Published by:
Westminster Presbyterian
Church
2732 Broadway
Paducah, KY 42001
Phone:
270-443-2919
wpc@hcis.net
Valentine’s Day
In these troubled times, neither puppy love nor romantic love
will suffice. Valentine’s Day is one of
those holidays in which themes secular and religious are hopelessly
intertwined. One thing that everyone
agrees with is that the word, “love,” is central to the celebration. But what
is the quality of the love being commended to us this day? My own view is that it is important to make
some distinctions about the kind and quality of loving relationships one enters
into. And that’s one of the very difficult things about the word “love.” It is overused, more often than not misused.
Sometimes even wantonly abused by those who invoke it.
Which reminded me of a wonderful
story. It seems a young man was looking
for a greeting card sometime before Valentine’s Day. After searching diligently for just the right card, he came upon
one that impressed him greatly.
Perhaps the most powerful words about love in the Bible were
written by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter
13. “If I speak in the tongues of
mortals and angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging,
symbol. And if I have prophetic powers,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as
to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my
possessions, and if I hand over my body to be burned, but do not have love, I
am nothing. This is the passage in the
Bible selected most frequently for reading during wedding ceremonies; so much
so that I sometimes wonder how much thought has gone into the selection. For when it comes to love, one size does not
fit all. What applies to a suit of
clothes also applies to love: what
works for a 90-pound teenager does not work quite as well for a 390 pound sumo
wrestler! To lift Paul’s words out of
context and make them into a statement about love in general strips them of
their bite and meaning.
Paul was speaking not to people in general, but to a particular
group of Christians who had real, personal experience with things like
“speaking in tongues,” “prophecy” as well as the loss of life, limb, and property
mentioned in the letter. As indicated
Paul was speaking not out of some abstract theory, but out of his own deep
experience to a people who shared such experience and had suffered much for
their faith. And Paul was saying that
the particular love that has been seen in the life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus gave meaning to even the most difficult aspects of their lives.
In this spirit, he continues: “When I was a child, I spoke
like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then
we will see face to face. Now I know
only in part, then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And so faith, hope and love abide, these
three, but the greatest of these is love.”
Thus Paul’s words were not simply innocuous generalities in
which everyone could nod off in sleepy agreement, they represented a specific
call to action, requiring difficult choices, deeper understanding, and
commitment. This is what I find missing
so often when Chapter 13 is read as a little homily on the nature of true
love. When Paul speaks of love as
eloquently as he does in his letter to the Corinthians, he reflects a wisdom
born out of an ongoing relationship with God.
That is why we must eventually get quite specific and quite personal
about the “childish things” that must be “put away” as we move toward a mature
understanding of love. Among the things
that we are challenged to put behind us are the sentimental sorts of “puppy
love,” the jingoistic “patriotic love,” the fickle forms of “romantic love,”
and yes, the abusive and even violent forms of love that seek to control and
dominate. We are challenged to love not
humankind in general but specific people in specific ways: a parent with
Alzheimer’s, a child with learning disorders, a spouse struggling with an
addiction, all sorts of people with chronic illnesses, problems, quirks of
personality or character. We are not
simply to love and affirm what the world finds lovable, we are to search for
specific ways of loving God’s dear ones, and encourage them along the way, even
as they encourage us. Along that path
lies the fulfillment of life, not only on Valentine’s Day but every Day.
Charles Henderson
Coming Soon!
WHAT IS THE BIRTHDAY OFFERING?
The Birthday Offering is a special
offering collected in the spring of each year to celebrate the blessings in the
lives of Presbyterian Women. The offering funds up to five projects that are
not included in ongoing General Assembly mission support, such as agricultural
development, child care, community organization, criminal justice, drug
counseling, economic justice, elderly care, employment training, homelessness,
literacy, violence and women’s concerns.
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE
Westminster and our sister churches are
invited to the annual ASH WEDNESDAY supper/service, Feb 21st, supper
6PM, service 7PM, at First Presbyterian Church, Mayfield. We hope to have good
participation from Westminster. If you don’t wish to drive, the church van will
leave at 5:15. If you choose to drive your own car, you can drive along with
the van. A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in Bunce Hall. February 25th
is the first Sunday in Lent. Communion
will be served.
