Welcome to the First Presbyterian Church of Bedford Indiana.

Established 1819

Spiritual Formation Class:  9:30 a.m.

Worship:  10:30 a.m.

    Welcome in God’s name!  Wherever you are on life’s journey, whether you are filled with faith or bursting with doubt, a disciple of Jesus or visiting church for the very first time, there is a place for you here.  You are a beloved child of God and you are welcome here.

Please join us for worship at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday morning.  You are also welcome to come at 9:30 for a Spiritual Formation Opportunity in the church library.
And if you can't come, watch our livestream!:  www.youtube.com/@churchoffice336 

Friday Email, September 19, 2026

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews, as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Philippians 3.4b-8a

To the Saints engaged in God's mission in the world through the Bedford First Presbyterian Church, greetings;

Paul writes in very personal terms about his life and his experiences here. He wants to counter the adversaries (he calls them "dogs" (verse 2) who are part of the community in Philippi, those who want to insist on male followers of Jesus being circumcised in order to be a full member of the faith community. Circumcision was understood as a sign of Israel's witness to follow God, a visible sign of witness to their Creator. Jewish males (assuming they're healthy as newborns) are circumcised on the eighth day of their life, and today it's often done by a Rabbi who has been so trained, and in a home rather than in the hospital. When our son was born fifty years ago, I distinctly remember being asked if we wanted to have him circumcised, as the practice has moved from Jews (and other middle eastern groups) to others as a healthy practice.

Thus Paul shares that he, too, was circumcised on the eighth day of his life, along with his other credentials as a faithful Jew. He is not boasting as much as he is stating how his life has been shaped by his Jewish heritage, perhaps in the face of others who are present seeking to impose their will. Paul goes on to say that, as great as all of his accomplishments were, he now considers them as something to set aside because of his awareness of and relationship with Christ Jesus as his Lord. The latter is a political term more than a male term. In Paul's, and in the New Testament's world, Caesar is Lord and to affirm the risen Christ as Lord is as political as it is religious. He goes on to affirm how he does "not have a righteousness of (his) own that comes not from the w but from the one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith."

The word for faith in Greek means "trust". Paul has come to trust in God differently through the witness of Christ Jesus in addition to that of his upbringing as a Jew. His life has been transformed because of his relationship with the risen Christ, trusting God's witness to Love in this way. And then Paul invites his friends in Philippi to "join in imitating me, observing those who live according to the example you have in us."

Questions to ponder: Baptism became the Christian symbol (and one for girls as well as boys) to replace circumcision for a sign of faithfulness. When were you baptized, and where? What have you learned/chosen to set aside in your life when you were embraced by something else? What is something (in addition to your faith) that you hold dearly?

THIS WEEK AT BFPC AND BEYOND:

   Sunday, September 20

          Faith Formation, 9.30am, Library

          Worship, 10.30am, Sanctuary

               In person or online at www.youtube.com/@officechurch366

           Fellowship following Worship, Fellowship Hall

               Celebration of July/August/September birthdays

   Monday, September 21

          Mariners, 6pm, Golden Corral

   Saturday, September 26

          Free Community Breakfast, 8am-10am, Fellowship Hall

   Sunday, September 27

          Faith Formation, 9.30am, Library

          Worship, 10.30am, Sanctuary

               In person or online at www.youtube.com/@officechurch366

          Luncheon following Worship, Fellowship Hall

               Celebration of Timm's 40th anniversary of his Ordination as a MWS

Please make time to help celebrate the July/August/September birthdays of persons in our midst this Sunday following worship!

Thank you to the persons who participated in the Congregational Conversation last Sunday after worship and to Ed Voris for his generous gift of the luncheon! The next Congregational Conversation will be held in early November.

Please plan on joining Timm to help him celebrate his 40th anniversary of his ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament during a luncheon on Sunday, September 27, following worship. The food will be exceptional and you will have the opportunity to meet his Mother and his Sister.

Thanks be to God, again, for the resources to reseal and restripe the parking lots next to the church building and for the crew that contributed their "sweat" equity (literally!) in the work.

Home communion is available upon request as are pastoral home visitations. Please let Timm know. Thank You!

If you know of a person in need of pastoral care for any reason, please let Timm know. Thank You!

Timm's contact info: timm.high27@gmail.com; 814.873.1910; 812 24th Street

A Prayer For Autumn

     Give us, O Lord, an appreciation for beauty and things that are lovely.

     Increase our reverence for this season of Autumn,

     Help us to see in this season a part of your revelation of yourself,

     That beauty becomes you in every season,

     Including this season of our lives.

     We pray in Jesus' name, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.

     Amen.

Blessings and Be Well...

Timm

Contact Information      First Presbyterian Church of Bedford,   1504 L Street, Bedford, IN 47421

 Phone: 812-275-5853

 YouTube Livestream:  www.youtube.com/@officechurch336 

Email: office@bedfordpresby.org

 Clerks of Session:  Betsey Makximenko, vbat62@comcast.net

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FirstPresbyBedford/  Be sure to like us!