Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness,

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. (Thomas Chisholm)

A growing number of congregations are reaching for a resource called a lectionary for the selection of Bible texts to be used in the worship and preaching of each Lord’s Day. This may seem to be an innovation to many Nazarenes who have not been familiar with this resource and who may not understand why it is increasing in usage.

What is a Lectionary?

For JESUS Film team members in Havana, Cuba, showing the JESUS film involves much more than pushing “play” on a projector. JESUS Film teams prepare both physically and spiritually for the ministry of evangelizing, discipling, and planting churches, from before sunrise to beyond sundown.

5:00-6:00 A.M.

We used to live next door to Juan and Maria. We became great friends and spent many hours together in conversation, often sharing a meal. Juan and Maria were immigrants to the United States. We introduced them to the unique features of our culture, which seemed strange to them, and they told us about customs and practices from their homeland. I especially enjoyed learning about their special holidays and the unique foods associated with those special days. They loved telling stories from childhood and sharing memories of those family holiday celebrations. Even though they live in the U.S.

Hiking with my three sons and two grandsons was a dream come true. We made it to the very tip of Brava Island, my birthplace. It is the ninth largest in size and fifth largest in elevation on the archipelago of Cape Verde, Africa.

From the beginning of creation, humanity has struggled with temptation and sin. In the very first days, Adam and Eve were given one simple command not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Yet when the serpent whispered temptation, Adam and Eve fell into the snare. This is the Bible’s depiction of original sin.

As we look deeper into this first human sin, it is easy to focus on the moment the forbidden fruit was tasted.

But what happens if we take a step back and look at what happened before that first bite?

John Wesley’s movement began in the British Isles. Its earliest expansion was primarily in areas influenced by the British, such as the United States and several colonies. By 1800, there were Methodist societies in France as well as six other countries.

In the next half-century, Methodist societies spread into areas influenced by British traders, such as South Africa and Sri Lanka. Several South American countries witnessed the start of Methodism as well. It also moved into more European areas, for a total of twenty-five countries by 1850.

Recently, Holiness Today (HT) sat down with Nell Becker Sweeden (NS), director of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM). Dr. Becker Sweeden was appointed to this role in 2016 after serving in various other roles in the organization for over 12 years. She holds degrees in Spanish and theology from Point Loma Nazarene University, a Master of Divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in practical theology from Boston University.

The Holiness and Pentecostal movements both appealed to America’s plain folk. They sprang from common soil and kinship. However, they embraced divergent views about the primary nature of the Holy Spirit’s work.