Let us praise God for coming to us in Jesus Christ: Father, in the beginning, you spoke your creative Word and brought order out of chaos. Again, you spoke your creative Word and it became enfleshed in Jesus of Nazareth. The Holy Spirit renews us unto the image of Jesus Christ and leads us in the way of Christ. Amen.
(Moira B. Laidlaw, alt.)
Sunday Reflection upon James 5:13-20
We yearn for the day when all will be healed and restored, but until then, we live in the brokenness of our biological existence that brings pain and growth, death and decay. We also live in a brokenness that requires the confession of our sins because of the way we often treat one another. Our prayers for healing and confession are not futile but potent and efficacious, offering us hope and reassurance. There are various ways to confess our sins: Privately with a priest or minister, with each other, and publicly in a corporate worship situation as we do each Sunday.
The confession of sin is the first step toward reconciliation. May confessing our sin lead to repentance with the ultimate hope of reconciliation. Our prayers for healing and confession are powerful and effective. As a Christian community, we are responsible for fostering an environment of forgiveness, understanding, and reconciliation where all members feel safe and supported in their faith journey.
Let us pray that the Spirit of God be alive with us and among all people: God, you grant us the power to do mighty works but not the right to deny that power to others. We come before you confidently, for we have seen your likeness in Jesus Christ. We do not pray that our sight be perfect and our understanding complete, but that you be a lamp unto our feet and a guide for our journey through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Litanies and Other Prayers)
(Litanies and Other Prayers, alt.)
Sunday Reflection upon Psalm 1, Jeremiah & Mark’s Gospel
The first Psalm contrasts the ways of those who “delight in the teaching of the Lord” with the way of the “wicked.” Psalm 1 points out that God watches over the righteous and judges the way of the wicked. The prophet Jeremiah lived through the downfall of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians. Yet, it was not the Babylonians that Jeremiah feared but the leaders who refused to listen to Jeremiah. After all, he prophesied surrendering to the Babylonians while pointing out Israelite idolatry and their failure to create a fair and just society.
Jeremiah suffered for his preaching, but the divine strength of God sustained him. Our savior, faithful to God and others, was not immune to suffering. We may suffer for doing the right and good deed, but we are in good company, united in our shared experience of choosing righteousness. Choosing to do the right and good thing may bring suffering, but when we do, God sustains us and holds us up as God did for the prophets and Jesus himself.
Galax First United
Methodist Church
306 West Center Street
Galax, VA 24333
(Get Directions)
Phone: 276-236-9937
Email: fumcgalax1@gmail.com
Sunday Services:
10:30 am
