The Pastor’s Blog
Being New
2017. Let that sink in for a bit.
Ok, now that it has sunk in we can talk about what it means. We are living in a new year but these things remain true at any time: Jesus is still king. The Lord of all creation still loves you. The world will always be His. Any problems we have can be brought before Him.
Some of us has been shaken by 2016. Others may feel broken and scarred by it. Coming into 2017 we feel weak and wounded. We need a restoration. We need a redeemer to show us what our lives can be when all we can see is the brokenness. We need Jesus to make us new. Good news is that can happen. Bad news is we have to let Him work on making us new every day.
New Year’s resolutions don’t work so well if we aren’t resolved to them every new day of the year. In the same way, the restoration and redemption found in Christ has to be renewed each day if we want to live fully in it. We get to be new. That happens every day. We can choose to honor Christ with that newness or not.
The year is new and so are you. The day is new and so are you. Christ gives us the chance to see and experience the world in a new way, with Him as our primary interpreter for what is going on around us. In the light of Christ’s activity in the world we see what is going on in a different way. This is part of the newness offered to us. It is one of my favorite things. Getting to see through new eyes helps me to make sense of a world that can be pretty senseless sometimes. I get to be new. Others get to be new. The world gets to be new. Not just once a year. But every single day.
Read more...
The Wednesday Night Bible Study that meets at MFC will resume January 11th, at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome, please join us!
Soup and Game Night Social
Invite a Friend!
Meet at MFC at 6:30 p.m. – Friday, January 13th
Everyone is invited out for an evening of fellowship! Soup will be provided. Please bring bread or a salad to accompany the soup! Be sure to bring a favorite game to play following dinner.
All Church Potluck
Please join us Sunday, January 15th, for our all church potluck! We always have a great time of fellowship and good food! We’ll meet in the fellowship hall at noon. Bring a main dish and salad, vegetable or dessert to share.
Friends Women Missionary Fellowship
Our regular monthly meetings resume with the January 19th meeting at 10 a.m. in the fireside room at MFC.
The meeting will conclude with lunch served at noon. In addition to the regular January “catch-up” business, Earlene Schlosser will present a brief power point year-end report received from Malawi sharing the progress of God’s work there.
Note to ladies who are not regular members of Friends Women, you are always welcome to join us for lunch fellowship (no cost). Questions? Contact Nadine Brood 541-585-1722.
It’s time to update our birthday file and directory information.
If you are new to MFC within the last year we would like to have the birth dates of those in your family. Please list the month & day on the back of your Information Sheet in Sunday’s bulletin. (Adults are not required to list the year, however it is helpful for children!)
It’s also time to update our MFC directory…if you have moved or have new phone numbers or a new email address please fill out the top of the Information Sheet in Sunday’s bulletin and place it in the box on the table in the foyer. Thank you.
Thank You from Jesse Davis, the Wilson, Garrett and Taylor families for the cards and gifts and the cash gifts shared with us throughout the Christmas season. We are thankful for God’s generous provision to us and for the ways that everyone contributes to the ministries of Medford Friends. It is a joy to serve Jesus with all of you, our church family.
Read more...
Gratefulness
It has been a crazy couple months. From the bottom (and top) of my heart I am grateful for such a wonderful church family. You have blessed me so much and I will never be able to live up to the love that has been shown. It is more than I deserve. I have said it before (and I will say it again now) the only measurement that Quakers know is abundance. Thank you for all your support and prayers over the last month and a half as my family and I have mourned the loss of a son and brother.
As we look towards Christmas and the celebration of Christ’s coming into the world I am excited. I love how this season brings people together and helps us show our appreciation for one another. We get to give to one another.
The giving we typically think about is in the form of presents given to our friends and family. We buy or make gifts for certain people based on what they like and what we feel they would enjoy or sometimes need. This is good and ends up being really exciting, especially for the younger members of the family! We do this to show how special the people are to us, that we care about them and want to share that in a physical way through a gift of some sort.
Another way we can give is through our presence, being together and sharing our lives is a wonderful gift that we give to one another. We were made to be in relationship and it is during the Christmas season that we celebrate this by coming together and celebrating. We aren’t celebrating ourselves though. We are celebrating Jesus. Our little reunions around the holidays where we share ourselves with one another reflect the Great Reunion of God and the World through Jesus.
As we gather together during this season make sure that you share yourself with those you love. Take time to celebrate being together. Make space to enjoy the relationship that is offered to you in Jesus, a Great Reunion with God. Above all remember to give (yourself, your love, and your other gifts) with the only measurement that Quakers know: Abundance!
Read more...
Christmas Eve Service Please join us in the sanctuary Saturday, December 24th at 5 p.m. for our traditional “Come As You Are” family celebration.
Christmas Day We will meet for worship at 10 a.m. with no Sunday School or Prayer Meeting that day. We will have an opportunity for kids to come forward and share a Christmas gift they have received! The church office will be closed on Monday, December 26th.
In Lieu of the Giving Tree and gift cards we have done in the past, this year we ask that you consider giving a donation for an item in the EFM Offering Christmas Catalog (copies can be found on the usher’s table in the foyer) or a local charity organization. As the Lord leads you share a gift, thank you.
New Year’s Eve White Elephant Gift Exchange
Welcome in the New Year! Everyone is invited to join us at 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall for a fun time. Bring a wrapped white elephant gift for the exchange game, board games and finger foods to share. (If you plan to stay late bring extra munchie foods!)
We will take a break from Wednesday Night Bible Study for the month of December. We will resume meeting January 11th.
Annual Ladies Ornament Exchange Friday, December 2nd @ 6:30 p.m.
Ladies, please join us for a celebration of Christ’s Birth. Share in the joy and laughter as we fellowship together, interact with the story of the First Christmas, and exchange ornaments. Bring a wrapped ornament, and a favorite holiday treat to share.
The Anderson family invites our Medford Friends family to attend Richard Anderson's Eagle Court of Honor on Saturday, December 17th at 2:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall. A reception will follow. Thank you so much for your support of our sons in scouting for so many years.
Sunday, December 18th, as we celebrate the Christmas season our pre-school and kindergarten class will share in music during the worship service “Little Drummer Boy.” Following the service please join us for a time of fellowship, bring your favorite holiday goodie or finger food to share. Sunday School will follow. No Prayer Meeting that night.
Please be praying for Stan Schlosser and the medical missions team he is serving with in the Philippines. They will be doing optical exams and fitting people with glasses.
It’s time to update our birthday file and directory information. If you are new to MFC within the last year we would like to have the birth dates of those in your family. Please list the month & day on the back of your Information Sheet. (Adults are not required to list the year, however it is helpful for children!)
It’s also time to update our MFC directory…
if you have moved or have new phone numbers or a new email address please fill out the top of the Information Sheet and place it in the box on the table in the foyer. Thank you.
Read more...