Windows
November 19, 2020
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Word from the Pastor:
Wander and Return
My brothers and sisters, if any of you happens to wander from the truth, and someone should bring them back, the one who brings the sinner back from their wandering in error saves the offender’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sin.
—James 5:19–20 (my translation)
These powerful verses close the Book of James, which I commend to you today. It’s a hard book because it is convicting, especially for us in the church in the richest, most powerful nation the world has ever known.
The entire book is a practical, hands-on guide to how the believer is to view the world and circumstances and evaluate them from the vantage point of faith. You don’t have to read very far before you’re entwined in a whole lot of knotty issues. Discomfort quickly sets in in a number of areas, as in the effects of wealth on faith, preferential treatment within the church, backbiting, and a judgmental spirit.
For me, the book hits its crescendo in chapter five. Read it for yourself; it’ll make you sweat! Still, I am consoled by James’s exhortation to be patient. Yes, the world tempts us, and every one of us has found places where our witness has been compromised. Yet, we are to endure patiently, relying on the Lord for mercy, strength, and guidance.
It is here that the book lands us on our knees to the promises of the final seven verses. In our trials, we are to pray to God and for one another. God is sovereign, and God hears our prayers. The final two verses come as a reminder of the necessity of all James’s harsh words. Sometimes, harsh words, sharp distinctions, or cutting insights accompany our time and fellowship in the church. In the end, however, when we are motivated out of love for one another in Christ Jesus, we do and endure such things because what we seek above all is to return from our wandering. We all want to return home and find ourselves safely sheltered in the master’s arms.
So where does this put us this week? I think it lands us squarely on the realization that our words, our attitudes, and our dispositions ought to be motivated out of a generosity of spirit that seeks to restore us and our neighbor to a place of peace. We’ve all been inundated with slogans, promises, threats, and anxieties, and we are not seeing a whole lot of progress towards peace and reconciliation.
Yet, the body of Christ, when motivated by her love for the Lord Jesus, must eventually find her way back home from the far country of aimless wandering. We are a church of prodigals who have been given the grace of reconciling peace, and we are to point the way towards reconciliation for others.
There’s a lot of work to do along these lines in our community, region, nation, and world. In our lostness, we have been found. If we light the way back for others, that love, indeed, will cover a multitude of sins.
In Christ,
Pastor Sam
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Join the 7-12-7 Prayer Campaign
We are asking you, and all members of our congregation, to join us in daily prayer at your choice of 7:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., or 7:00 p.m. Together in prayer we will ask for God’s guidance, deliverance, and mercy for our church, community, nation, and world. If you cannot pray at those hours, please pray when you can! We are facing great challenges, but God is greater still.
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Worship
November 22
Christ the King Sunday
Lessons
1 Samuel 1:27
Ephesians 3:14-21
Sermon
God Answers Prayer
Sam Weddington
Last Sunday’s Attendance
In person: 9:00: 37; 11:00: 27
Livestream: 62
Playbacks: 102
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Calendar
Sunday, November 22
9:00 a.m.
Worship,
Fellowship Hall & Livestream
10:10 a.m.
Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Worship, Sanctuary
4:00 p.m.
Evangelism & Outreach Comm.,
Fellowship Hall
6:00 p.m.
Student Fellowship
Monday, November 23
7:00 p.m.
Session of Elders,
Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, November 24
10:00 a.m.
Staff Meeting,
Zoom
Wednesday, November 25
6:15 p.m.
Handbell Practice,
Fellowship Hall
7:15 p.m.
Choir Practice,
Sanctuary
Thursday, November 26
Closed for Thanksgiving
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Something New in Adult Sunday Classes
Two classes for adults meet at the church during the Sunday School hour. The first, facilitated by Nancy Allerton, meets in room 123 and is now reading the Book of Numbers. The second, facilitated by Matt Richardson, meets in room 167 and is discussing the Gospel of John. Both classes welcome all adults whenever they are able to attend.
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Study the Bible Online
We offer two adult studies on our YouTube channel. The Sunday Bible study, Praying With the Psalms, looks at the Book of Psalms through the lens of prayer. We also post a short study every Wednesday. If you subscribe, you will be notified when new studies become available.
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Join Us Online
Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the livestream of our early worship service and other activities. Go to YouTube.com and type in “FPC Bristol.” Click on the link and hit “subscribe.” You will receive notifications of new videos. We also suggest that you connect to our various Facebook sites. Go to Facebook and type in “FPC Bristol,” and several accounts will show up. Some are open to the public, while others are restricted. In either case, “like” the page, or ask to join a group if it is closed.
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Remember to Return Your Pledge Card
We are grateful to all who have returned their pledge cards for 2021! Our letters of thanks are going out this week. If you haven’t returned your card yet, please send it as soon as possible. Your pledge helps us plan our ministries for the new year.
