Wednesday Daily FC

FAITH CONNECTION – FARMERSVILLE UMC

Ministry Updates for Wednesday, August 12^th, 2020

 Behind the Scenes Technical Help Needed

Ready to get out of the house and help support our on-line worship service? We are looking for technically inclined people who would like to help. Please see the attachment for the descriptions of service needs we have available.

 Scripture – Luke 5:8 – Peter’s Great Catch of Fish

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

 Reflection – Vulnerability

Jesus blessed Simon Peter with a great catch of fish. Simon Peter felt very unworthy to receive such a blessing, and told Jesus he did not deserve it, for he was a sinful man.

 It is hard to confess our sins, especially to those closest to us. Like Peter, we feel like it gives them the right to ‘go away’ from us. Vulnerability is a great power, not a weakness. Brene Brown, a researcher, has made much of this, even writing a book called ‘The Power of Vulnerability.’ I cannot think of anything more vulnerable than confessing our sins to those who are important to us.

 While we know we are human and prone to err, all the same we hate to let down those we care most about. Often, instead of confessing the error of our ways and apologizing, we try to make a case for why we did what we did. This seldom ‘works’.

 In my experience, most people are adult enough to know people will make mistakes. They want to forgive those they love. But we can frustrate the forgiveness process when we explain ourselves rather, than hear how our treatment made them feel. Also in my experience, people are reasonable when they feel heard. And likewise, they are angered when excuses of another drown out their voice, making them feel unheard.

 Confession (I was hurtful) and repentance (I will ask God’s help to be more loving), are the ultimate in vulnerability. We are saying we have done wrong, and we lack the self-control to do better the next time. We need divine intervention.

 But it is here where God does much of his greatest work. When we ask for God’s help, find the right scripture to guide us and pray for patience to persevere, we will be rewarded for our effort. God wants us to have great relationships. It starts with us being humble, not perfect. Jesus preached about humility often.

 Prayer:

God of this fallible flesh, there are times when we are forgetful, thoughtless, insensitive and lack the understanding or information to treat others as we should. Help us see this in ourselves. Help us be humble and vulnerable, open to new ways of relating to others, and new ways of being in relationship. Help us trust those closest to us, to fearlessly confess when we have done wrong, to repent of what we cannot seem to fix on our own. Give us faith to believe you will shape us into the loving beings you call us to be, so we can do our part in having great relationships. Amen