 Friends of WPUMC: This is Holy Week – the days between Palm/Passion Sunday and Easter. Each day, we will send a scripture, image, devotional reading, prayer and Taize song to help you observe Jesus’ journey this week. At the bottom of the email will be a few pertinent announcements. Grace and peace to you as we walk this valley together. Scripture: Matthew 4: 1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.as Pastor's MessageAs I contemplate on this picture of Jesus in the wilderness, I cannot imagine the disappointment, grief and struggle he felt in those days in the wilderness. It couldn’t have been easy – cut off from everyone he knew. It couldn’t have been comfortable—away from sources of food and sustenance. It couldn’t have been pleasant – forty days, disconnected from everything but his own thoughts. FORTY DAYS!! Usually, I skim by that detail without truly appreciating the length. Now, in the second week of “sheltering in place”, maybe I understand differently how the minutes and hours must’ve stretched to seeming eternity for him. Yesterday, I was talking to my mother on the phone about how long this isolation might last. For a moment, as we talked about projected peaking of the virus, and when things might start to get back to normal, I had a moment of panic. But my mother, in her mom-way, said, “Well, we can’t dwell on the future, because we don’t know what’s going to happen. We need to just take the now, and live it.” Peace to you, this Monday of Holy Week, as we know that this week ahead will be dark, and we journey with Christ into valley of shadows. And all we can do is take the “now”, and live it. --Rev. Sandi Prayer God of strength and mercy, by the suffering and death of your Son, free us from slavery to sin and death and protect us in all our weakness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Quick links to online church actvities
Ladies Bible Study A new Ladies Bible Study series starts on Thursday April 16th from 9 - 11am via Zoom web meeting. Current circumstances mean that more ladies may be able to join us and we’d like to welcome you. We’ll be taking a look at the ‘I am’ sayings of Christ from the Book of John. No book purchase necessary. Please reply to alisongibsonus@comcast.net or shericsalis@gmail.com in order to receive information and the Zoom invitation each week. Comments are closed.
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