Nixon United Methodist Church

Today we worshiped at Nixon United Methodist Church, 334 Airport Road, Butler, PA 16002, 724.586.7372, www.nixonumchurch.org, Pastor William B.T. Gilligan.

Scripture – NKJV

Matthew 2:1-12 –

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Philippians 1:6 –

…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Jeremiah 29:13 –

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Bob’s thoughts:

I’m always happy to worship at a small country church and especially enjoyed the large stained glass and molded paneled ceiling.

There was a welcoming feel that was affirmed after the service when a number of people stopped to say hello. A special joy was watching a set of twins…it brought such great memories.

The sermon was the last of a series on unexpected gifts, the Magi from Matthew 2. So little is known for sure and much has been added to Scripture. An interesting thought that the decree to kill all the infant males up to two years old might mark the appearance of the Magi at about two years after Christ’s birth. References like “when they came into the home” seem to fit well with this.

I was not surprised that a Scripture quote used was one I read this morning, NAS Jeremiah 29:13: “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Frequently when we are looking for an answer, a sign from God, we will find a penny and the inscription “In God We Trust” answers for me.

I was having some trouble understanding some feeling during the service and our time with the pastor after the service made sense of it. I believe God was showing me that He called this pastor to use him to heal His church. I believe God will bless his efforts here to grow Christ’s church. This will be an exciting time and I look forward to the good news. I am thankful that God orchestrated this time together.

Jan’s thoughts:

I misread the estimated travel time, so we were a few minutes late arriving. As we entered the sanctuary, I heard the pastor emphasizing to the congregation that even if everything else was cancelled, they could count on worship being held as scheduled. We quickly found seats and settled in, feeling less conspicuous when others also arrived.

The sanctuary was lovely, with mostly dark wood everywhere including the ceiling, and fine-looking stained glass. Being the traditional service, the only musical accompaniment was the piano which was given to support the congregation’s singing, although he played with obvious enthusiasm.

I appreciated that the pastor began each prayer with “Dear Jesus,” and before the sermon he prayed that God would mold the message into what He wanted “through me or in spite of me,” the pastor prayed. I think I’ve heard that before, but for sure I could count on one hand the number of times.

The message began with the topic of the Wise Men and a comparison of the teachings of tradition and the beliefs of scholars such as the Magi probably arrived to see the Christ Child about two years after His birth, that the Magi were not kings and likely not from the orient, but they were quite possibly Zoroastrians from Persia who studied both religion and the science of astronomy and were capable of connecting the Star of Bethlehem with the work of God.

The pastor emphasized that God is still doing things and in order to make connections we must seek God and communicate with Him through prayer and reading His Word. Since it is a two-way conversation, we must listen as well, and if we are paying attention, we may just be able to discern His hand at work in our world.

Several folks introduced themselves and welcomed us after worship and the pastor gave us a welcome gift from the church.

We enjoyed a lengthy conversation with the pastor following worship and appreciated the time he took.

Our prayer for this church:

Dear Jesus, we look forward to hearing how You will grow Your church, to Your glory. Amen.