{"id":12215,"date":"2016-08-27T10:56:23","date_gmt":"2016-08-27T14:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=12215"},"modified":"2016-11-07T15:02:24","modified_gmt":"2016-11-07T19:02:24","slug":"the-long-and-winding-road-73116","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=12215","title":{"rendered":"The Long and Winding Road (7\/31\/16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Beatles’ decade of holding the top spot in pop music started at a pub in Liverpool, went to a bar in Berlin, and ended on a rooftop in London.\u00a0 In between were a lot of hits and good times.\u00a0 Also in between was the death of their manager, artistic friction, and battles over money and individuality.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Life is like a “Long and Winding Road.”\u00a0 We pass through a path of graduations, marriages, and births.\u00a0 But we also hit the valleys of job loss, divorce, and death.\u00a0 We long for something constant.\u00a0 On a winding mountain road, someone had been there before.\u00a0 The road is paved.\u00a0 Guardrails were installed.\u00a0 Someone keeps going through and maintains the road. \u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Is there someone like that in life?\u00a0 Are we traveling this road alone???<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The following recording is from the 9:30 service.\u00a0 Click on the play button, then scroll down to follow along…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Our scripture reading was from Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 (no “turn, turn turns” in the Bible!<\/span>) and Matthew 7:13-14..\u00a0 Open the below drop down box to follow along.\u00a0 The New King James Version is shown below…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Scripture Reading<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11<\/p>\n

1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:<\/p>\n

2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;<\/p>\n

3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;<\/p>\n

4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;<\/p>\n

5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace,\u00a0 And a time to refrain from embracing;<\/p>\n

6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;<\/p>\n

7 A time to tear, And a time to sew;\u00a0 A time to keep silence,\u00a0 And a time to speak;<\/p>\n

8 A time to love, And a time to hate;\u00a0 A time of war, And a time of peace.<\/p>\n

9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?<\/p>\n

10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.<\/p>\n

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.<\/p>\n

* * * * * * * * * * * * *<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew\u00a0 7:13-14<\/p>\n

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.<\/p>\n

14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

The Long and Winding Beatles Career<\/span><\/h3>\n

One of my all time favorite rock \u2018n\u2019 roll songs was written Paul McCartney and recorded by The Beatles. The song is, \u201cThe Long and Winding Road.\u201d It was the final #1 hit for the \u201cFab-Four.\u201d
\nMcCartney originally wrote the song at his farm in Scotland, inspired by the growing tension between the Beatles at the time.<\/p>\n

McCartney said later:<\/p>\n

“I just sat down at my piano in Scotland, started playing and came up with that song, imagining it was going to be done by someone like Ray Charles. I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland and again it proved the place where I found inspiration.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The song was original offered to Tom Jones in 1968 who turned it down and later regretted his decision.
\nLyrically, the song is a somewhat ambiguous evocation of an as-yet unrequited, though apparently inevitable, love. The “long and winding road” of the song is sometimes claimed to have been inspired by the B842, a thirty-one mile (50 km) winding road in Scotland, running along the east coast of Kintyre into Campbeltown, and part of the eighty-two mile (133km) drive from Lochgilphead.<\/p>\n

In a 1994 interview, McCartney describes the lyrics:<\/p>\n

“It was written about the journey the Beatles had been on together and now the roads which were going to be taking them their separate ways.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

It’s rather a sad song. I like writing sad songs, it’s a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It’s a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist \u2026 It’s a sad song because it’s all about the unattainable; the door you never quite reach. This is the road that you never get to the end of.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If, like Pastor Jim (wink, wink<\/span><\/em><\/span>) you were born before this song was released in 1970, or if you need a refresher, click this drop down box to read the lyrics…<\/p>\n

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Long and Winding Road<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
[Verse 1 ]\nThe long and winding road \/ That leads to your door \/ Will never disappear\nI’ve seen that road before \/ It always leads me here \/ Leads me to your door<\/p>\n

[Verse 2 ]\nThe wild and windy night \/ That the rain washed away \/ Has left a pool of tears\nCrying for the day \/ Why leave me standing here \/ Let me know the way<\/p>\n

[Bridge]\nMany times I’ve been alone, many times I’ve cried\nAnyway you’ll never know, the many ways I’ve tried\nBut still they lead me back to the…<\/p>\n

[Verse 3 ]\nLong, winding road \/ You left me standing here \/ A long, long time ago\nDon’t leave me waiting here \/ Lead me to you door<\/p>\n

[Verse 4 ]\nYeah yeah yeah yeah \/ Still they lead me back \/ To the long winding road\nYou left me standing here \/ A long, long time ago \/ Don’t leave me waiting here\nLead me to your door \/ Yeah yeah yeah<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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Roads We Travel…<\/span><\/h3>\n

In these summer days of vacation and traveling, many of us do a great deal of traveling. Some of us by nature of our jobs, do much traveling.<\/p>\n

And each of us is on a journey with our lives. Many times in both the Old and New Testament, the biblical writers referred to our daily lives and our whole lives as a \u201cjourney.\u201d\u00a0 When Jesus spoke of journey He often used the Greek word hodos<\/em><\/span> which literally means, \u201ca progress, mode or means, route, distance.\u201d\u00a0 A journey implies that progress is being made, that there is a particular \u201cpath\u201d or \u201croadway\u201d being used, and there is a destination in mind.<\/p>\n

Roads are an important part of our lives.\u00a0 They lead us to ___ ….<\/p>\n