmond Ave. will be open for drop off donations Saturday, April 26 from 9 to 12 and 7 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, April 28th – May 2nd.
If you would like to help in other ways: to price, organize or clean items before the sale or to help move merchandise before, during or after the sale, either Jonathan Swett or Betty Graham would welcome your call or email.
The day of the sale, come early and avail yourself of the bargains and unbelievable one-of-a-kind items. The kitchen will dish up chili, minestrone soup, hotdogs, and pie by the slice at lunchtime to give you strength to stay longer.
.
Send submissions for FUMC News and Events to Barbara Haley, editor: bahcats@sbcglobal.net

Current Newsletter

by

Richmond First United Methodist News and Events

March 15, 2014

Pastor’s Perspective
Re: Richmond First United Methodist Church News and Events

Dear Friends,

Here are my notes from Sunday. The memorial service for Liam Thompson will be 2 pm, March 23, at our church. Keep the family in your prayers.

Tradition, Matthew 4:1-11
Pastor Dan Damon, Richmond 1st UMC, 3-9-14

Last week: The Good Book, this week: Tradition, next week: Reason, the following week: Experience. Together these four have been called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. I mentioned it last week, but felt I wanted to devote more time to each of the four sides. This model helps us think about how to live our faith. It reminds us of the faith community: those who came before us and those who we expect will come after us. It shows us that the private interpretation of Scripture is not as strong as the shared interpretation. Tradition is the discussion of the church through the centuries as it struggled and still struggles to understand who Jesus was and is, and how we are to live as Christians in the post modern world. In the Wesleyan model Scripture is seen as primary, but our interpretation is always supported and guided by tradition, reason, and experience.

Fiddler on the Roof, “Tradition,” The mothers and fathers teach the sons and the daughters what they have learned from their parents. This goes on through the generations, but sometimes a child will break the tradition. I am that child in my family. I moved from a traditional, literal understanding of the Bible to a literary, scholarly view that includes more of the human element.

Midrash: an ancient commentary on part of the Hebrew scriptures, attached to the biblical text. The earliest Midrashim come from the 2nd century CE, although much of their content is older.

Do you remember the story of Job? Retell. What did Job’s friends do when he had lost everything (children, wealth, everything but his wife)? Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. It is part of the Judeo-Christian tradition. In Job 2:11-13 we read that Job’s friends made an appointment to come see him, they wept, tore their clothes, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. Then they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and nights without saying a word, “for they saw that his grief was very great.”

Our tradition contains many stories of great grief. As we acknowledge the loss of our dear Liam Thompson, we may find comfort in the tradition. Others have felt great grief in the past. Even the story of the Passion, as I understand it, shows God weeping for his Son who was killed by the Romans on the cross. In the season of Lent, the tradition of the church reminds us that God knows our suffering, and is with us in it. Grief comes and goes, and comes again. It is real. It is part of all of our lives, as it the joy that comes to us in days of health and strength.

In our Gospel story today we see Jesus suffering in the wilderness for forty days (tradition has given us the forty days of Lent leading to Easter). According to tradition Jesus was “tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.” Only Jesus has been able to make the right choice at every turn. Being human involves taking responsibility for our choices. We come from God, we live by God’s grace, and we return to God when we die. This is my faith, founded on scripture and the tradition of the church. This faith allows us to move through the wilderness of temptation and even death with hope and trust. In communities of faith around the world people like us gather to pray and sing, to praise and mourn, to take time to be silent, and then to move on by the power of the God who is love.

Brian Wren, poet and theologian, has given us this text. It is now part of our Christian tradition:

When grief is raw, and music goes unheard,
and thought is numb,
we have no polished phrases to recite.
In Christ we come
to hear the old familiar words:
“I am the resurrection. I am life.”

God, give us time for gratitude and tears,
and make us free
to grieve, remember, honor, and delight.
Let love be strong
to bear regrets and banish fears:
“I am the resurrection. I am life.”

The height and breadth of all that love prepares
soar out of time,
beyond our speculation and our sight.
The cross remains
to ground the promise that it bears:
“I am the resurrection. I am life.”

All shall be judged, the greatest and the least,
and all be loved,
till every hurt is healed, all wrong set right.
In bread and wine
we taste the great homecoming feast,
and in the midst of death we are in life.

Brian Wren © 1983 Hope Publishing Company

Let us be in prayer.

