As I am sitting here writing, I can hear the gentle rain out my office window. This area can get some interesting storms. Apparently 10 miles from Ainsworth last night, the city of Basset received hail the size of soft balls. It destroyed crops, windows in the school, and damaged many vehicles. All we got was fog and some drizzle. One can never know what is going to be the weather in Nebraska or how close one will be from mild conditions to severe. My prayers are for those who suffered damage and losses but also thanksgiving that no one was injured that I am aware of.

Today I am also preparing my sermon for Sunday. I will be continuing to preach on Why church: Service. The scripture is 1 Timothy 6:6-19. Actually the idea from Homiletics was money matters. The famous line in this passage is that the love of money is the root of all evil. I actually read the sermon John Wesley did on The Dangers of Riches Sermon 87 based on 1 Timothy 6:9 that states,"They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful desires, which drown men in destruction and perdition." Certainly there is some truth that there is danger for those who base who they are and what they are on acquiring money and possessions. Sometimes even using this as a means to control even the church. The key is that it is the love of money not money itself that leads to evil.
What I am going to preach on is not about money but is found in the verses 17-19. "As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides use with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. (NRSV)"

I believe that church helps us become involved in service for God. There is quote from the Wesley Study Bible regarding good works, "For Wesley we cannot stay in faith unless our faith leads to hope for the world and to love for others and for the whole creation that God loves. Good works are expressions of our faith. They emanate from our new being in Christ, just as a good tree bears good fruit. The Wesleyan spiritual disciplines exist so that we "may take hold of the life that really is life" (1 Tim 6:19) by manifesting our faith through good works. (1466)"

As a church, we are most able to act out the faith we have in community and with people. Service in the name of Christ, I believe is demanded of all of us. So why church to reach out to others in service and to make disciples of the Jesus Christ.