Prayer for the Week (June 8-June 14, 2025)
/in From the Pastor/by Diane PalumboLet us pray that the Father send us the Holy Spirit: God our Father, may the Holy Spirit surprise us with his fire and vigor. May the Holy Spirit renew our days, love, and lives. May the Holy Spirit bring us tenderness and joy as well as openness to one another and the courage to stand up for all that is right and just. May the Holy Spirit unite us and lead us to you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Claretian Publications
Sunday Reflection (June 8, 2025)
/in From the Pastor/by Diane PalumboSunday Reflection upon Pentecost Sunday
Through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, God embraces us and brings us into a new creation, extending sonship and daughtership to us. We are not just servants of God, but God has adopted us as his children, with all the rights and privileges that come with that. This relationship is not a forced one but rather one in which God invites us to participate and draw closer to God and one another. We serve God not out of fear, coercion, or blind obedience but out of the freedom that arises from our love of God, a freedom that empowers us and motivates us to serve with joy.
We serve others not out of guilt or coercion but out of love for them and God. Acts of kindness, charity, and forgiveness display our relationship with God and others. How much more meaningful is life when we serve others out of the freedom that arises from a love of God and others? This freedom, this liberation that comes from our love for God and others, empowers us to serve with joy. A question to reflect upon this week: If you have no love for someone or a group of people, ask yourself why. Then, ask to be led by the Holy Spirit to grow in love of God and others.
Sunday Reflection (June 1, 2025)
/in From the Pastor/by Diane PalumboSunday Reflection upon Acts 1:1-11 & Ephesians 1:20-23
Acts 1:1-11 emphasizes that although Christ ascended, we are not to get all worked up about the exact date of Christ’s second appearance, but instead, focus on what we are to do today as witnesses of God’s love revealed in the crucified Messiah. The confession of Jesus as Lord means that we are to live our lives in a way that reflects Christ’s love and sacrifice and share this love with others. With its transformative power, this love transcends all boundaries and reaches the entire world, inspiring hope and renewal.
In ‘Ascension Extension,’ ‘Ascension’ refers to the ascended Christ, and ‘extension’ to the Church, which is universal and local. We, the Church, are not just a part of, but the very ‘extension’ of the ascended Christ, carrying out his mission and spreading his love: ‘Ascension Extension.’ Christ as Head has the Church as his body. As the earthly body of the heavenly Head, Christ is intimately connected with his Church, local and universal. The overflowing fullness of Christ fills the Church and the world through the Holy Spirit. Our way of life, attitudes, love for one another, and even our love for our enemies all serve as a testament to our connection to Christ and our role as an extension of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer for the Week (June 1-June 7, 2025)
/in From the Pastor/by Diane PalumboLet us pray that the Spirit of the risen Lord guide us: God our Father, our risen Lord Jesus Christ lives now in your presence. When we keep looking for him in the clouds, help us turn to the task he has given us to do here on earth. May we learn to recognize his face in our brothers and sisters. We make this prayer in the name of him whom we await, Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and our Savior. Amen.
Claretian Publications
Prayer for the Week (May 25-June 7, 2025)
/in From the Pastor/by Diane PalumboLet us pray that we practice the faith we profess in our lives: Ever-living God, help us celebrate our joy in the resurrection of the Lord, and express in our lives the love we celebrate. Grant this through our Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Sunday Missals)
Sunday Reflection (May 25, 2025)
/in From the Pastor/by Diane PalumboSunday Reflection upon Psalm 67 / John 14:23-29
Jesus, in his freedom, loved God and kept God’s word. Do we love and keep God’s Word? Last week, I pointed out that the Gospel of John summarizes the Word and command of Jesus thusly, “Love one another just as I have loved you.” May we keep this command in all our circumstances of life. May the Word of God be implanted into our hearts and lives as Psalm 119:11 notes: “Thy word I have hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” The Holy Spirit helps us remember the Word of God, guiding us in our understanding and application of it.
The Holy Spirit reminds us of what is in the Scriptures and the Church tradition about God’s Word, Jesus Christ. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, God dwells within us and among us; the Holy Spirit deepens our understanding of God’s revelation in Jesus of Nazareth. We are not just recipients of God’s love but also its bearers who are empowered to share it with others. This empowerment is a testament to the transformative power of God’s love, a force that inspires and brings hope to all who listen to the Holy Spirit, who leads us in the way of Christ.
INTERESTING LINKS
UPCOMING EVENTS
- UMW Monthly Meeting on July 8, 2025 10:30 am
- UMW Monthly Meeting on August 12, 2025 10:30 am
- UMW Monthly Meeting on September 9, 2025 10:30 am
- UMW Monthly Meeting on October 14, 2025 10:30 am
- UMW Monthly Meeting on November 11, 2025 10:30 am
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
PLEASE VISIT!
Galax First United
Methodist Church
306 West Center Street
Galax, VA 24333
(Get Directions)
Phone: 276-236-9937
Email: fumcgalax1@gmail.com
Sunday Services:
10:30 am