Tuesday, October 31, 2017

TIM - LOVE OUR ENEMIES
 Good morning, I’m Tim Wise, Sanctuary Choir Director at Central. Leviticus 19:18 says to love your neighbor. Easy, right? Well who is your neighbor? In the Old Testament times, this meant loving a fellow Jew. Not always easy, but still important. Well Jesus turns this command into one even more difficult. He says don’t just love your neighbors, but love your enemies too. WOAH JESUS! Sit back down a second…you’re telling me to love someone I consider my enemy. I don’t even like them! How can I love them??? Loving our enemies means loving someone who doesn’t look like us, act like us, or speak like us. Heck they don’t even like us OR love us! That doesn’t matter. Jesus’ command is plain and simple. Love those who are against us even when it is difficult . I know what you’re thinking… “If only you knew this person…if only you felt the pain they cause.” It doesn’t matter. We have to look at that person through God’s eyes. Perhaps we should also remember how Jesus looked at us even when we turn against Him.

Monday, October 30, 2017

BENJI One of the most prolific images of this autumn season is the pumpkin. It’s everywhere, in centerpieces, family pictures in pumpkin patches, pumpkin spice EVERYTHING. But my favorite is the Jack O’ Lantern, and it’s not just the fun our family has making them. It’s a lesson about myself that I see in the whole process. It starts with a lowly pumpkin sitting in a patch, waiting to fulfill its purpose. Will it be on a table, in a pie, in a latte? Then one day it’s chosen, it is given a purpose. To be put out on a porch for the world to see. Just like us in a way. God finds us and gives us a purpose. God steps in and removes all the smelly goop inside us, our sins, places a light within us, the Holy Spirit, and removes unneeded parts of us so that light may shine for all to see. Thanks to Jesus’ death on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins, as 1 Cor 5:17 says, we are a new creation, just like that humble Jack o lantern. Be safe, and God’s peace be with you.

Friday, October 27, 2017

SABRINA This Sunday evening from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m., Central will once again host a much-loved fellowship time within our community of faith with Trunk or Treat - taking place on 10th Street between 22nd and 23rd Avenues in downtown Meridian. Our church family and friends decorate their cars and trunks, offering games and candy at each venue. Family friendly costumes, face painting, music, hamburgers, hotdogs, cotton candy, laser tag, jumpies – all the makings of a small town street carnival will fill the air in downtown Meridian. We do this as a time of both fellowship and as an extension of God’s love within our community. At Central, we value family - whether you are a family of one or ten, we extend an invitation to you for both Trunk or Treat or to worship with us on any given Sunday. For more information about Central or about this Sunday’s event, you can visit our website at www.cumcmdn.org! We hope to see you Sunday!

Thursday, October 26, 2017

GLENDA
Good Morning! I've told this story before, but it is so special to me that I wanted to tell it again. A few years ago, our three-year classes at the Children's Center had quite an adventure. They were riding the elevator to the third floor when all of a sudden, the elevator stopped and they were stuck between floors. Mr. John was called to the rescue. As he worked on the elevator from the outside, the children inside were being reminded by their teachers who they were supposed to call on when they needed help. Gracie folded her hands, and said, “God help us, Amen”. At that moment, the elevators doors opened, and Mr. John looked down on them. One of the teachers laughingly said, “We didn't know that God looked like Mr. John.” What a wonderful way to teach our children that God looks exactly like Mr. John. Anytime we do something to help others, anytime we are kind to others, anytime we reach out to others, God is using us and showing himself through us. Remember that and have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

BOB Good morning! This is Bob Peden of Central, a United Methodist Community here in Meridian. Jesus said to His disciples, Ait is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" Jesus is emphatic: it is extremely difficult for the rich to embrace the radical call of discipleship in the Kingdom of God. But, salvation does not depend upon our ability, but God's generous grace. From our vantage point, it is impossible. The key point for us, however, is to be reminded about the dangers of wealth and possessions. They can become our God, our stumbling block, our choking point, our diversion, and our downfall if they become the thing we will not give up to follow Jesus. With God, all things are possible, even giving up that which keeps us from passing through the eye of a needle.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

BENJI Psalm 46:10: Be still, and know that I am God. I don’t think this passage is saying that movement is a bad thing. Exercise, dancing, progress, these are all good things. What I do think we should consider regarding this is the busy-ness of business, the physical and mental movement required to fulfill every obligation, stay to every itinerary, maintain every responsibility, make every appointment, reach goals, seize hopes, and the list goes on. This can be exhausting, paralyzing even! In this passage, God is calling us to take purposeful time to stop. To still our bodies from toil, quiet our busy hearts and minds, and remember that God is in control. It may seem difficult to stop, you might think that things will fall apart, but it is necessary or else we run the risk of falling apart ourselves and burning out. Find a day of rest each week to take care of yourself, to spend with your family, and to connect fully and intentionally with God who grants us peace.

Monday, October 23, 2017

DENNIS
 Good morning everyone. I am Dennis Gossett with Central United Methodist Church. I often wonder why some people who are caught doing wrong get so upset when they are punished for it. It is only logical that there must be something in place to hold people accountable for their actions. Have you thought about the reason why people do bad things? Well, Jesus taught that the reason was the sin. Our bad actions don’t just begin with the bad things we do. It started way before that. The Bible says that bad things start in the heart. No one can decide not to sin anymore. It just isn’t that simple. Whether it is in our actions or in our hearts, we are constantly living a life of rebellion. The faster we come to terms with the enormity of our condition, the faster we can understand our need for God’s grace. See, God’s grace is unconditional regardless of your past. He loves us as we are. It also transforms what we do and what we think about doing. God doesn’t want to leave us in the same sinful state. Even now, grace is calling you to God and inviting you into a much deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Will you accept this grace?