OUR DAY OF PRAYER

Good day dear friends.

We affirm again that the peace of Easter is ours.

Here's our prayer guide for today:

Friday: Today is our day of prayer and let’s pray that the joy of resurrection would continue to be felt in all lives, especially yours. Let the joy of the Risen Christ strengthen you and give you peace. Pray that that peace would also be felt with those who lack it. Pray that God would prepare us for another wonderful worship experience this coming Sunday. And as you pray and go about your chores today, speak a word of peace to someone!

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

LUKE'S LIST IS THE SAME: SEEK GOD'S PEACE!

Good day dear friends.

We pray God's rich and wonderful blessings be yours as we celebrate the Feast of Easter! And with that in mind, today is our first celebration at Lowman Chapel at 12 noon, followed by a sandwich and salad luncheon. It's free, with donations graciously accepted. We'll be studying the first of Jesus' Next Seven Words: "Who are you looking for?"

We affirm again and again, that Jesus' Easter Message of Peace is ours with this study guide for today:

Thursday: Please read Luke 12:22-32. This is another version of the same passage from Matthew. What are the differences and the similarities? What can you claim for your life in reading this passage?

Here is that passage from the NRSV: 22 He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Tuesday we talked about Matthew 6:25-34 and we made a list of what Jesus addressed in His Sermon on the Mount. This is Luke's account of that same sermon.

How about another list?

1. Do not worry about food, your health, your clothing.
2. You're blessed with life and with a body.
3. Compare yourself to ravens (birds).
4. God takes care of them.
5. You're worth more than birds.
6. God takes care of you!
7. Does worry add to your life? (HINT: NO!)
8. Compare yourself to the lilies.
9. They don't work or labor for their clothing
10. They were more "decked out" than Solomon.
11. Won't God much more clothe us?
12. Strive not for the things of this world.
13. Strive for the things of God.
14. Everything else will follow.

That's a pretty similar list to the one we made from Matthew's account. And number one is number one: Do not worry. If you worry, you lose out on peace and all that God offers to us through that peace.

What should you claim for your life? God's peace!

PRAYER: God of majesty and might, come and visit me with your peace. Let my heart, my mind, my soul seek You in all things. Let me have that peace that says You will provide all that I need. I praise You and love You! I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

BE JOYFUL AND JOYFUL OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND AGAIN!

Good day dear friends.

We continue to affirm Jesus' Easter message to the Disciples and to us: Peace is ours.

Here is our study guide for today:

Tuesday: Philippians 4:4-7 speaks a word of encouragement to us. List those mentioned there about how God could bless your life instead of living constantly in worry. What is your defintion of that word “rejoice?” Write out verse 6 somewhere you could see all the time, such as on your refrigerator door or the mirror you use first thing in the morning. Let those words speak fullness of life into your life!

Here is that Philippians passage: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Here's my list:

1. Rejoice
2. Rejoice
3. Be gentle to all
4. The Lord is near
5. Do not worry about anything
6. Pray
7. Supplicate (see "Pray" above!)
8. Give thanks
9. Let God know what you want
10. God's peace is yours
11. God's peace guards your heart
12. God's peace guards your mind
13. Thanks to Jesus.

My definition of rejoice? Being joyful over and over again.

-----------------------CUT HERE--------------------------------------
6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
-----------------------CUT HERE--------------------------------------


PRAYER: God of life, speak to me lovingly and with the fullness of Your love. Let me come to life as I am joyful over and over again today and all days. I pray in the name of He who guards my heart and mind, Jesus the Christ, Jesus my Lord. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

THE TIMELESS EASTER MESSAGE: PEACE IS OURS!

Good day dear friends. I neglected to mention for our out-of-town readers the devasation that visited San Marcos with the hail storm that blew through here last Thursday. The area most affected was South San Marcos at the outlets and those neighborhoods nearby. The Rev. Del Brown was attending a camping outing in Boerne and he was called home because his brand new car was totalled by hail damage. Several church members had damage to cars and property. We thank God that no one we know was seriously injured but grapefruit sized hail was falling in the area mentioned. On Friday, Nellie and I toured the mall area and saw nothing but broken car glass in the parking lots and several tow trucks still hauling cars away. The car dealerships in that area of town also suffered major losses. Again, we're thankful for the reports of no loss of life and also for the rain that came with that storm.

We continued our season of Easter with a message of peace. In the John 20 passage, Jesus appears to the Disciples (minus one, good ole Thomas), and shares with them a message of peace: "Peace be with you" Jesus says in verses 19 and 21. Eight days later when Thomas is finally with the disciples the risen Lord greets Thomas with the same message: Peace be with you.

Peace is ours was the theme and we continue that this morning with this study guide:

Monday: Peace is ours! What a wonderful declaration from the Lord for us! Reread the passage from yesterday again. Then look up the passage from Matthew 6:25-34. Take careful note of all that was shared by Jesus on His Sermon on the Mount to those who were on the hillside listening as well as what Jesus is sharing with you and me. What do you hear the Lord saying to you about worry?

Here is the John passage (RSV):19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

And here is the Matthew passage:

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

I mentioned in my sermon the messages brought by Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher at this year's Bishop's Convocation. She had a very timely message about peace and how the lack of peace affects our lives. This week's (April 24, 2006) Newsweek magazine had a cover story on "Why Women Can't Sleep." And what Jesus shared with the disciples is also shared with us: We must be people of peace. If we receive the Lord's peace it carries over into our personal lives and we can be the people God intended us to be. We're the generation that might just be remembered as the most stressed-out. Our children may, sadly say, "My parents were always too busy, and too worried...about everything...I never had them like I wanted, with joy and peace. They rarely smiled and always frowned. I remembered that they never really slept like they should; many were the nights they kept me up with the noises of their disagreements, they're going to the bathroom..." etc.

