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Church Garage Sale Announced * January 20-21 2012

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:00:00 GMT

GARAGE SALE

Jan. 20-21 and If Needed, Jan. 27-28

Our Annual Garage Sale is Fri., Jan. 20 from 9am – 4pm and Sat., Jan. 21 from 9am – 2pm. You may bring your donated items to the Fellowship Hall beginning on Sun., Jan. 8. Our youth and outreach ministries are working together and sharing the proceeds from the sale. We need volunteers to sort, arrange, and price beginning on Mon. Jan. 16 until Thur., Jan. 19 from 9:00am to 12:00pm and from 2:00pm to 4:00pm every day and the evenings of Tue., Jan. 17 & Thur., Jan. 19 from 7-9pm. Lets all work together to make the garage sale a great success.

23-Nov-11 2:00 PM

Santa Eats Breakfast With Kids

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

BREAKFAST

WITH SANTA

AND CHRISTMAS CRAFTS

The eleventh annual Breakfast With Santa is a delicious breakfast cooked by the United Methodist Men for all the young and young at heart with serving starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 3 in the Fellowship Hall and ending at 11:00 a.m. No Charge! The highlight of the morning is a visit from Santa. We will have many inspirational Christmas crafts for children ages 2 through the 5 grade. Don’t forget your birthday present for Baby Jesus such as diapers, baby food, or formula for donating to the food pantry. Please contact the church office 713-468-3276 or e-mail fhumc@fairhavenumc.org with any questions or to volunteer to help. See you there!

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Hear the Bells Ring! Dec. 11 5pm Concert & Snack

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

ABUNDANT JOY RINGS * DECEMBER 11TH * 5PM * FELLOWSHIP HALL

Handbells have been called one of the most "joyful instruments ever created." Why not come and decide for yourself! Please join us in Fair Haven’s Fellowship Hall on Sunday, December 11th at 5:00 p.m. for a light snack followed by a huge buffet of delightful Christmas music rung with joy by the Havenly Bells and the Celebration Ringers with a guest appearance on two pieces by the Fair Haven Chancel Choir.

A Joyful Legacy

In a string of Fair Haven Christmas concerts going back many years, these dedicated and happy handbell ringers have left a legacy of light hearts and lifted spirits which bring church friends and neighbors back again and again, year after year. The ringers of these beautiful bells would dearly love to include you in this concert, along with family and friends you may feel free to invite. A nursery is provided.

Carols for the Heart

The upcoming concert represents a musical tapestry made up of both carols at home on the decorated streets of our city and others dear to the hearts of those in places of worship during the Advent/Christmas season.

Out of Many, One…

What sounds to the ear like a single orchestra of bells, is behind the scenes a miracle of dedication and precision by these women of different backgrounds and musical experience. It takes much practice and skillful direction by Carol Ancell to make this collection of individual bells and chimes slung into the air by different players sound like one coordinated whole. It is something amazing for first timers to hear and something even hard for seasoned musicians familiar with other instruments or voices to conceive. Imagine just waiting for that brief moment, as the time for your one or more bells to be played arrives. The cascade of black sixteenth notes appears on the page, and you flex your arm muscles in preparation. Then as you hear sounds of bells coming up the line, you get ready to play your note right on cue as you hear your own bell ring out, and the sounds move past you down the bell table at a breakneck speed. It’s a wonder that you’re invited to hear for yourself!

The Gift of Joy

This concert is the centerpiece of a dozen special concerts and appearances across the Houston area in addition to handbell anthems in services of worship at Fair Haven and programs for Fair Haven’s United Methodist Men and Women. The off-campus concerts and appearances are covered by the 6 member Celebration Ringers, a core group of musical veterans who have traveled together for many years spreading joy to hospitals, to those confined or grieving, or those needing a touch of spirituality in the midst of busy lives.

Smiles

Director Carol Ancell speaks of the incredible feeling of joy that comes to the group as they give the gift of joyful music to doctors, patients, and others carrying burdens made lighter. She speaks of smiles that dance across anxious and weary faces for just a moment. Just think of how many have been touched over the years! Just think of those soon to be touched, perhaps yours… on Dec. 11th.

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Christmas Food Distribution Labor of Love!

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

FOOD PANTRY NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

Fair Haven’s Food Pantry annual Christmas distribution is Wednesday through Friday, December 14 – 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each day. This year, the whole operation will be handled in the Food Pantry building instead of the Fellowship Hall. Pantry director, "Bob" McDonald hopes that the net result of handling it this way will be less physical effort on the part of the volunteers. On all three days the pantry needs help assisting clients with sacks and managing both foot and automobile traffic. Volunteers are also needed on Monday – Thursday to fill sacks for distribution. If you can help, please call the Food Pantry at 713-467-4363. The pantry appreciates all who volunteer and contribute money and groceries to this community outreach of Fair Haven.

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Christmas Caroling Joins Homebound and Happy Voices

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

CHRISTMAS CAROLING

TUESDAY NIGHT

DECEMBER 20TH

On Tuesday Night, December 20 at 5:45pm we will meet in the Music Center, divide into groups for transportation, and head out at 6:00pm into the night to sing Christmas Carols and bring some love to various individuals. We especially hope to visit some of our homebound members, bringing them a Christmas word of love and encouragement. Please arrive ready to travel, sing, and share some love and fellowship!