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Your Advent Devotional Is Here
The first Sunday of Advent is November 29. Members of FPC have prepared a booklet of devotions to help us as we reflect on the coming of Christ. Copies of this devotional are available in the narthex and Fellowship Hallway and on our church website. To receive a devotional by mail, contact Scottie Bales at [email protected] or call the church office at 423-764-7176. Please take only one booklet per family. |
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This Old House Needs TLC
We are looking for a handy volunteer to renovate the little red house that has been in a corner of the Fellowship Hallway for so many years. It’s really a big, rolling collection bin for items we’re donating elsewhere, such as snacks for Fairmount students and nonperishable items for the Bristol Emergency Food Pantry. This old house has served us well, but there is no denying that it is now rundown. If you have an idea about how to renovate what we have or an idea for a different form of receptacle, please either contact Beth Flannagan ( [email protected]) to brainstorm, or stop by the church, take the box home, and get to work. We think it would fit in most vehicles, but we suggest measuring first. |
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Connect with a Connect Team
We’re developing new resources for church communication, and we ask you to share your time and talents in this vital ministry. Are you interested in helping others in the church stay current and connected? Do you have the skills, gifts, and time to make a quick call once a month to approximately eight members of the church, to see how they are doing and share what’s new at FPC? If so, please let Dave Welch know. Contact him at [email protected] or 423-764-7176. |
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Cheerios for Fairmount Students
We are collecting boxes of Multi Grain Cheerios for the students of our neighborhood school. Fairmount teachers use them for math lessons at snack time, and the whole grains are just sweet enough to appeal to the children. Please drop your contributions in the little red house in the Fellowship Hallway or leave them on Dottie Havlik’s porch, only four blocks from the church. For more information, email Dottie at [email protected] or call her at 423-956-6747. |
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Give Safely
During the pandemic, we encourage you to give by way of our website or by text or mail. Your continued, faithful giving ensures that we have the resources to continue our ministries. You can give online by going to fpcbristol.org and clicking on “Give” in the upper right corner. You can send your pledge, offering, or special gift by texting fpcbristol to 73256. You can also mail your checks directly to the church at 701 Florida Avenue, Bristol, TN 37620.
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Please Help with AV in Worship
We need you on our audiovisual team! We will train you to control the cameras, modulate the sound, or run the videos and graphics. Just contact the church office to join.
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Deadline & Subscriptions
Deadline for contributions to Windows is the Monday of the week of publication.
Subscribe to our free e-newsletter by sending your name and preferred email address to [email protected].
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Gifts to the Church
Memorials and honoraria are published in the newsletter only after the family has been personally notified by our business office. Today we gratefully acknowledge a gift in memory of:
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David Mott (brother of Betsy Galliher): to the Technology Fund from Barbara Duncan
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Organist’s Footnotes
The hymn “Spirit of the Living God” was written in 1926 by Daniel Iverson (1890–1977), a Presbyterian minister from Tarboro, North Carolina. The words to Sunday’s prelude were initially inspired by Jeremiah 18:1-6. A friend helped Iverson set them to music during an evangelistic meeting in Orlando, Florida, where the song was first sung. This festive 2019 handbell arrangement by Robert Greene (b. 1957) is five stanzas long.
“Ar hyd y nos” is Welsh for “throughout the night.” This tune has been associated with the vesper (evening) hymn “Day Is Done” as well as with the thanksgiving hymn, “For the Fruit of All Creation.” Frank Stoldt (b. 1958) has been Director of Worship for Augsburg Fortress and Cantor at the Church of St. Luke in Chicago. His 1988 setting of “Ar hyd y nos” is short, quiet, fuguelike, and perfect for Sunday’s offertory.
David Cherwien (b. 1957) has served as Director of Music Ministries at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Minneapolis. He has written a neo-baroque setting of “Nun danket alle Gott” (“Now thank we all our God”), Sunday’s postlude. It maintains active figures in the manuals, while the main melody is heard in the pedals.
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Birthday Prayer Fellowship
Nov. 22 Andy Arnold, Glennda Cleland, Rhonda Comer,
Taylor McInnis, Mimi Tilley
Nov. 24 Ron Grubbs, Brad Smith, Sam Weddington
Nov. 25 Louisa Cordon, Selma Jennings
Nov. 26 Jean Burnette, Meg Rice
Nov. 27 Cindy Samuel
Nov. 28 Doug Williams
Condolences
Our love and sympathy are with Jim White in the death of his cousin Richard Lee, November 17 in Bristol.
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In Our Prayers
Please also include in your prayers the members of our community who wish to remain anonymous.
Caitlin Ball
Joe Bell
Chris Blankenship
Scott & Ellie Boggs
Danielle & Todd Booher
Bud & Margie Branscomb
Bristol Tennessee School System
Diana Bush & family
Becky Busler
Christians in Nigeria/ECWA
John Crewey
Sarah & Sam Ferguson
Family of Danny Fleming
DeeDee Galliher
Deborah Garritson
Goddards (missionaries in Paraguay)
Elizabeth Graham
Martha Graham
Emma & Gina Grubbs
Ron Grubbs
Conor Haaser & squadron
Lou Hebb
Nate & Angela & newborn Higgins
Kate Hill (missionary)
Davan & Kristi Johnson
Marty Keys & family
Josh & Morgan King & family
Danae & Dan Kreiss
June Lamb
Family of Richard Lee
Nancy Lilly
Laura & George Linke
Marthina Chapel
Dot Mattison
Kathleen McGlothlin
Alice Moore
Brianna Necessary
Martha North
Randi Otto
Pastor Nehemiah & family
Rosa Poteat
Jodi & Kreg Ramey
Meg & Drew Rice
Brittany Salter
Jim Swartchick
Allen Vance
Bill Wade
Patsy Ward
Michael & Rachel Weller
Deborah Whitaker
Dave Whitesides
Ann Woods
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701 Florida Avenue | Bristol, TN 37620 | 423-764-7176 | fpcbristol.org
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