Newsletter for Presbyterian Women of FPC Mesquite
March 2022
Welcome to March! Blessings abound with the hope of new beginnings. We will begin our journey through Lent this week, and we should start every day intentionally ready to learn more and grow closer to God. Sunshine, warm weather, green grass, and blue skies are on the way! It is so nice to have the promise of Spring- just like it is such a blessing to have the constant promise of love from our awesome God.
Love to you all!
Paula
Carol’s Corner:
Mary and Joseph
It’s interesting that our lesson author chose Matthew’s gospel in order to discuss Mary. The passage also focuses on Joseph while Mary is silent. We begin with the end of Jesus’ genealogy, Matthew 1:16, which lists Joseph as the “husband of Mary, who was the mother of Jesus”. In this way, it doesn’t name an earthly father of Jesus. Later on in the lesson, we find that Joseph is of the royal line of David through his son, Solomon, and Mary is of the line of David’s son, Nathan. In this way, Matthew proves that Jesus is who He says He is: a Jew, of the line of David, the promised Messiah.
Mary, the focus of our lesson, was a poor young peasant girl, perhaps 13-15 years old, the marriageable age for girls at the time. Her father had arranged her betrothal to Joseph, who seems to have been a little older. To be betrothed meant that the couple had actually signed binding documents. They were as good as married but they continued to live apart for a year after signing the papers. The agreement could only be broken by divorce.
One day, Mary was apparently reading scripture regarding Isaiah’s prophecy of a Savior being born of a virgin when she was surprised by a visit from the angel, Gabriel. (Luke 1) She must have been shocked and confused. The Bible shows that everyone who saw angels was at least initially afraid. She retained her composure, though, and listened carefully as Gabriel told her she was blessed among women, and she would become the mother of God’s son. Her only question was “How? I’m a virgin.” Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her. Even though the whole thing must have been overwhelming to her, she simply said that she was God’s servant. “May it be as you say.”
Now she had a lot to think about. Who could she tell? Nobody would believe her. In order to maintain the family honor, the punishment for a betrothed girl who became pregnant was stoning. Was her life now in danger? Then she remembered that Gabriel had said that her Aunt Elizabeth, an old woman, was also miraculously pregnant. She would go there. Elizabeth would understand.
Mary walked 100 miles over rugged terrain to reach Elizabeth. When she arrived, she hadn’t even shed her cloak when the Holy Spirit overcame Elizabeth and she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
This was very reassuring to Mary and validated the fact that her child was from the Lord. She became excited and sang her own song of praise to God and prophecy of who and what her child would be. She stayed 3 months until it was nearly time for her betrothal to be finished and also for Elizabeth’s baby who would become John the Baptist, to be born. She walked the 100 miles home.
Now, she had to tell Joseph that she was pregnant. Needless to say, he was shocked and saddened. What was he to do? Since he was a righteous man, one option was to uphold family honor and participate in Mary’s execution. However, he showed that there is another side to righteousness: mercy. He decided to quietly divorce Mary. We don’t know where she would have gone or how she would have survived apart from her family, but she would have survived.
Then the angel came to Joseph in a dream and explained the situation, that Mary had done nothing wrong, that it was God’s child, and that it was all right for him to marry her. Joseph did marry her, but he had no marital relations with her until after Jesus was born; another way to provide proof positive that this child was from the Lord.
When Mary was near term, they made the trip to Bethlehem, probably on foot, not a donkey, for a census and taxation. She went into labor as they were arriving, but as we know, there was no room anywhere, so they ended up in a cave where animals were kept. The baby was born there. We know of the angels and the shepherds and the joy of the young couple in their baby.
When Jesus was 6 weeks old, the family walked to Jerusalem to dedicate him as was required for all firstborn sons. While they were in the temple, two old residents of the temple who had been waiting to see the Savior recognized them and praised God and blessed the child. Simeon told Mary that her heart would be pierced because of Him. Of course, that happened at the crucifixion, 33 years later.
The couple found a house in Bethlehem rather than traveling home to Nazareth. When Jesus was about 2 years old, they got a surprise visit from a group of Magi (wise men) from the East. These men studied the stars and scriptures, among other things, and recognized the star which was leading them as the star of a king. They wanted to pay their respects.
