As announced in worship this morning, it is Bishop Hassinger's intention to appoint me to the Park Terrace United Methodist Church in Apalachin, NY as of July 1, 2010. It is a profound joy in my life to be the pastor of the Morris United Methodist Church, and I will always be grateful for my time here. I expect God to be doing great things both here in Morris and in Apalachin in the years to come.
- Sara
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Announcements, February 28, 2010
Our youth group is going to New Hampshire from July 4-10, and you are invited to be in mission with us. Talk to Sara for more information!
Adult studies (in Lent): Death and Resurrection! Starting Feb. 23rd. Tuesdays in Lent: A Lent Communion Worship Service. 6 to 6:30 PM. Come to one or both!
On March 21st we'll have Turkey and Biscuit for lunch, a talent show, and a chinese auction! Its time to get talents ready and auction items considered!
Lay Speaking School - April 10th & 17th @ Greene UMC - Basic course is being taught by Pastor Sara Baron. See Pastor Sara or any of our lay speakers for info (Barb S, Barb V, Steve M, Patty H). Registration deadline is March 10th.
We are still looking for Pancake Breakfast workers and coordinators!
Does anyone have a button making machine we could use?
April 24th – Habitat Day. Mark your calendars!!
We need a coordinator for Local Church. Can you do it?
The Lenten Devotional Booklets are here! Feel free to grab one to share! (Or read here)
There is no one signed up for fellowship time for the next two weeks!
Do you want to work on our new community meal? Talk to Mike Virgil or Sara.
Thank you to Rev. Allyson Ellis for being half of today's pulpit exchange!
Adult studies (in Lent): Death and Resurrection! Starting Feb. 23rd. Tuesdays in Lent: A Lent Communion Worship Service. 6 to 6:30 PM. Come to one or both!
On March 21st we'll have Turkey and Biscuit for lunch, a talent show, and a chinese auction! Its time to get talents ready and auction items considered!
Lay Speaking School - April 10th & 17th @ Greene UMC - Basic course is being taught by Pastor Sara Baron. See Pastor Sara or any of our lay speakers for info (Barb S, Barb V, Steve M, Patty H). Registration deadline is March 10th.
We are still looking for Pancake Breakfast workers and coordinators!
Does anyone have a button making machine we could use?
April 24th – Habitat Day. Mark your calendars!!
We need a coordinator for Local Church. Can you do it?
The Lenten Devotional Booklets are here! Feel free to grab one to share! (Or read here)
There is no one signed up for fellowship time for the next two weeks!
Do you want to work on our new community meal? Talk to Mike Virgil or Sara.
Thank you to Rev. Allyson Ellis for being half of today's pulpit exchange!
March 6th
John 4:5-42
Barb Virgil
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria
When Jesus leaves Judea to go back to Galilee, he has to pass through Samaria. Thirsty and tired, he stops at a well in the city of Sychar. It is about noon, and a woman comes to the well to draw water. Though Jews and Samaritans did not share things in common, Jesus asks the woman for a drink of water. Hesitant, but inquisitive and open to learning more about who this man is and why he seems to know about her, their conversation continues until she is convinced he is able to give “living water”. She believes in the Messiah, and Jesus, for the first time, proclaims I am He.
Excitedly she goes to get others to come and hear him. Meanwhile…the disciples have arrived and intend to feed Jesus. Jesus must instruct them that he is at work doing the will of him who sent him. He recites a parable highlighting what seems obvious to him, “look around you and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.” “The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life.”
Fortunately, many Samaritans believed the woman’s testimony and they desired to hear more about and from Jesus. He stayed with them for 2 days. Many more believed because of his word. They said, “it is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”
Wow! This is a wonderful scripture. It illustrates how Jesus took every opportunity to evangelize and teach. He clearly understood what he was intended to do and how he was to go about it. He had no doubt about who was doing the leading in this work…it was coming directly from God.
