June 1, 2010
Dear St. Paul’s Family,
At a gathering of family and friends over the weekend, we took turns sharing stories of our worst job experiences. Among the stories I told was how I applied for my first job, when I was a sophomore in high school.
The local Hungry Howies pizzeria was a few miles from my house in St. Petersburg, Florida, in a tedious stretch of strip stores that included a barber shop and nail salon. When picking up an order for my family one evening, I noticed a “Now Hiring” sign taped to the front counter, hastily scribbled on a torn-off sheet of spiral notebook paper. I had never had a job before, let alone applied for one, but I knew I would need to enter the work force eventually.
I took an application home and studied it. It was fairly standard, with about three inches of blank space for me to offer all the reasons I would make a great employee. I knew that was about 2-7/8 inches too many. I was woefully under qualified for a job making pizzas, but I hoped that my years of culinary training next to my mother in the kitchen had afforded me transferable skills. True, Filipino spring rolls and pancit noodles were a far cry from pepperoni pizzas with buttercheese crusts, but I was determined to present myself to the manager in the best possible light.
So, I decided to compensate with a plethora of school-related achievements. I filled up all three inches, and a good portion of the back, with such information as:
“Maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.”
“Sophomore Class President.”
“First Chair, Bass Clarinetist, Concert Band”
“Member, Chess Club.”
“Numerous Superior Ratings at Solo and Ensemble Competitions.”
“Tenor vocalist in my high school’s touring ensemble.”
I proudly waltzed into Hungry Howies the next day and slid my application across the counter to the manager. After wiping tomato sauce onto his sweat-stained shirt, he picked it up to take a look. Then he looked at me. I confidently gestured the “Call me” sign with an extended thumb and pinky next to my right ear. Without saying a word, he walked toward the boys in the back. Rather than wait for a response, I turned to go out the door, then heard an eruption of laughter from the storage room. I pretty much knew then and there that my aspiring career as a culinary artist at my local pizzeria was over before it started.
There is obviously no reason to pity me, as I eventually landed on the right career track and am doing a job I love. But that wasn’t always the case for some of the most important and underappreciated people in the Bible. Making calzones and delivering pizzas is nothing compared to the job of a prophet in the Hebrew Bible. They were often plucked from obscurity, with no name recognition or impressive skills, in order to carry out the most dangerous missions. They spoke words of truth against powerful people so hard-hearted to receive it and against populations of people too brittle to respond. And, they endured long stretches of loneliness, starvation, and fear for their well-being. Does that sound like a job you’d apply for? Without a doubt, if Jeremiah, Nathan, Ezekiel, or Isaiah were at our house over the weekend, they would have stopped our conversation cold recounting stories of their “worst job ever.”
Yet, they served one of the most vital roles in the entire Bible. They were God’s mouthpieces, offering course corrections for wayward people and wicked rulers. They did so with dazzling demonstrations of power and performance art. They were equal parts street performer, political pundit, hatchet operative, and wordsmith. And their lives serve as examples to us of how to live lives of courage, integrity, and faith, in the midst of dangerous adversaries and troubling times.
For the next eight weeks, we will be studying two of the greatest prophets in the Bible. Elijah and Elisha served concurrently as God’s messengers to the Southern Kingdom of Israel for a total of about thirty years during the 9th Century B.C.E. Elijah confronted the tyrannical rule of Ahab and Jezebel, and together they challenged opposing prophets of foreign gods. Their stories are recorded in First and Second Kings, which often reads like it were straight off the pages of an Ian Fleming spy novel.
So this summer, as you are curling up with a juicy book or are glued to the movie screen for some eye-catching special effects, join us at St. Paul’s for a terrific summer blockbuster we’re calling, “God’s Double Agents: The Miraculous Missions of Elijah and Elisha.” You’ll not want to miss a single action-packed episode!
God’s Double Agents:
The Miraculous Missions of Elijah and Elisha
June 6
“The Case of the Worn-Out Widow”
(The Widow of Zarephath)
1 Kings 17:1-24
June 13
“The Case of the Servant Showdown”
(The Priests of Baal)
1 Kings 18:20-40
June 20
“The Case of the Exhausted Agent”
(Elijah on Mt. Horeb)
1 Kings 19:11-18
June 27
Guest Preacher
Krista Taylor, Daughter of Ray and Rhonda Hampton
Missionaries to Kenya
July 4
“The Case of the Coveted Vineyard”
(Naboth’s Vineyard)
1 Kings 21:1-16
July 11
"The Case of the Fiery Chariot"
(Elijah and Elisha)
2 Kings 2:1-18
July 18
“The Case of the Widow’s Oil”
(Elisha and the Widow)
2 Kings 4:1-7
July 25
“The Case of the Incurable Commander”
(Elisha and Naaman)
2 Kings 5:1-19
August 6
“The Case of the Lost Land”
(The Shunamite Woman)
2 Kings 8:1-15
August 13
Guest Artist
Jill Miller
Contemporary Christian Music Artist
See you Sunday!
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
SUMMER SCHEDULE BEGINS JUNE 6
We begin our summer worship schedule on June 6, with worship starting at 9:30, and Sunday school suspended throughout the summer. Also, Phyllis Parrott will be coordinating sign-ups for after church coffees from June through August. Please contact her to bring in refreshments.
IMPORTANT CHURCH-WIDE MEETING JUNE 6
Following the worship service on June 6, the Building Committee will be giving an important update on the status of the upcoming renovation and capital campaign. You will have the opportunity to give the committee critical feedback that will guide its recommendation later this year.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND
Please pray for your delegates to Annual Conference, which starts this Saturday in Des Moines. In addition to your pastor, Marilyn Brubaker and Mary Jo Carnine will be representing St. Paul’s in important matters for the life of the Iowa Conference.
No comments:
Post a Comment