Dear Centenary Family,

There are some things so familiar to us, that we cannot imagine ever seeing anything new in them. We travel the same route from home to work so often we could almost do it with our eyes closed. When someone asks, "Did you see the 7-Eleven on the corner," we confess that we hadn't. We just weren't looking for anything new. The same thing happens with people we've known for a long time. They may change their hair style or lose weight. All of a sudden, one day we realize there is something different, but we can't quite put our finger on it.

 

The same is true with our faith. Some of us have been around the church since childhood. We've gotten familiar with certain hymns and know what to expect in most worship services. The continuity gives us comfort, but often obscures the new word God has to speak or the new way God calls us to go.

 

That's true with Scripture. After time, we've heard and read and studied certain passages so frequently that we assume we've exhausted their meaning. The Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Sermon on the Mount - what new thing could such familiar passages possibly have for us? 

 

One of those familiar texts is Psalm 23. Old Testament scholar John Holbert notes that though less than 20% of our culture these days is active in a church, it's hard to go many places where folks haven't heard some snippet of this text. How many scenes in movies or television shows have you seen where people begin to recite this familiar text at a graveside or in a funeral service?

 

Psalm 23 is the Psalter reading for this coming Sunday. Some of the commentaries I've studied warn against preaching on this text because it so familiar. It's easy to become sentimental with a text like this and try merely to recover the feeling of comfort it gave us in a time of trouble, stress, or loss.

 

But, against that counsel, I'm working on a sermon on Psalm 23. And I'm finding that as I slow down and meditate on these six verses, there are things here I've overlooked, or forgotten, or never seen.  For instance, the Psalm begins, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." Stop there! That's an amazing claim, isn't it? If it is true that the Lord is our shepherd, that means that we never lack anything we truly need. It means that God's grace and provision are always sufficient for those who consider themselves God's sheep. That's a powerful, sweeping statement, isn't it? I've been asking myself, not so much whether that claim is true, but whether I live as if it were true. Because I must tell you, there are a lot of days when I feel like there are a lot of things I lack, want, desire, don't have, or am not capable of accomplishing. Why is that the case? Have you ever felt that way?

 

And I've wondered this, also. This Psalm is given to us in the season of Easter. I've not found a definitive answer to this yet, but I've been pondering, "What role did this Psalm play in the life of Jesus? Was it one he thought of often, that gave him strength and comfort in the face of suffering and trial?"

 

I invite you to go back over that Psalm - slowly - before you come to worship Sunday. I'd love to know whether, through these well-worn words, you hear God saying something new to you.

 

Peace,

 

Matt

In 2016 the Centenary 2020 Strategic Planning Committee worked hard to develop the recommendations for a plan for our church. You may recall the open meetings we held in October to discuss some of our initial recommendations and strategies.

A decision has been made to engage a professional consultant to help us finalize the plan. Dr. John Wimberly with the Congregational Consulting Group will meet with members of the Planning Committee and the Administrative Council on Saturday, May 13, from 8 am to 1 pm to begin the process of reviewing, editing and discussing how to best implement the recommendations in the plan. Dr. Wimberly was a pastor for 30 years and now consults with churches around the country that are engaged in the process of developing strategic plans for their church. We are excited to have this opportunity to work with him for the next couple of months. The process of implementing the goals and objectives in the final plan will be challenging and we want to ensure we are making the best decisions possible for our church.

It is our intention to keep all church members informed about this important planning process. Before any final decisions are made there will be additional open meetings for church members to share their thoughts and opinions. Additionally I will be glad to speak to anyone individually about the plan or the implementation process. My email address is joespeidelva@yahoo.com or you can call me at home at 804-320-3254.

Joe Speidel

Ryland Bailey, Sr. 

Joe Ciucci Jr.

Bobby Davis (now a patient at Hanover Health and Rehab)

Rebecca Enos

Kim Golden

Mary Hazelgrove

Jack Hill (currently at Lucy Corr Rehab)

Grace Hinchman 

Jack & Lois Hinerman

Judy Holland          

Lila Irby

Ginny Jarvis

Joe Kokoszki 

Troy Nelson

John Seyfarth

Neil Shingleton and family (in the loss of his brother, Will Shingleton)

Phyllis Stump

Jim Wickham

P.C. and Carol Yerby (parents of Mary Mismas)