“Authentic”
The other day, while looking for a video on YouTube, one of the suggestions was a video by Ed Sheeran. He’s a musician our family enjoys. What caught my attention was that the title implied it was a Contemporary Christian song. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Ed’s music (we call him Ed—after listening to him and seeing him live, we feel we’ve made a connection with him) and most of it is pretty PG, but I wouldn’t expect him to sing a song praising Jesus. I clicked on the video and sure enough, there was Ed and his voice singing a beautiful Christian song that was new to me.
I was getting ready to send the link to Sara, excited that Ed was singing a “Jesus” song, when I noticed a blurb under the video that read “(This person) proudly presents (song title), a soul-stirring song that blends heartfelt lyrics with the mesmerizing essence of ED Sheeran’s voice. Using cutting-edge voice synthesis, we’ve reimagined how music and technology come together to create something truly magical.” The whole thing was fake. Ed hadn’t ventured into the world of Contemporary Christian Music. Ed wasn’t sharing a song about his deep, abiding faith. This was “AI Vocal Recreation.” Looking at all the comments (some 1,700 at the time), it was clear that many people had not noticed that little blurb and genuinely thought a musician they loved had decided to sing about his faith.
It bothered me that I, even for a few moments, had been fooled by this AI (artificial intelligence). I know that AI is used frequently in marketing, politics, television and movies, and who knows what else. I’ve always considered myself pretty adept at spotting the difference between the imitations and the real thing. This made me wonder what other fakes I had fallen for.
I remember watching a show recently about the United States Secret Service and learning that one of their tasks (beyond providing protection for VIPs) is to investigate and stop currency forgeries. To train to spot counterfeit currency, they don’t actually study forgeries. They spend countless hours studying authentic US currency and learning every detail about it. By focusing on the tiniest of details and characteristics of say a $100 bill, they learn what to look for in spotting bills that aren’t genuine. They know so closely what an authentic $100 bill looks like that are easily able to spot an imitation.
Jesus tells a story about a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee, in his pridefulness, spends his time looking down upon the tax collector, comparing the sinfulness of the tax collector to his righteousness. The tax collector, however, compares himself not to other imperfect humans, but to the righteousness of God. In doing so, he is looking to not be another imitation of God that pales in comparison, but to resemble the authentic love and grace of God.
What about you? When you consider your faith relationship, do you compare yourself to others, or to the righteousness of God? Who are you striving to become – better than those around you, or more like God? So often we become those imitations, those “artificial recreations” when we compare ourselves to others. I encourage you to get to know the authentic righteousness of God in such a way that you are able to spot that which is genuine.
Blessings, Chris
Mission
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Vision
Nelson Memorial UMC seeks to be a place where all God’s broken, hurting, and imperfect children discover wholeness and community while experiencing the warm and welcoming love of Jesus Christ. We seek to connect with one another to grow in our knowledge and love of God, to encourage each person to live out their unique calling to serve God, and to make a difference in the Boonville community and throughout the world.
Priorities
Developing and Nurturing Faith in Children and Youth
Fostering Growth and Community in Worship and Small Groups
Provide Opportunities to Serve God in Boonville and Beyond
Worship This Week
A tradition in many United Methodist Churches on the first Sunday of the year is to observe a service of Covenant Renewal. As we didn’t meet the first Sunday of January, we will plan on observing this tradition this coming Sunday. Our Scripture focus will be the Gospel of John, Chapter 15, verses 1 through 10.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s command and remain in his love.
Our services will begin with the song In The Room, by Matt Maher. The opening hymn in the 8:00 service will be Have Thine Own Way, Lord. Our Praise Band will lead the 10:20 service in the song Made For More. We will then sing Let There Be Peace on Earth and close our services with Sent Out In Jesus’ Name.
Virtual Worship Information
In addition to in-person worship, our service will be live-streamed. The service can be viewed on our Facebook Page. The service will start at approximately 10:20 am with our Gathering Song. Additionally, we post a recording of our messages to our website by early Sunday afternoon.
Announcements
Soup and Sandwich Luncheon – The Community Outreach Committee will be hosting a soup and sandwich luncheon on January 12th, following the second church service. There will be a free-will offering at the luncheon, with proceeds being used to support future community outreach projects. A variety of soup, sandwiches, desserts, and drinks will be offered, and of course, good Christian fellowship.
Red Cross Blood Drive – Our next Red Cross Blood Drive is coming up on Monday, January 13 from 2 – 6 pm. To register to give or for more information you can go to https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.
A Word About the Weather – The weekend weather forecast includes a winter storm in our area this Saturday and Sunday. We want to remind everyone about our winter weather procedures. While we encourage our members to attend worship as frequently as they are able, we also know that winter weather can make it unsafe to attend drive (or walk) to church. We do have a company that will clear our sidewalks and steps when it snows, so if the city has cleared the roads, we will have worship services. But, if you do not feel like it is safe for you to get out, please stay home. We will, in all likelihood, livestream our service. Please take advantage of this option.
If a decision is made to not hold Sunday services because of inclement weather, we will post an announcement on Facebook and our Website. Additionally, an email will be sent out to notify the congregation of a cancellation and we will notify the local television stations KMIZ and KMOU and have them add it to their reports. (Just FYI – This past week, KMOU did not broadcast our cancellation for some reason.) If you do not have access to email, or if you do not have access to the media (because of power outages), call a church friend before heading out.
Church Charge Conference – Our annual Church Charge conference has been postponed to Thursday, January 23 at 6:00 pm at the Community United Methodist Church in Columbia. This is the meeting where we approve various reports including the church officers for 2025 and the pastoral salary package. All members are welcome to attend. Please speak with Pastor Chris for more information.
Puzzles – We still have a few puzzles of our beautiful stained-glass window remaining. The puzzles are $25 each and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please speak with Jo Parker or Pastor Chris for more information. The proceeds from the sale of these puzzles will go to support United Methodist ministries throughout the world.
Giving Through Venmo – We can be found on Venmo at @NelsonMemorialUMC. If you don’t know what Venmo is and would like to learn more, information about giving through Venmo can be found on our webpage at https://nelsonmemorialumc.org/give/venmo/
Events this week:
Saturday, January 11: Methodist Men – 8:30 am, Lounge
Sunday, January 12: Soup and Sandwich Luncheon – following worship, Fellowship Hall
Youth Group – 6:00 pm, Jackson’s Home
Monday, January 13: TOPS – 9:30 am, Lounge
Red Cross Blood Drive – 2:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Leadership Development Team – 6:00 pm, Lounge
Tuesday, January 14: Salvation Army Board – Noon, Fellowship Hall
PEO – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, January 15: Women’s Bible Study – 10 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting – Noon, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, January 16: Baby Grace Distribution– 5:00 pm, Annex
Choir Rehearsal – 7:00 pm, Sanctuary
Friday, January 17: Al-Anon Meeting – 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Closing Words of Wisdom:
The disciple of Christ desires above all else to be like him…” — Dallas Willard