FUMC Groves

Sunday, June 7, Bulletin

FUMC GROVES' SNACK FOR THOUGHT...

[Jesus said] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

These are some of Jesus’ final words to his disciples. They are clear, direct and full of purpose. But right in the center of this command is something easy to overlook: “in the name”—singular— “of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” One name, yet three persons. Here, Jesus reveals the mystery at the heart of our faith: the triune God.

This isn’t just a statement about who God is. It’s a promise about what God does.

To be baptized “into the name” means more than having water applied with certain words. It means being brought into a relationship with the triune God himself. In baptism, the Father places his name on you and claims you as his child. The Son covers you with his saving work, washing away your sins through his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit creates faith in your heart and begins a new life in you.

This is not symbolic or hypothetical. It is real. God is acting.

That matters because so often we look for assurance in the wrong places. We wonder if our faith is strong enough, if we’ve done enough, if we truly belong to God. But Jesus points us to something solid and outside of ourselves: baptism. There, the triune God made a commitment to you.

When doubts come, you don’t have to search your feelings for proof. You can return to this simple truth: “I am baptized.”

So go into your life with confidence. You carry that name with you. You belong to the triune God, the only true God and he will not let you go.

FUMC GROVES' SNACK FOR THOUGHT...

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14

These words in today’s Bible reading often come at the end of a worship service, a quiet blessing spoken as people prepare to go their separate ways. But this is more than a polite closing. It is a powerful reminder of who God is and how he comes to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Notice how each person of the Trinity is described. The Lord Jesus Christ brings grace. That’s not just a nice idea; it’s the undeserved love he showed by giving his life for sinners. His grace means your sins are forgiven, not because you earned it or improved yourself, but because he took your place. In Jesus, grace is not abstract. It is personal, costly and complete.

Then there is the love of God the Father, which is the source of it all. Before you ever knew him, before you ever sought him, he loved you. He planned your salvation, sent his Son and continues to care for you as his own child. His love is not fickle or uncertain. It is steady, faithful and eternal.

And these blessings become yours through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings you into a relationship with God. He works through the Word to create faith, to strengthen it and to keep you connected to your Savior. You are not left to figure out your faith on your own. The Spirit is actively at work, drawing you closer to Christ and to one another.

This blessing shows you that the triune God is not distant. He is involved. The Father loves you. The Son saves you. The Spirit stays with you.

So, these words are not just for the end of a worship service. They are for the beginning of everything that follows. As you go into your week, into your responsibilities, your struggles and your joys, this blessing goes with you.

The grace, the love and the fellowship of the triune God are not temporary. They are yours, today and always.

FUMC GROVES' SNACK FOR THOUGHT...

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27

It’s a small detail, but it makes you stop and think: “Let us make… in our image.” From the very beginning, God speaks of himself in the plural. This is not confusion or contradiction. It is a quiet glimpse into the mystery Christians later confess in more detail. The one true God is triune: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here, already in creation, the triune God is at work together.

And what is the result of this divine counsel? Humanity. You were not an after-thought or an accident. You were created intentionally, personally and wonderfully. The triune God crafted human beings in his own image, capable of knowing him, reflecting his holiness and living in perfect relationship with him and with one another.

But when we look at ourselves and our world, something feels off. The image is cracked and distorted. Sin has broken what God made perfect. Instead of reflecting God’s holiness, we often reflect selfishness, pride and fear. Instead of living in harmony, we experience division and pain.

Yet the triune God did not abandon what he made.

The Father sent his Son into the world. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, is called “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Where we have failed to reflect God, he does so perfectly. He lives the life we could not live and dies the death we deserved, restoring what was broken.

And the Holy Spirit continues God’s creative work even now. Through the gospel, he renews hearts and reshapes lives, restoring the image of God within us. What was shattered is being made whole again.

So, when you hear God say, “Let us make,” remember that this same triune God is still speaking and still working. You are not forgotten or without purpose. You were created by God, redeemed by God and are being renewed by God.

FUMC GROVES' SNACK FOR THOUGHT...

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3

Before anything existed, God was already there. He did not emerge from the darkness. He spoke into it. With nothing but his powerful word, he brought everything into being. These opening words of the Bible remind us that creation is not random or accidental. It is intentional, ordered and purposeful because it comes from God himself.

And already here, at the very beginning, we see the mystery and beauty of the Trinity. The Father is the Creator, the one who wills and designs. The Spirit of God is hovering over the waters, present and active, sustaining and preparing. And the Son is the One through whom all things are made. Father, Son and Holy Spirit together bring light into darkness.

That matters more than it might seem at first. The same triune God who created light out of darkness is the one who speaks into the darkness of our lives. There are times when life feels formless and empty, when sin, guilt or uncertainty leave us without direction or hope. Left to ourselves, we cannot create light. We cannot fix what is broken.

But God still speaks.

Just as surely as he said, “Let there be light,” he has spoken again to us in his Word. In Jesus, the living Word, God steps into our darkness. He brings forgiveness where there is guilt, life where there is death and clarity where there is confusion. The Spirit continues to hover, working through the Word to create faith in hearts that were once empty.

So, when your world feels chaotic or empty, remember where everything began. Not with darkness, but with God. And where God speaks, light always follows.

Trinity Sunday, May 31, Bulletin

June issue of The Messenger

FUMC GROVES' SNACK FOR THOUGHT...

Jesus stood and said in a loud voice… John 7:37

How often do you picture Jesus speaking in a loud voice? Over the years, countless artists have depicted Jesus with his gentleness in mind. Over the years, composers of hymns have depicted Jesus with his quiet humility in mind. Over the years, illustrators of children’s Bible story books have depicted Jesus with tenderness in mind—and for good reason. After all, when our Savior walked on this earth, he possessed all of these qualities, and he possessed them perfectly.

Nevertheless, a steady stream of these depictions in art, music and children’s illustrations may lead us to a misleading presumption. A benign, harmless picture of Jesus from my childhood may give my adult self the idea that Jesus sits quietly in a distant corner of my world, hands folded, mild smile on his face, ready to offer a hand when asked, but determined not to be a bother.

Such an idea about Jesus might be convenient, especially when my old, sinful self does not want him getting in my way. But such an idea is wrong.

The apostle John records that, when needed, Jesus did not hesitate to speak in a loud voice. He was determined to command people’s attention. He was determined that people fix their eyes on him. He was determined that people hear him.

This reminds us about something in connection with the Word of God. God’s Word is not simply information. In God’s Word, there is power. And the Holy Spirit uses that power to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, to melt hearts of spiritual stone—and to open ears that are spiritually deaf.

Never forget that, through his Word, Jesus Christ is speaking to you. He is speaking to you with patience. He is speaking to you with persistence. But he is also speaking to you with urgency. And, when needed, he will not hesitate to speak to you in a loud voice. He is determined to command your attention. He is determined that you fix your eyes on him. He is determined that you hear him.

After all, he died to wash you clean. And now he lives for you. He loves you that much.