10/16/2018 October 16th, 2018Mistaken for JesusLast week, I had the privilege of accompanying our son on a field trip. As we stood at one point awaiting instructions, a young child from his school came up to me and began to grin. He looked a little bit familiar, but I wasn't sure who he was. "Hello, Jesus!" he said. After a moment of shock over the boy's confusion, I realized that the boy had likely been at our Vacation Bible School this past year. I had taught his class the stories about Jesus each night, so in his young mind he had mistaken me for Jesus. As I bent down to speak with the boy to clear up the misunderstanding, I heard my son ask one of his friends, "Why did he just call my dad Jesus?" It is a strange thing to be mistaken for Jesus. I felt awkward in that moment to even be compared in any way to Jesus. I fall so short of the glory of God that it seemed ridiculous to think anyone - even a five-year-old - could make that mistake. Yet this boy's joy in saying hello got me to thinking. Isn't being mistaken for Jesus our goal in helping others? Don't we want others to see Jesus instead of merely us when they witness what we do and how we live? Doesn't God call us as the body of Christ to be just that - Christ for the world? Perhaps the discomfort with being mistaken for Jesus is really the discomfort at how knowing I often don't live in a way I want others to mistake for Jesus. If I feel this way, shouldn't I try to change how I am living so my witness will look more like Jesus than it does not? This small child reminded me of how important it is that I take my discipleship seriously each and every moment because folks just may mistake what I do for what I believe Jesus would do. Today, I give thanks for and am humbled and convicted by this gift from God that came in the form of a mistake. May you live your life today in a way that witnesses to the boundless grace and fierce love of Jesus Christ! Blessings on the journey, Jim Sunday's Sermon SnippetPromises to God: Participate (James 2:14-26, 1 Peter 2:4-10) When we are baptized or join a congregation, we make several vows - promises to God. We promise that we repent of our sin, accept the freedom God gives to do good, and trust and serve Jesus as our savior. We also make promises of what we will do - promises not only to God but also to one another. Among these is the vow to participate faithfully in the ministries of the church by our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. In fact, any time someone joins the church, we who are already members renew this same promise to one another. Over the next few weeks, we are going to explore this vow and what it means for how God is calling us to change the world. Before we jump into the ways we participate, I want us to consider what that word itself means. Participation has gotten somewhat of a bad name recently as certificates and trophies are given out for participating in almost any event. "You showed up!" the certificate proclaim - not the most inspiring thing to congratulate someone for. Yet participation is a big deal. To participate means to share in and do your part for something larger. In his letter, James wrote about the need to actually do something to help others than just to think about them. Faith without deeds is dead, he said. To participate is more than just showing up - it means actually doing something. We all have a part to play in any ministry of the church. Peter wrote in his first letter to the church that we are each and every one of us a priest and minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ministry is not just what the pastors and a select lay leaders do. Ministry is what we all participate in to make happen on a larger scale than anyone of us could accomplish alone. Some of us may be the hands and feet making things happen, but it also requires the support of others through prayers, encouragement, gifts, and being present. Participation in the church's ministry - in a large way or small - is nothing to be mocked, as we all are called to share in and do our part for the work God wants done. Sometimes, however, we are satisfied with our part being too little. We pray a little, show up a little, give a little, serve a little, and witness a little, and we call it enough. Yet we are called to be more - not just to do more, but to be more! Participation means doing your part faithfully. Would we deserve a certificate of participation from God for what we are doing for the gospel of Jesus? Are we praying, being present, giving, serving, and witnessing faithfully both withing and outside the church? In the coming weeks, we will explore how we are called to do these things and hopefully discover how God is calling us to grow in our discipleship to change the world! Living in CommunityThank you to everyone who baked goods or came out to support our confirmation students' bake sale to support the local SPCA! With your help, they raised around $225 to buy supplies for pets in need of a home. Thanks again to Monica and the folks at the 340 Quick Stop for giving us a place to set up! This Week at Port ChurchWednesday, October 17 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port 6:45 pm - Cantata Practice Thursday, October 18 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Sunday, October 21 9:30 am - Worship: "Promises to God: Prayers" 11:00 am - Sunday School Wednesday, October 24 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port 6:45 pm - Cantata Practice Looking AheadNo Wednesday at the Port - October 31