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Special Christmas Day and New Years Day Services - We'd Love To See You!

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

It's a rare thing for Christmas Day and New Year's Day to fall on Sunday, and the people of Fair Haven are taking full advantage of the opportunity to celebrate! There will be one service in English in the church sanctuary and another service in Spanish in the church's Christian Life Center. Both services will be at 11am.

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Come Hear Cantata "The Christmas Light" December 4th 11am

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

THE CHRISTMAS LIGHT

DEC. 4, 11:00 A.M.

On Sunday, Dec. 4th during a single 11:00 a.m. English-speaking sanctuary service, the Fair Haven Chancel Choir in conjunction with other choirs and the Fair Haven Children’s Council will present Benjamin Harlan’s The Christmas Light. This Chancel Choir Cantata includes captivating pageantry and additional music and narration by younger voices.

Come to the sanctuary to see beautiful poinsettias, and see the manger scene with Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus. Hear "The Story" from the Shepherds, the Wisemen and voices of all ages lifted in song. As the cantata begins the sanctuary is darkened. A single large candle appears. With each successive anthem, the light in the room increases as rich new songs blend with classic carols and words of hope.. Parents, we may be putting out the call soon for little angels, shepherds, and wise men toparticipate. In the meantime, we invite parents and everyone else to come see the sights and hear the sounds, and receive Holy Communion as the ever-present spirit speaks to our hearts. Come share the Light of the Gospel with us.

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Fair Haven Joins Christmas in the Park Community Effort

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

A Nighttime Stroll Through Spring Valley Park

What is a luminary walk, you’re thinking? Just picture a beautiful nighttime stroll through Spring Valley Park, located between Westview and I-10 on Campbell Road, on a path lined with beautiful lighted lumenaria on a lovely December evening! You can come and go as you please and wander around to your heart’s content.

Working Together To Share The Christmas Story

The park is the picturesque site for a brand new seasonal community event supported by Fair Haven along with more than 15 other churches in the area. Come stroll the park during this two hour event and visit the seven stations representing the events in the Christmas story from the angels… to the live nativity… to the arrival of the wise men.

Sights and Sounds To Enjoy

All along the way are sights and sounds to delight the senses: the sounds of choral and bell choirs; a petting zoo of live animals for kids to enjoy; camel rides; Biblical characters in costume; fun activities and crafts; refreshments like hot wassail, coffee, or cookies in the gazebo. No admission is charged for this event to encourage everyone to come and just enjoy the night, the people, the music, and this unique celebration of the Christmas story. What a wonderful thing… folks from various church working together for the good of the community. One church is handling the live nativity. Another is showing the angels telling the shepherds the Good News! Another is serving refreshments. All are placing their faith in Jesus before anything else to link arms for everyone’s benefit.

Fair Haven

Is Doing Its Part

Our own director of handbell choirs, Carol Ancell, who has participated in the planning for the event will be seen that night conducting the mass bell choir. She also has her hands full coordinating the music for the participating bell choirs and handling the detailed preparations for the bell stage area for this event. Fair Haven Associate Pastor Jairo Ortiz has been a part of the planning also and has volunteered Fair Haven’s Spanish Worship Praise Team to be a part of the event. The Fair Haven Chancel Choir directed by HyeHyun Sung and Youth Choir directed by Greg Morgan will perform at 7:20pm with 20 minutes of choral music based on the theme of Station Five, "Angels Tell The Shepherds of the Good News!"

Join Us For A Wonderful Evening

According to Carol Ancell, this year’s director Pastor Rick Minett has set an upbeat positive tone for everyone. "He was just encouraging us to roll up our sleeves and work together for one night to tell the story of Jesus for a world that’s so hungry to hear," she said. Please join your friends and neighbors for a wonderful evening on December 18th at Christmas in the Park.

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Fair Haven Senior Pastor Paul Thomasson Says: "You Have a Decision To Make"

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

This Christmas

You Have a Decision to Make

Dear Friends,

Every Christmas we have to make thousands of decisions about God, family, church, and host of less important matters. I have a suggestion that will help in all these matters.

I suggest the first, over-riding decision be this: We Will Keep Christmas Holy.

If we do that, we probably won’t spend money that we can’t afford to spend. We probably won’t become so BUSY that we miss the SPIRIT of Christmas. We’ll spend more time on Family and less on shopping, more time in Worship and less on partying.

Our families, our children and grandchildren, will be given memories they will never forget of worshipping with loved ones at Christmas If we promise ourselves to Keep Christmas Holy, we ourselves will find the Spirit of Christ instead of the "Season of Shopping ‘till we’re dropping."

In short, if we let the first decision about Christmas to be "I will Keep Christmas Holy" we and our families will experience less stress, less hurry and scurry, less arguing, and less remorse in January over a great experience miss-spent.

Spend your Christmas with God. Spend Christmas with your family and your Church. I promise Fair Haven will have many great worship opportunities this year in music, preaching, prayer, Holy Communion, fellowship, and more. My advice is to let your first over-riding decision about Christmas be to Keep Christmas Holy.

Love,

Paul

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Join Us for Christmas Eve Communion and Candles

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

You’re Invited!