Jesus' Easter message is ours as well: Peace be with you. As we face all that we face, especially those things that trouble and worry us, we should always remember that we face nothing alone and that God provides for us. I shared the story Bishop Christopher shared about WWII orphans and how when they slept clutching a piece of bread they were able to sleep the entire night, and how that story reminded me of a conversation I overheard at the graveside of one of my sister-in-law's relatives' funeral: Two brothers, raised by the same mother had grown up quite differently. One chose to stay close to home and he was blessed financially for that decision by his mom (whose funeral we were attending); the other chose not to live near and was not blessed, in fact, he suffered much and his appearance gave him away. One of his longtime friend, a friend from the Valley told him, "why don't you move back to the Valley; we don't have much, but there's always beans and tortillas!" To demonstrate that (and this will help if you hear the sermon online), I tossed some tortillas into the congregation as a reminder of God's love and care for us.

Peace is ours.

PRAYER: God of life and peace, we thank You for the timeless Easter message of Jesus, that peace is ours. Let that be true today and all days as we learn to trust You and walk with You that in all things and in all ways we might bless You by blessing others with the same message of peace. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a blessed and great day!

e.v.

PS: The sermon is online at www.fumcsm.org. Please allow some time for the sermon to download onto your computer. You could also save it to your desktop.

THE TIMELESS EASTER MESSAGE: PEACE IS OURS!

Good day dear friends. I neglected to mention for our out-of-town readers the devasation that visited San Marcos with the hail storm that blew through here last Thursday. The area most affected was South San Marcos at the outlets and those neighborhoods nearby. The Rev. Del Brown was attending a camping outing in Boerne and he was called home because his brand new car was totalled by hail damage. Several church members had damage to cars and property. We thank God that no one we know was seriously injured but grapefruit sized hail was falling in the area mentioned. On Friday, Nellie and I toured the mall area and saw nothing but broken car glass in the parking lots and several tow trucks still hauling cars away. The car dealerships in that area of town also suffered major losses. Again, we're thankful for the reports of no loss of life and also for the rain that came with that storm.

We continued our season of Easter with a message of peace. In the John 20 passage, Jesus appears to the Disciples (minus one, good ole Thomas), and shares with them a message of peace: "Peace be with you" Jesus says in verses 19 and 21. Eight days later when Thomas is finally with the disciples the risen Lord greets Thomas with the same message: Peace be with you.

Peace is ours was the theme and we continue that this morning with this study guide:

Monday: Peace is ours! What a wonderful declaration from the Lord for us! Reread the passage from yesterday again. Then look up the passage from Matthew 6:25-34. Take careful note of all that was shared by Jesus on His Sermon on the Mount to those who were on the hillside listening as well as what Jesus is sharing with you and me. What do you hear the Lord saying to you about worry?

Here is the John passage (RSV):19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

And here is the Matthew passage:

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

I mentioned in my sermon the messages brought by Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher at this year's Bishop's Convocation. She had a very timely message about peace and how the lack of peace affects our lives. This week's (April 24, 2006) Newsweek magazine had a cover story on "Why Women Can't Sleep." And what Jesus shared with the disciples is also shared with us: We must be people of peace. If we receive the Lord's peace it carries over into our personal lives and we can be the people God intended us to be. We're the generation that might just be remembered as the most stressed-out. Our children may, sadly say, "My parents were always too busy, and too worried...about everything...I never had them like I wanted, with joy and peace. They rarely smiled and always frowned. I remembered that they never really slept like they should; many were the nights they kept me up with the noises of their disagreements, they're going to the bathroom..." etc.

Jesus' Easter message is ours as well: Peace be with you. As we face all that we face, especially those things that trouble and worry us, we should always remember that we face nothing alone and that God provides for us. I shared the story Bishop Christopher shared about WWII orphans and how when they slept clutching a piece of bread they were able to sleep the entire night, and how that story reminded me of a conversation I overheard at the graveside of one of my sister-in-law's relatives' funeral: Two brothers, raised by the same mother had grown up quite differently. One chose to stay close to home and he was blessed financially for that decision by his mom (whose funeral we were attending); the other chose not to live near and was not blessed, in fact, he suffered much and his appearance gave him away. One of his longtime friend, a friend from the Valley told him, "why don't you move back to the Valley; we don't have much, but there's always beans and tortillas!" To demonstrate that (and this will help if you hear the sermon online), I tossed some tortillas into the congregation as a reminder of God's love and care for us.

Peace is ours.

PRAYER: God of life and peace, we thank You for the timeless Easter message of Jesus, that peace is ours. Let that be true today and all days as we learn to trust You and walk with You that in all things and in all ways we might bless You by blessing others with the same message of peace. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a blessed and great day!

e.v.

PS: The sermon is online at www.fumcsm.org. Please allow some time for the sermon to download onto your computer. You could also save it to your desktop.

THE TIMELESS MESSAGE OF EASTER:PEACE IS OURS!

Good day dear friends. I neglected to mention for our out-of-town readers the devasation that visited San Marcos with the hail storm that blew through here last Thursday. The area most affected was South San Marcos at the outlets and those neighborhoods nearby. The Rev. Del Brown was attending a camping outing in Boerne and he was called home because his brand new car was totalled by hail damage. Several church members had damage to cars and property. We thank God that no one we know was seriously injured but grapefruit sized hail was falling in the area mentioned. On Friday, Nellie and I toured the mall area and saw nothing but broken car glass in the parking lots and several tow trucks still hauling cars away. The car dealerships in that area of town also suffered major losses. Again, we're thankful for the reports of no loss of life and also for the rain that came with that storm.

We continued our season of Easter with a message of peace. In the John 20 passage, Jesus appears to the Disciples (minus one, good ole Thomas), and shares with them a message of peace: "Peace be with you" Jesus says in verses 19 and 21. Eight days later when Thomas is finally with the disciples the risen Lord greets Thomas with the same message: Peace be with you.

