First Presbyterian Church | 1100 Carter Creek Parkway | Bryan, Texas 77802 PH. 979.823.8073 | FAX. 979.822.7063 | Website: www.fpcbryan.org | Email: fpc@fpcbryan.org

Find “First Presbyterian Church of Bryan, Texas” on FACEBOOK

REFORMATION SUNDAY

THE SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY

October 25, 2020 First Presbyterian Church, Bryan, Texas 10:45 a.m. Link to worship videos available at: www.fpcbryan.org

ANNOUNCEMENTS PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP Love Lifted Me arr. Carol Tornquist WELCOME

We welcome you to worship today.

Let us read responsively the words of Psalm 67: May God be gracious to us and bless us.

May God’s face shine upon us! May God’s way be known upon the earth!

May all the ends of the earth revere the God of every time and place.

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THIS WEEK AT FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

REFORMATION SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020 PRE-RECORDED DEVOTIONAL (To view, visit www.fpcbryan.org)

9:20am Seekers Church School Class-Parlor/via Zoom 9:20am The Word Church School Class-303/via Zoom 9:30am Loose Leaf Church School Class-via Zoom

10:45am WORSHIP (live-streamed)-Sanctuary * 5:45pm NEW TIME! Youth (GR 6-12) Halloween Party (until 8:15pm)-FH (CoMe In CoStuMe!) MONDAY, OCTOBER 26 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 10:15am Staff Meeting-L WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31

ALL SAINTS’ SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1 2:00am DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS

PRE-RECORDED DEVOTIONAL (To view, visit www.fpcbryan.org) 9:20am Seekers Church School Class-Parlor/via Zoom 9:20am The Word Church School Class-303/via Zoom 9:30am Loose Leaf Church School Class-via Zoom

10:45am WORSHIP (live-streamed)-Sanctuary *

WORSHIP NOTES

PREACHER

Rev. Ted Foote

LITURGISTS Rev. Emily K. Béghin Rev. Dr. George Klett

USHER CAPTAINS

Fan Cloud; Dave Haverland

USHERS & GREETERS

Adam Hartman; Nancy Self; Ruby Cole; Denny Cole

MUSICIANS

Michelle Lassiter, pianist David Kipp,

Director of Music Ministries

AUDIO-VISUAL | SOUND

Jerry Norris; Bobby Randolph

COVER ART

“The Workers in the Vineyard” by Stushie

(a Scottish pastor, ministering in East Tennessee)

COPYRIGHT LICENSES

Hymns from Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal

CCLI 196019 OneLicense.net A-718836

CVLI 504246321

A WARM WELCOME!

We are delighted to have you worship with us today.

HYMN NO. 301 (st. 3,4,5) Let Us Build a House TWO OAKS Let us build a house where love is found in water, wine, and wheat;

a banquet hall on holy ground where peace and justice meet. Here the love of God, through Jesus, is revealed in time and space;

As we share in Christ the feast that frees us: REFRAIN all are welcome; all are welcome; all are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where hands will reach beyond the wood and stone to heal and strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word they known. Here the outcast and the stranger bear the image of God’s face; let us bring an end to fear and danger: REFRAIN

Let us build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard and loved and treasured, taught and claimed as words within the Word. Built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace; let this house proclaim from floor to rafter: REFRAIN

PRAYERS OF PRAISE AND CONFESSION Let us pray together . . . To you, O God, our thoughts turn in reverence and honor. We praise and glorify you. In all honesty, Merciful One, we have sought our ways more than your ways and, in deafness, have turned away from your call and influence. Forgive us all our sin, and hear our confessions before you . . .

(pausing in silence for prayer) Make us whole in your love, Blessed One. Reknit and restore our fellowship with you and others. Bring your new life among us for serving you every day in the way and spirit of Jesus Christ . . . Friends, let us hear and share with gladness the blessed news of the Gospel: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

HYMN OF RESPONSE NO. 581 Glory Be to The Father GLORIA PATRI Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.

