Thu, 14 May 2026 18:06:33 -0400EditMySiteSun, 05 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/easter-sunday-april-5-2026Read: John 20:1-18
 
          Jesus said, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet returned to the father.  Go instead to my brothers and tell them ‘I am returning to my father and your father, to my God and to your God.’”
 
          Today is the greatest day of celebration on the Christian calendar.  This is the day that Christ was raised from the tomb.  So we should be glad and rejoice in it.  This is the day which makes our faith so important, not just for First Church, but for the entire world.
 
          As we read the Gospel narrative about Christ’s resurrection, we should make time to re-pledge our hearts to him, re-connect our spirits to God and renew our hopes and dreams in Jesus, our risen Savior and almighty Lord.
 
          We are Easter people redeemed from our sins by Christ’s sacrifice and restored to God’s everlasting kingdom by the power of Christ’s resurrection!
 
Christ is Risen!  He Is Risen Indeed!
Hallelujah!!  Hallelujah!!
 
          Lord Jesus, you are the savior of the world and our almighty king.  We rejoice in you this day and forever more.  Amen.
 
Rev. Dr. Yvonne Wallace-Penn

]]>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/saturday-april-4-2026Read: Matthew 27:57-66
 
So, what new news could there possibly be in the Easter story?  There has always been intense review of the Good Friday story, followed by the Easter Sunday story.  Countless studies of Jesus’ last hours as a human, followed by his miraculous “rebirth.”  So, I was not eager to revisit and rehash these stories.  But I am so glad I was given Matthew’s version of the Easter weekend.
 
We are so used to Good Friday jumping to Easter Sunday, thanks to the versions of Mark and Luke, that we forget the “in between” time.  I felt compelled after reading this passage, to read the four versions in all the Gospels.
 
I had forgotten that the priests who engineered Jesus’ death, had sought and received from Pilate permission to place guards at the tomb, to ensure the sealed stone could not be rolled away to allow theft of the body.  They were afraid Jesus’ disciples would steal the body and claim that he had risen as he had said he would.  It was wonderful to refresh my memory of the full story, and I was wondering how long will it take for us to learn the lesson that we cannot alter any plan that God has put in place?  Remember, he says he knows the plan he has for each of us (Jer.29, v 11)
 
Isn’t it time to stop second guessing?
 
 
Merlyn Drummond

]]>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/good-friday-april-3-2026Read: John 18:1-19
 
In this passage, we encounter Christ as he is being apprehended and arrested. We notice that Christ orchestrates his own arrest, identifies himself to his captors, and asks that those who have been mistaken for him are set free. What’s crucial to note is Christ knew that he would be arrested, betrayed by those closest to him, and subsequently crucified. Yet, in the face of these obstacles, Christ accepted his destiny and was faithful. I’m reminded of another passage from John: Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”
 
The passage is inspirational to us in that when God gives us an assignment…when he asks us to intervene on behalf of one of our brothers and sisters…when he directs us according to his will, rest assured that we will encounter obstacles, inconveniences, and distractions. Like Christ, we may even face betrayal. Yet, when we are called by God, he will equip us with the tools that we need to be victorious. Christ endured the pain of the cross for our sins, but let’s not forget that on the third day, he rose from the dead.
 
God, help us to be obedient to your will. Help us to remember that you will neither leave us or forsake us. Help us to exemplify the steadfast love and commitment of Christ in all our endeavors. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
 
 
Corey Beauford]]>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/maundy-thursday-april-2-2026Read: John 12:1-17
 
As a father, I read this passage with a sharpened awareness of what it means to give without counting cost.  Mary pours out expensive ointment on Jesus’ feet - an act that looks impractical, even irresponsible, to those watching.  Judas, the traitor, measures the moment in coins.  Jesus measures it in love.
 
Lent asks me to confront how often I think like Judas rather than Mary.  As a father, I am tempted to calculate everything-time, money, energy.  Asking what is efficient or sensible.  Yet my children don’t need efficiency from me; they need presence, guidance.  They need love that is poured out, not rationed.
 
Mary’s act prepares Jesus for burial, even if she does not fully comprehend it.  That resonates profoundly.  So much of fatherhood is about planting seeds we may never see fully grown.  Prayers whispered over sleeping children, lessons taught through quiet consistency, sacrifices made without fanfare.
 
When Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd waves palm branches, celebrating a king they only partly understood.  I recognize myself there also: committed to honoring Christ not only in moments of joy, but in obedience that remains steady especially when faith demands sacrifice.  Lent slows me down and reminds me that true discipleship resembles kneeling rather than cheering.
 