Celebrate Christmas Eve

With Your Church Family

On Christmas Eve, Fair Haven will celebrate with two distinct types of worship events. The first will be from 7:00-8:00 p.m. It will be a very traditional Christmas Eve worship service including prayer, music, Christmas Hymns, Holy Communion and a Candle-lighting ceremony at its conclusion.

From 8:00-9:00 p.m. we will celebrate a much more informal (but more sedate) time of "come and go" silent prayer and Holy Communion. During this time, worshippers will be asked to silently enter the darkened Sanctuary, kneel to pray in their pews or at the Altar (if they are able), then end by receiving Holy Communion and sharing a time of prayer led by one of the pastors.

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Dealing With the Junk In Our Lives

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

"Dealing With The Junk In Our Lives"

By Bob Luton

With our upcoming church garage sale in the back of my mind, I wondered about the junk we let clutter up our lives... and spirits. So Paul and I are preaching a short sermon series starting Jan. 8th with that theme... in both services. After we bring the junk in our homes to church for the sale, we will be also be thinking in worship about the junk which clutters our spiritual lives. But... in the Fellowship Hall service, we’ll use the junk around us (for at least one week) like an adult children’s sermon!

In that service we will use the surrounding junk in the Fellowship Hall as a symbol of the things which get between us and God... and between us and each other. We can look at it, talk about it, and learn from it! Then we can celebrate something like a "little Easter" when the junk is gone.

Some folks never give their junk to God, entering worship for many years, mentally leaving their junk at the church door on the way in, and then picking it back up again on the way out. And they just can’t figure out why they don’t feel any better.

So, for at least two weeks, beginning on Sun. January 8th, you can literally...

* bring your garage sale junk to church with you

* drop it off in the Fellowship Hall

* worship right there with it in the Contemporary Service or

* worship in the traditional sanctuary service if that’s your preference

* and then after worship… leave home without it in more ways than one!

Let’s "Deal With The Junk In Our Lives Together!"

23-Nov-11 1:00 PM

Fair Haven Marks Advent / Christmas With Special Events

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Advent At Fair Haven

(Details Provided In Related Articles To Be Posted)

Sun. Nov. 27th: 1st Sunday of Advent Worship

11:00am j2g Contemporary; 11:00 am Spanish

11:00 am Traditional: Lessons & Carols

Sat., Dec. 3rd: 9am Breakfast With Santa – Fell. Hall

Sun., Dec. 4th : 2nd Sunday of Advent Worship

11:00am Spanish

11:00 am One Sanctuary Service in English

"The Christmas Light", A Cantata by Benjamin Harlan

Sun., Dec. 11th: 3rd Sunday of Advent Worship

11:00am Contemporary; 11:00am Spanish

11:00 am English Traditional

Evening Program

5:00pm Handbell Concert - Snack: Fell. Hall

Wed.-Fri., Dec. 14-16 Christmas Food Distribution

9am – 2pm At The Food Pantry This Year

Sun., Dec. 18th: 4th Sunday of Advent Worship

11:00am Contemporary; 11:00am Spanish

11:00 am English Traditional

Evening Program

6:00pm Christmas in the Park - Spring Valley Park

Tue., Dec. 20th: Christmas Caroling

Gather in the Music Center at 5:45 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 24th : Christmas Eve

Candlelight Communion Service

7:00pm Traditional Communion Liturgy - Sanctuary

8:00pm – 9:00pm Come and Go Communion

Sun. Dec. 25th : Christmas Day Worship

11:00am Spanish

11:00 am One Sanctuary Service in English

Jan. 1: 1st Sun. in New Year

11:00am Spanish;

11:00 am One Sanctuary Service in English

23-Nov-11 12:00 PM

Join Us For The "Lessons and Carols" Service Sun. Nov. 27

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:00:00 GMT

The Festival Of Nine Lessons and Carols

Returns To Begin the Advent Season

This year a very popular worship event, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will return to begin our Advent Season on the morning of November 27 in the 11:00 a.m. traditional service of worship in the sanctuary.

This service was created in Cornwall, England for Christmas Eve worship in 1880. It had two distinct purposes. Its creator, Bishop Edward White Benson, claimed a major part of its purpose was to "keep men out of pubs on Christmas Eve"! The other major purpose was to tell the story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus.

Again, we do NOT plan this service for Christmas Eve, but for the start of Advent on November 27. We will tell the story of the fall of humanity and the promise of the Messiah as we begin the season of Advent. Come be blessed by one of Fair Haven’s most popular worship experiences.

23-Nov-11 12:00 PM

Sermon by Bob Luton "What Goes Up..." 6-5-2011

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 14:00:00 GMT

SCRIPTURE LESSON Acts 1: 6-14

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking in the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the zealot and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

SERMON What Goes Up.... Bob Luton

This scripture passage is for any person or any church… stuck… between what has been and what will be.

Being “Stuck”!

We’ve all been there. We’ve all been “stuck” like that at one time or another. And “being stuck” feels like… life suddenly shifts into low gear,,, or jerks into slow motion… or you can’t go forward or backward.