Christmas Shoebox Packing Party - November 11 Charge Conference - November 12, 7 pm Drive-thru Nativity - December 14 & 15 10/8/2018 October 08th, 2018Choosing JoyI recently read an article about a popular college class that is taught on the topic of happiness. The class explores some of the latest studies on what helps people to be happier. One of the major points that students discover is that, once a person's basic needs are met, happiness is largely a choice. We, however, often think of happiness as being a result of our life circumstances. If only we got a new job, if only our wayward child followed our advice, if only we had a new car, purse, boat, etc., if only our party were in control of things, then we would be happy, we tell ourselves. Researchers have found that our circumstances contribute only a small bit to our feelings of happiness. The larger factor in our happiness is our choice - our choice of whether to be happy. Our happiness increases when we choose to focus on being grateful. All of this, of course, should come as no surprise to us, because this is something that God's people have known for quite a while. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." He knew that our joy is not dependent on what is happening in our lives but instead on the choice to rejoice. Focusing our thoughts in prayer and giving thanks no matter what are ways to increase our joy. Furthermore, this is God's will for us - that we would find joy in all things. Choose joy today! Pray and give thanks, for this is the happiness God wants for you! Blessings on the journey, Jim Sunday's Sermon SnippetLegacy: Leaving an Inheritance (Ephesians 1:3-14) Despite what the official rankings say, we are among the richest people in the world. We are not self-made men and women - we have inherited every bit of our great wealth. For God has made us heirs to the greatest inheritance in the world: every spiritual blessing, redemption, forgiveness, unity in Christ, the indwelling of the Spirit. There is no amount of money that can buy these things. They are simply given to us as we believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are adopted into sonship - a Roman legal term meaning that we are made full heirs - by the God who has everything to give. The inheritance of God is not like what we think of inheritances to be. For one thing, it is not about money and physical possessions. In our prayer book, we have a beautiful, funeral prayer that gives thanks to God for what the departed "has given us to make us what we are, for that of him/her which lives and grows in each of us." This is our true inheritance from those who have gone before us and indeed from God. Our inheritance is the way our lives have been shaped and how we have been changed by our blessings. Another way our inheritance from God differs from our common understanding of inheritances is that it cannot be divvied up. It is not a treasured item such that heirs must decide who gets it and who doesn't. The inheritance of God is not something that is split into smaller chunks the more heirs there are. Being from God's kingdom, it grows even larger with every new heir, because part of the inheritance is the unity of all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. The danger in being an heir to such a lavish riches as God's grace is the temptation to squander. God blesses us so that we might become a blessing to others. Our of selfishness, we might use our blessings only to enrich ourselves and forget about others. Out of fear, we might hoard our blessings so that they are no longer a blessing to anyone. Out of vulnerability, we might contort our blessings to become a curse to those who are not like us. This is perhaps our greatest challenge in our divided world just as it was in the church in Ephesus to which Paul wrote this letter. He spoke of how the Gentile and Jewish Christans were made one as Christ destroyed the dividing wall between them. Yet they remained divided, thus rebuilding that wall. Today, we are tempted to draw lines between who's in and who's out, who's a true Christian and who's not, who's right and who's wrong. Yet Paul says God's purpose is to bring all in unity under Christ. God had told Abraham and Sarah that through them all families would be blessed. It is not up to us to determine who we share the inheritance of blessings with for God is calling us all. To avoid squandering our inheritance from God, we need to have the same humility as Paul in recognizing that God's blessings are not about how good we are but about how good God is. We need to praise God's glory not only in our words but in how we live our lives. We need to share the blessings given to us as freely they were given to us. What we do with the inheritance given to us by God and those who have gone before us is a part of the legacy we leave. Are we growing or squandering the inheritance that has been passed