Lenten Devotional 2018 Ash Wednesday Week February 14-17 17 First United Methodist Church of Bella Vista 20 Boyce Drive, Bella Vista, AR 72715 479-855-1158 fax 479-855-0850 fumcbv@lovelearnlead.com www.lovelearnlead.com facebook.com/fumcbv What s Your Story?
LENTEN DEVOTIONAL WRITERS 2018. Ash Wednesday Lynn Prueitt moved to Bella Vista with husband Keith in October of l995 from Des Moines, Iowa. They joined our church in January of 1996. In Des Moines she was a legal secretary for 29 years. After moving to Bella Vista she worked part-time for 9 years at the POA in the Membership Services Department. She sings in the choir, plays hand bells and is in the Bella Vista Women s Chorus. She likes to walk on the Bella Vista Lake trail and she does water aerobics at the Kingsdale pool in the summer. Lynn loves to read, cook, play Candy Crush, crochet, and visit their four children and grandchildren in Iowa, Oregon and Pittsburgh, PA. Thursday Austin Curtis is our Director of Youth Ministries. Austin is no stranger to youth and church ministry. He graduated from Elkins High School in northwest Arkansas, earned his Bachelors in Sports Ministry at Campbellsville University, and received his Masters of Divinity from Liberty University. Austin has served in various capacities as a youth pastor and YMCA Site Director from 2003-2012. Currently, Austin also serves as the Associate Pastor of Sulphur City Baptist Church and is the chaplain for C. I. Solutions. He is married to Amber, and they have an adorable 3 year old daughter named Elizabeth. Austin brings a passion for youth ministry and an infectious love of Jesus Christ to his commitment to our youth and to our church family.
Saturday, February 17, 2018 SCRIPTURE: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 (NIV) Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was as of old nor ever will be in ages to come. Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly, bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, Spare your people, O Lord. Do not make your in heritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God? There are days I feel like our land has metaphorically fallen into an invasion of locusts. I read the paper or watch the new and feel like we are in a historical crisis. I can t help but think that someone should blow the trumpet and sound the alarm on our highest mountain. There are so many stories of corruption, too many killings of innocent people and a complete disregard for human life no matter the age, race, sex or nationality. Our country s political system is divided, and not in a good way. It seems as if the two main parties are using their political agendas as an excuse to disagree over everything. We still have children (and adults) going hungry every day. We have floods, hurricanes, fires and mudslides leaving people homeless. Does this sound like a crisis? However, the second part of The Book of Joel (which is only three chapters) contains the prophet s announcement of the Advent of the Lord s mercy in new and surprising ways. Joel bids the people to turn toward God in repentance and worship. Again, we must blow the trumpet, assemble everyone from the eldest to the youngest and worship the Lord. This Ash Wednesday devotional selection prepares us for the repentance and remembrance of the reason for Lent. PRAYER: Oh, God, let us not dwell on the crisis in our world today, but instead let us think of the good in people and look for your mercy and blessings. Amen Wanda Williams Friday Sonnie Andersen I was born on an Iowa farm where my roots seem to have been established in nature, justifying my being outside...even if it is "work". When less than five, our family moved to Muscatine, Iowa; and it was there I realized my love of singing...thus my involvement yet today. In spite of my BME degree at the U of Iowa, my position in the public schools was short-lived; while Dick was establishing his engineering career, my primary role was "keeping our home" and both of us raising our children. Directing church children's choirs became important; but I realized, I was happiest when I was a part in vocal singing, whatever form that took. Sometime later, I served in a number of positions in (what was then) Christian Women's Club, leading to a surge in my walk of faith. Realizing I wasn't really honoring Dick (scripture in mind), I took the risk of asking if we might go to a marriage enrichment program. Due to its lessons on Holy Matrimony and a gentle invitation to accept Christ not only into one's life but into our marriage, God worked in a mighty way by allowing us (through United Marriage Encounter) to share our lives with many...in the USA, England and many parts of Asia...something we never dreamed we would be doing for 26 years, until we permanently moved to Bella Vista ten years ago and FUMC became our home church. Saturday Wanda Williams was born and raised in Colorado but has lived in Montana, South Carolina and for the fourth time in Arkansas. She has been in Human Resources over twenty years and continues to work with the hopes of retiring before too long. She loves to read, do X-stitch, and has embroidered tea towels for the UMW bazaar every year she has been here. She also loves doing creative crafts, and her granddaughter Jenna can be found in her craft room joining her in alcohol ink and melted crayola projects. She is also the proud Grammy to Alec, and Craig who lives in New Jersey. Wanda attends the Well service with her daughter, Amy, and son-in-law, James, and Alec & Jenna.