Sundays March 4th, 11th,
18th, and 25th will be the dates for the Evening
Lenten Devotions. A light supper will be serviced followed by the service.
PLEASE REMEMBER IN PRAYER:
The Frost Family
Norma Dattoli
Minnie Gullett, at home
Lee Dallas
The Armed Forces
Burlond & Martha Murphy
Mildred Fessmire
Al Kennedy
Matthew Bailey
Jake Piercy
World Leaders
Julie Palmer (tests at Mayo Clinic)
Lucille McQuage
Francie Edwards mother
DEEPEST GRATITUDE
Is extended to Lay Minister Rick Canup,
Rev. David Montgomery, and Rev. Ann Montgomery for filling the pulpit here at
Westminster. The search for an interim Pastor continues. Please pray for their work.
WEBSITE
Articles are needed for the newsletter
and the website. Visit our website at www.westminsterpresbyterianpaducah.org. Comments and
suggestions are welcome by e-mail to the church’s address at wpc@hcis.net.
OFFICE HOURS
Volunteers are needed to work in the
office for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday a.m. The church office
is staffed as possible. If you have any
questions or concerns, you can reach Rebecca at 270-898-4437 or 270-519-1534.
“SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY”
This mission event was a great
success. Enough funds were contributed
to cover the first round of fees for the youth group going on the summer
mission trip. Thank you to those who
ate, to those who cooked and to those who helped clean up! We have a great church
family here at Westminster!
WESTMINSTER WEDNESDAY
Meeting at 6:00 pm. Potluck supper! The
Adult group is starting a study of the Book of Order and the Book of
Confessions. Come join us!
CHANCEL CHOIR REHEARSAL
Practice at 7:30 pm on Wednesdays. People are needed to fulfill the mission of
the choir, is God calling you? We could
really use help during the Lenten Season.
Best Wishes to Shirley Bailey on her Birthday! No one can believe the number! Our prayers are with you and your family as
you celebrate and travel.
Best Wishes to Nate and Karrie Heider on the upcoming addition to
their Household in September.
THANK YOU
TO THE CHURCH FAMILY.
Dear Friends, I would like to send my
heartfelt thank you. My Mother’s
Service was so beautiful. Your hard
work warmed my heart. Helping us out with everything made the stress of this
much easier. Thanks again, Love always,
Liz (Ruby’s Daughter)
You will never know how much your
cards, prayers, and visits meant to my family and me during my last hospital
stay. I thank you with all my heart for
always being there for us. Minnie
Gullett
To everyone at Westminster, thank you
so much for the wonderful surprise birthday party on Jan. 14. I was quite surprised!! It was a joy to celebrate my ?? birthday
with all the ones I love. Thank you
especially to Bruce McBride (the master mind behind it all) and to Larry
Logeman for the delicious cake. I
really enjoyed all the cards and especially the BIG card with all the
notes. It was so kind of everyone. Thank you.
You are loved, Debbie
Amazing Grace Sunday:
Addressing Slavery
****************************************
February 18, 2007
Two hundred years after the British
Empire abolished slavery, and 144 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, an
estimated 27 million people around the world live in slavery. Tens of thousands are planning to launch
this effort February 18 on Amazing Grace Sunday. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the British
Parliament’s act to end the sale of human beings in its empire. The act did not end the slave trade between
Africa and the Americas but it set a political precedent and a moral standard
for the rest of the world.
A Prayer in a Time of International Crisis: Eternal God, our only hope, Our help in times of trouble: Show nations ways to work out differences. Do not let threats multiply or power be
used without compassion. May your
will overrule human willfulness, so that people may agree and settle claims
peacefully. Hold back those who are impulsive, lest desire for
vengeance overwhelm our common welfare. Bring peace to earth through Jesus Christ, the Prince of
Peace and Savior of us all. Amen Book of Common Worship p. 799, #861