Peace is ours was the theme and we continue that this morning with this study guide:

Monday: Peace is ours! What a wonderful declaration from the Lord for us! Reread the passage from yesterday again. Then look up the passage from Matthew 6:25-34. Take careful note of all that was shared by Jesus on His Sermon on the Mount to those who were on the hillside listening as well as what Jesus is sharing with you and me. What do you hear the Lord saying to you about worry?

Here is the John passage (RSV):19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

And here is the Matthew passage:

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

I mentioned in my sermon the messages brought by Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher at this year's Bishop's Convocation. She had a very timely message about peace and how the lack of peace affects our lives. This week's (April 24, 2006) Newsweek magazine had a cover story on "Why Women Can't Sleep." And what Jesus shared with the disciples is also shared with us: We must be people of peace. If we receive the Lord's peace it carries over into our personal lives and we can be the people God intended us to be. We're the generation that might just be remembered as the most stressed-out. Our children may, sadly say, "My parents were always too busy, and too worried...about everything...I never had them like I wanted, with joy and peace. They rarely smiled and always frowned. I remembered that they never really slept like they should; many were the nights they kept me up with the noises of their disagreements, they're going to the bathroom..." etc.

Jesus' Easter message is ours as well: Peace be with you. As we face all that we face, especially those things that trouble and worry us, we should always remember that we face nothing alone and that God provides for us. I shared the story Bishop Christopher shared about WWII orphans and how when they slept clutching a piece of bread they were able to sleep the entire night, and how that story reminded me of a conversation I overheard at the graveside of one of my sister-in-law's relatives' funeral: Two brothers, raised by the same mother had grown up quite differently. One chose to stay close to home and he was blessed financially for that decision by his mom (whose funeral we were attending); the other chose not to live near and was not blessed, in fact, he suffered much and his appearance gave him away. One of his longtime friend, a friend from the Valley told him, "why don't you move back to the Valley; we don't have much, but there's always beans and tortillas!" To demonstrate that (and this will help if you hear the sermon online), I tossed some tortillas into the congregation as a reminder of God's love and care for us.

Peace is ours.

PRAYER: God of life and peace, we thank You for the timeless Easter message of Jesus, that peace is ours. Let that be true today and all days as we learn to trust You and walk with You that in all things and in all ways we might bless You by blessing others with the same message of peace. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a blessed and great day!

e.v.

PS: The sermon is online at www.fumcsm.org. Please allow some time for the sermon to download onto your computer. You could also save it to your desktop.

THE TIMELESS MESSAGE OF EASTER:PEACE IS OURS!

Good day dear friends. I neglected to mention for our out-of-town readers the devasation that visited San Marcos with the hail storm that blew through here last Thursday. The area most affected was South San Marcos at the outlets and those neighborhoods nearby. The Rev. Del Brown was attending a camping outing in Boerne and he was called home because his brand new car was totalled by hail damage. Several church members had damage to cars and property. We thank God that no one we know was seriously injured but grapefruit sized hail was falling in the area mentioned. On Friday, Nellie and I toured the mall area and saw nothing but broken car glass in the parking lots and several tow trucks still hauling cars away. The car dealerships in that area of town also suffered major losses. Again, we're thankful for the reports of no loss of life and also for the rain that came with that storm.

We continued our season of Easter with a message of peace. In the John 20 passage, Jesus appears to the Disciples (minus one, good ole Thomas), and shares with them a message of peace: "Peace be with you" Jesus says in verses 19 and 21. Eight days later when Thomas is finally with the disciples the risen Lord greets Thomas with the same message: Peace be with you.

Peace is ours was the theme and we continue that this morning with this study guide:

Monday: Peace is ours! What a wonderful declaration from the Lord for us! Reread the passage from yesterday again. Then look up the passage from Matthew 6:25-34. Take careful note of all that was shared by Jesus on His Sermon on the Mount to those who were on the hillside listening as well as what Jesus is sharing with you and me. What do you hear the Lord saying to you about worry?

Here is the John passage (RSV):19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

And here is the Matthew passage:

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

I mentioned in my sermon the messages brought by Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher at this year's Bishop's Convocation. She had a very timely message about peace and how the lack of peace affects our lives. This week's (April 24, 2006) Newsweek magazine had a cover story on "Why Women Can't Sleep." And what Jesus shared with the disciples is also shared with us: We must be people of peace. If we receive the Lord's peace it carries over into our personal lives and we can be the people God intended us to be. We're the generation that might just be remembered as the most stressed-out. Our children may, sadly say, "My parents were always too busy, and too worried...about everything...I never had them like I wanted, with joy and peace. They rarely smiled and always frowned. I remembered that they never really slept like they should; many were the nights they kept me up with the noises of their disagreements, they're going to the bathroom..." etc.

Jesus' Easter message is ours as well: Peace be with you. As we face all that we face, especially those things that trouble and worry us, we should always remember that we face nothing alone and that God provides for us. I shared the story Bishop Christopher shared about WWII orphans and how when they slept clutching a piece of bread they were able to sleep the entire night, and how that story reminded me of a conversation I overheard at the graveside of one of my sister-in-law's relatives' funeral: Two brothers, raised by the same mother had grown up quite differently. One chose to stay close to home and he was blessed financially for that decision by his mom (whose funeral we were attending); the other chose not to live near and was not blessed, in fact, he suffered much and his appearance gave him away. One of his longtime friend, a friend from the Valley told him, "why don't you move back to the Valley; we don't have much, but there's always beans and tortillas!" To demonstrate that (and this will help if you hear the sermon online), I tossed some tortillas into the congregation as a reminder of God's love and care for us.

Peace is ours.

PRAYER: God of life and peace, we thank You for the timeless Easter message of Jesus, that peace is ours. Let that be true today and all days as we learn to trust You and walk with You that in all things and in all ways we might bless You by blessing others with the same message of peace. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a blessed and great day!

e.v.

PS: The sermon is online at www.fumcsm.org. Please allow some time for the sermon to download onto your computer. You could also save it to your desktop.