Winnie The Pooh

A few of you may remember the child’s story book in which the bear, Winnie the Pooh, is visiting rabbit and eats too much bread, milk, and honey. On his way out, he gets stuck in the rabbit hole and can’t go forward or back out. We pick up the story there:

So he started to climb out of the hole. He pulled with his front paws, and pushed with his back paws, and in a little while his nose was in the open again ... and then his ears ... and then his front paws ... and then his shoulders ... and then-'Oh, help!' said Pooh, 'I'd better go back,' 'Oh bother!' said Pooh, 'I shall have to go on.' 'I can't do either!' said Pooh, 'Oh help and bother!' ... Christopher Robin nodded. 'Then there's only one thing to be done,' he said. 'We shall have to wait for you to get thin again.' 'How long does getting thin take?' asked Pooh anxiously. 'About a week I should think.' 'But I can't stay here for a week!' 'You can stay here all right, silly old Bear. It's getting you out which is so difficult.'

With us, being “stuck” is something like that. But in our lives, we have been “stuck” from time to time in so many different ways.

Stuck in Different Ways

Good Byes… It’s the time that seems quick-frozen, after someone you love pulls out of the driveway not to be seen for a very long time, and then you watch your feet turn… as you retrace your steps back into the house.

Waiting for Doctors… It’s that time (that some of our folks like the Prestiges are going through right now) between the cancer diagnosis and the treatment plan. I remember those days myself.

A Child Growing Up… Or you’re looking at the face of your little one, and you suddenly see a glimmer of maturity there. You realize in a flash that your little one is no longer a child, and it leaves you breathless.

Graduation… It’s that time after the thrill of receiving your diploma… but before taking your first job in the real world.

A Wedding… It’s that moment after the minister says… “and now I pronounce you husband and wife together, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” and the world seems to open up before you in those few seconds before the organ music starts the recessional.

But Somehow The Ways Are Similar

The situations are different all right, but there is a shared human experience in each of them: life seems to turns on a dime; things will never be the same again; the old is gone; the new is just around the corner; and to even take that first breath… is to shatter the hourglass of time… as it used to be.

The Disciples Were… Stuck!

It was something like that for Jesus’ disciples. They had been through a grueling, wrenching, experience as their teacher and companion… was tortured and killed right before their eyes, mysteriously raised from the dead, appeared to them several times an unsettling manner mixing joy and fear, and then was disappearing (in the current moment) from their sight into the clouds… leaving them… in charge.

They Each Had Baggage

Like most of us in grief or transition, they brought different baggage with them that day: Peter, his denials. Thomas, his hesitation and doubt. James and John, that embarrassing mess about where they wanted to sit in the coming kingdom. And all the rest… Each of them… were vulnerable in their own way.

The Final Moments

The passage sets the scene graphically. As they gather with Jesus, they are anxious to know if finally, the Roman occupation will be put down… so life won’t be so hard and frightening. Jesus says in essence, “Come on guys, you must leave that up to God!””It’s not your place to know!” But tell you what. I won’t tell you that, but I will tell you this: … “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you… and you will be my witnesses to the whole world.” And then… just like that…he was gone… up into the sky… smaller and smaller… until a passing cloud hid him from view.

They Kept Looking Up

Who knows how long they kept looking up? It must have felt like… forever… as their necks strained and began to stiffen.

Not one of them… wanted to break the silence. Not one of them… wanted to be the first one to twist their sandal in the sand and turn back the way they came. So they just… stood there… looking up.

That One Small Step…

To make that one small step… would be to enter a new world without Jesus, with a big job to do.

To make that one small step… would signal a beginning path through the wilderness of grief and change to start life over again.

To make that one small step… would be a giant leap… a giant leap up to new leadership in a scary and uncertain situation.

No one dared move a muscle… ( )

The End of the Shuttle Program

Do you remember what’s supposed to happen on July 8^th? Does anybody know what’s special about that day? (Other than the day you probably ought to throw out the leftover food from the Independence Day BBQ!) It happens in Florida. ( ) That’s the day the last space shuttle is scheduled to lift off… through the clouds… into space.

That day will mark the end of an era of shuttle based space flight: STS-135. Designed in the early 70’s with test flights in the late 70’s and maiden voyage in 1981, the program has continued past its years of planning… for 30 more years. It’s been said that the space shuttle is the most complex machine ever built by humankind.

The Layoffs

For 510 employees of Boeing’s Space Exploration Division, August 5^thwill be their last work day. The NASA contractor, United Space Alliance - who is responsible for shuttle maintenance, is laying off 2600 employees by August. And that’s just the beginning.

Everybody Will Be Looking Up…

Those employees will join the many other different sets of eyes gazing upward into the sky on July 8^th. Many hearts will remember fondly the moments of unbelievable achievement and discovery. Some will feel moments of personal pride in some aspect of its development. We’ll all remember the depths of pain, shock, and loss of Challenger and her crew. Some will wonder what their role will be in the next space technology. Many of us watching the launch on TV will be full of questions about the future of space flight and the future of scientific inquiry into the miracle of God’s universe.

Each Person’s Experience Will Be Different

The experience will be very different for each of us… depending on who we are.

For a moment, imagine that you are a veteran mission launch control officer, or perhaps the one who helped maintain the landing gears for a safe touchdown, or the one who designed the computer guidance control software in 1975, or those who rely on the International Space Station for research for the next 9 years, or the families of the Challenger crew. The sight will be the same, but the tugs on the heart will be very different.

