March 9, 2025 (1st Sunday in Lent)

Quick reminder: 

TODAY 9AM – doughnuts in the gathering room by Sanctuary (main bldg. Room 214)

10:00 AM – ONE SERVICE of WORSHIP  Hope to see you!  All are welcome.

This is DAY 5 of our Lenten season. If you’ve added or given up something for Lent, that change hasn’t been going on long enough to become part of your muscle memory yet, so stick with it! It is often said you must do (or not do) a thing for a series of days before it becomes a habit.  Our verses for today’s sermons involve trust and faith. These two things can prove seriously challenging for us. 

Our Old Testament reading is Deuteronomy 26:1-11.  It asks the question: Do you trust that God provides for you?  If so, then giving your first fruits to Him is just giving him back what was already His in the first place! Doing so shows gratitude and, more importantly, the acknowledgment that all we have is from God and God alone. Nothing we do or have can create any substitute for what God has already given us. Everything comes from Him.

Our New Testament reading is from Paul’s letter to the Roman church –Romans 10:8b-13.  There, Paul reminds the Romans that you can have faith in your heart but we must also declare with our words. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord – Jew or Gentile – will be saved with a heart of faith and a declaration from the lips.  Do you have faith that He is good, loves you, and is always with you?  Do you have faith that His grace led Jesus to die on the cross for your sins?

This requirement of faith was made plain to me at the funeral of a 19-year-old friend in college where I heard the pastor say, “Just because you profess, doesn’t mean you possess.” He placed heavy emphasis on the words “PRO-fess” and “PO-ssess” as he reminded us that speaking faith and truly having it were two very different things. When you have them both, you’ve hit the jackpot. 

Our prayer for you this week is to find ways to provide God’s first fruits back to Him and that you find ways to feel and show your faith. Easter is coming!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the blessings you give to us. Help us to remember that all we have comes to us through your giving spirit.  Work in our hearts so that we honor you in all we do with those gifts we’ve received. Inspire us to acknowledge our spiritual gifts, softening our spirits so that we consider others before ourselves, becoming cheerful givers –  not just of our gifts to the church for kingdom work but also giving of ourselves to our church family and our community.  Amen.

– Elizabeth Bowman & Sarah Lauren Kattos