FAITH CONNECTION – FARMERSVILLE UMC
Ministry Updates for Friday, November 13th, 2020
Facebook Live Worship—Sunday, November 15th, at 9:30 a.m.
Please join us as we again worship through Facebook Live. Use this link to watch the service. And please consider passing it along. https://fb.me/e/77p3ELPRE
In-Person Worship – 11am – No Reservation Needed
Please wear a mask and we will maintain safe social distance.
You are invited to help in the annual “Hanging of the Greens” on November 22, after the 11am worship service. Lunch will be provided. Join us for this annual festivity.
Scripture – 1 Thessalonians 5:23
May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Reflection – The Long Run
We want to go far in this life, and we want good things to last. We want our marriages to be strong and good. We want our relationships with our children to grow into adulthood. We want our friendships to be strong and a source of mutual comfort and aid.
Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, prayed that God would ‘sanctify’ them entirely. He said this to them after providing a list of how they could work to get along better.
Sanctification is about holiness. It is about being made ready for good relationships and for eternal life.
But unless we are in the latest stage of life, we may be more concerned about getting along with people now, and probably are not concerning ourselves so much with heaven or the coming of Christ.
In reality, I think there is reason to have both as a goal, because the process of getting there is the same. If we strive to love God’s children, God will help us do that. If we consider how we might be contributing to a problem instead of blaming others, God will help redeem the whole situation. And if we want to be sanctified, made heaven ready, we must learn to love God’s people.
Heaven, or eternal life, is ultimately about relationships; with God and with God’s people. So, Paul says, let us love each other, and in doing so, be sanctified, prepared for eternal life.
Love God’s people, your friends, your families, your neighbors, co-workers, and even your enemies, and God will take care of eternity for you.
Our Prayer
God of eternity, God who gives strength, God who calls us into relationship, we pray that you would give us hearts, minds, bodies and souls which will help us go the long run. Above all, Lord, we need your sanctifying grace, so we may be made ready for heaven.
Amen.