SCRIPTURE READING Matthew 13:52; Matthew 20:1-16 This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL PROCLAMATION Demonstrating the Kingdom of Heaven: Grace Yielding Gratitude and Serving from God’s Love

HYMN NO. 761 (st. 1,3) Called as Partners in Christ’s Service BEECHER Called as partners in Christ’s service, called to ministries of grace, we respond with deep commitment fresh new lines of faith to trace. May we learn the art of sharing, side by side and friend with friend, equal partners in our caring to fulfill God’s chosen end.

Thus new patterns for Christ’s mission, in a small or global sense, help us bear each other’s burdens, breaking down each wall or fence. Words of comfort, words of vision, words of challenge, said with care, bring new power and strength for action, make us colleagues, free and fair.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION, AND THE LORD’S PRAYER Let us pray . . . We humbly and boldly turn to you, Gracious One, with thanksgiving for your generosity of resources and your generosity in spirit, for your commitment to lift up the fallen and strengthen all who are in the midst of affliction. We bless you for treasured relationships, those of many years and those more recent. We honor your ways of challenging us toward growth, toward a broadening outlook and a deeper sense of wonder. Strengthen all people to pursue and negotiate toward justice, and to advocate for those whose voices are ignored. Grant us wisdom which originates with you. May that wisdom guide our thoughts, words, and actions. Moreover, work in us the miracle of love each and every day. Hear us also praying now, as Jesus taught the community of faith to believe and give voice: Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

HYMN NO. 852 (St. 1,2,3) When the Lord Redeems the Very Least I’LL FLY AWAY

When the Lord redeems the very least, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) When the hungry gather for the feast, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.)

REFRAIN We will rejoice, will rejoice with gladness. All our days we’ll sing to God in praise. We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice!

When the Lord restores the sick and weak, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) When the earth is given to the meek, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) REFRAIN

When the Lord revives the world from death, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) When the word of God fills every breath, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) REFRAIN

DISMISSAL AND BLESSING

POSTLUDE O God, Our Help in Ages Past arr. Victor C. Johnson + + + + +

ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES are available in the narthex. Please help yourself or ask an usher for assistance.

NEW MEMBERS may be received any Sunday by profession of faith, reaffirmation of faith, or transfer of membership. If you feel led to inquire about becoming a church member or deepening your commitment as a disciple of Jesus Christ, please indicate your desire on the fellowship folder. You may also call the church (979.823.8073) or email Pastor Ted Foote (tfoote@fpcbryan.org) or Associate Pastor Emily Béghin (ebeghin@fpcbryan.org). They will be glad to arrange a mutually convenient Sunday when you can be received by the Elders and introduced to the congregation.

CHILDREN ARE WELCOME IN WORSHIP. Worship related activity sheets and markers are available on the tables in the Narthex. Room 108 is available for your nursery needs. If you are unfamiliar with our building and need assistance, an usher will be pleased to help you. Also, two rocking chairs are located in the narthex, where the worship service can be heard via a ceiling speaker.

Page 2 Page 3

The prayerful support and sympathy of the congregation are extended to the family and friends of Audrey Prouty, following her death on October 22.

“I am the resurrection and the life,” saith the Lord. —John 11:25

HYMN NO. 301 (st. 3,4,5) Let Us Build a House TWO OAKS Let us build a house where love is found in water, wine, and wheat;

a banquet hall on holy ground where peace and justice meet. Here the love of God, through Jesus, is revealed in time and space;

As we share in Christ the feast that frees us: REFRAIN all are welcome; all are welcome; all are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where hands will reach beyond the wood and stone to heal and strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word they known. Here the outcast and the stranger bear the image of God’s face; let us bring an end to fear and danger: REFRAIN

Let us build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard and loved and treasured, taught and claimed as words within the Word. Built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace; let this house proclaim from floor to rafter: REFRAIN

PRAYERS OF PRAISE AND CONFESSION Let us pray together . . . To you, O God, our thoughts turn in reverence and honor. We praise and glorify you. In all honesty, Merciful One, we have sought our ways more than your ways and, in deafness, have turned away from your call and influence. Forgive us all our sin, and hear our confessions before you . . .

