Welcome to the St. Martin's Prime Timers A.B.F. Web Page!

We are beginning an exploration of the Old Testament and you are welcome to join us in the Payne Education Center, rooms 207-209.  We meet each Sunday in between the 9am and 11am services from 10:10am to 10:50. Coffee and snacks and this week the Book of Exodus are waiting for you.

Pete Seale is one of the four Prime Timer teachers. This week he guided us through God's covenant with Abraham.

Prime Timers Good News

Henny Penny, the Prime Timers chicken asks for a contribution of $1 and the floor is yours to tell us your good news.

George Laigle was happy to report that it finally rained at his place in the country. This season was rough regarding rain for many places in Texas and George's farm is no exception.

Max Kech brought news that the Rusk Elementary School reading program is starting up for the fall season and so far is a wonderful success! If you would like to volunteer like Max, or find out more, click here. You could also contact Max at her number or email address, listed below.

Trusting Promises

Pete Seale began teaching at the Prime Timers this week, and what a biblical event he got to teach about! No less than thirteen covenants from God to Abraham. This is the story of God giving Abraham and his wife Sarah both their names and their future, promising that he would be (Genesis 17:5) "a father of many nations" with many kings coming from him. His son Ishmael will be the father of twelve rulers (Genesis 17:20) but a new son, Isaac will be born and God will establish his eternal covenant with him.

Pete asked what would you do if God came to you with such an announcement! How difficult would it be to trust a promise that is so fantastic, so out of our normal realm? He then gave us a list of characteristics to deal with the situation: 

• Knowledge
• Study
• Trust
• Patience
• Obedience
• Radical
•    Faithfulness

God in this case is making a radical gesture, and it requires faithfulness from Abraham to accept the covenant.

Left out of our reading was the section on circumcision (Genesis 17:9-14). This is an outward manifestation of accepting the covenant with God, although Pete read the passage from Romans 2:28-29 "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ²⁹No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." He also reminded us that it is way before the time of Jesus. Also Colossians 3:11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

In Galatians 4:21-31 we have the story or Sarah and Hagar, the former a free woman and the latter a slave woman. The children of Hagar are to be slaves, while the children of Sarah are born of a promise.

Pete concluded reminding us of Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Abrahams faith was a total faith.

Pete then dismissed the class.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

Rev. B. Massey Gentry
mgentry@stmartinsepiscopal.org

Leader

Yes it finally rained at George Laigle's (l) ranch! He's the one throwing up his hands.

Max Kech tells us the St. Martins reading program at Rusk Elementary School is a wonderful success!

Abraham, Sarah and the Angel. By Jan Provost, oil on wood, at the Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Hagar and the Angel, by Giovanni Battista Spinelli. Oil on canvas, private collection.

The Lesson for Sunday, September 24th is titled "Making Life's Choices"

Key Verse:  Joshua 24:15

Focus of the Lesson:  Life is full of choices. What choices matter most? Joshua told the people that the most important choice they could make was to serve God.

The reading is Joshua 24:1, 14-24. This text is from the New International Version^®.

   ¹Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.


   ¹⁴"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ¹⁵But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

   ¹⁶Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! ¹⁷It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God."

   ¹⁹Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. ²⁰If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you."

   ²¹But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the LORD."

   ²²Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD."
"Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.

   ²³"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."

   ²⁴And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him."

NIV®