THE TIMELESS MESSAGE OF EASTER:PEACE IS OURS!

Good day dear friends. I neglected to mention for our out-of-town readers the devasation that visited San Marcos with the hail storm that blew through here last Thursday. The area most affected was South San Marcos at the outlets and those neighborhoods nearby. The Rev. Del Brown was attending a camping outing in Boerne and he was called home because his brand new car was totalled by hail damage. Several church members had damage to cars and property. We thank God that no one we know was seriously injured but grapefruit sized hail was falling in the area mentioned. On Friday, Nellie and I toured the mall area and saw nothing but broken car glass in the parking lots and several tow trucks still hauling cars away. The car dealerships in that area of town also suffered major losses. Again, we're thankful for the reports of no loss of life and also for the rain that came with that storm.

We continued our season of Easter with a message of peace. In the John 20 passage, Jesus appears to the Disciples (minus one, good ole Thomas), and shares with them a message of peace: "Peace be with you" Jesus says in verses 19 and 21. Eight days later when Thomas is finally with the disciples the risen Lord greets Thomas with the same message: Peace be with you.

Peace is ours was the theme and we continue that this morning with this study guide:

Monday: Peace is ours! What a wonderful declaration from the Lord for us! Reread the passage from yesterday again. Then look up the passage from Matthew 6:25-34. Take careful note of all that was shared by Jesus on His Sermon on the Mount to those who were on the hillside listening as well as what Jesus is sharing with you and me. What do you hear the Lord saying to you about worry?

Here is the John passage (RSV):19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

And here is the Matthew passage:

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

I mentioned in my sermon the messages brought by Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher at this year's Bishop's Convocation. She had a very timely message about peace and how the lack of peace affects our lives. This week's (April 24, 2006) Newsweek magazine had a cover story on "Why Women Can't Sleep." And what Jesus shared with the disciples is also shared with us: We must be people of peace. If we receive the Lord's peace it carries over into our personal lives and we can be the people God intended us to be. We're the generation that might just be remembered as the most stressed-out. Our children may, sadly say, "My parents were always too busy, and too worried...about everything...I never had them like I wanted, with joy and peace. They rarely smiled and always frowned. I remembered that they never really slept like they should; many were the nights they kept me up with the noises of their disagreements, they're going to the bathroom..." etc.

Jesus' Easter message is ours as well: Peace be with you. As we face all that we face, especially those things that trouble and worry us, we should always remember that we face nothing alone and that God provides for us. I shared the story Bishop Christopher shared about WWII orphans and how when they slept clutching a piece of bread they were able to sleep the entire night, and how that story reminded me of a conversation I overheard at the graveside of one of my sister-in-law's relatives' funeral: Two brothers, raised by the same mother had grown up quite differently. One chose to stay close to home and he was blessed financially for that decision by his mom (whose funeral we were attending); the other chose not to live near and was not blessed, in fact, he suffered much and his appearance gave him away. One of his longtime friend, a friend from the Valley told him, "why don't you move back to the Valley; we don't have much, but there's always beans and tortillas!" To demonstrate that (and this will help if you hear the sermon online), I tossed some tortillas into the congregation as a reminder of God's love and care for us.

Peace is ours.

PRAYER: God of life and peace, we thank You for the timeless Easter message of Jesus, that peace is ours. Let that be true today and all days as we learn to trust You and walk with You that in all things and in all ways we might bless You by blessing others with the same message of peace. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a blessed and great day!

e.v.

PS: The sermon is online at www.fumcsm.org. Please allow some time for the sermon to download onto your computer. You could also save it to your desktop.

THE TIMELESS EASTER MESSAGE: PEACE IS OURS!

Good day dear friends. I neglected to mention for our out-of-town readers the devasation that visited San Marcos with the hail storm that blew through here last Thursday. The area most affected was South San Marcos at the outlets and those neighborhoods nearby. The Rev. Del Brown was attending a camping outing in Boerne and he was called home because his brand new car was totalled by hail damage. Several church members had damage to cars and property. We thank God that no one we know was seriously injured but grapefruit sized hail was falling in the area mentioned. On Friday, Nellie and I toured the mall area and saw nothing but broken car glass in the parking lots and several tow trucks still hauling cars away. The car dealerships in that area of town also suffered major losses. Again, we're thankful for the reports of no loss of life and also for the rain that came with that storm.

We continued our season of Easter with a message of peace. In the John 20 passage, Jesus appears to the Disciples (minus one, good ole Thomas), and shares with them a message of peace: "Peace be with you" Jesus says in verses 19 and 21. Eight days later when Thomas is finally with the disciples the risen Lord greets Thomas with the same message: Peace be with you.

Peace is ours was the theme and we continue that this morning with this study guide:

Monday: Peace is ours! What a wonderful declaration from the Lord for us! Reread the passage from yesterday again. Then look up the passage from Matthew 6:25-34. Take careful note of all that was shared by Jesus on His Sermon on the Mount to those who were on the hillside listening as well as what Jesus is sharing with you and me. What do you hear the Lord saying to you about worry?

Here is the John passage (RSV):19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

And here is the Matthew passage:

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

I mentioned in my sermon the messages brought by Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher at this year's Bishop's Convocation. She had a very timely message about peace and how the lack of peace affects our lives. This week's (April 24, 2006) Newsweek magazine had a cover story on "Why Women Can't Sleep." And what Jesus shared with the disciples is also shared with us: We must be people of peace. If we receive the Lord's peace it carries over into our personal lives and we can be the people God intended us to be. We're the generation that might just be remembered as the most stressed-out. Our children may, sadly say, "My parents were always too busy, and too worried...about everything...I never had them like I wanted, with joy and peace. They rarely smiled and always frowned. I remembered that they never really slept like they should; many were the nights they kept me up with the noises of their disagreements, they're going to the bathroom..." etc.

