MARCH 2021 EDITION
THE WOODLANDS UMC
POINT THE SPIRIT OF GOD
A MESSAGE FROM
LEE BREWER
Written by: Mark Sorensen
I heard a story once of a man who had saved up all of his hard earned money to take a cruise. Because he saved up enough money to just cover the cost of the ticket, he figured he’d just eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches throughout the duration of the trip since he couldn’t afford anything else. About three days into his trip, surprise: he got tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Walking past the lavish buffet bars and seeing the variety of foods made him second guess his decision. So, he speaks to a waiter in a restaurant and asks him the following question: “How much for some steak and potatoes tonight?” The waiter replies, “Excuse me?” “How much money does it cost for me to eat off the buffet bar this evening. I brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because I wanted to save some money, but seeing all of this food has made me second guess the wisdom in that decision.” The waiter, looking a little uncomfortable, looked at the man, put a hand on his shoulder and replied, “Sir, I am not sure how to tell you this, but, all the food you see here was a part of the cost of the ticket you had already purchased. All you need to do is get a plate.” Ouch. I wonder if that’s not a picture of the children of God today. Too many of us may be settling for peanut butter and jelly sandwich sized servings of faith and it’s leaving us unsatisfied. I love a quote from a book I read recently: “If you don’t feel a strong desire for the manifestation of the Glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of this world, your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great. God did not create you for this. There is an appetite for God and it can be awakened.” -John Piper, from the book, The Hunger of God. When Jesus rose, ascended, and was seated at the right hand of God the Father, we were granted access to all the spiritual meals made available through that ticket of freedom that Jesus claimed for us all. All the help, enablement, and strength is found in Him. Remember. It was fresh WORD and WIND that brought a valley of dry bones to life. It happened then, it still happens today. As we walk into a new year, may we not forget that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit that lives and resides within the people of God today. May we all taste and see that, indeed, the Lord is good. Amen
PASTOR TO SENIOR ADULTS
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary of Magdala went to the tomb… ” — John 20:1 “While it was still dark,” is a phrase we can all relate to in life. There are times when we awaken at three in the morning and our mind races with worries and fears. The world outside is lightless and silent. The childhood fears of being unable to see what is there, or is coming, still haunt us. It does not have to be physically dark, however, for us to get overwhelmed by doubts and fear. Mary’s life was much more darkened by the death of Jesus and her hopes than by the physical absence of light. She thought her life and the world would change with Jesus being present. Everything was soon going to be made right. But she was going to a tomb and the loss that it embodied. What she did not yet know was that the stone had been rolled away. The tomb was empty! The Jesus that she thought was gone had risen, just as the sun was about to rise again. The year that has passed between this coming Easter and the one we last celebrated has been filled with darkness in many ways: financial, physical, medical, loss and dissension. Worries, doubts and fears have come in so many different forms, and it is so easy to get lost in the darkness. All the evidence seems to point to despair. BUT, that darkness does not win! The tomb is EMPTY! Jesus is risen and the dawn is still coming! All the fears of the night are going to be washed away in the glory of the risen SON! May the Lord help us all to begin anew in this Easter celebration. Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! And behold, He makes all things new! Praying for each of us a true resurrection Easter,
Photo Credit: Jean Drummond with The Woodlands Camera Club
Lee