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The Wells of Salvation - December 13, 2015
It is not uncommon for people to wander in off the street, curious about our magnificent building. Last spring as I showed one such couple up to the sanctuary, I asked them where they were from. "We're refugees from California," the woman said. She went on to explain that they were both retired. Normally they grow a large vegetable garden. Tending the garden and preserving its bounty normally keep them close to home all summer. This year, however, the severe drought in California had dried up the well which they use to water a garden and so they did not plant one. They decided to travel north and happened to come through Moscow. It was early enough in the spring that things here were still green and they marveled at how lush things looked.
Of course, by this fall the Palouse was even browner than usual. When I worked in my own garden I realized how dry it was. Lack of snow in the mountains last winter also led to terrible fires this summer. While the Palouse was spared fires, we did get smoke. Some farmers reported adequate yields on their crops but others found that their yields were disappointing at best. We too know drought.
There’s a Song in Every Silence - December 6, 2015
In the Hymn of Promise Natalie Sleeth wrote, "There's a song in every silence seeking word and melody, there's a dawn in every darkness bringing hope to you and me."
Musicians know that rests are as important as the notes in a piece of music, though it takes more discipline to count the rests than it does the notes. Many years ago my mother played cello in the Washington – Idaho Symphony. One year they played for a performance of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. As I recall her story, there was a long space where the cellos are silent. Mom had to count the measures and then nudge her fellow cellist because he got so busy watching the dancers that he always forgot to come in on time.
This Advent we are focusing on the songs of faith sung by various people in the Bible stories which lead us up to and follow Jesus' birth. Last Sunday we heard Psalm 25, a song of lamentation sung by the people of Israel during a time of personal difficulty. Psalm 25 taught us to sing even when the going is tough.
Read more: There’s a Song in Every Silence - December 6, 2015
How Can I Keep From Singing? - November 29, 2015
The season of Advent, which begins today, is countercultural. For many people in our nation this next month will be a hectic time as we rush from one concert to the next, to parties and festivals and programs. We have shopping and decorating and baking to do. In contrast, Advent is a season of meditation and reflection, often forgotten in the hurry and scurry of Christmas preparations. It is a season of penitence slipped into a world of indulgence. It is a time to consider pain and agony as the world shouts of joy. Yes, Advent is countercultural.
Power Used Justly - November 22, 2015
Today we welcome Dale Cockrum, our District Superintendent, who joins us for our Charge Conference, which we'll hold after a potluck and Pie Sunday. Charge Conference is the annual business meeting of our church. Among other items we will elect people to serve on church committees and in other positions of leadership for the next year. The Nominating Committee has been hard at work all fall recruiting people to fill these different positions. At its best this job does more than put names on a piece of paper. It helps people to discern their own gifts and graces and then matches them with opportunities to serve. Ideally, service in the church is a blessing not a burden. The blessing includes those serving as well as the church and community which we serve.
Push - November 15, 2015
Last summer as the smoke from wildfires blew into Moscow there were a few days when the air quality registered as unhealthy or even hazardous. Breathing was hard, especially for those with respiratory ailments. As unpleasant as it was for us, I kept thinking about people in places like Kamiah, Chelan, and Omak. Those communities were so close to the fires that they not only had smoke they actually had ashes falling from the sky.
I served the United Methodist Churches in Omak and Conconully for 7 ½ years so the Okanogan Complex fires hit especially close to home for me. When I heard that the village of Conconully had been evacuated I was riveted to Face Book, watching for posts from former parishioners. I imagined that little white church going up in flames. Even from this distance it seemed like the world was falling apart.
And for some people it nearly did. Three firefighters were killed when their vehicle crashed as they fled from the flames. Across the West over a million acres burned and 80 some houses were destroyed. Former parishioners lost their outbuildings though their house was saved.
Fire seems to be the natural disaster most common in the West. Other places get typhoons, hurricanes, and earthquakes. The loss caused is terrible. As they are happening nothing else matters than sheer survival. The horror they bring is distressingly real.
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Sunday morning parking at the church is available in the high school parking lot on Third Street across from the church and in the city lots west of the church. These lots are available only on Sunday mornings. A small lot for handicapped parking is available just off of Adams Street on the north side of the church, with an accessible entrance directly into the sanctuary. A lift operates between the Fellowship Hall (3rd Street level) and the Sanctuary. William Sound System Receivers and Headsets are available to assist with hearing problems.
322 East Third Street
Moscow, ID 83843
Church Mission
The First United Methodist Church of Moscow, Idaho takes as our mission to be the body of Jesus Christ, ministering to a community which draws strength from its diversity. Our mission centers on the worship of God, expressed through varied forms of prayer, preaching, music, and ritual. See more...