Ash Wednesday February 14, 2018 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 (Contemporary English Version) When you do good deeds, don't try to show off. If you do, you won't get a reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to the poor, don't blow a loud horn. That's what show-offs do in the synagogues and on the street corners, because they are always looking for praise. I can assure you that they already have their reward. When you give to the poor, don't let anyone know about it. Then your gift will be given in secret. Your Father knows what is done in secret and will reward you. When you pray, don't be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward. When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private and will reward you. When you go without eating, don t try to look gloomy as those show-offs do when they go without eating. I can assure you that they already have their reward. Instead, comb your hair and wash your face. Then others won't know you are going without eating. But your Father sees what is done in private, and he will reward you. Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them and thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will always be where your treasure is. In the following paragraph, Paul makes it very clear from Isaiah 49:8, NOW is the time of salvation (at this moment before Christ returns). Again, salvation is receiving God's grace, asking for forgiveness and receiving Christ as our personal savior. One footnote stated the Easter message well, "Jesus identified Himself with us in our death in order that we might be identified with Him in His resurrection. We give all that we were, spiritually dead, guilty sinners; and Christ gives all that life is...forgiveness, righteousness, acceptance," The following scriptures Paul shows us, is the cost of taking the Good News to "all the world", showing the contrast of how the world looks at Paul's ministry with the way God looks at it. And Paul reiterates that his life is rich in spiritual gifts and possessing all things. In turn, we need to realize, God will see us through our trials, those "momentary" troubles which achieve an eternal glory for us. One contemporary writer left me with a deep concern, "It's very sobering to find how many people whom I would presume to be saved, feel little or no urgency regarding their spiritual condition, the condition of the church or that of our nation, Whereas, I once thought the battlefield was 'out there' among those rejecting Christ, I see things different now. The front line of the battle is in the heart's of God's people". While I don't know Rob Cummins nor when he made this statement, I see many good things happening amongst the negative ones in the world today. Because of God's Word given in the form of the bible (for most of us), we have assurance...in the end (and the beginning of new life with Him)...God will prevail. PRAYER: Father of us all, thank you for creating us with a will to make decisions, but You also knew mankind would fail to make good ones. Because of this, You provided the way that leads to life eternal but only by accepting your Son as Savior, the most important decision. We praise you that we can see many in our congregation willing to serve others, sacrificing time and energy for worthy causes. Help us stand firm against what the world deems "politically correct, In this time of much trouble in this world, again, we thank you for those protecting us...those even willing to give up their lives for others. Show me/us...the people who need what we have to offer. In the name of Jesus, Amen Sonnie Andersen
Friday, February 16, 2018 SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6:10 (NRSV) Ambassadors for Christ So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, At an acceptable time I have listened to you, And on a day of salvation I have helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. While this title is announced just ahead of these scriptures, Paul says, "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us". Because I have the hope and confirmation that Christ died for me, just as He did for all of us, we are to be representatives with the special message that through God's saving grace we can become righteous and thus, receive life everlasting, a gift we cannot earn. But we are no longer to live for "self" and that is the hard part! This is a long scripture with many verses to digest. However, all of the verses above tell us that our Father will reward us when we do the right thing. He is the one we should seek favor from. We do not need to be rewarded or exalted by men. I don't intend to get political but apparently the new tax law denies us a tax deduction from some of our charitable giving. Many charities are concerned, as they should be. Do we give our gifts because we get a tax deduction or do we give our gifts because it is the right thing to do? God asks us to be cheerful givers and being cheerful givers means we are honoring our God, not our pocket books. We have all seen the people along the traveled roads with their signs. Do you feel inclined to give to them or are you disgusted by them. I have found that sometimes I feel a very strong nudge from God to help out, and other times I just wish they would not be standing there when I pull up to the stop light. God sees my heart in both instances and I am sure is not always pleased with my decision. Most of us do not stand on the street corners or get up in church to pray in order to show off. Most of us are hesitant to pray in public. But all God asks is that we pray with sincerity and humbleness, whether we are praying in the privacy of our own homes or in public. And fasting! Oh dear Father, why do you ask that of me? It is so hard. We do not need the praise of men for our giving, our prayers or our good works; we only need the word from God: "Well done good and faithful servant". PRAYER: Lord God, I pray for humbleness in all I do in your honor, be it giving, praying, fasting or deeds. I know the reward comes from you and that my highest reward will be eternal life with you. Thank you for your patience with us humans. We are still trying to get it right. Amen. Lynn Prueitt
Thursday, February 15, 2018 SCRIPTURE: Psalm 51:1-17 (ESV) Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. This passage rings true in the heart of a believer. As a follower of Christ, a true believer recognizes that there is so much potential to be righteous, yet they fall short daily. David, a Man after God s own Heart, struggled with sin but also acknowledged that we serve an awesome, merciful and forgiving God. God uses the most broken people to do His work, and God used His son to fulfill his promise. As we get closer to resurrection day we realize that just like David, we too, are broken, but we too are blessed with God s amazing grace. Through God s sacrifice of His one and only Son, our sins and iniquities are forgiven. This time of year is such an awesome reminder of triumph and sacrifice. Christ conquered sin through His death and we celebrate and honor that. As believers we honor this sacrifice by trying not only to live a righteous life, but also by sharing God s love and grace with others. One of the most powerful parts of this passage that speaks to me is verses 11-13. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. This is proof of how God uses broken beings to share His story to a broken world. PRAYER: Holy Lord, as Easter approaches, let us honor your sacrifice by sharing your story with others so that they may draw near to you and feel the warmth of your love. Amen. Be Blessed, Austin Curtis