Scripture Lesson, Week of March 15
Psalm 27:1-4
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and take your mat and walk”?
Lent, the period of 40 days before Easter (excluding Sundays), begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Saturday, the evening before Easter.
During Lent, we enter into a season of preparation, self-reflection and repentance when we seek to literally “turn around” and realign our lives and focus toward God. It is a time to give up things as well as take on new life-giving practices, helping us rid ourselves of distractions and our own selfish desires. By doing so, we seek to live and love as more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
ROCK is an incredibly powerful and fun- filled weekend in Ocean City, MD. It allows youth and adults to take a step back from their crazy lives and learn about the amazing love of Jesus Christ. It is an awesome experience for folks to connect with God and their friends while listening to great bands and speakers. Participants leave ROCK renewed and ready to spread the word about God’s great love for us! This year's theme was KFC: Kindness. Forgiveness. Compassion. We checked in with a few ROCK participants from Gethsemane UMC to learn more about their experience.
#ROCK2015 #BWCUMC #GethsemaneUMC
Scripture Lesson Week of February 15, 2015
Mark 2: 1-5, 9-12
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.
9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
