The
Messenger
The Newsletter of the Saugerties United Methodist Church
Church Office # 845-246-7802 Dr. Buddle’s Cell Phone # 1-845-706-0418
“They are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.” Luke 8: 14b
“Choked By The Cares Of Life”
In the parable of Jesus that we have come to call the parable of the sower we find our Lord speaking of (soil) seeds, but he is really talking about people. He said, “as for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.”
Now, I don’t like to think of myself as being the bad seed. I would rather go onto the next verse that reads, “But as for the good seed (soil) these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.” I would imagine that you feel the same way, but if the truth be told we are indeed living in a culture that is extremely materialistic being concerned with money and possessions as well as security. We, quite frankly, let these “cares and pleasures of life choke the spiritual lives” right out of us.
In Matthew’s gospel we read the familiar words of “do not worry about your life, what you eat or what you drink, or about your body, what you will wear, is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Then our Lord goes on. “And can any of you by worry add a single hour to your span of life?...Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matt 6: parts from 25-34)
Now, as powerful and true as are these words, what do we do? Very frequently we are filled with concerns for the things that Jesus said not to be concerned with. I believe it is because our culture has taught us to trust in things to bring us happiness and security. Our culture, has not taught us to trust in God to care and sustain us in this life.
We, as Christians, have also been trained to be American consumers and from the earliest days of our
lives we want MORE. We have been conditioned to feel this way and to think this way.
Some years ago, my youngest son John, who was in the third grade at the time, was studying the difference between “wants and needs.” The lesson was to distinguish between things that we really don’t need but simply want to have. Most of us have many things that we want or wanted at one time, but really did not need that we have ended giving to rummage sales or to relatives because of a lack of space. How about you? Example, shoes. Do you have enough shoes? Some of us just love buying shoes and we keep getting more and more of this color and that color. They usually just sit in the closet from lack of use and before long the styles change and we feel they are no longer usable.
The point that I wish to make is when we become so concerned about “having” we become less concerned with “being.” Life is more than “getting,” it is about “giving.” As hard as it is I encourage you, as well as myself to not be so concerned about the things that we want, that our “fruit” does not mature.
In the meantime the next time you are in a store just ask yourself, “how is this item going to add to my life?” Why buy if it doesn’t?
In the meantime my step-daughter Shannon, says her son Jack (my youngest grandson) doesn’t need anymore toy cars as he has over 50 of them (he isn’t 2 years old yet). So I will have to fight the temptation to give him more because he really doesn’t need them, but then he claps his hands when I give him new ones and I want to see that reaction again and again. HELP! I need help too...
Duane D. Buddle
Sermon Snapshots
May 14th - “God’s Own People”
Acts 1: 3-11, I Peter 2: 9-10
Today we are looking at who we are and what we are called to be as the Church of Christ. We look to the words of Peter that He uses to describe the Church. He calls us first “a chosen race.” This is a Jewish term that any faithful Jew would identify with, for the Israelites were the ones who had been chosen by God. We do not know why God chose the Jews or for that matter why God’s chose us, but it is not a place of privilege, but to have shared responsibility. Peter says we are a “royal priesthood” which is to say that we are people chosen by God for a two-fold responsibility: to represent the people to God and to represent God to the people. For Peter to say these words was to say something that revolutionized the Church in the 16th and 17th centuries. It says that every individual can come directly into the presence of God without the need of the professional religious person. It means, today, that every person is called to be a mediator of the grace of God to humanity.
The third metaphor that Peter used to describe the Church is that we are “a holy nation.” Now, does that mean that we know no sin? Certainly not! It is rather to say that we are holy only because we are connected to God. Finally, Peter calls the Church “God’s Own People.” That is to say we are a people possessed by God, not a people who possess God.
The task of the Church is to declare, to tell the Good News of Christ to the world. We are to be evangelists. The great commission is to “Go Make Disciples” and we do this by the witness of genuine concern, deep love and open acceptance. We were once no people, but now we are God’s people.
May 21st - “Is Your Life Your Own”
Matthew 25: 14-29
My life belongs to me. I can do exactly as I please. We hear people say those words and not doubt at one time or another we have said the same words. This is a common viewpoint today in our individualistic society. However, for us as Christians, it is incorrect as we believe that our life is NOT our own, but belongs to God. Each of us must give an account to God for the way we have used the life that has been given to us.
✞Your life belongs to God because God created you.
✞Your life belongs to God because God redeemed you.
✞Your life belongs to God because you are dependent upon God.
May 28th - “Farewell To Status”
Matthew 20: 17-28
Our American culture values status above everything else. The car we drive, the house we live in, the work that we do, the money we have determines the influence that we have on others. We are captured by this deepseated need because we are vainly trying to find that which makes us feel important, necessary and superior. This is because we lack within ourselves the sense of God relatedness which alone can give to us a sense of worth and dignity. Enter the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Witness these two scenes in the life of our Lord. In the first of them the mother of James and John, two of the disciples, makes a request of Jesus. She wants a place of preference for her sons. Now this is upsetting to the other disciples because that would mean that they would have status taken from them. What is at stake is a central concept of Jesus about discipleship and that is servanthood.
Secondly, Jesus and the disciples were gathered in the upper room for what would be their last supper together. “Jesus rose from supper, laid aside his garments and girded himself with a towel.” He shows what a disciple is as he serves them by washing their feet.
If anyone is to be a disciple of Jesus then he/she must be prepared to say “goodbye to status” as the world sees it. The servant who follows Jesus is sensitive to the needs of others and meets those needs. It means to visit the sick, encourage the lonely, life up the dispirited.
The Next Celebration of Us
The next Celebration of Us is scheduled for Saturday, May 6. It will start at 5:00 p.m. with a covered dish supper. Beverages and dessert will be provided. This year we celebrate the Choir. There will be fun and music. Come join us!
Church Directories Are Here!
We have some
extra copies of our new Church Directory. They are available for $3.00.
Contact pastor Buddle if
you would like a copy.
4/ 1951 - Rankin Travis, Sr.
16/ 1997 - Nicholas Kopycinski
18 - Louella Messineo
28/ 1989 - Kristin Van Tassel
30/ 1989 - Mike Bazzani
31/ 1933 - Leslie Short
5/ 1990 - Brenda & Paul Mentz
9/ 1998 - Melissa & Thomas Schupp
20/ 2000 - Lisa & John Machione
24/ 2002 - Karin & Greg Squires
27/ 1990 - Emily & Joe Arter
27/ 1967 - Audrey & Dan Klinkenberg