THE WEIRS TIMES’ 2010 HOLIDAY WISHBOOK — Published Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wishbook 9
METHODIST CHURCH, WEIRS-1889
by Rev. Victoria Wood Parrish Contributing Writer
“Many have undertaken
to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewit- nesses and servants of the word. There, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly ac- count for you, most ex- cel lent Theophi lus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:1-4 NIV)
With those words, the
story of the life of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Luke begins. It doesn’t start with
creation or the prophets of the Old Testament. It starts with an old man who was a priest who had no children. What a strange way to start the story of God intervening into human history! Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth had no chil- dren and they were aging. There was no hope for children. In those days and in that culture, that was interpreted by peo-
COMMUNITY CHURCH MEDITATIONS THE START OF SOMETHING NEW
ple to mean that some- thing was wrong. Was he sinful in God’s eyes, this priest in the Temple, who seemed to be quietly do- ing his job? Was it Eliza- beth’s fault? Either way, something was wrong and God was probably punishing them. Suddenly, something
happened. Zechariah was given a message from God. God had heard his prayers and Elizabeth would have a baby! They were blessed. But Zechariah wasn’t
so sure. Even as the angel continued to talk, telling him what the new baby would be named and what he would do, Zechariah was having doubts. After all, how could he be sure that this wasn’t just fantasy, maybe even a tempta- tion? So he asked, “How can I be sure?” The angel responded,
“Well, I am Gabriel and God has sent me for this. Since you doubted, your sign will be that you will lose your ability to speak until the time comes af- ter the baby is born. The story continues.
The baby is born and is named John. He be- comes the messenger who announces the com-
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ing of Christ and was the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. But before that birth,
Luke writes about anoth- er visit. Gabriel goes to visit the young woman, Mary. She too is going to have a child. While Elizabeth was too old, Mary her cousin, was un- married – too young. She didn’t ask how she could be sure, but asked how it could happen. She seems confident that it will and she accepts it. Then a third visit; the
pregnant Mary visits the pregnant Elizabeth, her older cousin. Luke says that not only did the cousins great each other, but so did the unborn babies, tying them to- gether in relationship from before birth. Both women praise
God. As Mary said, “All things are possible with God.” We need to remember that…all things are pos- sible with God. We pray and see no an-
swer – so did Zechariah until his prayers were an- swered when he thought it was too late. And yet he had kept praying, not giving up hope. God an- swered his prayer at the time that was best for the whole world. It may
October 25, 2010
Message of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina
“Dear children! May this time be a time of prayer for you. My call, little children, desires to be for you a call to decide to follow the way of conversion; therefore, pray and seek the intercession of all the saints. May they be for you an example, an incentive and a joy towards eternal life. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
For a FREE copy of the book,
“Medjugorje the Message” call Faith 702-558-7520
Our Blessed Mother has been giving a Message to the World every 25th day of the month since June 1981.
not have been the best time for Elizabeth and Zechariah, because they probably didn’t live long enough to see their son grow up. But it was the best time for the world. Mary had not prayed
for a child, but received one. She could have been stoned to death because she was unmar- ried and pregnant, but Joseph, her fiancé, stood by her. It may not have been the best time for Mary and Joseph, but it was the best time for the world. All things are possible
with God, if we are aware of His presence. We re- ceive blessings when least expected and we receive support when things happen at the wrong time. We receive forgiveness for turning away and we receive a welcome rather than punishment when we re- turn to God. We are being the season
of Advent in the Chris- tian church. This is a time to prepare for the coming of the Messiah and ends with Christmas and the birth of Christ. Unexpected things will happen. Let’s look for God everywhere.
Rev. Victoria Wood Par-
rish is the pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Gilford, NH, located on Route 11-A. It is a congregation of open hearts, open minds, and open doors. We invite you to worship with us on Sundays at 10:30 AM Children’s activities and nursery are avai lable during the 10:30 morning worship. We also invite you to the United Method- ist Church in the Weirs, 35 Tower St., which wor- ships at 10:00 AM. There are also many other local congregations who would welcome you to worship.
Proverbs Moment “There is a way that seems right to man,
But in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12
www.ProverbsMen.org
"Building Godly Men, Men of Character, Men of Integrity One Day at a Time" Proverbs Men 501(c)3 Non-Profit
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