Soli deo gloriaSoli deo gloriaSoli deo gloriaSoli deo gloriaGlory to God AloneGlory to God AloneGlory to God AloneGlory to God Alone

Volume 39, Issue 2February 2013

By Pastor John Dawson

NewsletterAbingdon Presbyterian

Church

The Jesus CreedThe Jesus CreedThe Jesus CreedThe Jesus Creed

For as a young For as a young For as a young For as a young man marrieth a man marrieth a man marrieth a man marrieth a maiden, And as a maiden, And as a maiden, And as a maiden, And as a

bridegroom bridegroom bridegroom bridegroom rejoiceth over rejoiceth over rejoiceth over rejoiceth over the bride, so the bride, so the bride, so the bride, so shall thy god shall thy god shall thy god shall thy god rejoice over rejoice over rejoice over rejoice over

thee.thee.thee.thee.

Isaiah 62: 5Isaiah 62: 5Isaiah 62: 5Isaiah 62: 5

“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 29-31

Continued on Page 2

The Jesus Creed (continued)The Jesus Creed (continued)The Jesus Creed (continued)The Jesus Creed (continued)

One of the teachers of the Law asked Jesus what was the most important of the commandments. Jesus responded by quoting the passage that has been known as the foundational creed of the children of Israel. Deuteronomy 6: 4 is the shema (so called because it is the first word in the verse in Hebrew) which is a call for the people of God to focus on the Lord and worship Him above all others. The next verse tells what our response is to be to God. We should love Him with all that we are and all we have.

Jesus’ answer was not unexpected. In fact, he gave the “right” answer to the question by the standards of the teachers. But He added another commandment that is linked to the first: to love our neighbor as ourselves. Love for others is related to love for God. Both are founded on the love of God for us. Because God loves us in Christ, we are able to love him back. Because God loves uswe are able to love others even when the others do not love us back. This two-pronged commandment of loving God and others was fundamental to Jesus’ thinking. In his book by the same name, Scot McKnight calls this the Jesus Creed.

It is a good exercise to study the lives of Christians in order to better understand our own relationship with God. We learn from others, those we can personally visit as well as those who speak to us only from their books and the record of their lives. From Francis of Assisi and Thomas a Kempis to Richard Foster and Rick Warren, Christians have looked to others

who shared their spiritual insights. Looking at their daily practices can be very beneficial. The Jesus Creed may well have been the daily practice of Jesus and his disciples.

The next preaching series and Sunday School class will focus on the Jesus Creed. I will encourage you to join me in repeating these verses out loud, at least twice a day. This is not to learn what the verses say for I think we know what these verses say. Still, there is a huge difference between knowing a concept in your mind and putting it into play in your life: it is what happens in our lives where things get real.

It is my hope that the study will be beneficial to us individually in our Christian walk. I also hope that it will challenge us and draw us together as a body of believers. We need to be focused on our Lord Jesus so we can become the people he has empowered us to be. Pastor John

WomenWomenWomenWomen’’’’s ministriess ministriess ministriess ministries

February Nursery ScheduleFeb 3 – Elaine Wright & Debra KiserFeb 10 – Zula Lambert & Teresa Berg

Feb 17 – Brenda Holbrook & Carolyn DandoFeb 24 – Sally Dawson & Chellie Davis

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of

prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be

burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no

evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth; but whether

there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. And now abideth faith, hope,

charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Corinthians 13: 1-8, 13

Knight’s Code of Chivalry-To fear God and maintain His church

-To serve the liege lord in valor and faith

-To protect the weak and defenseless

-To give succor to widows and orphans

-To live by honor and for glory

-To despise pecuniary reward

-To fight for the welfare of all

-To obey those placed in authority

-To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit

-At all times to speak the truth

-To respect the honor of women

-Never to refuse a challenge from an equal

-Never to turn the back upon a foe

Session update:1. Budget report – will be forthcoming with an annual report in

preparation for the annual congregation meeting.2. The Annual Congregation meeting is scheduled for February 10th

immediately following Morning Worship. The plan is to distribute the budget on February 3rd (Dinner Day) for all to have some time to review it in advance of the upcoming meeting.

3. The Session requested excuse from the last presbytery meeting since Presbytery was the same day as the funeral of Brenda Holbrook’s mother.

