Southside Oracle Archive

Vol. 48, No. 36                  SOUTHSIDE ORACLE      November 25, 2005

The Bulletin Board

Congregational Meeting - December 11th is the date of our next congregational meeting. For that Sunday only our schedule will be changed. Bible classes will begin at 9:30 a.m. We will have a single morning worship service at 11:00 o'clock. There will be a sandwich lunch after worship followed by the congregational meeting from 1:00 p.m. to about 2:30 p.m. At that time the elders will report on decisions and directions growing out of the recent retreat for the elders and ministers and their wives. Also, three trustees will be chosen to serve for two years each in compliance with the law for religious corporations. Participation and input from members are very important and we hope to have good attendance.

Our thanks to our young people and the adults who helped them (especially Laurie Giombi) for the Thanksgiving dinner for our senior members last Saturday.

Calling All Men! For three Sundays during the Bible class hour we will have a special class on participation in leading the congregation in public worship. It will be in the fellowship hall on December 4, 11, and 18. The topics will deal with how to engage in leading prayer, reading the Scriptures, and offering the Lord's supper. Though it may require leaving another class on those dates, the eiders strongly encourage all Southside men (young and old) to attend these classes.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

(*) first service, 149; second service, 96

The Sick - The parents of Robert Shilts, Tim Shilts, and Carolyn Buettner (Bob and Ann Shitts) were both hospitalized last week. They live in Chippewa Falls... Richard Buettner's mother has been in St. Luke's hospital here.

The Lord's Supper

At the heart of early Christian worship was the observance of the Lord's Supper that was eaten every Sunday when the believers assembled. Paul worshipped with the disciples in Troas on the first day of the week "when they gathered to break bread" {Acts 24:7} which is usually understood to denote the Lard's Supper. Historical records of the post-apostolic church reveal that this simple meal, instituted by Jesus himself was observed weekly on Sunday. Following their example, we also observe it every Lord's day.

The Lord's supper is not just a rite to be observed in order to go to heaven. Its proper observance is not at the duty level, but as a privilege designed to bring us into closer relationship with our Lord.

Consider what the Lord's Supper signifies to the Christian. The bread represents his body given for us on the cross. The fruit of the vine symbolizes his blood. Jesus instructs us, "Do this in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:24). It is also an expression of the fellowship (or communion) that we enjoy with Christ and with one another. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation (fellowship) in the blood of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 14:1b). Some Bible versions call it a communion which is why we often speak of it as the "communion".

The Lord's super also expresses our unity in Jesus. "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10: 17}. It also represents the covenant we have with God that we reaffirm when we eat the meal. Jesus said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood" (I Corinthians 11:25). Finally, it is a proclamation to all of our faith that Jesus will return. "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26).

A memorial, fellowship, unity, covenant, proclamation - all of these are a part our eating this simple meal.

__ Monroe E. Hawley

There's a Tree Inside That Nut

An acorn isn't much to look at. It's just another nut to be crushed underfoot or eaten by a squirrel. Plant it in the ground, however, and it will become a mighty oak tree. In the same way, God takes the seeds of our lives, plants them, and brings about tremendous growth. Consider these examples:

Ruth had three strikes against her. She was a foreigner, a woman, and a widow. The best kind of life she could reasonably hope for was that of a beggar. But because she was willing to devote her life to Naomi and the God she served, she not only brought happiness to the lives she touched but became a part of the family line of Jesus.

John was an uneducated, rough-and-ready fisherman when Jesus found him. The three years he spent with the Master were marked by exclusivity, calls for retribution, and power plays. Yet in time he became known as the apostle of love, one of the greatest leaders and teachers the church has known.

These and others - Gideon, David, Peter, Paul, and so many more - all started with humble beginnings. But God saw what they could become, not just what they were. He is the one who makes oak trees out of acorns.

__Glenn Hawley in Holmes Road Bulletin

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