APRIL 2019 EDITION
THE WOODLANDS UMC
POINT A MESSAGE FROM
CLIFF RITTER
PASTOR TO SENIOR ADULTS
HARVEST CROSS Contributed by Anita Wren.
AWAKENING Paul writes to the house churches in Rome a letter of encouragement. “The hour has come for you to WAKE UP from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.” Romans 13:11-13 But what is Paul inviting the Church to wake up to? How did they fall asleep? In Acts 1:8, Jesus says “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” In other words, before I return at my Second Advent, you be my witnesses in places you live to the very ends of the earth. This was the mission! George Barna released a survey in 2018 that asked Christians if they believed in this statement. “It is the call of a believer to share their faith with others.” The survey invited each Christian to answer true or false to that statement. The results came back after surveying thousands of Christians in America and 64% agreed with the statement. The other 36% disagreed. The reasoning ranged from “it’s the churches mission not mine” to “I don’t think we should tell people how to believe at all.” We have lost our mission haven’t we? Constanly busy with everyday life, pressed down by the concerns of the world, infatuated with what’s in front us and indifferent to eternal matters. We need an Awakening! Lord, wake us up. Help us live into your mission for us. Rev. Mark Swayze, Pastor of Contemporary Music and Community Growth
Easter brings a spirit of renewal and hope. Praise God for our ability to worship our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. We have grown deeper and closer together in these past few weeks of Lent. I hope you can feel the tangible presence of God. It is good to know we can trust the eternal, unchanging nature of God in times like these. Alas, everything on this side of eternity will change. I’ve learned to embrace this truth with a hopeful anticipation rather than a fearful angst. Change can be good, if we keep looking for the hidden blessing. We planted fruit trees in a small orchard on the family place in deep East Texas this year. When we started this project the grass in the pasture was dormant. There wasn’t much growing in that space way back in February, except for puddles of rainwater that would not go away. But, as March and April came to be, we discovered a delightful surprise. The orchard is planted right on top of the “old home place.” That’s the place where my grandparents kept a homestead for many, many years. In fact, my grandfather never lived more than a mile away from the home where he was born. The house has long since been demolished and the structures of their old home place have been removed over the years. But, as if speaking a word of encouragement to us from the heavens above, my grandmother’s Daffodil and Paperwhite Narcissus bulbs made their secret presence known. In the Spring, you can see the outline of her flower gardens, blooming with yellow and white flowers in the crisp morning air. The new fruit frees are just twigs in the fresh dirt, but the bulbs buried deep beneath the soil are making everything bright, new and fresh. Spring is more than a season that comes after winter. It is an eternal promise of new things to come. Jesus is our eternal Spring. A new day comes when we trust Him. His resurrection reminds us of the hope we have in things eternal. They will never change. I pray you will have a blessed Easter!
HAPPY EASTER FROM SENIOR ADULT MINISTRY! — The Woodlands UMC
With grace and peace, Cliff Ritter