Jesus' Easter message is ours as well: Peace be with you. As we face all that we face, especially those things that trouble and worry us, we should always remember that we face nothing alone and that God provides for us. I shared the story Bishop Christopher shared about WWII orphans and how when they slept clutching a piece of bread they were able to sleep the entire night, and how that story reminded me of a conversation I overheard at the graveside of one of my sister-in-law's relatives' funeral: Two brothers, raised by the same mother had grown up quite differently. One chose to stay close to home and he was blessed financially for that decision by his mom (whose funeral we were attending); the other chose not to live near and was not blessed, in fact, he suffered much and his appearance gave him away. One of his longtime friend, a friend from the Valley told him, "why don't you move back to the Valley; we don't have much, but there's always beans and tortillas!" To demonstrate that (and this will help if you hear the sermon online), I tossed some tortillas into the congregation as a reminder of God's love and care for us.

Peace is ours.

PRAYER: God of life and peace, we thank You for the timeless Easter message of Jesus, that peace is ours. Let that be true today and all days as we learn to trust You and walk with You that in all things and in all ways we might bless You by blessing others with the same message of peace. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a blessed and great day!

e.v.

PS: The sermon is online at www.fumcsm.org. Please allow some time for the sermon to download onto your computer. You could also save it to your desktop.

OUR DAY OF PRAYER

Good day dear friends.

Jesus is alive! Here is our prayer guide for today:

Friday: Today is our day of prayer and let’s pray that the joy of resurrection might be felt in every heart. If you know Jesus rose from the dead, live your life in that way. Ask God to share with you that positive strength to face the challenges of today. Let your prayer be one that prepares you for sharing hope with someone else. And then, invite someone to come to church with you this coming Sunday!

Have a great and blessed day, a safe and wonderful weekend, and we'll see you in church!

Blessings,

e.v.

DON'T LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED. JESUS IS PREPARING A PLACE

Good day dear friends. Many of us have been praying for Annabell Ferrell, granddaughter of Chad Neff, and he tells us there is a website to monitor her progress: http://www.annabellferrell.com/. Daily updates by the mom will be posted. Continue to hold her in prayer as she was born prematurely and is holding her own.

We continue to shout, "Jesus is alive!" and here is our study guide for today:

Thursday: Please study again the passage from John 14 in which Jesus tried to prepare His disciples for His death. Underline those words of hope and promise that He shares that speak about life beyond this life. Read the entire chapter and let it be a blessing of hope and promise for your life.

Here is that chapter from RSV: "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, `Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; 14 if you ask anything in my name, I will do it. 15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered him, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. 25 "These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, `I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go hence.

This program does not let me underline sentences or verses that I find especially hopeful in this chapter, but if I could I would underline the whole chapter. Spoken as words to prepare the disciples for His coming death, Jesus shares comfort ahead of time to the disciples that did not know what was coming their way. Read again those first verses: (To paraphrase) "Don't be troubled, have faith in God and in me. In my Father's house are many rooms, enough for you, and I'm preparing room for you. Where I am, there you will be also... etc."

To summarize it all, Jesus is saying death is not the end. Death is that passage from this life into the Father's house. Ours is a God of life, who loves us enough to want us to be with Him. Of what should we be afraid?

Read the chapter again! Let it speak to your heart.

PRAYER: God of life, speak to me those words I need to hear. Let me move beyond fear into fullness. Let me live my life as a sermon for others to hear that You love us all. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

OUR DAY OF PRAYER

Good day dear friends.

We continue to proclaim that Jesus is alive! Here is our prayer guide:

Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, let’s be in prayer for those on our prayer list who have recently lost loved ones. The death of a loved one is a difficult thing for the living to endure. Could you imagine the prayers of the other Lazarus as he might have prayed for the families he knew who had lost loved ones? Plan to send a note of condolence to those who are listed or to someone you know from your circle of friends who might benefit from this.

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

SELFISH ACTS KILL!

Good day dear friends.

We continue to affirm that Jesus is alive! And here is our Tuesday study guide to help us:

Tuesday: In Luke 16:19-31, there is a parable from Jesus about death and what happens afterwards. Please read that story and see what that story says to you. What were the sins of the rich man that caused him to end up where he did? What do you think of the suffering that was his in “the other place” when he asks for Lazarus to “dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,” when in real life he was so grossed out about the way Lazarus looked? What lessons can be drawn from this parable for our lives today?

Here is that passage in the RSV:19 "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz'arus, full of sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz'arus in his bosom. 24 And he called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz'arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz'arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' 27 And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' 29 But Abraham said, `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30 And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'"

The most obvious sin of the rich man, and please notice he's not even named, has to be that of selfishness. Guided by self-centeredness, he cared only about his clothes and his food. At his gate was a poor man, Lazarus, whose physical condition kept him from being too appealing to anyone, especially this rich man. The man cared nothing for Lazarus and did nothing to help him or feed him. This passage does not come out and say it directly, but we have to wonder, did Lazarus starve to death? Note the verse that said, he "desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table." It does not say that this ever happened. It could possibly be that the sin of selfishness led this other man to die. The rich man also died, though he went to Hades, and Lazarus to the Abraham's bosom. The man suffered much in torment there and he happened to glance up and see Abraham and Lazarus in his bosom. The rich man cries out asking for just a drop of water to cool his torment, but this was not allowed. What he asks for next shows a belated compassion, if not for everyone, at least for his five brothers. This too, is not necessarily denied, but the reality is shared: They have Moses (the Law) and the prophets (the writings), all geared to get people away from Hades. If they won't listent to these, then to whom will they listen?

Have you ever stopped to consider how selfish acts may kill someone else? This happens all the time in places you'd think would know better like the church. An action taken by the church council, not approved by everyone, leads some to hold back on their givings. While they may think they're making a point, what they're really doing is hurting themselves and possibly not helping the lives of others. Selfish acts kill. Selfish acts lead those doing them to places not desired.