down to us? How is God calling us to grow our inheritance? What legacy does God want us to leave our children and children's children? Promises to GodOn Sunday, we witnessed the baptisms and confirmation of several of our youth. We heard as they made their vows to serve God, follow Jesus, and live in the Spirit, and we joined together in renewing the vows that we declared at our own baptisms. While we often talk about the promises of God - the promises that God has made to take care of and redeem us - we too have made promises to God in these vows. In the coming weeks, we are going to explore one of these vows that we have made and the series of life-changing promises held within its simple words. Join us this Sunday as we kick off our new worship series "Promises to God: Exploring Our Vow to Change the World!" Living in CommunityCongratulations to Madalyn, Grace, Gabe, and Chelsea on their baptisms and Amelia on her confirmation this past Sunday! We are so proud of you and know God has great things in store for each of you. Welcome to our new sisters and brother in Christ! This Week at Port ChurchWednesday, October 10 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port Youth Trip to United Basketball Game 6:45 pm - Cantata Practice Thursday, October 11 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Saturday, October 13 12 noon - 2 pm - Confirmation Mission Fundraiser at 340 Quick Stop Come out to help our confirmation class support the SPCA's work for animals in our community! Sunday, October 14 9:30 am - Worship: "Promises to God: Participate" 11:00 am - Sunday School Wednesday, October 17 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Charge Conference Paperwork Deadline 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port 6:45 pm - Cantata Practice Looking AheadHarvest Table to benefit Food Pantry, October 14 - November 17
Charge Conference Paperwork Deadline - October 17 No Wednesday at the Port - October 31 Christmas Shoebox Packing Party - November 11 Charge Conference - November 12, 7 pm Drive-thru Nativity - December 14 & 15 10/3/2018 October 03rd, 2018Celebrating 225What a great day we had on Saturday! We celebrated our 225th anniversary as a congregation with music, a delicious meal, games for the kids (and youth... and adults!), a youth missions fundraiser, and an incredibly powerful revival service to cap it all off. It was great to see so many familiar faces coming together to simply enjoy the day with one another. I hope you were blessed by the day as much as I was, and if you missed it, I hope you will join us in the coming weeks as we continue to celebrate into our 226th year! Blessings on the journey, Jim Saturday's Sermon SnippetSalty Sugar - Mark 9:38-50 As a part of our church anniversary on Saturday, our district superintendent Rev. Dr. Victor Gomez encouraged us to be the salt that our community needs. He began by noting how much we like sweet things - sugar is something to be desired, but too much of it can make us incredibly unhealthy. He compared this to salt which in ancient times was used not only to make food tastier but also to preserve food from rotting and as a healing agent. Without salt, it would have been hard to have a healthy body. Likewise, fire was used to purify all kinds of things from metal to food. Jesus said that everyone would be salted with fire. Salt might not be as desirable as sugar, and fire may be painful, but we need to be salted with fire to be purified so that we can be the salt that transforms our world. Become the salt that Port Republic and the surrounding community needs! Sunday's Sermon SnippetLegacy: Blessed to Be a Blessing (Genesis 12:1-4) In the early days chronicled in Genesis, God repeatedly blessed animals but especially people telling them to be fruitful and multiply. God wanted them to prosper and grow in number. Following the many failures of those blessed people (Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, those living in the days of Noah, those who tried to build a tower to heaven at Babel), God chose from all the world Abram and Sarai (later renamed Abraham and Sarah) and their family to bless in a new way. God promised that they would be parents of a great nation - that is, that they would prosper and grow in number. This is the same old blessing of "be fruitful and multiply" offered to earlier generations. This time, however, God goes further. This couple is to become a blessing; all families of the earth will be blessed through them. This is something new that helps us to understand what God's blessings are really about. To be blessed is to be marked as special and loved. If we were to truly count our blessings, we would be overwhelmed by how many ways God has blessed us as special and loved. God's blessings are countless, and yet we treat often treat them as something to be counted, collected, and consumed like a glass collecting drops of water. Yet we are told that God makes our cups to overflow, and Jesus came to give us life and that abundantly. Trying to keep our blessings for ourselves is like trying to fill our cup at the bottom of Niagara Falls. Blessings are meant to flow from God through us to others. We, like Abram and Sarai, are blessed to be a