When they got as far as Jerusalem, they needed more direction, so they visited King Herod. It seemed logical to them that as king he would be excited at the prospect of a new baby king. Wrong! Herod was a homicidal maniac who had killed everyone he thought would be a threat to his throne. He was cordial, though, and asked them to return to tell him where they found the child so he could also worship.
They found the child, worshipped him, and presented gifts fit for a king: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Mary had never seen such opulence. The gold was traditional for a king; frankincense is a symbol of deity, and myrrh symbolizes death and sacrifice, all of which would be true for this baby.
The angel came to the Magi in a dream and warned them not to return to Herod, but to get out of the country another way, so they did.
When Herod realized he had been tricked, he was fuming! He stirred up the whole city of Jerusalem in his rage and attempts to find the baby. Finally, his wise men narrowed the place down to Bethlehem, so he set out to kill all of Bethlehem’s boy babies under 2 years old in order to destroy his supposed rival.
The angel was a step ahead, though, and warned Joseph in a dream to get out of town. Joseph got up, packed their meager belongings, and left that very night for a 2-week trek to Egypt, exactly the opposite direction from which the Israelites had come in order to get to the Promised Land. There was a Jewish population in Alexandria at the time; it was probably their destination. The cave home where they supposedly lived is on display today. They stayed around 2 years until the angel told Joseph that Herod had died, with Joseph probably supporting them with carpentry and supplementing with funds from the gifts of the Magi.
When the angel said it was safe, they made the trip back. They settled in Nazareth, their hometown, instead of Bethlehem because another murderous king had succeeded Herod. Nazareth was a nondescript town in an area which had a poor reputation.
Jesus grew up there, seemingly an ordinary boy, watching the devoted, calm, and courageous examples of his parents. So as our last look at Mary today: she was ordinary, just like us. Was she better than any other girl? Should she be deified or worshipped? No. She was just a courageous, devout young woman who found favor in God’s eyes. Luke 1:46 says that “God looks with favor among the lowly” and she certainly qualifies there. Although she didn’t deserve it more than many others, she was singled out to be the highly favored mother of Jesus. Her story is incredible despite the fact that she’s just one of us.
Mary’s story reminds us that a life of faith won’t immunize us against danger and violence, anxiety, loss, or grief. The faith that she demonstrated was far from meek and mild although we often picture it that way. She was an example of real courage and active faith.
Related music: “Mary Did You Know” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXmfkFoX-PE
Related scripture:
Isaiah 7:14: 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign: The virgin[d] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[e] will call him Immanuel.[f] (God-with-us)
Micah 5:2, ESV: But you, O Bethlehem (Ephrathah), who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (Ephrathah was land given to one of Joseph’s sons)
Message from Meg:
We are entering the Lenten Season, 40 days of soul searching and possibly giving up a pleasure,
to show ourselves and others that we can do it. I had a friend that gave up chewing gum, it was some
times a struggle for her, but she usually was able to do it, and felt better for it, also a tad wealthier for not
having to buy gum. Also worked on those who gave up tobacco. But that was a long time ago. this year
we have the opportunity to attend a Wednesday morning class presented by Jones to help us understand
just what Lent is all about. Used to be no school dances or parties during that time, some even gave up
eating meat.
Please mark your calendars for the 14th of May, for the Spring Workshops presented by the C. T. of the
Grace Presbytery P.W. it will be at First Presbyterian in Tyler with lots of fellowship and interesting information
about the 2022/2023 Bible Study about Keeping Sabbath, there will be workshops for Officers, Moderator,
Treasurer, and Mission. We will enjoy being with P.W. from across the Presbytery and gain much knowledge
about what other groups are doing, and how they have survived this pandemic. We will have lunch with them,
and visit many displays from PCAHS, Evergreen, etc.
Paula has included the flyer about the Synod Women’s Gathering in New Orleans coming up in July, this is
the opportunity to meet even more P.W. from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and of course Texas. The writer
The Bible Study will lead a workshop on Keeping Sabbath, and we will have the opportunity to ask her questions
, etc. Also, I have been assured there will be plenty of free time to explore New Orleans, with at least one guided
tour of the Garden District, as that is where this event takes place. Also, scholarships are available to help cover
the costs of the event. Gather a group together and carpool, enjoying the fellowship on the way.
Please remember that, as adopted, beloved children of our Loving God, we are loved by so many people all over
the world. He wants the best for His children, and our Brother Jesus loves us too. Go now in peace to love and
serve the Lord in everything you do and say. Also, please be Kind in everything you do and say.
