Live Worship Services with some COVID-19 precautions in place
Sundays at 11 AM.
October 17, “Gotta Dance!”
First posted on July 11, 2021
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Re-run Season
We are currently giving our crew a break from producing videos. We will continue to have live services on Sunday mornings. Eighteen months of videos are available in our Video Archive. For now, we will feature one of these re-runs on our home page every week. If there was a video you particularly liked or one you were sorry you missed you can find it in the Archive. Newsletters and the letter "To the Church Family" will continue every week.
To the Church Family
The Unlimited Horizon
October 17, 2021
By John Wiederholt
The seashore is an amazing place. I have written about it before and probably will again. The waves and the clouds and the colors of the sea have their own fascination. But another important element of being at the edge of the ocean is the unlimited horizon. (OK, technically the horizon which is limited only by the curvature of the earth but going into that much detail kind of upsets the mood.) There aren’t that many places where we can experience an unlimited horizon. Here in Collinsville, our view generally ends with a house or factory or the next ridge over. There are places in the mountains where you have an unlimited view of the horizon, but we don’t go there from here very often and the view is never quite as unbroken as it is looking over the ocean. Looking over the ocean somehow satisfies a deep-seated desire. We wish we could see forever. We want to see beyond earthly boundaries. We also want to see past the boundaries of time. We would so like to see forward in time, well, forever. We want to see what is coming. We want a look at what is to become of us, but only God sees from here to eternity. Only God knows our future.
Sometimes God gives us hints about the future, insights into what may happen. The visions of the Old Testament prophets are an example. Of course, the glimpses of the future given by the prophets are usually dire warnings of coming catastrophes. Things the people who heard them didn’t particularly want to know. But in the midst of a considerable amount of doom and gloom, they also offer shining visions of God’s love, forgiveness and restoration. There are always promises of the possibility of redemption.
I am thinking about looking out over the Atlantic from Cape Hatteras. As time goes by the sun and the clouds change the color of the water. Sometimes it is dark, virtually black. Sometimes it seems green tending toward blue. Sometimes it is smooth, sometimes the waves are flecked with foam. These are the colors of the sea. As we look out over its unlimited horizon, we know that they are also the color of the future we would like so much to see. Right now as we look ahead there seems to be a great deal of darkness. The prophets know, however, that God’s future for us is never totally dark. There will be blues and greens. The dark ocean is sometimes lighted with brilliant colors as the sun’s rays shine on the water. There are bright spots coming in our lives, too, and we see them shining illuminated by rays of hope. Trust God. There is always a brighter day ahead in this life or eventually in the next.
Blessings,
John
The Unlimited Horizon
October 17, 2021
By John Wiederholt
The seashore is an amazing place. I have written about it before and probably will again. The waves and the clouds and the colors of the sea have their own fascination. But another important element of being at the edge of the ocean is the unlimited horizon. (OK, technically the horizon which is limited only by the curvature of the earth but going into that much detail kind of upsets the mood.) There aren’t that many places where we can experience an unlimited horizon. Here in Collinsville, our view generally ends with a house or factory or the next ridge over. There are places in the mountains where you have an unlimited view of the horizon, but we don’t go there from here very often and the view is never quite as unbroken as it is looking over the ocean. Looking over the ocean somehow satisfies a deep-seated desire. We wish we could see forever. We want to see beyond earthly boundaries. We also want to see past the boundaries of time. We would so like to see forward in time, well, forever. We want to see what is coming. We want a look at what is to become of us, but only God sees from here to eternity. Only God knows our future.
Sometimes God gives us hints about the future, insights into what may happen. The visions of the Old Testament prophets are an example. Of course, the glimpses of the future given by the prophets are usually dire warnings of coming catastrophes. Things the people who heard them didn’t particularly want to know. But in the midst of a considerable amount of doom and gloom, they also offer shining visions of God’s love, forgiveness and restoration. There are always promises of the possibility of redemption.
I am thinking about looking out over the Atlantic from Cape Hatteras. As time goes by the sun and the clouds change the color of the water. Sometimes it is dark, virtually black. Sometimes it seems green tending toward blue. Sometimes it is smooth, sometimes the waves are flecked with foam. These are the colors of the sea. As we look out over its unlimited horizon, we know that they are also the color of the future we would like so much to see. Right now as we look ahead there seems to be a great deal of darkness. The prophets know, however, that God’s future for us is never totally dark. There will be blues and greens. The dark ocean is sometimes lighted with brilliant colors as the sun’s rays shine on the water. There are bright spots coming in our lives, too, and we see them shining illuminated by rays of hope. Trust God. There is always a brighter day ahead in this life or eventually in the next.
Blessings,
John
A letter from our partners at Grace Network, Martinsville/Henry County
Resources for Helping those Suffering Food Insecurity
Grace Network
City of Martinsville-Healthy Food Hub
Food Insecurity in Henry County
Many Hands Giving Food in Henry County
PCUSA – Hunger action Congregations
Worship on Request
We are striving to create a worship environment that reminds us, as much as possible of the joy we feel when we can have church together. If you are on our mailing list, you received the order of service included in the newsletter which was emailed to you or, if you don't have email, sent to you by regular mail. We invite you to follow along in the service. You can say the prayer of confession with us, pray the Lord's Prayer together with us and affirm our mutual faith by saying the Apostles Creed. Where the internet fails to fully connect us, the Holy Spirit is able to bind us together.
If you are in contact with those who do not have internet access, a DVD of this service is available on request.
The Preacher this week is Rev. Mark Hinchcliff. Mark, until his recent retirement was the Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Martinsville.
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