From the sessionFrom the sessionFrom the sessionFrom the session

Upcoming EventsUpcoming EventsUpcoming EventsUpcoming EventsCongregational Meeting, Sunday,

February 10th immediately following Morning Worship.

Please plan to attend.

A Mighty Fortress is Our GodA Mighty Fortress is Our GodA Mighty Fortress is Our GodA Mighty Fortress is Our God

St. Valentine, the real storySt. Valentine, the real storySt. Valentine, the real storySt. Valentine, the real story

Flowers, candy, red hearts and romance. That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about, right? Well, maybe not.

The origin of this holiday for the expression of love really isn’t romantic at all – at least not in the traditional sense. Father Frank O’Gara of Whitefriars Street Church in Dublin, Ireland, tells the real story of the man behind the holiday – St. Valentine.

“He was a Roman Priest at a time when there was an emperor called Claudius who persecuted the church at that particular time,” Father O’Gara explains. “He also had an edict that prohibited the marriage of young people. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be afraid of

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what might happen to them or their wives or families if they died.”

“I think we must bear in mind that it was a very permissive society in which Valentine lived,” says Father O’Gara. “Polygamy would have been much more popular than just one woman and one man living together. And yet some of them seemed to be attracted to Christian faith. But obviously the church thought that marriage was very sacred between one man and one woman for their life and that it was to be encouraged. And so it immediately presented the problem to the Christian church of what to do about this.”

“The idea of encouraging them to marry within the Christian church was what Valentine was about. And he secretly married them because of the edict.”

Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured for performing marriage ceremonies against the command of Emperor Claudius the second. There are legends surrounding Valentine’s actions while in prison.

“One of the men who was to judge him in line with Roman law at the time was a man called Asterius, whose daughter was blind. He was supposed to have prayed with and healed the young girl with such astonishing effect that Asterius himself became a Christian as a result.”

In the year 269 AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three-part execution of a beating, stoning, and finally decapitation all because of his stand for Christian marriage. The story goes that the last words he wrote were in a note to Asterius’ daughter. He inspired today’s romantic missives by signing it, “from your Valentine.”

St. Valentine, the real story St. Valentine, the real story St. Valentine, the real story St. Valentine, the real story (Continued)(Continued)(Continued)(Continued)

“What Valentine means to me as a priest,” explains Father O’Gara, “is that there comes a time where you have to lay your life upon the line for what you believe. And with the power of the Holy Spirit we can do that – even to the point of death.”

Valentine’s martyrdom has not gone unnoticed by the general public. In fact, Whitefriars Street Church is one of three churches that claim to house the remains of Valentine. Today, many people make the pilgrimage to the church to honor the courage and memory of this Christian saint.

“Valentine has come to be known as the patron saint of lovers. Before you enter into a Christian marriage you want some sense of God in your life – some great need of God in your life. And we know, particularly in the modern world, many people are meeting God through his Son, Jesus Christ.”

“If Valentine were here today, he would say to married couples that there comes a time where you’re going to have to suffer. It’s not going to be easy to maintain your commitment and your vows in marriage. Don’t be surprised if the ‘gushing’ love that you have for someone changes to something less ‘gushing’ but maybe much more mature. And the question is, ‘Is that young person ready for that?’”

“So on the day of the marriage they have to take that into context,” Father O’Gara says. “Love – human love and sexuality is wonderful, and blessed by God – but also in the shadow of the cross. That’s what Valentine means to me.”

February 2013February 2013February 2013February 2013February 2013February 2013February 2013February 2013

Every Sunday:

10 am Sunday School 11 am worship 6 pm evening study

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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10 11 12 13 14 15 16

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24 25 26

Abingdon

Care Group

Communion

Prison Ministry

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3

Dinner Day

Prison Ministry

Did you know: Some say St. Valentine is the patron saint of lovers, marriage, bee keeping and fainting.

Bristol Care

GroupAbingdon

Care Group

Bristol Care

Group

1 2

Sandy

Armstrong’s

Birthday

Mark

Moormans’

Birthday

Sally Dawson’s

Birthday

Debra Kiser’s

Birthday

Roberta Clifton’s

Birthday

Randy Ojanen’s

Birthday

Andrea

Moormans’

Birthday

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Men’s Study Morning Glories

Morning GloriesMen’s Study

Congregational

Meeting