Oxford Presbyterian Church

June 26, 2020

Dear sisters and brothers,

The devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Luke 4:9-12 NRSV)

The above confrontation between the devil and Jesus over contested Bible readings is really a dispute about the nature of God’s power. The devil desired that Jesus utilize his authority to be a quick fixer-upper, to use heavenly power to give humanity whatever it desires or feels it needs in the present. But really what the devil was after was to tempt Jesus into addressing humanity’s problems by inadequate means. “Just use your power to fix everything and do it as soon as possible,” is what the diabolical one was requesting. But Jesus saw through the devil’s misappropriation of scripture right away as a red herring. Humanity needed so much more than for life to just go a little smoother. It needed salvation from forces that were determined to frustrate it and eventually kill it, and that required the power of the cross. The weakness of God overcame the so-called strength that the devil wants us all to trust in.

We had hoped and prayed that we could begin the month of July with worshiping in the OPC backyard underneath the shade of our trees, but current circumstances and statistics have led both the Committee on Reopening and the Session of Oxford Presbyterian Church to postpone gathering for worship in person through the month of July. As hard and as difficult it is to make such a decision, it is nevertheless what “seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us” right now, given the extension of Phase II of the North Carolina reopening plan and current infection numbers. The same devil that tempted Jesus also tempts us with words like, “Gather together, for the angels will protect you.” But to listen to those sentiments would be to put God to the test. Instead, let us be patient and wait for the opportunity that God provides for us that will be signaled by both political leaders and healthcare professionals.

Once again, our live-streamed worship will be broadcast from our sanctuary 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.

Also, our worship will now be 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.

As before, 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 critical at this time. 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:

4th Sunday after Pentecost, June 28, 2020:

Scripture readings:Genesis 22:1-19; Romans 6:12-23

Sermon Title: “At the edge of the unthinkable”

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 – 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. ACIM is currently in need of soup, pasta and sauce, macaroni and cheese, canned fruit and canned peas. We have a bin at the top of the ramp behind the church should you desire to donate any of those items at this time, and we will make sure they get to ACIM. In July, our emphasis will be Backpack Buddies. Look for more information forthcoming next week on this mission.

Announcements:

July 2nd – 5:30 p.m. – Book Club discussion of Paul: An Apostle’s Journey via Zoom

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, 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, Adrienne Morton, Will Newcomb, Vivian Oney, Greg and Dottie Price, Lynn Stone, Kathy Webb; Allison Evans Woodlief

Happy Birthday to: None this upcoming week.

“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NRSV)

All blessings in Christ,

Alan

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