Oxford Presbyterian Church

June 5, 2020

Dear sisters and brothers,

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12 NRSV)

These words constitute the first in-depth proclamation of the kingdom of heaven (called the kingdom of God in Mark and Luke but they are the same thing) by our Lord Jesus. His entire ministry—from his words to his mighty deeds, from his aphorisms to his parables, from his exorcisms to his healings, from his baptism to his crucifixion—is to be understood in light of these beatitudes. They are meant to be heard and felt and acted upon precisely at a time like this. An Easter people who have been assured of their vindication in the resurrection from the dead are free to live their citizenship in this kingdom of heaven. We are free to feel and act like and follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus.

As proud Americans these words of Jesus show us up as impoverished, especially now. Our explanatory power, our efforts to control, our endeavors to be righteous, our politics and economics and culture—they are all shown to be woefully inadequate for the moment. Evil is not something we can leverage ourselves against, lest we find ourselves playing evil’s game and trusting in powers other than the cross. The way of Jesus Christ is truly the only way to freedom. The way of Jesus Christ is the only way that has permanence. Our institutions, all of which begin with good intentions, are vulnerable to rot and decay. They come under the judgment of Jesus’ words the moment they exercise power at opposite purpose with the kingdom of heaven. They come under the judgment of Jesus’ words the moment they side against the people that Jesus sides with.

The healing of wounds, the redress of evils both individual and systemic, the rebuilding of trust—all things that will require considerable time and energy—they actually can happen to the extent that we believe these words of Jesus. Our communities and our culture and our politics can be reborn to the extent that they are characterized and populated by these people: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ (literally “justice”) sake, those reviled for trusting in the weakness of the cross. The world does and will need, desperately, your witness to this kingdom. At the end of the day, it is the only thing that lasts.

Continue to pray for the work of our Committee on Reopening. Rest assured they will have us prepared to safely congregate when the opportunity presents itself.

Continue to let me or any of our elders know of any needs you have. We are committed to sharing whatever burdens you may have, whether seen or unseen.

Our live-streamed worship has begun being broadcast from our sanctuary and will be again this Sunday via Facebook Live . Our service 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. Be sure to tune in this Sunday for something a little different!

As always, look for our Sunday worship bulletin in your mailbox late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, complete with hymns and sermon so that you may have your own house-church worship. The important thing for all of us these days is not how we are worshiping but rather the fact that we are worshiping. God gift us whenever and wherever we meet with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 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:

Trinity Sunday, June 7, 2020:

Scripture readings: Jeremiah 2:4-13; Romans 1:1-7

Sermon Title: “Swapping Gods, Empty Cisterns, and the Trinity”

10:00 a.m. – Worship via Facebook Live. The stream can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/

Mission of the Month – Our monthly mission emphases for June are Area Congregations in Ministry (ACIM), which assists local families with food and other necessities, and Families Living Violence Free (FLVF), which works for lasting prevention of violence within the home. Donations can be made anytime during the month.

Announcements:

• June 11th – 5:30 p.m. – Book Club discussion of Paul: An Apostle’s Journey via Zoom

We have resumed 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, Michael Boyd, Ann Currin, Larry Delfs, Linda and Mike Diamond, Randy Downey, Julie Gaydon, Diane and Fred Heath, Hannah Hobgood, Sue Huggins, Cotina Jones, Barbara Laurent, Carlis Laws, Will Newcomb, Greg and Dottie Price, Lynn Stone, Kathy Webb; Allison Evans Woodlief

Happy Birthday to: Ben Hobgood – June 9th; June Howell – June 10th; Marty Newell – June 11th.

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

you who lead Joseph like a flock!

You who are enthroned upon the cherubim,

shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.

Stir up your might, and come to save us!

Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

O Lord God of hosts,

how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

You have fed them with the bread of tears,

and given them tears to drink in full measure.

You make us the scorn of our neighbors;

our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of hosts;

let your face shine, that we may be saved. (Psalms 80:1-7 NRSV)

All blessings in Christ,

Alan

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