“So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:9-13
Let’s play a game of word association. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word……Prayer?
It’s a tricky question to answer, isn’t it? Let’s be honest, while prayer is an integral part of our Christian faith, I think we can all agree that prayer is mysterious business. I mean, how exactly does prayer even work? And how should we pray? And what exactly is the purpose or point of prayer? And all of these questions don’t even consider the complexity of our personal relationships with prayer; both in prayers that have been answered and those that went unanswered.
Perhaps it’s for these reasons that we can emphasize with the disciples when they ask Jesus to teach them how to pray because prayer is head-scratching stuff. This is why I’m so appreciative that in His earthly ministry, Jesus took time to teach his disciples the basics about this vital practice that’s foundational to Christian spirituality.
So, what is prayer according to Jesus? And while the above verses don’t answer all of our questions, they do point to a wonderful and profound truth.
Prayer is about bringing our needs before a God whose love and generosity towards us are boundless. Or, to put it in different terms, prayer is about us turning to the God who is already turned towards us.
And it’s for this reason that Jesus invites us to be bold and confident in prayer, not because we’re good or perfect people but because God’s love is! Which is why he encourages us to continue to pour out our hearts to the God who can meet our deepest needs:
Ask, and it will be given
Seek, and you will find
Knock, and the door will be opened
Saints, is there something that’s bothering you today? A nagging concern? A hurting heart? A situation in need of wisdom? Well then, don’t just keep it to yourself. Instead, share it with the God who cares for you more than you could ever know!
Peace,
Pastor Chris
Back to School Drive
Our church is partnering with United Way of Hunterdon Country to gather school supplies for needy students and families. There will be a box in the back of the sanctuary where supplies can be dropped off. If you would like to participate, you can find sheets in the back of the sanctuary that list all of the supplies United Way is looking for. Feel free to email flemingtonumc@yahoo.com for that list as well. The deadline to drop off is Sunday, July 31st.
Pizza & Movie Night
On Sunday, August 7th at 5:30 pm, our church will have a Pizza & Movie night in Fellowship Hall. The movie that we’ll be watching together is “Remember the Titans,” and free pizza will be provided for dinner. Please let Pastor Chris know if you plan on coming so we can purchase enough food. We are looking forward to seeing you all.
Summer Bible Study: The Book of James
Pastor Chris will be leading a bible study on the New Testament book of James during the summer. To accommodate people’s different schedules, the study will meet on Tuesdays at 1 pm in Fellowship Hall. Due to a lack of availability in people’s schedules, we will no longer be having bible studies on Wednesday nights.
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Sitting at the Feet of Jesus