In His Service,
Meg
Also from Meg, we are looking forward to the next two years’ PW studies:
2022/2023 Study: Celebrating Sabbath: Accepting God’s Gift of Rest and Delight
2023/2024 Study: Sacred Encounters: The Power and Presence of Jesus Christ in Luke-Acts.
Notes from the Coordinating Team:
Wonderful news!!! In looking ahead, we are tentatively planning on returning to some sense of normal in April and having our PW Birthday Celebration gathering at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, April 5th. If things continue to improve with Covid and its many variants, we are hoping to gather in Wilbanks Hall for a meeting, installation of officers for 2022-2023, a meal, and some much-needed fellowship. The Coordinating Team members are your hostesses for this event- we will provide a light dinner and dessert. Of course, this will all depend on current CDC recommendations at that point, but there is hope to meet in person with a sense of things returning to normal.
As mentioned above in Meg’s column, May 14th is the Spring Workshop at First Presbyterian Church in Tyler. We are hoping to get a group together and go to represent FPC Mesquite within the larger group of Grace Presbytery. The Grace Coordinating Team met on our campus on February 19th and has some wonderful plans for this Presbytery-wide event. If you are interested in attending, please contact Paula or Meg for more information.
Also attached is a flyer on the PW Synod Gathering this July in New Orleans, LA. This looks like an outstanding event with fun, fellowship, and a little learning, too! If interested, please see Meg for more information.
Mission Update:
It’s not too early to start thinking about Mission Projects for next year. If you have any ideas, please share them with Barbara Follansbee.
You still have an opportunity to make a Box of Hope (Hygiene kit), or a Birthday Box for Hope Supply Company. Hopefully, we will be able to deliver on March 15th, then go to lunch afterward if everyone is comfortable doing so. Stay tuned to emails for more details!
THANK YOU to all who participated in our Valentine Project. We delivered 301 valentines to Mesquite Village Healthcare Centre! The staff was overwhelmed with our outpouring of love for their residents, as well as for them.
| Share your servant’s heart with others…. Begin a new routine for the 40 days of Lent. Do one act of kindness every day, begin a new daily devotional, write in a gratitude journal daily, or say a prayer of thanks to God every morning. Say a special prayer for all those farmers working hard to make sure we have food to eat. |
Dates to Remember
Sunday School continues! Please call or email Renee to request reservations for attending a Sunday School class. Some classes are waiting to begin meeting until Wilbanks Hall Building will be completed. Others have decided to meet but have been relocated into the main building. If your class is choosing not to meet, you are still welcome to join any adult class that is meeting. However, there will be an occupancy limit on each classroom being used for Sunday School, and reservations are needed so that classes can be placed appropriately. All are hoping that the construction is finished soon, and we can enjoy clean, updated, DRY classrooms!
March 1- Morning and Evening Circle Meetings at FPC
Match 2- Ash Wednesday Service, 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary
March 6th– Communion at both services
March 15th– PW Delivery to Hope Supply Company, time and details TBA
March 20th– Fellowship Dinner and Mission-themed program
Tuesday, April 5th– 9:30- Morning Circle will gather for Lesson and Study
Tuesday, April 5th, 6:30 pm- PW Birthday Celebration Gathering…We hope to gather for a meal and a meeting in WILBANKS HALL! Dinner and dessert provided- stay tuned for more details
Monthly Care Teams:
March- Sue Bohmer and Meg GarverHamilton
April- Terri Bragg and Debra Ford
DON’T FORGET…..
Services are still being recorded for YouTube: Watch for an email every Sunday afternoon with a link included. The efforts by all involved continue to be a blessing for all of us- and they are much appreciated!
THE CHALLENGE continues! We are still collecting canned goods and non-perishable items for Sharing Life. All donations can be dropped off at church and will be tallied each month.
For those of you interested, the new These Days booklet for April, May and June is available in the Welcome Center. This is a wonderful daily devotional- a great addition to the April portion of your Lenten study if you haven’t tried it.
A Treasured Tidbit….
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
-Luke 6:31
“Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments.”
-Rose Kennedy
“I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, and it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee.
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord, To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to Thy precious bleeding side.”
“I Am Thine, O Lord,”, The Hymnbook, #320
How did the bee brush his hair?
–With a honeycomb!
Why did the bird go to the hospital? -It was sick and needed “tweetment!”
