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First Steps – November 28, 2022

Two of my favorite books carry the same title: The Story of Christianity by Justo Gonzalez. They are a two-volume set of Church history that was a required reading for first-year seminary students. I’ve always liked them because I love the Church’s history. For at one point, I considered becoming a Church History professor; however, over the years, my affection for these books has deepened because I like the concept of the story.  A narrative directed by God that now includes me.  

Do you consider yourself part of the narrative of God’s work? Sometimes, I think we miss this important part of the gospel. We are in fact very much a part of that story. You are a character; you have a part to play. God uses you as much as he used Moses, Peter, Andrew, Paul, and many others. Don’t miss your part in the story.

Read Hebrews 11:1-12:3. Ponder the narrative of faith. Focus on the beginning of Chapter 12 and know that you now have a part to play.  





 This Week’s Readings:
*Monday – Revelation 8
*Tuesday – Revelation 9
*Wednesday – Revelation 10
*Thursday – Revelation 11
*Friday – Revelation 12

Prayer Requests:
*Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not.
*Comfort those who are grieving and in distress.
*Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times.
*Guidance for those seeking to find their way.
*Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6


November 13, 2022 – “Heavenly Hope” – Rev. Dr. Shane Green and Rev. John Fugh, Jr.

Worship (SPUMCColumbus)
Worship (SPUMCColumbus)
November 13, 2022 - "Heavenly Hope" - Rev. Dr. Shane Green and Rev. John Fugh, Jr.
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Contemporary Worship Service/Philippians 4:8-13 and Colossians 3:8-10

November 13, 2022 – “Heavenly Hope” – Rev. Dr. Shane Green

Worship (SPUMCColumbus)
Worship (SPUMCColumbus)
November 13, 2022 - "Heavenly Hope" - Rev. Dr. Shane Green
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Traditional Worship Service/Philippians 4:8-13 and Colossians 3:8-10

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First Steps – November 21, 2022

“Sin is a refusal or failure to be in a personal relationship with the living, personal God, and so forgiveness of sin cannot work with some dictionary definition of sin but only in a deeply personal act that restores intimate relationships. The sin that denies the person can only be dealt with personally…So if something is going to be done about sin, it is not going to be along the line of laws and rules, codes and regulations. God and every person on earth are inherently personal and can only be engaged in relationships that are personal…We don’t sin against a commandment; we sin against a person.  Sin is not an offense against justice; sin is an offense against a living soul…And so Jesus comes alongside us and prays with us, ‘Forgive us. Forgive us our debts, forgive us our trespasses, forgive us our sin.’  He also trusts us to do the best we can in what he does best of all: ‘as we forgive our debtors.’  He can legitimately, genuinely encourage us to forgive because he has already set the stage by extending his forgiveness on a cosmic scale.”  (Eugene Peterson—Tell It Slant)

Three things that stand out:

1. Sin is personal and separates one from God, another person, and the person God’s Spirit is trying to fashion.

2. The remedy is also personal for, in Jesus Christ, God redeems the world.

3. We are to practice what we have received—Forgiveness.  As we have been forgiven, we forgive. 
  
At the beginning of this week, I invite you to ponder Peterson’s words and allow the Spirit to guide you as you follow the living God. 





 This Week’s Readings:
*Monday – Revelation 3
*Tuesday – Revelation 4
*Wednesday – Revelation 5
*Thursday – Revelation 6
*Friday – Revelation 7

Prayer Requests:
*Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not.
*Comfort those who are grieving and in distress.
*Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times.
*Guidance for those seeking to find their way.
*Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6


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First Steps – November 14, 2022

If Mercy is God’s infinite and inexhaustible energy to be compassionate, then Grace is the manifestation of that compassion for human beings.

I’ve been thinking about God’s grace and why one might resist it. For many, the stumbling block isn’t due to utter depravity or evil, though that can be a reason why, but because that level of love is beyond comprehension. In my finite mind, I like to think I can get my mental arms around the concept, but in full honesty, I can’t. The fact that one, in the face of innocence and then crucifixion, could forgive the very people that are crucified is overwhelming. Frankly, I’m undone by it all.

To forgive is a free act by one person to release another person of his/her actions. I like how C.S. Lewis describes it:
 
“I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality asking Him to do something quite different.  I am asking Him not to forgive me but to excuse me.  But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing.  Forgiveness says, ‘yes, you have done this thing…I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before.’  But excusing says, ‘I see that you couldn’t help it or didn’t mean it, you weren’t really to blame’… Real forgiveness means looking steadily at the sin, the sin that is left over without any excuse, after all allowances have been made, and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness and malice, and nevertheless being wholly reconciled to the [person] who has done it.”

The receiver of that free act is nothing more than a simple receiver. This wonderful gift in its fullness, rawness, and untainted, is humbling. I am a receiver of one’s infinite compassion.  That gift is called grace!  



 This Week’s Readings:
*Monday – 1 John 5
*Tuesday – 2 John
*Wednesday – 3 John
*Thursday – Revelation 1
*Friday – Revelation 2

Prayer Requests:
*Teachers, students, and parents coping with anxiety.
*Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not.
*Comfort those who are grieving and in distress.
*Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times.
*Guidance for those seeking to find their way.
*Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6


November 6, 2022 – “Heavenly Hope” – Rev. Dr. Shane Green and Rev. John Fugh, Jr.

Worship (SPUMCColumbus)
Worship (SPUMCColumbus)
November 6, 2022 - "Heavenly Hope" - Rev. Dr. Shane Green and Rev. John Fugh, Jr.
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Contemporary Worship Service/Hebrews 6:19-20, Philippians 3:20- 4:1

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