GREEN MEADOW
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
October 1,
2023
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16
Philippians 2:1-13
Matthew 21:23-32
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Quarreled & Tested
How do we deal with conflict in the church? Certainly not by pointing fingers and calling folks out during worship. But worship can be the place where we remember under whose authority we stand. It can be a reminder of the common mission we claim and the shared commitment that we have to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. It is a reminder that we sometimes need to move ourselves off the center so that place can be claimed by the Lord we serve. It can be a time of reorienting, of finding what we share so that we can look at the conflict with a little bit of distance and objectivity.
Quarreling and testing are common human experiences; we in the church do not claim freedom from that. The parable from Matthew asks us to pay attention to whether our words match our deeds. Do we live out the faith that we profess? Do we approach even those with whom we disagree with grace and love?
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Come join us...
October 8,
2023
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Psalm 119
Philippians 3:4b-14
Matthew 21:33-46
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Fruit of the Kingdom
Christ as the cornerstone is another way of describing this inner-shaping process. Christ is what gives the church its shape, its definition and mission. Christ is what gives each of us our mission in life and reason for living. How do we present Christ as the cornerstone of our worship today? We can sing of Christ as our foundation and give praise to the one who shapes our living. Our prayer time can invite the Spirit to guide us into the right paths, even as we lift up others in our care, so that they too might know the light that directs our path.
Is there a hard edge to this process of shaping and being shaped? Certainly. But our call is not one of judgment on how others might be measuring up. Our call is to be the sign of those who are producing the fruit of the kingdom. As we worship, we invite the Spirit to work in us and through us to become workers in the vineyard, producing the fruit of the kingdom in ways that invite and encourage the body of Christ around us and the wider community of which we are a part.
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Come join us...
We Aim to be Open and Welcoming
Even to the Smallest People...
In the back of the sanctuary, we have children's bulletins, paper, crayons, and books for children to use during worship.
We also have a moment in worship that is child-friendly called "Wondering Time." Anyone who wishes to get a closer view during our time to wonder about things is welcome to come sit on the front pew.
YOU ARE WELCOME HERE ...
Whether you label yourself a "Christian," or are uncertain whether you believe in anything anymore, you are welcome to worship at Green Meadow United Methodist Church. Single, married, partnered, divorced, gay, rich, poor, USAmerican, or immigrant, you are welcome here. Burned out on religion -- whether organized or disorganized -- bedraggled and hungover, addicted or in recovery, just out of jail,
you are welcome here. Have no idea about Holy Communion, hymnals, or when to stand or sit? Don't worry, we all have to begin somewhere. The most important thing is to begin.
We're glad you're here!
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ABOUT OUR CHURCH
We are a United Methodist Community of Worship, serving in the Smoky Mountain District of the Holston Conference. Our mission is to be an open gathering place to nurture Christians in training who, equipped by the Holy Spirit, go into the world and share the light of Jesus Christ.
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A MISSIONAL CHURCH
Whether it's building mission kits for flood victims, sending food buckets to Zimbabwe, working with Family Promise of Blount County, helping the Salvation Army's lunch ministry, or gathering peanut butter for the Community Food Connection, "Meadow Folk" are engaged in the missio Dei ... God's mission of love.