Joys and Concerns
  • For those of us who have known Liam Thompson, this is a sad time indeed. He was a wonderful young man and will be sorely missed by our community. Our thoughts, love and prayers are with his family. Memorial Service is Sunday, March 23 at 2pm here at First United Methodist Church. Alice requests that you wear comfortable and colorful clothing! Who can forget Liam’s pants? Please carpool if able, parking is limited. Donations may be made to our building fund in memory of Liam.
  •  Pat Dornan and Linda Pereira continue to need your prayers of support and healing. Linda has been in and out of the hospital with multiple problems this past month including fluid around her heart, fluid in the lungs and septicemia (infection in the blood stream). Linda is home and is making an effort to be more active,
  • Robbie Robinson has been out with a virus for several weeks. He would appreciate your prayers for recovery.
  • Doris Swope’s niece, Susan Wickesser, who has been recovering from pancreatic cancer and had a clear scan in December after chemotherapy and radiation treatments had a follow up scan in February that is showing some “hot spots” in her lymph nodes near the pancreas and lung. The doctors don’t think it looks like typical cancer and want to biopsy one of the “hot spots” to see. She is encouraged by this and welcomes your prayers of support and healing.
  • Sandra Kokoruda (Fran Smith’s daughter), surgery still unscheduled since Sandra has a bad cold. Continue to remember her in your prayers.
  • Barbara Haley’s friend, Pat Cahill, fell and had a torn shoulder cuff with surgical repair. She is now going to outpatient rehab and slowly gaining movement and strength. Prayers for healing are welcome.
News
  • Pastor Dan and I attended an informational meeting and dinner at Pinole United Methodist Church Saturday evening. The meeting was mainly an update on events in Camp Liberty. At that time, food delivery had been stopped and the people only had enough food to last four days and off site medical care is being denied. Drainage of the sewage holding tanks had also been stopped so raw sewage was leaking and overflowing. The inhumane treatment of the Iranian refugees continues unabated.
  • A Bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 3707) by Rep. Dana Roherbacher (Orange Cty) in December that would allow admission to the United States for those who choose to come as refugees. The Bill was sent to the Foreign Relations Committee in December and to the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security in January. Congressman John Garamendi is co-sponsoring the Bill along with 47 other Representatives. Congressman George Miller is absent from the list of sponsors. If you would like to request that Congressman Miller support the bill, please contact his office at 510 262 6500.
  • New 2014 Directory is available! Copies will be in Friendship Hall for you to pick up.
  • On Monday, Jean Reynolds attended a press conference at the Elk Grove United Methodist Church protesting the Methodist Church’s ban on gay marriage. They will continue to press for change at the Cal-Nev Conference in June. They are asking churches to sign the Declaration of Inclusion that gives all the rites of the church to same sex partners. 49 churches from seven states have signed the declaration including our own First Methodist. To read the article:
Generosity
  • UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) has sent out a request for School Supply Kits. UMW (United Methodist Women) are spearheading a request for items from you to fill 10 kits by April 1st. Kit supply lists are in Friendship Hall. UMCOR is very specific about the supplies needed and will remove those not on the list. UMCOR has been very busy in the Philippines and is sending a shipment of school supplies shortly. They need to restock their shelves. This is an easy way to help. A carton is in Friendship Hall for your donations. UMW will assemble the kits at their April meeting.   We have all the pencils, rulers, scissors, pencil sharpeners and 5 erasers.
  • February is here and in honor of Helen Valentine, we will be collecting all the coins you have saved over the past year (paper money and checks also accepted) for Heifer International. Please donate generously so we can buy a variety of animals or trees to improve the lives of the less advantaged. The children love choosing the animals! We will be collecting through March 16.
Events
  • Saturday, March 22, 9:15 am-2:30 pm Bridges District United Methodist Women is having a day of spiritual growth, “Open My Ears That I May Hear God’s Call”. Rev. Dorothy Williams is the main speaker. Eater Hill United Methodist Church, 3911 Cutting Blvd., Richmond. Advance tickets $15, after March 7, $17. It is an opportunity to attend a District presentation that is close to home! Lunch included. Come meet your district leaders. Sign-up forms are in Friendship Hall.
 
  • Friday, March 28, 7:30 pm Point Richmond Jazz presents David LaFlamme and It’s a Beautiful Day Acoustic, featuring Linda LaFlamme, vocals and Phil Lawrence, mandolin. Pre-concert tickets $15 through prjazz.org; $20 at the door. First United Methodist Church, 201 Marina St., Point Richmond.
It’s   A Beautiful Day Acoustic  incorporates acoustic hot swing instrumentals and   original compositions by Phil Lawrence, as well as classic rock songs by violinist   and vocalist David LaFlamme, from   the premiere San Francisco rock band, It’s   a Beautiful Day, including “White Bird”. David LaFlamme sings,   plays the five-string violin, and fronts the band, spinning stories and yarns   from San Francisco’s golden era of rock and roll, the Sixties; Phil Lawrence   composes some of the music and plays a vintage 1916 Gibson mandolin; Ned Boynton,   guitarist,  utilizes a unique open-tuning that enriches the band’s harmonic   tones; Ned Ripple from On the Air, adds   a hot rhythm guitar; Linda LaFlamme sings harmony vocals; and Jeff Martin plucks   and bows the acoustic bass.  The band is also available in smaller ensembles   as a quartet or a trio.
  • An Evening with Dan Damon, Saturday, April 12, 7:30 pm. First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina St., Point Richmond, suggested donation $15, choir members free. Come and sing new hymns written by Pastor Dan Damon. The session will be recorded for our new website. Join your voice with ours, no rehearsal needed. Experience congregational song at its best, singing hymns of peace, justice and joy.
  • Good Friday Service, April 18, 7:30 pm at Pinole United Methodist Church, 2000 San Pablo Ave., Pinole, Area United Methodist Churches will be participating.
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Send submissions for FUMC News and Events to Barbara Haley, editor: bahcats@sbcglobal.net

Location

201 Martina Street
(at West Richmond Avenue)
Richmond, CA 94801

Worship

Sunday Morning at 11 am
Followed by Coffee Hour
Adult Bible Study at 10 am

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