Like the disciples looking to the sky, that moment will be frozen in time between looking back… to memories of the past, looking up… at an unforgettable final ascent, and looking ahead… toward a hopeful, but uncertain future.

So, If You’re “Stuck” What Next?

To the disciples… and to all “stuck” people like them ever since… there comes the voice of angels… (I wonder if it also involved a tap on the shoulder) Luke says…

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking in the sky?

… As if to say, “Don’t worry, he will return one day, but now… it’s time to move on.” So they did.

Where Did They Go?

And where did they go? The passage reports that they huddled together with others of Jesus’s family and friends… in the place where they were staying… which was quickly transformed into a place of prayer. If they just scooted a few things around, there where they were living… they could draw strength from each other… and from God… in constant prayer it says… as they awaited two promises that had just been made to them.

The Two Promises

What were they? (1) You will receive power from the Holy Spirit. (2) You will be my witnesses to everyone. We’ll think more about their experience of the Holy Spirit next week, but for now, just think of what they did… which we can do as well… when we’re “stuck” and an inner voice says it’s time to move on…

We Can…

Make wherever we are a place of prayer.

Connect with our family and friends.

Wait for empowerment from the Holy Spirit.

Know that when the power comes, we’ll have a story to tell which will inspire others.

We know that what the disciples did bore fruit, because… we’re here keeping the faith long after they’re gone.

Where Are You “Stuck”?

Where are you stuck between what has been and what will be?

Maybe you’re at one of those in-between places, frozen in anticipation of the next step to take in faith.

Where Is Fair Haven “Stuck”?

Where are we (as a church) stuck between what has been and what will be?

Where do we need the empowering of the Holy Spirit to move ahead?

Can you imagine two angels standing beside us, saying… why do you stand here looking at the sky?

Draw Near With Faith…

Jesus calls us to prayer at this altar to be with us in the mystery of Holy Communion.

There, with family and friends beside us we do what he asked us to do “in remembrance of me.”

5-Jun-11 9:00 AM

My Dad's Violin

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:30:00 GMT

Ephesians 2:8-10 (RSV) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God — not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Introduction

We are God’s workmanship... The NEV says "handiwork"... The JEV says "work of art". Have you ever thought of yourself that way... a masterpiece from God’s work bench. All I had to do was look at my face in the mirror this morning, mustache and all, and I had my answer. How about you? No, seriously. Have you ever considered yourself as God’s masterpiece? Well, let’s look into it. What is a masterpiece, anyway.

What is a Masterpiece?

I can still remember the way that drawer in the front bedroom smelled. It was the very bottom one, and it was hard to get open. The Lillian Russell chest was cherry wood on the outside and the drawers must have been lined with cedar, because of the smell I remember. When I was very small, my mother would open the drawer for me and lift out the case and put it on the quilt across the end of the bed. She let me push the button on the front, and I can still hear the snap of the spring loaded hinges. Inside, all I could see was a silk scarf wrapped around something. It had been silent for a long time, but the sweet smell of rosin would drift into the room. "This was your Dad’s violin," she would say gently, almost reverently. "I wish he could have lived to play it longer. He enjoyed it so much." Then I would hear the story of his taking lessons as a child across the river from Sallisaw in Ft. Smith, his playing as a volunteer in the Nashville Symphony when he was a pharmacist in a drugstore there, and then that special day several years later in my hometown of Union City, Tennessee, when the man from Wurlitzer in New York arrived on the train with some instruments for sale to members of the community string chamber orchestra. "This one and the one Margaret Gardner bought were so perfectly matched, that sometimes when they played them together, a rare, wonderful third sound would fill the room made by them resonating together." Then she showed me the Landolphi label on the inside, and explain that it was made in Milan, Italy about 1745. I loved looking at the wood, feeling the beautiful varnish, and wishing I could hear it play.

Do you understand why I thought of this when I read the passage: You are God’s workmanship, work of art, masterpiece... if you will? A masterpiece: something beautiful, something loved, something which makes the player and listener happy, something made by a master craftsman after years of apprenticeship. Something that provides links to the past and glimmers of a time before memory. Something which must be handled with reverence and respect. Can you see that violin though my child’s eyes and see why my eyes mist over when I think of a "masterpiece."

Sure, when I read the passage, I thought: "You know, I can think of that violin as a masterpiece... but me... how can I be a masterpiece like that. So I read it again. Here’s the same passage in the Jerusalem Bible Translation:

Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.

I Can Be a Masterpiece?

Oh yes...I can’t be a masterpiece by doing anything! Only by God’s saving grace. (Hum the tune for "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing..." ) I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, then I got the message. What is that hymn?! And what line was I being led to remember as the link between a masterpiece violin and me as God’s masterpiece?! Of course! There it is in the first line: "Come thou, fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace."

That’s it! Isn’t that a wonderful image! I can hear myself praying, "Oh, God. I know that on my own, I’m a very poor instrument. The sound is not all that good. Sometimes I can’t even stand it. But I’m gonna pause right now and ask you, if it’s not too much trouble, to tune my out-of- tune heart to sing your grace. Maybe somebody else will hear and sing along." Isn’t that it. Isn’t that one way we become a masterpiece.

I Am My Dad’s Violin!

