Forsyth United Methodist Church News
	5 September 2004

This Weeks Scripture:

Exodus 31

Bezalel and Oholiab

¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, ² "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- ⁴ to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ⁵ to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. ⁶ Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: ⁷ the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent- ⁸ the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand- ¹⁰ and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, ¹¹ and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you."

The Sabbath
¹² Then the LORD said to Moses, ¹³ "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD , who makes you holy.
¹⁴ " 'Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. ¹⁵ For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD . Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. ¹⁷ It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.' "
¹⁸ When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

Ephesians 2

Made Alive in Christ

¹As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. ⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

This Weeks Sermon:

Labor Day

 

This holiday is not often thought of as a religious one. What laboring gifts do you have? Do you share them with others in the name of Christ? God gives us all of our abilities. As a matter of fact, the work of God is us. His labor of love was to create man in His image. The work of Jesus was to provide salvation to us through His death on the cross. So this labor day, think of what God has labored to do for each of us. Take the time off but reflect on how you can take your labor and help others experience the love of God.

Word of the Week:

Hyssop

Hyssop is a plant which is referred to in a few Bible passages, but cannot be identified with certainty in the present day. Its existence in Egypt is noted in Exodus, wherein Moses is represented as bidding the elders of Israel to take a bunch of hyssop and to sprinkle with it the blood of the paschal lamb upon the lintel and the side posts of the doors of their dwellings. The references to hyssop contained in the Mosaic ritual show clearly that it was a common plant in the peninsula of Sinai and in the land of Chanaan, and disclose its principal uses among the Hebrews. Because common Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is not native to the Mediterranean area, much debate has ensued over which plant was referred to as Hyssop. It may have even been several different plants used for different and varied purposes. Origanum syriacum is thought to be the true Hyssop of the Bible. A very frost tender plant, true O. syriacum is not offered for sale in this country, so we settle for O. maru--or what we refer to in the garden as Syrian Oregano. Oregano was often gathered in bunches and used as a brush or sprinkler for purification rituals. [“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalms 51:7] Perhaps the most famous use of this plant is at the crucifixion: (from the gospel of John)²⁸Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." ²⁹A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. ³⁰When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Prayer of the Week:

Heavenly Father, let our ears be tuned to hear what you are saying to us. Protect us with the salvation of the cross. Make us strong in faith at all times. Help us find opportunities to share your love with others. Amen.

Question of the Week:

What is the "unpardonable sin?"

An unforgivable sin is described in Mark 3 and Matthew 12. These passages involve Jesus Christ's repeated and widespread public defeat of Satan and his demons. Many readers and theologians have been confused about the true nature of this sin. ["Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come"] "The unforgivable sin of speaking against the Holy Spirit has been interpreted in various ways, but the true meaning cannot contradict other Scripture. It is unequivocally clear that the one unforgivable sin is permanently rejecting Christ. Thus, speaking against the Holy Spirit is equivalent to rejecting Christ with such finality that no future repentance is possible.

 

 

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