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Rev. Missy Turbeville *From the October 2026 FUMC of Bartow Newsletter
I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly. -John 10:10b
In mid September, we began a new sermon series loosely based on the Bible study A Disciple’s Path by Jim Harnish and Justin LaRosa.
The study takes us through the membership vows of the United Methodist Church. It looks closely at what it means to promise to participate in the life of the church through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Yet, before we can dive into the particular
ways that we can grow closer in our relationship with God in Christ and serve God and one another more fully after the example of Christ, we need to spend a bit of time thinking about why it is we follow Christ at all.
For some of us, this is an easy answer: we love and follow Jesus because the love of God has been a constant in our lives and we want to respond to that love. For others, we are thankful for how God is with us now and how we are promised eternal life with God when our earthly life is over. The promise that something better waits for us is a powerful draw.
The decision to follow Jesus is grounded in how we are loved and saved. Yet the love of God that Jesus shows us and the atoning work of Christ on the cross is part of something more. In the promise of eternity there is also a promise of a new life in a community of faith begun now. This is the good news: that where we are right now is not where we need to stay. The love that God has for us is not a love that is passive. It is a love that woos us, that promises us a life that is vibrant and vital, and gives us example after example of the truth of this promise if we will have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.
We all have met Jesus in slightly different places and our reasons that we said yes to Jesus vary. For some, it is knowing that we are loved not just with words or gifts, but with sacrificial action. For others, it was the promise of being reunited with loved ones. For still others, we want to be all in as we participate in the ministry of Jesus that rejects the evil powers of this world and resists injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. Some of us find our spiritual fulfillment in serving others and in following Christ to serve others. The amazing thing is that Jesus is calling all of us and wherever we meet him, we are offered an extraordinary life that doesn’t just promise abundance and wonder for us, but for those around us too.
As we learn more about our life together filled with prayer, worship, Bible study, fellowship, the use of our spiritual gifts for the good of all, generosity, service, gratitude, and witnessing to Christ in word and deed, we will become stronger, not only as individuals, but also as a community of faith. WE are a body and we are not alone. We experience this in myriad of ways. Our worship time together is filled with different kinds of music that both remembers the past and looks to the future. It is both filled with liturgy that reminds us of who we have been as the body of Christ together over the millennia and also adds new elements because we are a church on the move. All of this is part of who we are so that we can better grow closer to God separately and together.
Because not just Jesus, but the body of Christ that meets us where we are. We are met by the body and live in the body as we serve one another bringing meals, praying, sending cards, calling, visiting, or helping with yardwork or moving. We are the body of Christ meeting others as we go into the community sharing food, offering donations, or helping to stock shelves. And because as the body of Christ we
seek to meet the needs of people where they are, we gather supplies for Cuba, share beads and craft supplies with our little brothers and sisters in Christ in Argentina, and do much more. In order to meet people where they are, we as the body of Christ are both asked to be generous and receive generously the love and support of those around us. We are told stories of wonder, cared for by strangers, and give thanks for all that God has done.
This is who we are in the body of Christ. And when we participate with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness, not only are we changed, but the world is transformed. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of something so miraculous?
With love in Christ,
Pastor Missy
I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly. -John 10:10b
In mid September, we began a new sermon series loosely based on the Bible study A Disciple’s Path by Jim Harnish and Justin LaRosa.
The study takes us through the membership vows of the United Methodist Church. It looks closely at what it means to promise to participate in the life of the church through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Yet, before we can dive into the particular
ways that we can grow closer in our relationship with God in Christ and serve God and one another more fully after the example of Christ, we need to spend a bit of time thinking about why it is we follow Christ at all.
For some of us, this is an easy answer: we love and follow Jesus because the love of God has been a constant in our lives and we want to respond to that love. For others, we are thankful for how God is with us now and how we are promised eternal life with God when our earthly life is over. The promise that something better waits for us is a powerful draw.
The decision to follow Jesus is grounded in how we are loved and saved. Yet the love of God that Jesus shows us and the atoning work of Christ on the cross is part of something more. In the promise of eternity there is also a promise of a new life in a community of faith begun now. This is the good news: that where we are right now is not where we need to stay. The love that God has for us is not a love that is passive. It is a love that woos us, that promises us a life that is vibrant and vital, and gives us example after example of the truth of this promise if we will have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.
We all have met Jesus in slightly different places and our reasons that we said yes to Jesus vary. For some, it is knowing that we are loved not just with words or gifts, but with sacrificial action. For others, it was the promise of being reunited with loved ones. For still others, we want to be all in as we participate in the ministry of Jesus that rejects the evil powers of this world and resists injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. Some of us find our spiritual fulfillment in serving others and in following Christ to serve others. The amazing thing is that Jesus is calling all of us and wherever we meet him, we are offered an extraordinary life that doesn’t just promise abundance and wonder for us, but for those around us too.
As we learn more about our life together filled with prayer, worship, Bible study, fellowship, the use of our spiritual gifts for the good of all, generosity, service, gratitude, and witnessing to Christ in word and deed, we will become stronger, not only as individuals, but also as a community of faith. WE are a body and we are not alone. We experience this in myriad of ways. Our worship time together is filled with different kinds of music that both remembers the past and looks to the future. It is both filled with liturgy that reminds us of who we have been as the body of Christ together over the millennia and also adds new elements because we are a church on the move. All of this is part of who we are so that we can better grow closer to God separately and together.
Because not just Jesus, but the body of Christ that meets us where we are. We are met by the body and live in the body as we serve one another bringing meals, praying, sending cards, calling, visiting, or helping with yardwork or moving. We are the body of Christ meeting others as we go into the community sharing food, offering donations, or helping to stock shelves. And because as the body of Christ we
seek to meet the needs of people where they are, we gather supplies for Cuba, share beads and craft supplies with our little brothers and sisters in Christ in Argentina, and do much more. In order to meet people where they are, we as the body of Christ are both asked to be generous and receive generously the love and support of those around us. We are told stories of wonder, cared for by strangers, and give thanks for all that God has done.
This is who we are in the body of Christ. And when we participate with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness, not only are we changed, but the world is transformed. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of something so miraculous?
With love in Christ,
Pastor Missy
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Worship on Sundays at 10:30AM both at the sanctuary and streamed online on our Facebook page.
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