blessing. They are blessed by God, and they choose to follow and go to a new, strange land that God shows them. Being blessed is not just about being chosen by God but also about choosing to follow God, often despite the absurdity of doing so. Like Abram and Sarai, Moses and Miriam, Deborah and Gidron, Ruth and David, Mary and Joseph, and Peter, James, John, and Mary Magdalene, we are chosen by God to be blessed but we also have to choose to become the blessing wants us to be by passing on our blessings. That is what has happened here at Port Church over the last 225 years. We have received the blessing of a legacy from those who have gone before, and God is blessing us in a mighty way today. Will we count, collect, and consume these blessings or indeed become a blessing by passing them on? That is at the root of our vision here: At Port Church, we are a family that cares for God's children! We envision a community in which every child is safe, well-fed, nurtured and loved unconditionally. God has blessed us to be a blessing to the children of our community and pass on what we have received! How has God blessed you? How have you passed on those blessings? Where is God sending you today to become a blessing to others? A Prayer for 225 YearsSusie offered this prayer Saturday in worship on the occasion of our 225th anniversary as a congregation: Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the LORD, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, His faithfulness to all generations. [Psalm 100 (ESV)] God of our past, we gather tonight to give thanks for those who first had a vision of a church in this place and who gave of their labor, their resources, and their time to make it a reality. As we remember the efforts of those founders and builders, we offer our thanks and praise. God of our present, we are grateful for the privilege of serving You in this community and the opportunity of growing together in love. We remember those who have helped us to grow in godly wisdom and to remain faithful to the message of the Gospel . We think of pastors, Bible Study leaders, Sunday School teachers, Vacation Bible School leaders and teachers, music leaders, youth leaders and many others who have provided leadership. We remember Trustees, Council members, staff, and committee members who have stepped forward to provide guidance. For all these varied forms of leadership, we are grateful. We remember events that have brought us together . . . potlucks, picnics, Wednesday at the Port, baptisms, weddings, youth services, services of death and resurrection, live nativities, Worship in the Park, and so many more. For the gift of friendship and fellowship, we say thank You. God of our future, who calls us to be the church in this place and time, we welcome the possibilities and opportunities before us. Give us Your vision of what could be. May our time together remind us that the Church is desperately needed in this broken and hurting world. May we walk boldly into what may come, as people, not only of faith, but also of unshakeable hope and unstoppable love. God of all history and time, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, continue to bless us with Your Almighty peace, power, and presence. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, Who, with You and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns forevermore. Amen. *Adapted from Prayer of Thanksgiving and Hope for an Anniversary Service (Worship Offerings Blog) Living in CommunityThank you to everyone who came out and was a part of our 225th anniversary celebration this past Saturday! We are thankful for each and every one of you and all you do as a part of our community. Special thanks go out to Big City Band, Port Republic Ruritans, and our district superintendent Rev. Dr. Victor Gomez as well as our planning team, cooks, praise band, and youth group! You made it a truly great day to be a part of Port Church. Thank you to everyone who supported our youth group's silent auction to raise money for their mission projects! Your donation of 104 items raised $2,220, and we received an additional special donation of $600 for a total of $2,820. You all are such a blessing! This Week at Port ChurchWednesday, October 3 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Beets 6:45 pm - Cantata Practice Thursday, October 4 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Sunday, October 7 9:30 am - Worship: "Legacy: Leaving an Inheritance" 11:00 am - Sunday School Join us for our Philippians Bible Study during Sunday School! Wednesday, October 10 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port 6:45 pm - Cantata Practice Looking AheadHarvest Table to benefit Food Pantry coming mid-October