(pausing in silence for prayer) Make us whole in your love, Blessed One. Reknit and restore our fellowship with you and others. Bring your new life among us for serving you every day in the way and spirit of Jesus Christ . . . Friends, let us hear and share with gladness the blessed news of the Gospel: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

HYMN OF RESPONSE NO. 581 Glory Be to The Father GLORIA PATRI Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.

SCRIPTURE READING Matthew 13:52; Matthew 20:1-16 This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL PROCLAMATION Demonstrating the Kingdom of Heaven: Grace Yielding Gratitude and Serving from God’s Love

HYMN NO. 761 (st. 1,3) Called as Partners in Christ’s Service BEECHER Called as partners in Christ’s service, called to ministries of grace, we respond with deep commitment fresh new lines of faith to trace. May we learn the art of sharing, side by side and friend with friend, equal partners in our caring to fulfill God’s chosen end.

Thus new patterns for Christ’s mission, in a small or global sense, help us bear each other’s burdens, breaking down each wall or fence. Words of comfort, words of vision, words of challenge, said with care, bring new power and strength for action, make us colleagues, free and fair.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION, AND THE LORD’S PRAYER Let us pray . . . We humbly and boldly turn to you, Gracious One, with thanksgiving for your generosity of resources and your generosity in spirit, for your commitment to lift up the fallen and strengthen all who are in the midst of affliction. We bless you for treasured relationships, those of many years and those more recent. We honor your ways of challenging us toward growth, toward a broadening outlook and a deeper sense of wonder. Strengthen all people to pursue and negotiate toward justice, and to advocate for those whose voices are ignored. Grant us wisdom which originates with you. May that wisdom guide our thoughts, words, and actions. Moreover, work in us the miracle of love each and every day. Hear us also praying now, as Jesus taught the community of faith to believe and give voice: Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

HYMN NO. 852 (St. 1,2,3) When the Lord Redeems the Very Least I’LL FLY AWAY

When the Lord redeems the very least, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) When the hungry gather for the feast, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.)

REFRAIN We will rejoice, will rejoice with gladness. All our days we’ll sing to God in praise. We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice!

When the Lord restores the sick and weak, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) When the earth is given to the meek, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) REFRAIN

When the Lord revives the world from death, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) When the word of God fills every breath, we will rejoice. (We will rejoice, will rejoice, will rejoice.) REFRAIN

DISMISSAL AND BLESSING

POSTLUDE O God, Our Help in Ages Past arr. Victor C. Johnson + + + + +

ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES are available in the narthex. Please help yourself or ask an usher for assistance.

NEW MEMBERS may be received any Sunday by profession of faith, reaffirmation of faith, or transfer of membership. If you feel led to inquire about becoming a church member or deepening your commitment as a disciple of Jesus Christ, please indicate your desire on the fellowship folder. You may also call the church (979.823.8073) or email Pastor Ted Foote (tfoote@fpcbryan.org) or Associate Pastor Emily Béghin (ebeghin@fpcbryan.org). They will be glad to arrange a mutually convenient Sunday when you can be received by the Elders and introduced to the congregation.

CHILDREN ARE WELCOME IN WORSHIP. Worship related activity sheets and markers are available on the tables in the Narthex. Room 108 is available for your nursery needs. If you are unfamiliar with our building and need assistance, an usher will be pleased to help you. Also, two rocking chairs are located in the narthex, where the worship service can be heard via a ceiling speaker.

Page 2 Page 3

The prayerful support and sympathy of the congregation are extended to the family and friends of Audrey Prouty, following her death on October 22.

