Rev. Missy Turbeville *Excerpt from November 2024 FUMC Newsletter
“We love because God first loved us.”
-1 John 4: 19 CEB
November is a month of gifts. As the church, we begin the month with a celebration and remembrance of the Saints in our lives. We thank God for those who have walked with us and helped strengthen us in the past and present. In most parts of our country, we also begin the month with the gift of time. We get to fall back in early November and wake to a Sunday morning with a brightness that had been missing.
As a country, November brings us a reminder and an opportunity for adults to exercise the gift and responsibility that comes with voting. As contentious as this time has been recently, the gift and responsibility is still one to be celebrated. As people of faith, we live out who we are in Christ at the ballot box. When Jesus refused to allow Peter to take up a sword to begin an earthly revolution, he was making it clear that God‘s kingdom and kindom is something more than the kingdoms of this earth. But that does not negate our responsibility to be about God‘s work in every aspect of our lives, including living out the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control that are fruit of the spirit and overflow from the lives of those who live in Christ.
In this month of falling leaves, pumpkins, and turkeys, we turn our hearts and minds toward gratitude as we prepare for Thanksgiving. As we thank God for the gifts of people, time, and responsibility within our community and country, we realize how much more we have to be grateful for. As others have invested in us, we are given opportunities to invest in the future. As we are excited about one extra hour, we realize that all our hours and all our time are a gift from God that we can use to gift others. as we vote for others whom we want to be good leaders and help our country and community, we can recognize the gifts we are given to help in our community and beyond.
In a season of gratitude, we have much to be thankful for. And our response to our circumstances indicates much about our relationship with God.
- Do we expect God to answer our every whim so that we can have the good life or do we seek to share our resources because we understand that we are blessed to be a blessing?
- Do we see God as a cosmic vending machine that if we put in the right words or actions we will get particular personal outcomes or do we practice mercy, compassion, and fight injustice because we follow the example of Christ who loves and came for all?
- Is the new life that we live in Christ something that we hold to ourselves and say “mine! mine! mine!” or is it a whole life of mind, body and spirit that is to be celebrated and shared?
- Do we follow our own god of selfish motives and self-indulgence or do we love and celebrate and respond to a God of love who gives us an example of abundant life and sometimes calls for sacrifice and joyful obedience?
- Do we love God and others simply because God first loved us- no strings attached?
November is a month of gifts in a season of harvest. It is a time to celebrate and share. What is the fruit in your life that you are excited to share and bring forth in
Asked with Love and Hope 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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