Do you see what’s happened? Are you getting ahead of me? I started off in my mind’s eye looking AT my dad’s violin through my eyes as a child... and ended up seeing myself AS my Dad’s violin...(with a big D!) my heavenly father’s violin, submitting myself for tuning through prayer. Isn’t studying God’s Word an amazing and wonderful thing that connects the deep emotional streams in us to the word we need to hear!

Are you with me so far? Paul says to the Ephesians: "You are God’s workmanship, work of art, masterpiece." I read it, see the image of my dad’s violin, think of a fragment of a hymn we sang last week that I had completely ignored, and wham! The passage hits me like a thousand watt light bulb. Look what happens when we read, letting the passage roam lazily through our inner souls and bump into nooks and crannies inside.

Where Two or Three Are Gathered Together In My Name...

Then I thought about the other violin, the one Margaret Gardner bought. When my dad played his in tune, and Margaret played hers in tune, a mysterious beautiful resonant sound appeared played by neither one. (I discovered that this is a relatively rare event that acoustical physicists have studied.) Then it hit me: "When two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

If you and I allow God’s grace to touch us, tune us... then the Lord’s beautiful music is intertwined and present. That’s why I need to be here on Sunday! That’s why I need you to be with me in Sunday School and Church. I don’t just want my life to be a solo. I want to be a part of a symphony!

People Take Notice of a Masterpiece!

I majored in music in college, and was on a track to be a band director. Trumpet was my instrument, so when it came time to take strings class, I was in a new world. We had to learn to play other families of instruments, of course, to be a band director. Makes sense. On the first day, the instructor, Mr. Goss, said that the school had a limited number of student violins, so if anyone had a violin they could use, it would be very much appreciated. You can hear it happen inside my brain, can’t you! Bingo! Out the door... on the road to my home town... in the house... opened the drawer. At last! Gonna get to hear it! I’m gonna play it! Out the door... down to the music store for some strings. Next day, Mr. Goss says, "everybody play a whole note" "one at a time now." He started down at the end. As it got near me the skreechs and skwawks were unbearable. Then it became my turn. My big moment. I slowly put the bow on the string. Took a deep breath. Drew the bow across the string. A sound as big as a meadow and as beautiful as a rainbow filled the auditorium. There was a moment of awed silence, and then Mr. Goss literally ran across the auditorium with his huge frame shaking the wood floor and said, "Let me see that violin!"

Dear friends, when you let God turn you into a masterpiece, people stand up and take notice.

Here’s The Scripture Again!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Play It or Lose It!

I almost don’t want to tell you this, because it has a bittersweet tinge to it. I was an awful violin player, that one note notwithstanding. I had to put cotton balls in my ears to practice. The student orchestra I tried to play it in was called the Volunteer Amateur String Chamber Orchestra (VASCO for short). Sounds like an industrial sheet metal supply or something. And we were only one shade better than banging on sheet metal. My teachers were so glad that I stayed a trumpet major. The violin went back in the drawer. I didn’t learn much about playing the violin, but I learned something about violins. What I learned was kind of like a time bomb that nagged at me for several years, and then finally went off. If you don’t play a violin, it dies.

Really. The cells of the wood need vibration to stay alive. If you don’t regularly play a vintage violin, it will eventually sound like a crackerbox. It’s sweet tone will become a distant echo of it’s former beauty and its value as an instrument virtually nothing.

What does that say to us about being our Father’s violin. We sing with enthusiasm, "Come Thou Font of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy praise." And then, over time, we don’t play the Lord’s music as much anymore, and before long... well, you get the picture. Scary isn’t it. Reverend, I just got out of the habit. Or we let prayer slip into disuse, and before long, we begin sounding like all the other mail order violins. Well, let’s move on.

We Belong In The Symphony of Life!

Time passed, but I hadn’t forgotten what I’d learned. There came a time in seminary when I realized that I was actually hurting my Dad’s violin by leaving it in a drawer in Union City. You know from this story about my childhood, that I didn’t really emotionally want to give it up, but it was going down, and maybe I ought to sell it to someone who would play it and enjoy it. Can you imagine the conversation when I tried to explain all this to my mother. I wasn’t the only one who loved that violin. But to compress the story, let me just say that we came to the conclusion together that it needed to be played and that my dad would have liked the money from it’s sale to go for my seminary education. Shortly after I put it in a fine instrument consignment shop in Atlanta, I got a call from Martin Sauser, the concertmaster of the Atlanta symphony. Bring it over to my house, and I’ll buy it.

When I nervously knocked on the door of that big house, he ushered me into his music room, looked at my Dad’s violin one more time and wrote me a check for, it seems like it must have been $2000. That was enough to underwrite a nice part of that’s year’s schooling in 1975. "Before you go, would you like to hear my violins?" he said. He brought out two cases. "Here is what a Stradivarius sounds like." "Here is what a Guarnierius sounds like." "You see how much bolder the Guarnierius sounds and how sweet the Stradivarius is in comparison." I just nodded like I completely understood, but really, I was just swimming in beautiful, rich, glorious, music as his fingers touched the strings, and I never wanted it to stop. I’m going to send your Dad’s violin to a wonderful violin maker and have it taken apart and completely rebuilt so that all the sound that the maker put in can come alive again. I need it so I can give my Guarnierius and my Stradivarius a rest from time to time. I couldn’t have been more thrilled. A man who owned and played two of the rarest, most expensive, most beautiful violins in the world, and was the master violinist for the Atlanta Symphony would have custody of this family treasure. It would be heard once more in it’s fullness as the skills of the master craftsman and the master player came together.

