Sunday is Coming, and so is Thanksgiving!
What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving Dinner? When you sit down at the Thanksgiving table, what one thing do you most look forward to? Maybe Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, or Pumpkin Pie? Personally, I’ve been looking forward to Apple Pie!
We may find certain foods desirable and delightful, but what if you could ONLY eat that one thing all day long? Or all month long… all year long? It may not be so desirable or delightful then…
This weekend we will consider our “Delights & Desires.”
A key verse that we will read is Psalm 37:4, and it says,
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
This is a powerful verse… a verse I’ve pondered in different ways over my life. I’ve found that in our culture that often struggles with greed and consumerism and thinking we need more and more, we must approach this topic carefully, being sure to find delight in God who is the “Giver,” not just the gifts.
Our prayers often include a list of needs & desires & requests. This is important—the Bible does remind us frequently to bring our requests to God, recognizing that he is the one who can grant us what we need. But if our prayer life consists of nothing more than a “wish list,” we are missing out on the greater blessings that can come from a deep and personal relationship with our Lord. It could be kind of like eating nothing but apple pie all day every day.
Hopefully through this study of the Psalms, we’ve seen that Prayer is meant to be an all-encompassing way of life.
Prayer is meant to be like a full course meal, or a complete & balanced diet, not just the dessert.
We will read part of Psalm 37 on Sunday, and it puts “delights & desires” into context with a much bigger picture of how we live, conforming our desires to the desires of God, especially in a word that is often filled with distractions & wickedness.
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Tradition says this Psalm originated when King David was seeking to pass some instruction on to his son, Solomon. It’s an intricate Psalm that mentions many powerful and prayerful principles, like meekness, humility, rest, & hope. If it can instruct Kings, guide nations, and shape the world, these words can also instruct you and me and shape our day to day lives!
I am learning that the words of the Psalms can indeed shape our prayers, which in turn shapes our desires, which shapes our lives, which can ultimately shape the world.
I hope you will join us this weekend as we continue to study the very personal yet very world changing topic of prayer!
This Sunday
- This Sunday Afternoon (November 12) at 2:00 on, we will be having a “Kitchen Shower” to provide furnishings for the new Kitchen at Cross Roads Station. Gifts that have been purchased will be presented during a time of fellowship and celebration!
Congregational Meeting Highlights
Our annual fall congregational meeting took place this past Sunday evening. The yearly election was held, updates were shared about the Cross Roads Station project, the 2024 budget was presented, and some highlights were shared from the past year that show signs that “the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21).
Your Church Council for the 2024 year will be:
Elders –Phil Myers, Dustin Negley, Phil Ritchie, Troy Shively, Beverly Shumway
Trustees – Herb Bowers, Denny Fleagle, George Fritz, Rich Mathna, Jack Shaul
Deacons – Steve Barns, Dave Bodah, Darryl Dubbs, Mike Gutshall, Mark Reed
Deaconesses – Chris Dupler, Bessie Jones, Karen Marr, Beth Rosenberry, Elain Sampson
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
- The Bible Adventure program is growing and is in need of additional helpers for Tuesday or Thursday mornings here at SFCOG. This is a unique opportunity to teach elementary aged children about God’s Word during the school day through Release Time. For more information and to volunteer, contact Shirley Negley or JoyEl ministries: Volunteer | Joy El Generation (wpengine.com)
- Monday Evening, November 13 at 7:30 we will host the Shippensburg University concert choir for their fall concert. Everyone is welcome to join us as we welcome some talented students and enjoy a night of music together.
- On Sunday, November 19th at 4:00pm, there will be an outdoor Community Thanksgiving Worship Service at the neighboring Grace Place Gardens (next to the Annex). All are welcome to gather with our community members to give thanks to God together.
- On Wednesday December 6th we will have our annual “Service from the Heart” during Community Night. This is a fun night of testimonies & talents. Our children and youth will share some things that they have learned, and we would like to invite people of all ages to consider participating on this evening as well.
àIf you have a story, a song, or something else that you would like to share, please contact Pastor Rodney by November 26.
Christmas Celebrations and Giving Opportunities
- Keep packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child so we can reach our goal of 600! We currently have around 250. National Collection Week will be November 13-20. Our shoeboxes will be dedicated during our worship on November 19.
- Our annual Christmas Market will be held on December 2 from 4:00-9:00 in connection with the Shippensburg Christmas Parade. The Christmas Market will happen at the Annex before and after the Shippensburg Christmas Parade. Stop by for cookies, craft vendors, food trucks, and fellowship with our church family and community neighbors!
- The Circle of Love ministry will be collecting some special items for families with needs this holiday season, including Giving Tree items and certain Paper Products. See the Gathering Place for more information.
Prayer Updates
Pastor Gary is home again, after a brief visit to Hershey to replace his NJ tube. He continues to express his appreciation to the congregation for your prayerful and generous love and support.
Pat Hockensmith completed her radiation treatments today.
Praying for you all,
Pastor Rodney Bistline
Shippensburg First Church of God
seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org
Helpful Links:
Online Messages (shipfcog.org)
Care Groups & Sunday School Classes
Weekly Order of Worship and FYI Newsletter (updated over the weekend)
shipfcog.net/site/shipfcog/shipnews/index.html
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