25 Jul OPC Weekly July 24, 2020
July 24, 2020
Dear sisters and brothers,
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered, O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. (Psalms 105:4-6 NRSV)
Central to Israel’s life as the people of God was remembrance. The identity that they had was not one that came from within them, but from without—namely from the God who had delivered them, and therefore the psalmists would write lyrics that exhorted the people to not forget their God. Forgetting God would be a loss of identity for the people. They wouldn’t know who they were. The same holds true for the people of God in Jesus Christ. Our baptismal identity comes not from ourselves, but from the God who saved us in and through our Lord. The practice of worshiping and the keeping of the Sabbath are acts of remembrance, remembrance of how God has demonstrated his love for us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is hard for us to forget who we are if we are in the habit of remembering.
To that end, even amid our pandemic we endeavor to worship. Thus, our live-streamed worship will again broadcast from my family room on Sunday via Facebook Live. Worship begins at 10:00 a.m. If you have a computer or tablet or smartphone with an internet connection, you should be able to receive the stream. You do not need to have a Facebook account to participate. Our stream appears on the church’s Facebook page which is here à https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/. If you miss the broadcast, the service will remain on our Facebook page for the next several days. If you have prayer requests or announcements, please email them to me (opcpastor@ncrrbiz.com) or text them to me (919-323-7192) and they will be included in the worship.
Our worship is also being broadcast on WCBQ 1340 on the AM radio dial at 3 p.m. on Sundays! If you are not a computer hound, then the radio broadcast of our worship is an easy way to listen in and participate. If you know of someone in our community that does not do computers or finds them frustrating to use, please let them know of this alternative. Thank you.
The Sunday worship bulletin will appear in your emailbox late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, complete with hymns and sermon so that you may have your own house-church worship. Worship is always critical, but especially at a time like this. Our faithful witness in this difficult time and world is nourished by lifting our hearts to the Lord. As always, you can listen to sermons through our website right here à https://oxfordpres.org/media/#sermons, and at The Oxford Exchange, found here à http://theoxfordexchange.blubrry.net/.
Our website, www.oxfordpres.org, has calendars, newsletters, the OPC WEEKLY, sermons, and even ways to give your offerings (right here à https://oxfordpres.org/give/). It is a great resource in times like these.
Oxford Presbyterian Church also has an offerings drop-box situated next to the door on the back side of the church at the top of the ramp if you want to drop off an offering. Or, you can mail offerings to Oxford Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 652, Oxford, NC 27565. They will be collected and deposited.
Here is our schedule for the week:
8th Sunday after Pentecost, July 26, 2020:
Scripture readings: Romans 8:18-39
Sermon title: “Perspective”
10:00 a.m. – Worship via Facebook Live. The stream can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/
3:00 p.m. – Worship broadcast on WCBQ 1340 AM
Mission of the Month – This month, our emphasis continues to be Backpack Buddies, an ongoing mission that sends food home on weekends with kids who depend on school meals for nourishment. The food is distributed through ACIM, and the ministry will continue to help kids whether school is in person or online.
Announcements:
- 28th – 9:00 a.m. – Presbytery Meeting via Zoom
- 29th – 6:30 p.m. – Session Meeting via Zoom
- 30th – 5:30 p.m. – Book Club discussion of Paul: An Apostle’s Journey via Zoom resumes
We are continuing our local book club via the easy-to-use (for the most part!) teleconferencing technology of Zoom. We are reading Douglas Campbell’s short and readable biography of one of the key witnesses in the New Testament, Paul: An Apostle’s Journey. If you wish to join us, please let Alan know.
Prayers for: Becky and Isabella Baird, Betty Baynes, Sylvia Bowman, Michael Boyd, Ann Currin, Larry Delfs, Linda and Mike Diamond, Randy Downey, Julie Gaydon, Marlene Grenier, Diane and Fred Heath, Anne Heck, Hannah Hobgood, Sue Huggins, Cotina Jones, Barbara Laurent, Carlis Laws, Donnie Messer, Stacy Messer, Ally Milton, Adrienne Morton, Will Newcomb, Greg and Dottie Price, Mike Reavis, Lynn Stone, Kathy Webb; Allison Evans Woodlief. Cynthia Yancey’s dear mom, Mary Frances Brooks, passed away early this week. Please be lifting Cynthia and her family up in prayer as they mourn.
Happy Birthday to: Ellie Bradsher – July 31st.
O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
O offspring of his servant Abraham,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
He is mindful of his covenant forever,
of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.” (Psalms 105:1-11 NRSV)
All blessings in Christ,
Alan
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