God put us here to let our lives make music. We are his workmanship, his handiwork, his work of art, his masterpiece. We don’t belong in a drawer with a silk scarf around it, kept there in memory of melodies long gone, however sweet they were. We belong in the symphony of life, with our lives in touch with the one who made us, getting our hearts tuned to sing his grace over and over again!

And we need Milanese fiddles and those made by Stradivari and Guaneri, all working together, resting and working resting and working, praying and laboring...

The Scripture...

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.　

Our Instrument is a Sacred Trust

We’ll the story’s not over. When Lynn, Will, and I were in Atlanta for a family reunion, do you know what I decided to do? I picked up the phone and dialed the number beside Martin Sauser the phone book. I had only talked to him that one time 23 years before. "Mr. Sauser, this is Bob Luton. About 20 years ago, I sold you my dad’s violin, and I’ve been telling my son, Will, about it, and I thought it would interest him to know if it was still being played." Long silence. "Mr. Luton, that was a long time ago. Let me see. Your dad’s violin was one of a group of violins I auctioned off at Christie’s Auction House about 16 years ago. I have no idea who might be playing it now." I thanked him hung up the phone.

I know. Maybe I should have asked him what it sold for. But I didn’t. He was the one who paid to have the master craftsman take it apart and lovingly bring back the lost sonority, and it was a legacy I had passed on to him, which he passed on to others. Sure, I’d like to know who’s playing it now, and I will probably never hear, but that’s ok.

God has only lent to us what we have: our souls, our abilities, our faith song, you might say. It’s ours to play as a trust from him to touch the lives of others: You know the anthem:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me so love. Where there is injury pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy...

So, now you know what went through my mind when I read Ephesians 2:8-10. Well, almost. Because you don’t know about what I bumped into in a book I was reading on contemporary worship and you don’t know what my wife, Lynn, brought home from San Antonio that week without knowing what I was thinking about.

The Touch of the Master’s Hand

It’s such an amazing blessing how this whole sermon has come together! While I was reading a book on contemporary worship, my eyes fell upon this poem, written in 1936 by Myra Brooks Welch. Many of you I’m sure have heard it.

'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,

"Who'll start the bidding for me?"

"A dollar, a dollar," then, "Two!" "Only two?

Two dollars and who'll make it three?

Three dollars once; three dollars twice;

Going for three, . . ." But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

and tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said, "What am I bid for the old violin?"

And he held it up with the bow.

"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?

Two thousand! And who'll make it three?

Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice,

And going, and gone," said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

"We do not quite understand

What changed its worth.

"Swift came the reply:

"The touch of a master's hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

"mess of pottage," a glass of wine;

A game-and he travels on.

He is "going" once, and "going" twice,

He's "going" and almost "gone."

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd

never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought

By the touch of the master’s hand.

Myra Brooks Welch, 1936

14-Apr-11 6:30 PM

New Logos Program Touches Lives!

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:00:00 GMT

LOGOS LIVES AMONG US!

by Bob Luton

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and lived among us…”

My modest contribution to the team giving the LOGOS program a trial run is I guess, “Go To” Guy! After we all thought about it in our planning meetings, we decided that we needed someone to help run around and fix things on the fly during this pilot phase, and I felt called to raise my hand. So last time, I helped Twilight figure out some chord symbols on her piano music, clean a fully populated marker board just as class started, ring a bell for the groups to rotate, played Ring around the Rosie for the kids to thank the highly motivated kitchen crew led by Barbara Armstrong with a fresh set of words to the old tune, print placemats, set up a microphone, and a few other things not too far outside my skill set.

Happy Kids

It gave me a wonderful opportunity to see happy kid faces and to admire the genius of the organization that designed the LOGOS program, which our team led by Kathleen Stanley has adapted for our use. Kathleen is doing double duty also teaching the 30 minute Bible Study Class. Fortunately, our Pastor Paul had major leadership in past churches he’d served, so he has the Dinner Dean role down pat, and knew how to help make suggestions so that Linda Pope and her volunteers could organize all the things which go into making exciting theme activities for the kids at meal time. “The food ROCKS!” according to one kid, I polled randomly. Very random and unscientific, by the way.

Pastor Paul’s Hat

So with Pastor Paul wearing a silly hat and blowing a party whistle, the kids are learning in a fun way to be “family” around the table by taking turns serving and cleaning, praying, doing crafts, and singing songs. You wouldn’t think it possible for Tommye Sue Patterson and her volunteers to have kids playing games in the CLC one minute and going to the kitchen in a mostly orderly fashion to serve food the next, but friends, I have seen it with my own eyes. I rubbed those same eyes when I saw kids actually waiting until the server took the first bite to start eating, according to the LOGOS house rules. If you want to know the honest truth, it’s the two adults that each week serve as “table parents” (trained by Paul) for the same group of kids each week that inspire that bit of unexpected order. It’s still an amazing thing to watch.

Mr. Morgan Swoops In Where Angels.

Last week the Worship Skills class led by Mary Cooper with help from Twilight Freedman and others had a planned “swoop in” by our children’s choir director Greg Morgan to help the kids learn some music for a future worship service. Things like banner making and prayer writing can be done here too.