“I am the resurrection and the life,” saith the Lord. —John 11:25

First Presbyterian Church | 1100 Carter Creek Parkway | Bryan, Texas 77802 PH. 979.823.8073 | FAX. 979.822.7063 | Website: www.fpcbryan.org | Email: fpc@fpcbryan.org

Find “First Presbyterian Church of Bryan, Texas” on FACEBOOK

REFORMATION SUNDAY

THE SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY

October 25, 2020 First Presbyterian Church, Bryan, Texas 10:45 a.m. Link to worship videos available at: www.fpcbryan.org

ANNOUNCEMENTS PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP Love Lifted Me arr. Carol Tornquist WELCOME

We welcome you to worship today.

Let us read responsively the words of Psalm 67: May God be gracious to us and bless us.

May God’s face shine upon us! May God’s way be known upon the earth!

May all the ends of the earth revere the God of every time and place.

Page 4

THIS WEEK AT FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

REFORMATION SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020 PRE-RECORDED DEVOTIONAL (To view, visit www.fpcbryan.org)

9:20am Seekers Church School Class-Parlor/via Zoom 9:20am The Word Church School Class-303/via Zoom 9:30am Loose Leaf Church School Class-via Zoom

10:45am WORSHIP (live-streamed)-Sanctuary * 5:45pm NEW TIME! Youth (GR 6-12) Halloween Party (until 8:15pm)-FH (CoMe In CoStuMe!) MONDAY, OCTOBER 26 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 10:15am Staff Meeting-L WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31

ALL SAINTS’ SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1 2:00am DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS

PRE-RECORDED DEVOTIONAL (To view, visit www.fpcbryan.org) 9:20am Seekers Church School Class-Parlor/via Zoom 9:20am The Word Church School Class-303/via Zoom 9:30am Loose Leaf Church School Class-via Zoom

10:45am WORSHIP (live-streamed)-Sanctuary *

WORSHIP NOTES

PREACHER

Rev. Ted Foote

LITURGISTS Rev. Emily K. Béghin Rev. Dr. George Klett

USHER CAPTAINS

Fan Cloud; Dave Haverland

USHERS & GREETERS

Adam Hartman; Nancy Self; Ruby Cole; Denny Cole

MUSICIANS

Michelle Lassiter, pianist David Kipp,

Director of Music Ministries

AUDIO-VISUAL | SOUND

Jerry Norris; Bobby Randolph

COVER ART

“The Workers in the Vineyard” by Stushie

(a Scottish pastor, ministering in East Tennessee)

COPYRIGHT LICENSES

Hymns from Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal

CCLI 196019 OneLicense.net A-718836

CVLI 504246321

A WARM WELCOME!

We are delighted to have you worship with us today.

October 25, 2020 First Presbyterian Church, Bryan, Texas

All women of the church are invited to

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S

Thank Offering MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 6:00pm

GUEST SPEAKER Anjuli “AJ” Renold

Executive Director, American Red Cross (Monetary donations will also be received to benefit ARC.)

via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83772371090

or in Fellowship Hall

for Christian fellowship and boxed meals (RSVP required for boxed meals)

To order your box lunch (ham or turkey), contact Marilyn Wright,

979.777.8082 or m4maynard@yahoo.com, to let her know your sandwich preference.

MISSION OPPORTUNITIES

------------------------------------------- Visit us on the web! www.fpcbryan.org for the newsletter, announcements,

worship bulletins, devotionals for children and adults, updates, etc.

Like our page on Facebook www.facebook.com/FPCBryan

NEW!!! on Instagram www.instagram.com Search for and follow fpcbryantx1867 and/or fpcbryan_youth

Be notified when new WORSHIP and ACTIVITY videos are uploaded to our YouTube channel! Go to www.youtube.com, search for First Presbyterian Church of Bryan, Texas, then click ISUBSCRIBEI

Our newsletter, The Chimes, continues to be available online, emailed to FPC-Bryan friends, and mailed to local FPC-Bryan members with the printed bulletin and sermon to those without technology. The deadline for the next issue of the newsletter is Noon, Sunday, November 1, and will be distributed on Wednesday, November 4.

