FAITH CONNECTION – FARMERSVILLE UMC
VERY IMPORTANT WORSHIP UPDATES!
We are moving our Facebook Live service to 11am. And we will have our in-person worship at 9am. If you will continue to worship through Facebook, just put the new 11am time on your calendar. If you want to return to worship, please see below link.
In-Person Worship Reservation – Join us In Person at 9:00am
Due to recommendations from the CDC, the UMC, and the State of Ohio, we need to have certain restrictions on our gathering for worship, including a reservation system. The details you need are on the form below. The system will close at noon on Friday.
https://forms.gle/ra3NPsBnVfPwR1gw5
A Note from the Pastor Regarding Return to Worship
As a leadership team, we understand that any decision we make will not work for some and can be questioned by some as well. I came to understand that the most important thing we can do as a leadership team is to be clear on the restrictions, so people can make an informed choice about how safe they will feel in worship. The most important thing you can do is to be clear on how comfortable you and your family will be with the restrictions. If it seems like too much restriction or not enough restriction, please stay home and continue to worship on Facebook Live at the new time. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you in person!
COVID-19 Re-Entry Challenge from West Ohio Conference
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) has asked The West Ohio Conference for assistance in providing hygiene items and face masks to our returning neighbors. Please see the attachment for more information!
Scripture for reflection – Luke 10:38-40
… he (Jesus) entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks…
Reflection – At Jesus’ Feet
You may have noticed by now, I use a few of the Faith Connections during the week to reinforce Sunday’s message. Since Jenny Michael blessed us with the message on Sunday, I need to say I am not trying to improve upon what she shared. I just want to remind us of her very faithful and inspiring reflections on this passage.
I have ego needs, like most people. I get a good feeling with a task accomplished, especially something that is visual, like when I have trimmed the bushes. For the next few weeks, I will walk by them with a good feeling about keeping our house looking pleasant and inviting. Then the unruly growth of God starts to creep in, and I conveniently focus my attention elsewhere.
We have a need to contribute to our world, to make our homes comfortable and attractive, to have passion about serving God and humanity, and to achieve excellence or improvement along the way. We are ‘wired’ by God to want these things. I imagine Martha was ‘wired’ to give Jesus the best hospitality she could provide.
However, as my one friend says, we are human ‘beings’, not human ‘doings’. God loves us. God loves us so much more than what we do. He wants us to have that good feeling of accomplishment, but more than that, he wants us to know our value to him.
To use Jenny’s metaphor from Sunday, I ‘press the pause button’ by stopping and having a cup of tea. I press the pause button by taking the dog for a walk and noticing the clouds and the trees. I press the pause button by taking a deep breath and remembering not to ‘wolf’ my food down, but to enjoy it. I take time each day to, like Mary, to sit at the feet of Jesus, because Jesus, through Mary has given me that gift.
I am glad you are taking time now, to ‘press the pause button’, and sit at the feet of Jesus and reflect on a story from his life. In what other ways do you ‘press the pause button’?
Prayer
God in heaven, we give you thanks for our work. We thank you for vocation, for the work of keeping a home, for the work of caring for family and friends. We thank you for the sense of accomplishment we get for a job well done. But we also thank you for the pause you call us to; to sit at the feet of Jesus, to ponder our place in this world, and to remember the profound love you desire to pour into our lives. Help us balance our lives, so we might experience the fullness of this life, and the fullness of your love. Amen
COVID-19-Reentry-Kit-Challenge.docx