Winston Churchill once said: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else.” Seems he had a pretty good grasp on the human condition, and not just Americans! But when you think about it, we really do have a lot of options. Go here, go there, do this, do that. But which one is the “right” thing to do?
Picture this – a group of men who spent 3 ½ years being mentored by the Messiah. They ate together, traveled together, they heard Jesus’ preaching and teaching, and saw miracles we can only imagine. These are the same disciples that Jesus had sent out two by two. They did miracles and healing, too! They were witnesses to Jesus’ life, crucifixion, and burial in a tomb. Three days later they witnessed Jesus walking through a closed door and breathing His Spirit on them.
But when we see them pictured in John 21, Jesus wasn’t with them, and it seems as though they didn’t know what to do. So, what did they do?
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him,
“We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
John 21:3
They did what they were used to doing. They went fishing! Not that there’s anything wrong with fishing. But they had a major life transformation in the works. Surely there was something that they could have been doing based on what they had been doing with the Lord over the past 3 ½ years. It was fishing, alright, but a different kind of fishing.
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.”
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-20
The right thing would’ve been to keep on fishing for people. Instead, they went back to fishing for fish. What a contrast! From the glory of Jesus to the murky waters of the sea. And the others followed him.
I suppose we do the same thing, though. We come to Sunday worship and have a moving experience. We come into the Presence of the Almighty God and our souls are stirred. We feel as though we can conquer the world! Then Monday comes. And many of us go back to what we were doing before our spiritual encounter as if nothing happened.
What do you do when you’ve had a mountaintop experience, but the valley awaits you? When you’ve seen God in all of His glory, but the news shows you the violence in your own community. What do you do? You do the “right” thing.
Join us this Sunday as we begin a new sermon series based on the study The Trellis and the Vine. This Sunday is: Do the Right Thing. You can worship in-house at 10:00am (masks optional), or you can also join us online. For online worship go to www.umcgt.org.
Organ Update. To date we have received over $49,000 in pledges and cash donations for the Organ Fund! We’re on our way, but your help is still needed to reach the goal of $63,000. Please consider joining in the generosity by making your pledge or donating directly. Together we can make it happen. If you would like a pledge card, please call the office at 314-469-6740 or pick one up at the Welcome Center.
Next Leadership Board Meeting will be held in-house on Monday, May 23, 6:30 pm. The congregation is invited to attend.
Trauma Healing. The next topic of the Social Justice Ministry is Mental Wellness. May is Mental Wellness Month, so what a fitting time to talk about it. We’ve all experienced trauma on some level, and it is so helpful to talk about it with others who have also gone through trauma. Look for the latest podcast on Coffee & Conversations with Amanda Hughes, which can be found on Spotify or wherever you get podcasts. Also, I’ll be leading a trauma healing group, starting May 19, in-house at 6:30 pm. I encourage the entire church to come out and let the Lord minister healing to your soul! Our book is: Healing Waters and you can pick up a copy in the church office, at no cost.
Blessings,
Pastor Linda