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This Week at First

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9 AM Contemporary

10:30 AM Traditional

August 18th: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow


Our District Superintendent, Rev. Jennifer Freymoyer will bring the morning message as we celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Groundbreaking at our current location. Following the second service, we will continue the celebration with a catered fellowship meal in Fellowship Hall.


See you Sunday.


Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jim


   


 

Luke 4:14-30


The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry

14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.  15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

 

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,  17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

 

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,    because he has anointed me        to bring good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives    and recovery of sight to the blind,        to let the oppressed go free,19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

 

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”  23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’”  24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.  25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land;  26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.  27 There were also many lepers[a] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”  28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage.  29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.  30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

 







9am Service:



10:30am Service:




August 11th: All in the Family


How is your family life? Is there a great relationship between the generations or is there animosity? Dysfunctional families are nothing new. The Bible has many stories of families who hadtrouble getting along. What can we learn from the families of King David (in 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33) and King Herod (in Mark 6:14-29)? Our message, “All in the Family” will delve into both the problems our families face and some potential solutions.


See you Sunday.


Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jim


 

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33


 5 The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom.

 

6 So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.  7 The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men.  8 The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

 

9 Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging[a] between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.  


15 And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.


31 Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.”  32 The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.”

 

David Mourns for Absalom

33 [a] The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”


 

Mark 6:14-29


The Death of John the Baptist

14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’[a] name had become known. Some were[b] saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.”  15 But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”  16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

 

17 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod[c] had married her.  18 For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”  19 And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not,  20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed;[d] and yet he liked to listen to him.  21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee.  22 When his daughter Herodias[e] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.”  23 And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.”  24 She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.”  25 Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”  26 The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her.  27 Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s[f] head. He went and beheaded him in the prison,  28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother.  29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

   

 








9am Service



10:30am Service




August 4th: Listen Carefully


Hearing the truth is not always easy. When the truth is bad, there is sometimes a tendency to want to shoot the messenger. Fortunately, for Nathan, he was able to deliver his message to the King without losing his head. Nathan was doing exactly what Jesus tells us to do, hold one another accountable. Our scriptures of the week will be 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a and Luke 17:1-4. The message will be “Listen Carefully.” In recognition of the 70th Anniversary of the Groundbreaking for Palmyra First Evangelical United Brethren, we will celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion using the service from the ritual used by the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1954.


See you Sunday.


Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jim


 

2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a


26 When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she made lamentation for him.  27 When the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son.


Nathan Condemns David

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord,  12 1 and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.  2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds;  3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him.  4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.”  5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die;  6 he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

 

7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul;  8 I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more.  9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.  10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.  11 Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun.  12 For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.”  13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”


 

Luke 17:1-4


Some Sayings of Jesus

17 Jesus[a] said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come!  2 It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.  3 Be on your guard! If another disciple[b] sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive.  4 And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”

   

 







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