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Rev. Missy Turbeville *From the March 2026 FUMC of Bartow Newsletter
...Not my will, but Yours be done. -Luke 22: 42
Does it sometimes feel like there’s simply A LOT going on? Some of it’s wonderful, exciting, and great and some of it just ...isn’t. It must have been exciting to be around Jesus and his ministry. It must have been wonderful to hear such wisdom and to observe miracles, what John’s gospel calls “signs” of the Kingdom of God. How exhilarating to experience people healed, the hungry fed, the broken welcomed. It also might have been occasionally exhausting. In fact, we know that it was, and that even Jesus stepped away sometimes to go and pray.
On the last night of his life, after washing his disciples’ feet and eating a final meal with them, he went to a garden to pray. There was a lot going on. Much of it had been fantastic and gorgeous: Being welcomed into Jerusalem with “Hosannas;” people coming to ask questions, listen, and be healed; and spending Passover with his friends. There was also something dark happening: scheming, greed, and betrayal. Jesus knew all this. He knew what many of us have come to understand: that in order to reach new life in some way we will have to walk through the valley of the shadow.
In this season of self-reflection, as we prepare to celebrate Resurrection, we as a church are being given an opportunity to pray and reflect on who we are in Christ and how we can move forward in new life. We are entering a new chapter in the story of our church family. We are once again expanding staff in the areas of children and youth, but we are doing it in a slightly different way to better support those who have a passion and spiritual gift for working with children, youth, and their families. We continue to seek ways to be better neighbors in our community, including reaching out with love and compassion to the students, families, and staff in our school. We are having discussions and seeking to share ministry with our brothers and sisters at Asbury UMC to discern whether we want to merge our two congregations.
With each new page written in our story, we do not turn the page and forget what has gone before. We learn from experiences, retrenching in some cases and going from strength to strength in others. Much in our church life is exciting and includes wonderful opportunities to witness to the good news of Christ. As we do this, we want to add to our story of living empowered by the Holy Spirit and doing God‘s will in the world. In order to do that we have to start where Jesus started: with prayer.
May our prayers include our hopes and dreams for our ourselves, our families, our friends, and the body of Christ in Bartow and beyond. May our prayers include a confession of the things we have left undone or done contrary to God‘s will. May our prayers be for newness of life and healing of mind, body, and spirit for ourselves and everyone… so that the A LOT of life will not overwhelm the abundant life we have in Christ.
Whether we are in the valley of the shadow or on a mountain top, may our prayer be for our story to be one that reflects Christ on
every page.
As we walk through Holy Week and experience the victory of Palm Sunday followed by the devastation of Good Friday, it is important to pause and remember that we are not alone on the journey. We follow Jesus, Emmanuel who is God with us. We are on a path with Jesus that leads to the grace of Easter morning. And even in the time of A LOT, may our prayers echo Jesus in the garden for God’s will to be done. May our story be one of joyful obedience, empowered by the Spirit for abundant life together living out Jesus’ heart to the world.
With love in Christ,
Pastor Missy
...Not my will, but Yours be done. -Luke 22: 42
Does it sometimes feel like there’s simply A LOT going on? Some of it’s wonderful, exciting, and great and some of it just ...isn’t. It must have been exciting to be around Jesus and his ministry. It must have been wonderful to hear such wisdom and to observe miracles, what John’s gospel calls “signs” of the Kingdom of God. How exhilarating to experience people healed, the hungry fed, the broken welcomed. It also might have been occasionally exhausting. In fact, we know that it was, and that even Jesus stepped away sometimes to go and pray.
On the last night of his life, after washing his disciples’ feet and eating a final meal with them, he went to a garden to pray. There was a lot going on. Much of it had been fantastic and gorgeous: Being welcomed into Jerusalem with “Hosannas;” people coming to ask questions, listen, and be healed; and spending Passover with his friends. There was also something dark happening: scheming, greed, and betrayal. Jesus knew all this. He knew what many of us have come to understand: that in order to reach new life in some way we will have to walk through the valley of the shadow.
In this season of self-reflection, as we prepare to celebrate Resurrection, we as a church are being given an opportunity to pray and reflect on who we are in Christ and how we can move forward in new life. We are entering a new chapter in the story of our church family. We are once again expanding staff in the areas of children and youth, but we are doing it in a slightly different way to better support those who have a passion and spiritual gift for working with children, youth, and their families. We continue to seek ways to be better neighbors in our community, including reaching out with love and compassion to the students, families, and staff in our school. We are having discussions and seeking to share ministry with our brothers and sisters at Asbury UMC to discern whether we want to merge our two congregations.
With each new page written in our story, we do not turn the page and forget what has gone before. We learn from experiences, retrenching in some cases and going from strength to strength in others. Much in our church life is exciting and includes wonderful opportunities to witness to the good news of Christ. As we do this, we want to add to our story of living empowered by the Holy Spirit and doing God‘s will in the world. In order to do that we have to start where Jesus started: with prayer.
May our prayers include our hopes and dreams for our ourselves, our families, our friends, and the body of Christ in Bartow and beyond. May our prayers include a confession of the things we have left undone or done contrary to God‘s will. May our prayers be for newness of life and healing of mind, body, and spirit for ourselves and everyone… so that the A LOT of life will not overwhelm the abundant life we have in Christ.
Whether we are in the valley of the shadow or on a mountain top, may our prayer be for our story to be one that reflects Christ on
every page.
As we walk through Holy Week and experience the victory of Palm Sunday followed by the devastation of Good Friday, it is important to pause and remember that we are not alone on the journey. We follow Jesus, Emmanuel who is God with us. We are on a path with Jesus that leads to the grace of Easter morning. And even in the time of A LOT, may our prayers echo Jesus in the garden for God’s will to be done. May our story be one of joyful obedience, empowered by the Spirit for abundant life together living out Jesus’ heart to the world.
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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