This newsletter will cover news from November 12-25.

Have a prayer need? Have news about a church group to share with FPC members and friends? Church Updates is FPC-Bryan’s online tool for YOU to post church-related announcements, ways to serve, and your current prayer

needs. While users receive a weekly reminder email on Thursdays to view new post. This online tool is “REAL TIME.”

Login at https://fpcbtx.churchupdates.org/login to create your password-protected account. Need help setting up your account? Contact Karen in the church office, 979.823.8073 or office@fpcbryan.org.

Place your donations in the marked box on the Patio thru MON, NOV 16!

Demonstrating the Kingdom of Heaven: Grace Yielding Gratitude and Serving from God’s Love Matthew 13:52; 20:1-16 October 25, 2020 Ted V. Foote, Jr. First Presbyterian Church – Bryan, Texas The sixth of the six “Great Ends of the Church” from 1910 is named and described as “the exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world.” Today, 110 years after that phrase became part of the constitution of the United Presbyterian Church of North America – I’m going to take discretionary license and alter “exhibition” to “demonstration.” Today “exhibiting” tends to indicate what is displayed for others to view. “Demonstrating” more implies undertaking a project tutorially in ways that others observing have opportunity, for themselves, to grasp and practice what the demonstrator is teaching. We might say, therefore, that the sixth great end (or goal) of the Church is “demonstrating the kingdom of heaven to the world.” “Kingdom of heaven” is the phrase used throughout Matthew’s gospel in the teachings of Jesus, where Mark and Luke tend to quote Jesus as utilizing the term “kingdom of God.” So, the terms are interchangeable. “Kingdom of heaven” – is never intending to convey a sense of God’s perfect reality on earth right now. The more helpful understanding is how God’s desires and intentions come to life every day on earth. You know, as in, “Thy kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven.” This kingdom of heaven is demonstrated as God’s desires and intentions come to life every day on earth among God’s people in one way or another.

Today we read of Jesus telling a short comparison-parable and a longer story-parable. The comparison parable tells how the kingdom of heaven is like a scribe or a practitioner of faith and sacred sensibilities who appreciates what is old and honored and what is new and positive. Not one or the other; but both. What is old and honored and what is new and positive. The scribe – who, by profession is a copier of scripture – spends hours of days copying Scripture from a conviction that the texts/ the words/ the teachings copied are worth preserving from the past and worth being transmitted into the present and future. The scribe commits to what is old and believed to be sacred and meaningful from the conviction that what is sacred and old yields in the present what is new and sacred. You may have heard of citizens carrying a copy of the United States’ Constitution in a shirt or jacket pocket because the words from 1789 are so meaningful that they have sacred value in the present. The text of 230 years ago has crucial relevance and meaning in the new day of the present. What is old and sacred is dynamically alive and meaningful through active appreciation and activist participation. What is old and sacred invigorates the air of each new day when and as it’s utilized and exercised and practiced in the relationships – public and personal – of every new day. Some weeks before he died of cancer on July 17 of this past summer, Congressman John Lewis wrote these words: “I have long believed – I have long preached – that our nation’s moral compass comes from God, it is of God, and it is seen through God. And God so loved the world that God gave us the countless men and women who lost their homes and their jobs for the right to vote. God gave us the children of freedom who lost their lives in a bombing in Birmingham and the three young men who were killed in Mississippi. But above all else God gave us courage – the power to believe that what I call the Spirit of History behind us is stronger than the terror of hatred in front of us. That is what I believed then. And I believe it now … How to march forward? … The journey begins with faith – faith in the dignity and worth of every human being. That is an idea with roots in scripture and in the canon of the United States of America, in Genesis and in the Declaration of Independence … I think there’s something brewing in the United States that is going to bring people closer and closer together. Adversity can bring unity; hatred can give way to love. We need a leadership of love, a strong leadership to remind us that God’s truth is marching on. We can do it … We have to go forward as one people, as one family, as one household under God” (“His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and