The Samaritan woman’s existing belief, in the promise of the coming of a Messiah, laid the foundation for the words Jesus spoke. Because of the testimony the woman shared, others believed…at least enough to want to hear for themselves.
This encounter was no accident. God prepares us to speak and to hear about his plans for us. Evangelism and Testimony are essential in bringing the kingdom of God on earth.
Barb Virgil
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria
When Jesus leaves Judea to go back to Galilee, he has to pass through Samaria. Thirsty and tired, he stops at a well in the city of Sychar. It is about noon, and a woman comes to the well to draw water. Though Jews and Samaritans did not share things in common, Jesus asks the woman for a drink of water. Hesitant, but inquisitive and open to learning more about who this man is and why he seems to know about her, their conversation continues until she is convinced he is able to give “living water”. She believes in the Messiah, and Jesus, for the first time, proclaims I am He.
Excitedly she goes to get others to come and hear him. Meanwhile…the disciples have arrived and intend to feed Jesus. Jesus must instruct them that he is at work doing the will of him who sent him. He recites a parable highlighting what seems obvious to him, “look around you and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.” “The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life.”
Fortunately, many Samaritans believed the woman’s testimony and they desired to hear more about and from Jesus. He stayed with them for 2 days. Many more believed because of his word. They said, “it is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”
Wow! This is a wonderful scripture. It illustrates how Jesus took every opportunity to evangelize and teach. He clearly understood what he was intended to do and how he was to go about it. He had no doubt about who was doing the leading in this work…it was coming directly from God.
The Samaritan woman’s existing belief, in the promise of the coming of a Messiah, laid the foundation for the words Jesus spoke. Because of the testimony the woman shared, others believed…at least enough to want to hear for themselves.
This encounter was no accident. God prepares us to speak and to hear about his plans for us. Evangelism and Testimony are essential in bringing the kingdom of God on earth.
March 5th
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Linda Hillis
The Parable of the Prodigal Son…
Prior to this parable are two other parables – the one about the lost sheep and another about the lost coin, each illustrating that God rejoices about each sinner who repents. The parable of the lost son continues the theme of rejoicing and adds to it. The first half of the story describes rejoicing over the sinner who returned, the second half more directly addresses the reaction of the father and the older son. In the first two parables, the lost were found by searching. In this parable, the younger son was found by waiting. When the father sees the son coming from far off he is not filled with anger or rage, but with compassion. He runs to him and embraces him, and then celebrates his return by preparing a feast and giving the son a robe and sandals (signs of honor). In this story we are reminded “nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Just as the earthly father rejoices in the return of his son, so does our heavenly Father rejoice when we repent and return to his flock. In the second half of the parable, we are confronted with the reaction of the older son. He is full of anger and jealousy when he learns his brother has returned and their father has received him with open arms. Unfortunately, the parable ends without revealing what the older son did. Would the hard-hearted son change his mind and rejoice about the brother’s return? How many times have we felt anger and jealously when we perceive that someone else has received preferential treatment? Are we able to be happy for someone else who has been healed of their illness, gotten the promotion we wanted, or live in the house of our dreams? The father’s reaction again reminds us to put aside our own disappointment and anger. “My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
Linda Hillis
The Parable of the Prodigal Son…
Prior to this parable are two other parables – the one about the lost sheep and another about the lost coin, each illustrating that God rejoices about each sinner who repents. The parable of the lost son continues the theme of rejoicing and adds to it. The first half of the story describes rejoicing over the sinner who returned, the second half more directly addresses the reaction of the father and the older son. In the first two parables, the lost were found by searching. In this parable, the younger son was found by waiting. When the father sees the son coming from far off he is not filled with anger or rage, but with compassion. He runs to him and embraces him, and then celebrates his return by preparing a feast and giving the son a robe and sandals (signs of honor). In this story we are reminded “nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Just as the earthly father rejoices in the return of his son, so does our heavenly Father rejoice when we repent and return to his flock. In the second half of the parable, we are confronted with the reaction of the older son. He is full of anger and jealousy when he learns his brother has returned and their father has received him with open arms. Unfortunately, the parable ends without revealing what the older son did. Would the hard-hearted son change his mind and rejoice about the brother’s return? How many times have we felt anger and jealously when we perceive that someone else has received preferential treatment? Are we able to be happy for someone else who has been healed of their illness, gotten the promotion we wanted, or live in the house of our dreams? The father’s reaction again reminds us to put aside our own disappointment and anger. “My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
March 4th
1 Peter 5:1-4
Sara Baron
The people seeing what Jesus did were trying to discount his actions. They said to themselves, “Well, the only reason he is succeeding in getting bad-stuff out of people is because he is united with bad-stuff.”