The call from Christ is to love one another. This was a commandment of life. In it we find the positiveness of life, to get along, and to help others along. Nowhere in love do we find room to think only of ourselves and our desires. Love points us to God and to God's creatures.

PRAYER: Come, God of love to my heart. Fill me with that love that points me to you and to others. Let me be guided by knowing that I should be all about sharing and giving life, not death. Lead me to fulness of life through Jesus Christ, in Whose name I pray. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

WHY IS DEATH SCARY?

Good day dear friends.

Happy Easter to you all! The proper Easter day is over, but the Easter season has just begun! For fifty days we will be celebrating Jesus' resurrection and presence with the disciples. Our sermon yesterday was entitled, "Jesus is Alive!" and it dealt with common conclusions about death and the unexpected joy of resurrection.

Here is our study guide for today:

Monday: Death is first mentioned as a deterrent from disobeying God. Quite honestly in Genesis 2:17, God says if you mess up, you die. And a little later on, God mentions the need to remove the people from the Garden so that they don’t eat from the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:22-24). The fear is that people would live forever here on the earth. Why is death such a scary thing?

Here is that verse: "17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."

The fear of the unknown has always scared us. In this seventeenth verse of chapter 2 of Genesis which comes after God has given the positive command, "You shall freely of any tree in the garden except...God has said, Don't eat from this tree or something bad will happen to you. Did God mention death as something as bad in those afternoon walks with the creatures? Did Adam and Eve understand death? Did they understand anything at all? Had God told them death might be introduced and this is the way that death made its appearance after disobeying Him? Whatever God may have told them, it didn't work. They still disobeyed God and declared their independence from Him. It leads us to Genesis 3:22-24:Then the LORD God said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-- 23 therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life."

Death became part of life. The growing old of our bodies and the eventual shutting down of our bodies became a part of life. What may have been God's plan for Adam and Eve to live forever in this garden with God was now no longer possible. And if you think about it, with the growing old and slowing down of our bodies, death becomes a friend; a liberation from this earthly body for our spirits so they may return to God.

Is death scary to you? I mentioned the fact that death is permanent and it separates us from our loved ones. And we've had no one to come back from the dead to explain it all to us. We have Jesus and His victory and the words from John 11 and 14 to speak of that place that is being prepared for us. We honestly can not call death the great unknown, for we have from He who conquered it, the promise of "that where I am you may be also."

PRAYER: Loving God of life, speak to my mortal heart again those promises of He who conquered death. Let me live my life confident that I am a Resurrection person, in You I have life; in abundance now and in heaven eternally. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day.

e.v.

OUR DAY OF PRAYER

Good day dear friends. We had a wonderful worship experience last night and we look forward to our worship tonight at 7 p.m. You are all invited to come.

Friday: Today is what many would call the most difficult in anyone’s life. Today is Crucifixion Day. The faith we have calls it, “GOOD FRIDAY.” You’re invited tonight at 7 to our church to fully celebrate what God did and can do for you!

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

GOOD NEWS!!

Good day dear friends.

We continue to study the Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem as an entry of victory.

Here is our study guide for today:

Thursday: Please find Luke 4:18, read in there what Jesus believed to be His purpose in having come to the world. Underline that verse in your study Bible and let it speak to your heart today about all Jesus offers, with love, to you. Come to worship tonight at 7 for Communion.

Here is that passage from the New Revised Standard Version: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free."

What a purpose Jesus had! In Him we find the fulfillment of the OT prophecy written by Isaiah. Led by the Holy Spirit, anointed by Him "to bring good news to the poor;" "release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free." Let those words speak to your heart. Where do you find yourself in that which Jesus offers? Are you poor in some way? If not financially, spiritually, perhaps? Do you find yourself captive to a habit or addiction you alone can't break? Do you find that spiritually you are blind to seeing the goodness of God in your life? Do you feel oppressed in spirit by something you've said or done?

Hear again: This is GOOD NEWS! God acted on our behalf, through Jesus Christ to deliver us from all that is mentioned above. We don't have to stay poor! We don't have to be anyone or anything's captive! We don't have to stay blind! We can see! What do we do to receive all this? Simply ask.

PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus to my plea. You know what I need and this is what I claim for my life today. Speak lovingly to me and let me know all you offer for me. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

OUR DAY OF PRAYER AND PURPOSE

Good day dear friends.

Please continue in prayer for baby Annabelle Dorothy Ferrell. She is the granddaughter of Chad Neff, whom many know as the computer guru around the church. Annabelle was born at 23 weeks and weighed a little over one pound at birth. To quote grandpa, "She's holding her own," and all brain exams and the like came back positive. We know that prayer will see her through.

Here is our prayer and purpose guide for today:

Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, pray about the parade in your heart for Jesus. If you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior some years ago, what celebration did you have for Him? Did you allow all the pathways to your heart to be celebrating the arrival of He who died for you? If you just recently accepted the Lord, have you celebrated this important arrival in your life? Are you living a life that continues to glorify Jesus as Lord of your life. This is the day to be in prayer about it and to decide to make Jesus’ Lordship a priority for your purpose in life.

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

PS Today at noon, Pastor Leslie is preaching at First Christian Church on Ranch Road 12 for the ecumenical worship and stations of the cross. Friday at noon is when all SM churches are invited to come and participate in the stations of the cross live presentations.

Tomorrow at 7 and Friday at 7 we have our Holy Week service at First UMC.

DO YOU WANT TO BE INCLUDED?

Good day dear friends. This comes at the end of the day rather than the beginning. It's all good.

Here is the study guide as we continue to study the theme, Entrance of Victory:

Tuesday: If you think about it, this parade of Jesus was not like the kind we’re used to or would imagine would be appropriate for a celebrity of any standing or stature. Jesus didn’t march in arm-in-arm with city officials nor did he ride in on a prancing, majestic horse. Jesus came in with a band of fishermen, some rural folks from Galilee, and a former tax collector. What a parade! Read Isaiah 62:11 to learn more of this that Jesus did by coming into Jerusalem.

