Fairmount United Methodist Church

WEDNESDAY PRAYER PAUSE Matthew 26:27-30, 47-50 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 47 While he was sti...ll speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: The one I kiss is the man; arrest him. 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, Greetings, Rabbi! and kissed him. 50 Jesus replied, Do what you came for, friend.Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. Lord God, We find it hard to believe that it was one of Jesus’ own friends who betrayed him. One who sat by him, who broke bread with him. Give us strength, we pray, to walk faithfully with Jesus, even when the message of the cross seems like foolishness and even when we feel betrayed. You, Lord, are always faithful. We stumble, we become lost, but you are always there, keeping our feet securely on the path. Give us the grace to endure our troubles. Through your son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen PLEASE KEEP THESE FOLKS IN PRAYER. Tina Scott Dave Ron Craig Charlie Rowlie

Happy Palm Sunday! Does God have something you need to hear this Easter? Are you living a distracted or unfocused or overwhelmed kind of life? In this week's message we go over: what I did yesterday that I haven't done in almost 2 years, why Holy Week matters, getting back to normal, and how we can put in some work now to be really ready for Easter.

DEVOTIONS FOR LENT BY THE CLERGY OF THE WASHINGTON DISTRICT Choices I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. Proverbs 8:12 An African Proverb tells the story of three travelers, Wisdom, Wealth, and Food, who are searching for a place to dwell. The three come upon a man sitting under a tree. Who are you and what are you doing? he asked. We are Wisdom, Wealth, and Food, and we are looking for a place to live, they replied. I’ll take ...Continue reading

This Sunday we will celebrate Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This event was the beginning of a week of events which changed the course of human history. As part of the observance of this historic week, we will be hosting a portrayal of the Last Supper at Rogersville United Methodist church on Saturday, April 3, at 7:00 in the Fellowship Hall. The fellowship hall is across the alley from the church. Please note: the men involved in the presentation will not be able to wear masks. Also, we have no way to estimate how many people may attend. Therefore, appropriate social distancing could become an issue. I am encouraging you to continue to take whatever measures you need to be safe. Please watch for updates next week.

John 1:14 14 The Word became flesh(A) and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,(B) the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace(C) and truth.(D) God Is a Compassionate God... The truly good news is that God is not a distant God, a God to be feared and avoided, a God of revenge, but a God who is moved by our pains and participates in the fullness of the human struggle. . . . God is a compassionate God. This means, first of all, that God is a God who has chosen to be God-with-us. . . . As soon as we call God God-with-us, we enter into a new relationship of intimacy with him. By calling God Emmanuel, we recognize God’s commitment to live in solidarity with us, to share our joys and pains, to defend and protect us, and to suffer all of life with us. The God-with-us is a close God, a God whom we call our refuge, our stronghold, our wisdom, and even, more intimately, our helper, our shepherd, our love. We will never really know God as a compassionate God if we do not understand with our heart and mind that the Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14). From Henri Nouwen's book, "You Are the Beloved"

WEDNESDAY PRAYER PAUSE Tuesday evening, as I was driving to Nineveh for our small group, I heard this on my favorite Sirius radio station, The Message. I was a list of 10 foods that make us feel happy when we eat them. Here's the list: Salmon, berries, melon, yogurt, mushrooms, grapes, saurkraut, poultry, beef and my favorite, dark chocolate! The announcer said if you are wondering, yes, pizza is on the list...just not that list. Unfortunately friends, pizza made th...e top of the Makes Your Mood Bad list. Rather grumpily I said to myself that I didn't care if pizza put me in a bad mood, I would still eat it. Now I have to tell you that thought might have been a product of the spinach and mushroom pizza I enjoyed the night before! I guess my point is this, even as children of God, we sometimes make questionable decisions. We choose to eat things which are not good for us. We choose to talk disparagingly about others. We choose to not forgive. We choose to not help the marginalized who desperately need help. And the list goes on and on. Following Christ is an intentional decision we make every day. We can choose to be a disciple. We can choose to help those in need. We can choose to forgive. We can choose to love others, even more than we love ourselves. And the list goes on and on. I would like to remind you of these words from Joshua 24:15: But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Who do you choose to serve today? Where are you hearing God lead you? Who is God leading you to pray for today? What unexpected blessing have you received from God? Pastor Cynthia

THE WEEK IN GOD'S PRESENCE 1 John 3:1 ESV See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us.... What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see a beloved child of God or do you see all of the flaws and imperfections that others sometimes see? I don’t often feel like a beloved child of God. But I know that that is my identity in Christ and I know that I must choose that identity above everything else You are not what others, or even you, think about yourself. You are not what you do. You are not what you have. You are a full member of the human family, having been known before you were conceived and molded in your mother’s womb. Psalm 139:15-16 ESV My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. In times when you don't see yourself as a beloved child of God, choose to remain true to the fact of who you really are. Look in the mirror each day and claim your true identity. Choose this incredible truth: You are a beloved child of God! Pastor Cynthia

What exactly does it mean to be 'born again' and how might that change how we view everything going on around us today? Here's your sermon for Sunday January 17!

FRIDAY IN HIS PRESENCE Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. (John 4:10-11) Sometimes I get a persistent craving. One of my weaknesses is iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. I am not satisfied until I get it, often going out of my way to satisfy my desire for coffee! What I’ve discovered about my craving for iced coffee or any o...ther craving, is that satisfying that craving only lasts for a moment and then you are left wanting more. We see this in this reading as Jesus has a conversation with the Samaritan woman.Jesus told her about the living water He could offer and she mistakenly assumed He was referring to natural water. What she did not realize is that Jesus was offering water for her soul. Jesus is doing the same for us today. He longs to fill every emptiness, every void, within us. Where we have filled our souls and our time to the brim with people, activities, and things that cannot satisfy us completely, the Lord longs to give us living water. He invites us to exchange our natural water for water that is everlasting. His desire is to quench our thirsty souls with His living water. PRAYER Dear God, Thank You for Your promise of living water. Please help us to desire all that a life with You offers over the things of this world. In Jesus Christ’s name, we pray. Amen. How will you allow God to fill your thirsty soul today?