They’re Everywhere!

Oh, one of my other little jobs is making sure that gates and doors magically open and close at the right times for kids to descend on the property by van from the apartments (driven by Jairo Ortiz) or through several other places the architect of our buildings provided to those coming by the four winds on foot, without unduly compromising the safety and security of our day school students. All of that borderline chaotic ingress is enough to take years off Bernie Blackmor’s life as the campus registrar, were it not for her rock solid roster of assistants.

In The Beginning Was The LOGOS

So, let’s just say I’m impressed with LOGOS, which planned for a shake down maximum of 30 kids this time, and God sent, well… 30. John 1:14 reads: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” The Greek word for “Word” is LOGOS, and let me say that I felt The Christ living among us, incarnate in all the staff and volunteers who are making it happen. I am convinced that the kids are not only learning about Jesus, they are experiencing the Word made flesh, in the eyes and hearts of Fair Haven people.

14-Apr-11 4:00 PM

Good Friday Devotional and Breakfast 2011

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:00:00 GMT

It is a long-standing Fair Haven tradition to gather on the morning of Good Friday, the day we traditionally recognize as the time of the crucifixion. The events of the morning begin with breakfast. It is important to note that early Christians found that eating together was not only a sign of hospitality, but also a way in which they could recreate the fellowship of the disciples with Jesus during the previous days and years.

Following breakfast there will be a reading of the crucifixion story and a time for personal and community prayer. This year Good Friday is April 22.

The United Methodist Men are serving breakfact beginning at at 7:30am in the Fellowship Hall. Fair Haven’s minister, Paul Thomasson is bringing a message based upon Leonard Sweet’s book Behold the Man.

14-Apr-11 4:00 PM

Vacation Bible School 2011 Dates Announced

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:00:00 GMT

CHILDREN’S COUNCIL ANNOUNCES

VACATIONBIBLE SCHOOL

MONDAY – THURSDAY EVENINGS

JUNE 20 – 23, 2011

Celebration in Worship on Sunday, June 26

Kids To Carry Out God’s Recipe

Jeff and Wendy Jones, Co-Chairs of The Fair Haven Children’s Council announced this week the dates and theme shown above for the 2011 Vacation Bible School. Many, many thanks to Dee Dee Malachowski and Kathleen Walstead for serving as co-directors (or should we say executive chefs!) This year’s theme, “Shake It Up Café” will transform our Christian Life Center into a kid friendly café full of chef’s hats and aprons, pots and pans, checkered tablecloths, and chalkboard menus. The congregation is asked to begin locating these items as props, plus rolling pins, whisks, etc. Just imagine how much fun the kids will have exploring the Bible as a cookbook filled with recipes for living out God’s word.

Festival Celebrations Reveal Ingredients!

Our kids will celebrate biblical festivals that reveal ingredients for being a follower of God, Be ready for God, Give happily to God, Believe fully in Jesus, Remember Jesus often, Celebrate God forever.

So, What’s The Recipe for This Year’s VBS?

Begin with the key ingredient of Bible fun

Pour in plenty of creative crafts

Mix in hands-on mission work to help feed the hungry

Stir in sizzling food science

Sprinkle with sports

Season with snacks

Spread with great rockin’ music

And cover with God’s love

Yum!

14-Apr-11 4:00 PM

Easter Egg Hunt Saturday April 23, 2011

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:00:00 GMT

KIDS LOVE TO HUNT EASTER EGGS!

JUST BRING A BASKET ON

SATURDAY, APRIL 23^RD

Elementary Age And Below

Fellowship Hall * 10:00 a.m.

Cancelled If It’s Rainy

It’s quite a sight as kids and parents stream into our Fellowship Hall the day before Easter Sunday to be directed to the locations for crafts and stories before the hunt starts. Be sure to bring a camera, because some of the cutest photo opportunities of the year are to be found on this day. You have to click fast when the hunt begins, because those kids move fast putting eggs in the baskets. There are different hunt locations for different age levels. The eggs have been donated, so all you’ll need is a basket. Church members have also donated a table full of yummy refreshments. Plus, there are age appropriate activities following the hunt including carrot bean bag toss, frog bowling, spin art, face painting, jelly bean jar count, and more! Appropriate for kids elementary age and below, this event is one of the highlights of the year for parents, grandparents, kids, and volunteers alike.

14-Apr-11 4:00 PM

Pastor Paul Looks Ahead to Easter and Beyond!

Bob Luton - noemail@fairhavenumc.org — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:00:00 GMT

Paul’s Ponderings

Dear Church Family,

A beautiful line from a Christmas song says, “And we can live forevermore because of Christmas Day.”

In truth, the gift of Eternal Life was even more a product of Easter than Christmas.

I love Easter; we all come together to celebrate the most important event in history, a day that really caused the Christian Faith to come to existence.

In my opinion, there is no gift more wonderful than Eternal Life. I really cannot imagine why not every Christian on this planet worships God on Easter and other Sabbaths too!

Our Church is celebrating a great many special days in the next few months. They are Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, EASTER, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Pentecost, and more.

Come celebrate your faith in Worship and Sunday School with your loving Church Family!

Love, Paul

14-Apr-11 4:00 PM