Here is the Isaiah 62:11 verse: "The LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, 'See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.'"

Salvation came riding on that colt! Salvation and the "reward" of the Lord with Him. Jesus' entry was in some sense a very humble thing, but given what we know now about what the Lord has shared with us, it was anything but humble; it was a life-giving, life-changing event. And those who marched in with Him were proof of those who needed, like you and me, to be included in God's love. God acted on our behalf in a manner that perhaps made no logical sense for the day or even today, but God acted in this way not to make sense but to share salvation. God loves us so much that He wants to include us all, even those marked as un-include-able.

As we continue in Holy Week, stop and ponder that fact: God wants to include you. Do you want to be included? Do you want to include God in your life?

PRAYER: Inclusive God, include me in Your plan. Let me include You in my life. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Have a great and blessed night! See you in the morning!

e.v.

ENTRANCE OF VICTORY!

Good day dear friends. We celebrated a great Palm Sunday yesterday. We were blessed by the procession of children and the great music of our choir and we even sang one of my favorite Spanish hymns, "Mantos y Palmas."

The sermon was called "Entry of Victory" given all that Christ did on our behalf during this Holy Week. Our study guide for today is this:

Monday: Yesterday’s passage from Mark tells of the fulfillment of God’s purpose for Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Let’s visit the passage from the Old Testament. Please find and read Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm 118:26. What do those verses say about this coming Messiah? Do you believe them to be fulfillment of prophecy? Another interesting item about this entry by Jesus, if you were to visit Jerusalem today, the gate believed to be the one used by Jesus is now shut and a Muslim cemetery is there. A Jewish messiah will never use this gate to pass due to the presence of this cemetery. Read what Ezekiel 44:1-2 says about that.

Zechariah 9:9 says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Psalm 118:26 reads, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD."

I shared with the congregation that some believe there are 300 propheices about the coming Messiah in the Old Testament. A French mathematician, George Heron, calculated that the odds of one man fulfilling only 40 of those prophecies are 1 in 10 to the power of 157. That is a 1 followed by 157 zeros. Compare it to this; your odds on winning the state lottery are 14 followed by 6 zeros. We see two of those in the above OT passages. Zachariah's word was that rejoicing should come to Jerusalem because of her "king" coming to her "triumphant and victorious...humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." After the first service, Dr. Tom House, our veterinarian said I could have spent half a sermon just on the miracle of riding a colt that had never been ridden before. The Psalm was the shouting by the crowd as Jesus entered, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord."

What struck me as the most interesting is that if one goes to Jerusalem today, the gate used by Jesus to enter the city is now closed. And in its place is a Muslim cemetery. The commentator sharing this said, logically, no Jewish messiah would ever enter through there even if the gate were open. This follows what the OT passage from Eze. 44:1-2: "Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut. 2 The LORD said to me: This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut." Shut now because "the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut." Hmm. In spite of what recent "discoveries" and books published about Jesus and His divinity, the Bible remains true to what God said about this coming Messiah and His entrance into the holy city of Jerusalem. In Christ Jesus we have the fulfillment of God's purpose, and the start of all the events of this week.

Our Lenten journey is drawing to an end. Those of you who gave us things to eat or drink, have only until Sunday to wait. But for now rejoice in what the Lord God did for you and me through Jesus Christ. Please be in prayer for our special services Thursday and Friday at 7 pm, may God use us to bring others to the saving knowledge of Jesus.

PRAYER: Loving God, we thank you for all You did through Jesus Christ. Let us not take any of it for granted, let us rejoice in Your love and the victory You offer to us over sin and death. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

LIVING A LIFE THAT GIVES

Good day dear friends.

A special prayer for those going before district committees on ministry. A dear friend of many from FUMC and this area, Steve Peyton, is going before the San Antonio dCOM this morning at 10:45 a.m. Steve surprised our Emmaus reunion group this morning, arriving in a suit with best friend, Michael Pearce. May the Lord bless Steve and others going through this process. Steve is a student at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY, and flew in for this important day.

Here is our study guide for today as we continue to help those who wish to see Jesus:

Thursday: Read Luke 17:11-19. Here again someone comes to seek the Lord. Read this story and see who it is who has come to see Jesus and the reason for which they sought Him. Are you living your life in a grateful way for all that He has done for you? Or do you have an “entitlement” mentality that ‘we deserve this and more!” about all that God does?

Here is that passage from Luke 17:11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

This is a passage that comes to us usually on Thanksgiving holidays. It is so recognized during this time that as a young preacher invited to fill in for an ailing colleague on Thanksgiving, one elderly lady came to me as I'm sitting down at the start of the service, "Mother has asked that you not preach on the ten lepers because she loses her appetite for Thanksgiving dinner." Here I add what we use online: LOL. I can Laugh Out Loud now, then it terrified me. I had already written (literally) my sermon. It was typed, double-spaced and in my folder and there was no way I could access a typewriter (kids ask your parents what that is)! I had no choice but to preach it!

It is a powerful story of gratefulness and about seeking Jesus. To have this dreaded skin disease in those days was to face a life among the dead. To have leprosy in Jesus' day meant you had to live among the tombs away from "normal" society. To get close to clean people was forbidden and frowned above. Your very appearance would terrify most. So, to seek this One who had the power to heal was a bold thing. They had no other option. There was no known cure, and to have been declared unclean by your priests/rabbi meant you lived among the tombs until you went permanently into one. So, as Jesus walked by they cried out to him, and notice the scripture says they kept their distance. Jesus simply told them to go show themselves to their priests. This meant taking steps of faith to go to the one who had declared them unclean, for he was the only one who could declare them clean again. It was only one, who realized all that had happened to him. Not only did he have new skin, he now had a new life. And this new life was marked by a new faith in God. Luke is sure we know that this one grateful person was not a Jew but a Samaritan. The other nine simply went home with that "I deserve this and more" mentality that plagues our society. The one man who realized all God had done for him for the only one who humbled himself before Jesus to thank Him.