the Power of Hope,” by Jon Meacham [2020]; pgs.248-249). Some might say, “Congressman Lewis’ words are rhetorically overly optimistic, sort of a ‘hitch your wagon to a star’ optimism.” Perhaps. Yet who are we if desiring to be more than “our worst past” does not lead us to build “a more perfect union”? Not “an impossibly perfect union,” but “a more perfect union.” The longer parable we consider this morning is one of the most troubling which the scriptures bring forward from the old past into the new day of every present. One of the most troubling: It’s the parable of the workers in the vineyard – troubling because Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like this: Workers agree with the vineyard owner at dawn for a day’s wage. They start to work. Other workers accept an offer to work and come to work at 9 a.m., at noon, at 3:00 p.m., and even at 5:00 p.m. When the work day ends just after 6:00 p.m., the workers gather to be paid. When they compare wages, the workers who agreed for a day’s wage at dawn (and who worked 12 hours) discover that the workers who came after them – at 9, noon, 3, and 5 – received the same wage for 3 hours less work, 6 hours less work, nine hours less work, and 11 hours less work! They are not happy! When the owner of the vineyard hears their complaints, the owner replies: “I paid you a day’s wage for which you agreed to work. You can fault me for paying others the wage for which you agreed to work, but do you fault my generosity?” This is the key. Matthew’s quote of Jesus employs the Greek word “agathos” in the parable’s concluding exchange. It can be translated to English as “generosity.” It can also mean: “moral uprightness.” In other words, God’s moral nature is not based on human judgments of what is fair in general. God’s moral nature is not based on people getting what they judge they deserve or on what they consider that they have basically earned. God’s moral nature in the kingdom of heaven on earth is based on God’s generosity! And we may not like this if others receive the same grace we receive, but we don’t think they deserve that grace! God’s generosity can confound us. God’s generosity can leave us either speechless or complaining, especially on the basis of our hoping we receive more than others, when we think we have done more to deserve God’s blessing. Forty plus years ago, my pastor, Roland Perdue, preached on this text, and his words still ring in my ears and in my soul. He said: “God is not fair. Thank God, God is not fair. We receive from God what we do not deserve: Grace!” As a church/ a community of faith, how do we demonstrate the kingdom of heaven to God’s world? Once upon a time in the late 1980s, two church members were having coffee in an East Texas town. One was a member of a church with a fundamentalist pastor. One was a member of a Methodist church whose pastor was theologically “middle of the road.” The church member with the fundamentalist pastor said, “My pastor cannot believe that Eastside Southern Baptist and the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches in town have held funerals in the church for members who have died of AIDS. Your church hasn’t done that has it?” The Methodist said, “We haven’t yet had any members die of AIDS, but if we do, I’m sure hoping our pastor and church will be as gracious as the Eastside Southern Baptists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians.” The other man replied, “How can you say that?” The Methodist said, “Well, if the Good Book says that God is generous, I reckon our churches need to be generous as well. We don’t allow a funeral in the church because anyone’s goodness has earned God’s grace. The church hosts a funeral because God is generous with grace that none of us deserve. Tell me you don’t hope that God is that generous.” The man said, “I reckon you’ve got a point there.” And the Methodist said, “I reckon Jesus and God have a point there.” The sensitively religious scribe pulled from the treasure box what’s old yet also refreshingly relevant, like the grace God promises to share today with one and all, no matter how long or short a time a person has labored in the vineyard. In this call to live by and to demonstrate grace, we - with our lives, outlooks, and discipleship – are transformed for generous, respectful, caring, courageous serving, just as Jesus says God is: “Surely we don’t fault God for being “agathos” – do we?” Grace from God demonstrates the kingdom of heaven in the world! – All honor and praise be to God.