jan 15, 2012

Sunday, January 15, 2012

A heavy, heavy mist rising from Trinity Bay greeted us this morning as we arose.   We had checked on church last night before retiring and Beaumont had a Methodist church that had services starting at 11.  We usually leave between 8:30 (groan) and 10 (much better).  It seemed to us that if we left at 9:30 we would have plenty of time to drive the 53 miles to the church, especially since the speed limit is 70.   We were up, dressed, stowed inside, and unhooked outside by 9, so we had plenty of time for a leisurely trip east.

We arrived shortly after 10 and were able to find a parking spot for the truck and trailer that would not deny anyone a parking place.  What a beautiful church.  First Methodist in Beaumont was built in 1968.  We had a chance to see some things before entering the sanctuary.  There were stained glass windows from the former church along with the pulpit and silver communion paten and chalice.  Depictions of the 12 disciples lined the walls of one corridor with a traditional history of each.  The comments from the artist about Judas were interesting and insightful.  He had decided not to include Judas in the portraits.  He didn’t want to ask anyone if they would mind being the model for Judas, then his daughter asked him that since he was going to leave Judas out, did he think he knew better than Jesus.  Perhaps asking the model to allow himself to be presented as Judas changed his life.  Who knows?

The stained glass windows were breath-taking.  The one behind the altar is a representation of the Apostle’s Creed.  It is huge and is done in tiny pieces of brightly colored glass.  The side windows represent different aspects of stories from the Old and New Testaments and the rear stained glass above the balcony again represented the disciples and the traditional deeds and deaths of each.

Would you believe they had a covered dish luncheon after the service to which we were invited!  As best we can figure it, they have these meetings once a month and then all the committees meet after the covered dish.     Somehow the church or a committee or SS class provides the meat, staffs the kitchen, sets the tables and cleans up, while the rest of the congregation brings side dishes and desserts.  Per usual, Methodist are fantastic cooks.   We were invited time and again to come back.

The sermon was about our responsibility to invite others to Christ by asking them, as Philip and Jesus did, to “come and see”.   It is not our responsibility, nor can we convince anyone.  Convincing is Jesus’

job.  She asked that we not tell anyone they were condemned by not accepting Christ.  We do not know and our responsibility is only to invite and  to plant seeds.  God is responsible for the rest.  But no one comes to Christ alone.  Everyone who has accepted has had a Philip.

Well, it is Sunday and that’s my repetition of today’s sermon, and meal.  Oh yes, I didn’t mention we also had communion.  BTW.  The meal is the second Sunday of each month unless something changes it to another Sunday.  They had a church wide retreat last week, so the meal was postponed until today.  I shall let you ponder that!

We crossed the Sabine River into Louisiana around 2 this afternoon. We didn’t see any of those super gorgeous Sabine women the Romans were always talking about.  We traveled 890 highway miles in Texas.  Chicago is closer to Beaumont than El Paso!  The welcome center gave us a big, beautiful, official map.

Sheep, cows, and mules are at home on the same range.  We’re in Cajun country.  There are places named for Evangeline and I’m quoting poetry about Hiawatha…”By the shores of Gitchy Goomy (sp?), by the great sea shining water stood the wigwam of Nokomis.” …or is it the teepee?  I forget.  (I cannot tell you how long ago I learned that and even if I could, I will not tell you how many years ago that was.) That’s all I remember about Evangeline and moving from Arcadia, Canada to the south and all the people with her and meeting the Spanish, the Native Americans, the Black, intermarrying and producing the Cajuns.  Enough of history lessons for today, too.

The clouds that announce a front coming through have traveled faster than we and we’re now under a complete cloud cover.  Wonder what tomorrow will bring.  The most outstanding feature on the countryside has been the rice patties that are home to crayfish (crawdads), too.  The paddies are planted and when the rice is harvested, the crayfish feed on the stubble that remains of the reaped rice.  Egrets like the fields, too.  I’ll bet the crayfish farmers are not happy to see them.   Many of these rice and crayfish paddy/ponds have signs saying they are research areas for LSU.

Now that I have given you more information than you ever wanted, I shall stop for the night.  It’s been a good day for the three of us.    Junnie is pleased we have ceased  traveling for the day.

Blessings,

Terminated Texas Travelers