FAITH CONNECTION – FARMERSVILLE UMC
Ministry Updates for Wednesday, October 14th, 2020
Worship – October 18th, 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. If you are coming to in-person worship, we ask that you help us prepare by making a reservation by noon on Thursday, using this link https://forms.gle/M4D6i7ZqjiREJCwD7 .
Fellowship Hike – Germantown Dam
Fall Colors Hike in the Woods – Saturday, October 24 – meet at 9:00 am at Conservancy Rd entrance to Germantown Reserve parking lot. We will socially distance as we hike.
Scripture – Acts 3:3-4
When he (a beggar) saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
Reflection – Respect – Look Again
As a kid I remember reading a story about George Foster, the great home-run hitter for the Cincinnati Reds. The story talked about his faith, and he shared how when he came across a beggar on the streets, instead of giving them money, he would offer to take them to a diner to eat. It was a story which inspired me and stuck with me.
We live in a world where we must negotiate hierarchies. I do not know if they are a God given gift, or a necessity of living in a ‘fallen’ world. But most of us become very adept at reading the social cues that indicate someone’s status. And most of us, whether we buy into the system or not, would know that in that system, a world separates a star baseball player from a beggar.
Peter and John took time with this beggar. They had something better to give him than just some spare change to get him through the day. They made eye-contact. They offered healing. And when his celebration of his newfound gift of walking left him short on energy, he clung to them.
I think healing comes with human mutuality. The sense that a great baseball player may add more economic value and even joy to the world than a beggar is tough to deny. But God created every person with tremendous value and we do well to respect what God has done. And when that sense of mutuality and respect comes into our collective lives, healing seems almost inevitable.
Is there someone today who you could take time to show respect? Maybe they are struggling financially because they are out of work. Or maybe they need healing. Or maybe they are struggling with a broken relationship. You can provide a lift.
Prayer:
God of my vision, help me see through the clouds of human hierarchy and social status, and see people as you see them; as a baby born to parents, as a child who needed love, as a teen or adult negotiating their own difficulties, as a sinner Christ died for, as a soul you deeply desire to enter your kingdom of heaven. Amen