Sunday Preview for Jan. 30th, 2022
Each week, Pastor Christopher has the privilege of a short article in the Fort Scott Tribune previewing our upcoming service theme and next weeks' events. Here is the latest entry.
This Weekend: Sunday at 10:30am “Living Stones, Healing Waters, Breaking Bread: Be Doers of the Word!” Scriptures: James 1:19-27 and 1 Peter 1:3-2:5 . Pastor Christopher Eshelman preaching.
The last two weeks, we have looked deeply at the words of the Lord’s Prayer. We’ve talked about “our” and “us” - that the prayer is communal, connected to the church, the great cloud of witnesses and the Sprit who prays through us even when we can’t find the words (Romans 8:26). About the intimacy of Jesus’ and the early churches’ prayers to “Abba, Father.” About kingdom as the “beloved community” great prophets like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King envisioned and which our baptismal vows point to. We’ve talked about God’s will - in creation, in the circumstance of human disobedience and ultimately. As Methodists, our conviction is that, by God’s grace, love wins - yet God is patient waiting for our response. Last week, we talked about daily bread as that which is more than bread - the essence of our being and we talked about trespasses, sins and debt - and about what, exactly, we are asking of God and of ourselves when we say “as we forgive…”. The Lord’s Prayer is challenging, convicting and comforting. It serves as a model for all our prayers. This week, as we continue our “Lord, Teach Us to Pray” series, we will look at another, perhaps unexpected word that conveys the intimacy of this prayer and we’ll read letters of the early church the generation after the first disciples and hear their encouragement to put the words of our prayers into action. God seeks our wholeness. God seeks our participation. And… God can do abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine when we seek God. Blessings on your journey.
This Week
Wednesday, February 2nd, 5:30pm Feeding Families in His Name – this weekly free meal is available to everyone without obligation.
Community Office Hours: Pastor Christopher will be at Hedgehog Ink from 2-3:30pm on Tuesday and Common Grounds from 9-10:30am on Friday - come by and say hello!
301 Prayers: You are invited to set an alarm at 3:01pm every day (or another regular time that works better for you) and pause for intentional prayer for our church, community, nation and world as we seek God’s will in 2022.