I'm not so sure they are the only ones who have ever felt that way. Rather than delight in the good around us, sometimes we want to discount it. I suspect this is often because we're a little bit jealous- and worried that if someone else can do good that we can't do, then it speaks poorly of us.
God, however, works differently in different people, and in different churches. We aren't all supposed to have the same “good.”
There was a summer when I was working as an intern chaplain at a hospital when I started to become very jealous of social workers. When people had serious problems, the social workers would swoop in and find the person housing, food, and transportation. I could just listen and pray. I wanted to DO!
God needed a listener/prayer and a doer. With my work combined with the social workers, more good was done – and then we added in the medical professionals and there was a lot of HEALING.
I see God at work in healing – when it comes from human hands and when it comes from Divine strength. What a miracle it is that good overcomes and healing is possible!
Sara Baron
The people seeing what Jesus did were trying to discount his actions. They said to themselves, “Well, the only reason he is succeeding in getting bad-stuff out of people is because he is united with bad-stuff.”
I'm not so sure they are the only ones who have ever felt that way. Rather than delight in the good around us, sometimes we want to discount it. I suspect this is often because we're a little bit jealous- and worried that if someone else can do good that we can't do, then it speaks poorly of us.
God, however, works differently in different people, and in different churches. We aren't all supposed to have the same “good.”
There was a summer when I was working as an intern chaplain at a hospital when I started to become very jealous of social workers. When people had serious problems, the social workers would swoop in and find the person housing, food, and transportation. I could just listen and pray. I wanted to DO!
God needed a listener/prayer and a doer. With my work combined with the social workers, more good was done – and then we added in the medical professionals and there was a lot of HEALING.
I see God at work in healing – when it comes from human hands and when it comes from Divine strength. What a miracle it is that good overcomes and healing is possible!
March 3rd
Luke 16:19-31
Justice Mitchell
God watches over us day and night. He watches are actions and our thoughts. He know when we are greedy or do not care about anyone in pain or suffering. If you give up your luxuries in life or share them with others that have little or nothing, you will be rewarded. People that do not listen to God or for God do not know what is going to happen. If you listen to and for God, and obey, you shall be rewarded twice.
Justice Mitchell
God watches over us day and night. He watches are actions and our thoughts. He know when we are greedy or do not care about anyone in pain or suffering. If you give up your luxuries in life or share them with others that have little or nothing, you will be rewarded. People that do not listen to God or for God do not know what is going to happen. If you listen to and for God, and obey, you shall be rewarded twice.
March 2nd
Psalm 31:5-6, 14-16
Krystal Ray
This passage is about putting your trust in God. It is about putting yourself into God's hands allowing God to protect you. This passage also tells us that God has unfailing love. As I was reading this I was thinking of how I put my trust in God and believe that no matter what God's hands are surrounding me and protecting me.
Krystal Ray
This passage is about putting your trust in God. It is about putting yourself into God's hands allowing God to protect you. This passage also tells us that God has unfailing love. As I was reading this I was thinking of how I put my trust in God and believe that no matter what God's hands are surrounding me and protecting me.
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