FUMC Phoenixville

The United Methodist daily devotional The Upper Room is now available as a downloadable app for your Apple or Android electronic. 

The Gift of LOVE

LOVE, a powerful word that is often watered down in our culture today!  “I love your Uggs.”, “I love my new IPod.”, and “I love your hair.”  This doesn’t sound much like the same LOVE Jesus taught, and I couldn’t find “Uggs” anywhere in my bible.  Jesus gave us the gift of LOVE and we should probably be sharing it, too!

It gets me thinking about Tim Tebow.  He’s been in the news a lot lately, if you haven’t heard!  He openly expresses his love and faith in Jesus Christ.  For a short introduction, Tim Tebow is a Denver Bronco who once wore the verse John 3:16 in black under his eyes during football season.  He prays openly by bowing on one knee quite often during football games.  He’s created quite a stir.

For me, it’s refreshing to see Tebow’s face, his expression of faith and his actions plastered all over the media.  He’s professing and  exclaiming  his love and faith for the Lord our God, as we are told to do in the bible.   This type of expression is hard to do in our society, I know that.  So we must do it in more subtle ways.  Looks like this LOVE journey has just taken me down a new path.   So, I looked up LOVE in the back of my student bible, wow, there are many verses and stories that teach us about the word LOVE.   I came upon the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. “  These character traits were given to us as gifts from Jesus Christ himself!  Yes, Jesus gave us nine gifts and one of them is LOVE. 

So, maybe we can’t all be “Tebowing” but, can we show our love for Jesus Christ in subtle ways?  Yes, we can.  It’s our gift to be given away.  Treat others as you would want to be treated, do not judge others, talk to the person next to you, you know, the one person you often try to avoid, stop and listen to appreciate nature, accept people for who they are, just to name a few.  Did you know that Jesus loves everyone, everyone!  Not just you, not just the pretty popular girl, not just the perfect athlete, EVERYONE.  Try doing the same; see how your LOVE spreads.  Before you know it, others have caught on to LOVE and you taught them how to give it away!  Not so subtle anymore is it?

So I have given myself the challenge, to give some of my LOVE away, maybe you can try to do the same.  Imagine, if we all challenged ourselves to share LOVE at least once every day, watch your LOVE spread and you’ll be exclaiming your LOVE for Jesus, too!

And, by the way, there’s so much to learn about the other eight gifts of the Spirit….

~Cheryl

Join the Staff-Parish Committee in recognizing Pastor Dick Howarth on Sunday, February 26^th at a potluck luncheon following the 10:45 a.m. service.  The committee will provide the main course, beverage and dessert.  We are asking you to bring a hot or cold side, enough to feed 6-8.  Sign-ups will begin on Sunday, February 5^th, after both services.  Mark your calendars now!

Join us on Sunday, February 12th, at 3:00 p.m. (NOTE TIME CHANGE), when David Bryant and soprano Teresa Nevola-Moyer present a recital for Valentine's Day called "Confessions of the Soul," featuring light classical favorites and jazz.  Sweet confections will accompany the music.  A freewill offering will be received, with proceeds for a mission project.

During Lent we often talk about giving up something as a sign of our solidarity with the sufferings of Christ and the needs of the world.  This Lent at FUMC we will learn how giving to others, rather than giving up something, can transform our lives.  We will use as a resource the book Giving—The Sacred Art: Creating a Lifestyle of Generosity by Lauren T. Wright.  Giving, Wright says, is profoundly transformative because it requires two people, a giver and a receiver, both of whom are affected by the act of giving. When you give, it connects you with something outside yourself and helps you to do good in the world.  Generosity, Wright says, can give you joy, it can remind you of the purpose of life, it can give you a greater connection with the vast expanse of humanity, and it can give you the power to change the world. Our giving can create a ripple effect as it is passed on to other people, other families, other communities, countries and generations.    

 Wright examines six different ways of experiencing giving, including dozens of suggestions for practicing each of these ways of giving: 

1.  Giving can be an act of worship, offering you the chance to live out your gratitude for the gift of life.
2.  Giving can be an act of stewardship, a way of caring for the possessions with which you have been entrusted.
3. Giving can be an act of obligation, shaping the givers’ identity in life-giving ways.
4. Giving can be an act of redemption, moving money and possessions from profane to sacred objects.
5. Giving can be an act of charity which transforms your point of view and makes it possible for you to encounter the Sacred. 
6. Giving can be an act of justice, offering you the chance to tap into the work of God in this world. 

   May Lent be for you a time of learning the many blessings of giving. 

                                                                                                                                                                                  Lenten Blessings,

                                                                                                                                                                                  Pastor Amy