January 27th, 2019

Scripture Challenge

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. - Galatians 5:22-23 (Common English Bible)


These are the verses we are focusing on in worship for the next few weeks, so I want to challenge everyone to learn this Scripture by heart. As an added incentive, if you can memorize and recite the verses above by Sunday, February 17, I will put your name into a drawing for a jar of homemade sugared pecans - a favorite family recipe in the Joyner household. So get to learning the fruit of the Spirit!


Blessings on the journey, Jim

Sunday's Sermon Snippet

Fruit: Seeds (John 14:25-15:17)
There are few things that make fruit distinctive. They have seeds - typically hidden deep inside, they have some sort of sweet-tasting flesh that is good to eat, and all of that is wrapped up in a protective skin or peel. As we explore the fruit of the Spirit that Paul wrote to the church in Galatia about, we are going to compare some of the parts of the fruit of the Spirit to these parts of physical fruit.

Love, joy, and peace can be seen as the seeds of the fruit of the Spirit. Seeds are typically found in the core at the heart of the fruit. When they are spread out into the world, they have the ability to grow, thrive, and create even more fruit. Likewise, love, joy, and peace are the essential things that are planted deep within us by the Spirit when we choose to follow God. When we sow these seeds out in the world, they have the ability to grow and spread without bounds.

It is no accident that Paul connected these three virtues in his list of the fruit as Jesus also linked them together in his final teaching to his disciples on the last night of his earthly, human life. Jesus promised his disciples that despite the coming heartache they should not worry or be afraid. He would leave them the Spirit that would give them his peace. Finding peace, they could remain rooted in Jesus just as branches are grafted into a grape vine. Rooted in Jesus, they could love one another as he had loved them. This, he said, would make his joy complete in them. His peace leads to love leads to joy. Although the order may be different from Paul's, perhaps this points to how these three work as a cycle : peace, love, joy, peace, love, joy, peace....

What would it be like if we spread the seeds of love, joy, and peace widely in the world like a dandelion does with its unstoppable seeds sailing on the wind? If you have ever tried to control dandelions in your yard, you know it is an ongoing, endless battle. They are never fully overcome. All it takes is a lawnmower hitting one of those gray puffballs or a gust of wind or even a child's breath to spread those seeds all over the place again. What if we let our love, joy, and peace out into the world like that? The whole world would be covered in them. Yet there is a reason we don't - fear. Fear is what keeps us from spreading love, peace, and joy. When we fear someone, we cannot truly love them. When we are fearful, we have little peace. It is hard to focus on our joy when fear strikes our hearts. That is why Jesus reminded us not to be fearful but to embrace his peace. Like the seeds of a fruit buried deep within the fruit, our love, joy, and peace need to be protected until they are ready to be planted to grow on their own. We need to protect our love, joy, and peace from the fear that this world now seems to run on. If we succumb to fear, we cannot plant new seeds to grow in the world. May the peace, love, and joy of Jesus fill you to overflowing that your fruit may grow everywhere you go and fear may have no hold on you!

Sunday School: Everybody Always

In Sunday School this week, we will continue our study of Everybody Always by Bob Goff by looking at chapters 4-8. Hope to see you there!

What Do United Methodists Believe?

This Sunday at 4 pm, we will continue our study on what it means to be United Methodist with a lesson on some of our distinctive beliefs. Even if you have not made it for our earlier sessions, feel free to join us as we explore what United Methodist believe. FYI: We plan to be done in time for folks interested in watching the Super Bowl to make it home.

Living in Community

If you have thoughts about where your star word is guiding you,
please take a moment to share those with Pastor Jim.

Our Little Fishermen class on Wednesday nights are holding
a canned fruit drive to support the ERMA food pantry
as a part of their learning about the fruit of the Spirit.
Help them by bringing in canned fruit any time up until February 27!

The South River Elementary School Clothes Closet is in need of sweatpants (any children's size in gray, black, blue, green) and underwear (size 6, boys or girls).

If you have a student that will be graduating this spring, a college student, or military member in your family, please let Sue know.

This Week at Port Church

Wednesday, January 30
9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours
5:00 - Youth Dinner and Spotswood Basketball Game
6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port
Thursday, January 31
9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours
7:00 pm - Finance Committee Meeting
Sunday, February 3
9:30 am - Worship with Communion: Bearing Fruit - Flesh
11:00 am - Sunday School
Everybody Always Study - Prologue & Chapters 1-3
4:00 pm - Being United Methodist
Wednesday, February 7
9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours
6:00 pm - Wednesday at the Port
Thursday, February 8
9:00 - 11:45 am - Office Hours

Looking Ahead

Small Group Interest Meeting - February 24
Church Potluck - March 24