Charge Conference Paperwork Deadline - October 17 Christmas Shoebox Packing Party - November 11 Charge Conference - November 12, 7 pm Drive-thru Nativity - December 14 & 15 9/24/2018 September 24th, 2018See You Saturday!Our 225th anniversary celebration is finally here! This Saturday, we will gather at the Grottoes Fire Department hall at 3 pm for children's games, dime toss, music, food, silent auction, and cornhole. Please be aware that we are not to park in the reserved spots along the front of the building. See the schedule below for all events. At 6:30, we will begin clean up and then move to the sanctuary at the church for worship filled with music and a message from our District Superintendent Rev. Dr. Victor Gomez. Worship will begin around 7:15 as everyone makes their way from the fire hall. 3-5 pm - Children's Games 3-5 pm - Dime Toss hosted by Port Republic Ruritans 3-3:15 pm - Registration for Cornhole Tournament - $10 per team 3-5 pm - Silent Auction to benefit Youth Mission Projects 4-6 pm - Music by Big City Band 5-6:30 pm - Food: Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Green Beans, Cole Slaw, Hot Dogs, Homemade Cakes! 5:30-6:30 pm - Silent Auction checkout - items must be paid for during this time! 7:15-ish pm - Revival Service at Port Church! This promises to be a fun day! Come out and join us as we look back over the last 225 years and prepare to move forward into the next 225! Looking Back, Moving Forward: As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us-eternal life. ~1 John 2:24-25~ Blessings on the journey, Jim Sunday's Sermon SnippetConflict: To the Victor Goes... (2 Samuel 19) We left David last week grieving for his son Absalom who had died in a rebellious battle against him. His general tells him it is time to get up and start acting like a king to reclaim his crown. David begins the journey back across the Jordan and up to the heights of Jerusalem. As he does, he is confronted by many of those who had insulted and badgered him as he made his escape earlier. Now they come to grovel and beg for their lives. No one could blame David if he decided to solidify his control by eliminating all the enemies that have been outed in this unsuccessful coup, but he has one last surprise in store for us. First, he sends word to Absalom's general Amasa that he now wants him to be his own general in place of Joab who had killed Absalom. A man named Shimei, a man loyal to the previous king Saul, had insulted and condemned David in his escape but now comes to apologize. David forgives him and pledges that he is not to be killed for his treason. On his escape, a servant from the household of Saul had come to report that Saul's last heir Mephibosheth was planning to claim the throne for himself in the midst of the turmoil. Mephibosheth comes to dispute this rumor, and we have no way of knowing who has told the truth. David doesn't know either, but he also doesn't care. He is not worried whether the servant has lied or Mephibosheth has betrayed him. He forgives them both. In each encounter, David could take revenge but he chooses mercy. He is the king - victorious - and it is up to him to rebuild his broken nation. Finally, Barzillai, a man who provided for David and his army as they prepared for battle comes to see David off. David tried to bless him to thank him for his hospitality, the old man comfortable in his own riches refuses it and instead blesses David on his way. Just as the old prophet Samuel had blessed David to be king at the beginning of his journey, Barzillai now blesses him to become king - a better king - again. What we learn from these encounters is that our conventional wisdom is wrong. We say, "To the victor goes the spoils." David understood that he had won more than the crown and the power to punish his enemies through his defeat of Absalom. He had won the responsibility to reach out to the defeated and be reconciled to them. It was not up to the losers in the conflict to grovel and ingratiate themselves to him for fear of their lives. As the winner, it was up to David to rebuild what had been broken by eleven years of conflict with his lost son. David shows us that winning a conflict faithfully means showing mercy to those who have lost. Sometimes a conflict has no clear winners or losers, but as people of faith we claim a greater victory than any mere conflict so it is up to us to show mercy and reconcile in such cases. To the victor goes the responsibility to reconcile! Living in CommunityThanks again to everyone who has worked so hard over the last two weeks under the threat of flooding and to prepare for our anniversary celebration! It's not too late to join the choir for our cantata! Come to practice on Wednesday after the meal or on Sunday after worship. Talk to Linda for more details. This Week at Port ChurchWednesday, September 26 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours 6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Beets 6:45 pm - Cantata Practice Thursday, September 27 9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours Saturday, September 29 3:00 pm - 225th Anniversary Celebration at GVFD 7:15-ish pm - Revival Service at PRUMC Sanctuary Sunday, September 30 9:30 am - Worship: "Legacy: Blessed to Be a Blessing" 11:00 am - Sunday School Join us for our Philippians Bible Study during Sunday School!
6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port 6:45 pm - Cantata Practice Looking AheadHarvest Table to benefit Food Pantry coming mid-October
Nativity - December 14 & 15 |
News and UpdatesFind out what is going on at Port Republic UMC this week and in weeks to come! Archives
January 2019
Categories |
8525 Water Street
PO Box 116
Port Republic, VA 24471
540-249-4111