Verona United Methodist Church

April 29, 2018 THE HOLY SPIRIT……Now what?

The first step

.... is in many ways the most difficult. Leaving behind a life-time of prejudices and traditions and routines. That's what Peter was asking of the crowd gathered on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Repent and turn away from your sins. Be baptized into the name of the one who just weeks before you crucified. Receive His Holy Spirit.

The steps to salvation were difficult but clear. And after several thousand in the crowd took the first steps of faith in Jesus Christ, the next question was natural:

"Now what?"

It's an important question to ask, not just at the beginning of a faith journey but at the start of every day in that journey. Now what, Lord? Yesterday is gone. Today is here. Tomorrow awaits. What would you have me do now?

John Wesley had a prayer that helps clarify that question. It is a prayer for the start of the journey with Christ - and every day thereafter:

I am no longer my own, but yours.

Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;

put me to doing, put me to suffering;

let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,

exalted for you, or brought low for you;

let me be full,

let me be empty,

let me have all things,

let me have nothing:

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things

to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

you are mine and I am yours. So be it.

And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

                                                                             Pastor Bob

Acts 2:37-47

April 15, 2018 Holy Spirit…. Here & Now!

This Sunday we'll move deeper into the book of Acts and I hope you'll take time to read the second chapter of Acts in preparation. I was encouraged after receiving an email on Monday from one of our members sharing that she was reading through the entire book of Acts this week! Join her and get acquainted with the faith and inspiring sacrifices that built the early church from a handful of followers into a massive army of missionaries for Christ!

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When was the last time you remember being touched by the Holy Spirit? Not by a mere emotion. Not by a wayward thought. But by the very Holy Spirit of the living God? An unmistakable movement of God in your soul that brings conviction or comfort or a gift of the Spirit that begins to take root in your life? When was the last time?

Many Christians have never moved beyond the porch of their initial faith and into the house of growth in Christ. There is so much more promised by God and knowing those promises and their source can be the beginning of a walk with Jesus Christ that goes far beyond your hopes and dreams.

Some questions I'll address in this Sunday's message include:  If the Holy Spirit is a Comforter, why are so many people "dis-comforted" by the worship of churches that emphasize the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" and its manifestations such as speaking in tongues? If the Holy Spirit is a Teacher and Guide, why does the worship of some "Spirit-filled" Christians seem so frenetic and out of control? Is it possible to "live in the Spirit of God" and still retain the essential personality God endowed you with at birth?

I hope you'll join us on Sunday morning as we continue our journey through God's Word in Acts.

                                                Grace and Peace,

                                                          Pastor Bob

Acts 2:1-13

April 1, 2018 Easter Sunday - Jesus is Alive

There's tremendous irony in the coming of Easter on April Fools Day.

      Here's why: After Jesus' death, his followers scattered and shrank away into the dark shadows of Jerusalem. Only a few women had the courage to approach his tomb, not to see if he had risen but to anoint his body. In everyone's eyes, Rome, as always, had triumphed and the religious authorities had rid themselves of one more false messiah.

      Jesus was dead. Period. That was the universal perception of what had happened. So much so that when the women ran to tell Peter and the disciples that Jesus was alive, the disciples thought they were hysterical; spreading an idle tale. They rebuked the women using the Greek word for nonsense. You might say their response was "This is an April Fools joke, right?"

      Despite six predictions in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus would rise from the dead, it seems that not a single disciple - including the women who were initially shocked and disbelieving at the sight of the empty tomb - believed that Jesus would actually rise from the grave. It was the greatest April Fool's prank of all time and it fooled everyone. No one thought it could be true. Yet it was. Eventually the Apostle Paul reports that there were 500 witnesses to the resurrected Christ and the foolishness of the cross and resurrection became the centerpiece of his preaching.

      Happy April Fool's Day and Happy Easter! May we all believe in the foolishness of the world's wisdom, and in the wisdom of Christ's foolishness.

                                                       In Christ's Grace and Peace,

                                                                               Pastor Bob

I Cor. 15:1-11; 1:18-25

March 18, 2018 The Joy of Your Salvation

"Create in me a clean heart, O God."  

Everyone knows the 23rd Psalm, many by heart. Yet it is the 51st Psalm that I believe best translates our common journey as human beings from sin, to redemption, to restoration and joy-filled salvation..

I'm excited to share this psalm of David this Sunday, to explore the path we must all travel back to God.

Plan now to participate in a week of prayer and praise during Holy Week, March 25-30. Look for announcements below with information on our Holy Thursday and Good Friday services.

THE SEASON OF LENT

Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins this year on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 14th) and ends on Holy Saturday (March 31st). Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.

Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others.

Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter" and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection. (from umc.org)

In Christ's Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bob

Psalm 51:1-12