As people seek Jesus in us, we need to live a life that is thankful for all things. They need to see the spirit of joy and gratitude in all that God has done for us. If we are to share Jesus we must do it first in living a life that glorifies God for all God does for us. They won't see Jesus in a life that wants more and more and is never satisfied with what we have. A life of possessions that possess us is not one others want to live. Possessions are not evil in and of themselves, but when they dictate how we live, then they are. One can be rich both financially and spiritually, if we control our wealth and live a life that is grateful and shares what God has shared with us.

PRAYER: Lord, all this week we have been around those who are seeking You in us. We've been true to You in some cases, but not in others. We pray that you help us today to live a life of gratitude for all You have done, so that others will see in us that life that glorifies You. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day!

Please don't forget our noon Lenten Liturgy and Luncheon. It starts at 12 noon in Lowman Chapel, followed by a soup luncheon in Todd Hall.

e.v.

THE GREAT BANQUET: YOU COMING? BRINGING SOMEONE?

Good day dear friends. I spoke with Bill Barber and Madeline West, and both are doing well, thanks to God. Both are in good spirits. Madeline will visit a specialist to see how her wrist is healing and see what else is needed. She suffered a fall in her home.

We continue to study those who wish to see Jesus and here is our study guide for today:

Tuesday: Read Luke 14:15-24. Here is a parable from Jesus about the Great Banquet. What is this story saying to us about the Good News today? What are you doing to help spread the invitation to others who might want to come and be blessed by Jesus? How do you interpret the excuses people give for not coming to this banquet?

Here is that passage from Luke 14:15 One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, "Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" 16 Then Jesus said to him, "Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. 17 At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, "Come; for everything is ready now.' 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, "I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.' 19 Another said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.' 20 Another said, "I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, "Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' 22 And the slave said, "Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.' 23 Then the master said to the slave, "Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.' "

A great banquet is given in your honor and you refuse to attend. You have your reasons for missing out on fine food, fine fellowship, and fine instruction. But are these reasons or excuses worth missing this? Jesus is comparing what God offers to us with a great banquet and so many will be missing out because they had their reasons: I bought some property and must go and see it (that's clever planning, buying some property without having first seen it!). I bought some farm equipment and must see how it performs is the second.(The dealer didn't let you try it out on his lot?) The third says, "I'm on my honeymoon and can't make it." (You know how it is, newlyweds don't need to eat!). And they all missed out! Who then, got invited? Those on the streets and lanes of the town; the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. All these accepted and there was still room! The master then said, go and get people to come in so that "my house may be filled."

Are you doing your part to be present at every celebration of the Lord? Are you doing your part in "compelling" others to come and join you in these celebrations? If you're not present, you're missing out and if you're not inviting, you and too many others, are missing out as well. Do your part!

PRAYER: Loving God of the great banquet, let me do my part. I can't do it alone, share with me all that I need to be an effective servant. I ask it in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day!

e.v.

SHOW ME JESUS!

Good day dear friends. What a day yesterday! I think most folks in
the USA forgot to "Spring forward!" I'm in that number. My associate
sent me a card earlier in the week reminding me to do that, but I
didn't mark it down and our unplanned trip to Galveston to see our
daughter and son-in-law didn't help us remember. We left late
Saturday and arrived at 11 p.m., I set the alarm for 6 a.m., slept
soundly until 4 a.m., checked the clock and thought, nah, too early,
got plenty of time. The alarm awoke me and while walking to the
bathroom, it hit me that it was not six but 7! Rush, rush, rush. Our
new candlelighters have no windshield and the first use of them at
8:30 showed how necessary a windshield is, and our acolyte stood there
mouthing to our liturgist, Julie, that the fire had gone out. We usually have a lighter in the pulpit storage area, but not one that could be found. Julie had to run down the aisle to the narthex and bring back a lighter and relight the candle. From that moment to the shift towards the candle, the light went out again...

We wish to see Jesus was our theme for worship. Based on the passage from John 12:20ff, the petition of the Greeks at the Passover Festival becomes that petition of so many with whom we work, live, play, etc. How do we show them a living, loving Jesus in our lives?

Here is our study guide for today:

Monday: In Luke 4:42-44, we see, like we saw yesterday during worship, that there was a crowd wishing to see Jesus. The reasons may have not been the most sincere or the best, but they still knew Jesus offered something they were not receiving anywhere else. Where do you seek Jesus? Or do people seek Jesus in you? Read the passage from yesterday (John 12:20-33) and see if you can’t grasp what the Lord stands ready to offer you for your life. Jesus is still the most sought after person for what God intended to share with the earth. Are you among that number?

Here is that passage: 42 At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose." 44 So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.

In both passages of John 12 and Luke 4, people sought Jesus. Some for good reasons, others for the "show" of doing unexplainable things, others for the food that He sometimes provided in miraculous ways. Yet, they knew Jesus brought with Him something no one else was providing, a message of hope and love from above. Jesus was offering a new way to live, and people were anxious to hear it. Jesus was offering healing and wholeness to so many and folks flocked to that. Jesus sought to share that with whomever wanted it.

So many in our midst need Jesus. Some may have already said, maybe not in so many words, that they want to see Jesus to help them in dealing with life and some of life's challenges, and what have we done to show them Jesus? If you've ever sought the Lord and found Him, then you know what Jesus can do. If you've ever been blessed by the Lord, then you have a word of hope to share with someone who hasn't heard.

Get out of your comfort zone today and show someone Jesus!

PRAYER: Loving God of life, I thank you for Jesus and for having shared Him with me when I needed Him the most. Let me in turn, share Him with someone whom I know is hurting and needing Him like never before. I pray for courage and wisdom and sharing Jesus. And I pray in His name. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day.

e.v.