For a number of children in our community, tomorrow and Friday mark the first day of school, and it causes me to think back to the anticipation and terror that greeted a new academic year. Catching up with people I hadn't seen all summer was great; meeting new people who had moved into town was ok; getting back into routine was, well, getting back into routine.
One thing that I will always keep in mind when I remember the start of a new year is the experience of walking into a new teacher's classroom. Of course, I walked into the room with preconceived notions and prejudices about the teacher in question based on the word on the street (it wasn't until seventh grade that I realized that teachers passed word among themselves about incoming students and that our reputations preceded us as well). Dealing with a new teacher, however, became a moot point after about a week most years because by then the familiarity of the expectations that the teacher had for us were established.
It's with this in mind that I am looking forward to our next three weeks in worship, for I will be preaching a series of sermons based off of John Wesley's expectations for those who joined the Methodist societies that he and his brother Charles were establishing within theChurch of England. Wesley's three simple rules were:
1) Do No Harm
2) Do Good
3) Tend to Your Relationship with God (paraphrase)
As our children and our society start getting back into the routine of a new academic year, I hope and pray that you will join us for this series of worship, being reminded once again of the expectations that are placed upon those of us who choose to follow Christ.
One thing that I will always keep in mind when I remember the start of a new year is the experience of walking into a new teacher's classroom. Of course, I walked into the room with preconceived notions and prejudices about the teacher in question based on the word on the street (it wasn't until seventh grade that I realized that teachers passed word among themselves about incoming students and that our reputations preceded us as well). Dealing with a new teacher, however, became a moot point after about a week most years because by then the familiarity of the expectations that the teacher had for us were established.
It's with this in mind that I am looking forward to our next three weeks in worship, for I will be preaching a series of sermons based off of John Wesley's expectations for those who joined the Methodist societies that he and his brother Charles were establishing within theChurch of England. Wesley's three simple rules were:
1) Do No Harm
2) Do Good
3) Tend to Your Relationship with God (paraphrase)
As our children and our society start getting back into the routine of a new academic year, I hope and pray that you will join us for this series of worship, being reminded once again of the expectations that are placed upon those of us who choose to follow Christ.
See You Sunday!
Lamar
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