FAITH CONNECTION – FARMERSVILLE UMC
Ministry Updates for Monday, October 5th, 2020
Worship – October 11th, 9:30am Facebook Live, 11:00am In-Person
Please consider joining us in person. But please honor your own level of comfort given your understanding of the risks of the pandemic and your personal health.
In-Person Worship Reservation for 11:00am Service
We need to have certain restrictions on our gathering for worship, including a reservation system. Most of the details you need will be on the form at this link https://forms.gle/M4D6i7ZqjiREJCwD7. The system will close at noon on Thursday. Please contact the church if you have any other questions regarding in-person worship.
Scripture – Matthew 8:8
The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof…’
Reflection – God of Everything
Upon receiving instruction she did not want to follow, the four year old yelled at her mother, ‘You’re not the boss of me.’ The mother replied, ‘Yes I am the boss of you, and you will do as you are told.’
Power struggle or healthy parenting? Hopefully asserting our parental authority over our children is about what is best for them, and not about our ego.
I do not think Jesus’ ego needed to hear someone declare they were not ‘worthy’. But I think it is important for us to remind ourselves we are not worthy of God’s love. Because if we think we are worthy of it, then we miss out on an amazing dimension of God, which is grace. Amazing grace.
We are not worthy, but God who created sound and music, ‘inclines his ear to us’ anyhow. We are not worthy, but God who created flesh and bone heals those we care about anyhow. We are not worthy, but God who laid the foundation of creation calls us into his kingdom anyhow. We are not worthy, but God of eternity wants us to join him forever.
I do not think God needs to hear ‘we are not worthy’. It is good for us to remind ourselves from time to time. But this is not the last step, as we will see tomorrow.
Prayer:
God who is creator to the ends of the universe, it is sometimes hard to imagine why you value us. But you do. Today, help me imagine the distance between me and you, not so I may feel bad about myself, but so I might fully understand how far you reach, how long you wait, how readily you forgive, and how much you suffered through Jesus, so I could be part of your circle of love. Help me imagine and sense your amazing grace. Amen