This season calls me, as a father, to model a faith that gives extravagantly, loves without fail, and trusts that nothing poured out for Christ, or for those entrusted to me, is ever wasted.
 
 
Franklin Cole
]]>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/wednesday-april-1-2026Read: Hebrews 12:1-5
 
          The great cloud of witnesses contains all the saints described in Hebrews chapter 11.  Their faithfulness is a constant encouragement to us.  It reminds us that we do not struggle alone and that we are not the first to struggle with all the problems we face.  Others have run the race and won, and their witness stirs us to run and win also.  When you are faced with hardship and discouragement, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture, but you are not alone.
 
          As fellow Christians we are encouraged by our own personal experience with Christ, and that of our brother and sister who are on the same journey of life.  You are not alone.  You can get help.  Many others have already made it through this stage of life you are in, enduring far more difficult circumstances than you have.
 
          We understand that through our suffering we develop Christian maturity.  It teaches us patience, makes us realize our need for Christ, strengthens our resolve, encourages our humility and ensures our final victory.    Christ endured the cross to the end so that we may gain eternal life.  What an inspiring heritage in Christ Jesus.
 
          Heavenly Father, thank you for the great clouds of witnesses who encourage us to run the race that is set before us.  Amen.
 
 
Audrey Arthur,
Certified Lay Minister
]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/tuesday-march-31-2026Read: Psalm 36:5-11
 
The Steadfast Love of God or
Human Wickedness and Divine Faithfulness
 
Some days we feel heavy and hopeless especially when we are limited in getting things done in ways we feel best or losing something special (especially death).  Reading through Psalm 36, we realize it points us to something far stronger than our earthly self - God’s steadfast love.
 
Verse 9 tells us “for with thee is the fountain of life: in the light shall we see light.”  This also brings to mind Psalm 46:verse 1 “God is our refuge and strength”  He has the final word. 
 
This psalm does not ignore the brokenness of the world.  It acknowledges human weakness, confusion, and wrongdoing.  Yet it does not end there.  It lifts our eyes to God, whose love reaches to the heavens, whose faithfulness is as firm as the skies, whose righteousness stands like mighty mountains.  In a world that often feels uncertain, God remains unshaken.
 
May Psalm 36 comfort us as we grieve, feel downcast or burdened; strengthen us as we continue on, and remind us that God’s love is deeper than our sorrow or depression and stronger than death itself.  I pray we walk forward carrying both memory and hope, resting in the light of the one who gives life eternal.
 
Gracious God, your love is steadfast, unfailing and faithful.  Your love is always there for us in good and bad situations.  Show us the way we should walk in your path in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 
 
Dorothea Williams
]]>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/monday-march-30-2026Read: Isaiah 42:1-9
 
          Here the Lord is talking about Jesus as his servant way before he was to be born.  As believers in Christ today, we know about all things that were accomplished through Jesus.  He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind and always advocated for justice for humanity.
 
          God was paving a way for the lasting salvation for humanity, knowing that we all have sin and repetition of atonement will not completely cover our transgressions.
 
          So our heavenly father provides a better way through Jesus Christ and whosoever believes in Christ will have everlasting life.  So Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for us all and nothing needed to be done except to have faith and trust in him.
 
          Dear father, thank you for all you have done for humanity.  We worship and praise you in Jesus’ name.  Amen.
 
 
Afi Logbo

]]>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/palmpassion-sunday-march-29-2026Read: Matthew 21:1-11
 
Jesus Is Worthy of Our Acclamation and Praise
 
          Some of us have started the Lenten season with the ceremony of the ash, singing “Sunday’s Palm Is Wednesday’s Ashes”.  A friendly reminder “that dust we are and to dust we shall return? (Genesis 3”19).  We have journeyed along the way of the cross and have come to Palm/Passion Sunday, a day of glad rejoicing and celebration of “the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9).  This is the closest Jesus came to the acclamation and proclamation he truly deserves as “King of kings and Lord of lords” Revelation 19:16).  Within days the crowd was shouting “away with him.”
 
          But let us not be too quick to judge the crowd, for it is so easy to be blindsided by the numerous issues impacting our own lives individually, as a family, the society and the nation, that we refuse or forget to sing the Lord’s praise, not in a strange land, but in our own land and time (Psalm 137:4).  I pray that our reflections, practicing the spiritual disciplines, and acts of self-denial/examination, would have bolstered our conviction that Jesus is worthy of our adoration, acclamation and allegiance.
 
          I wonder if the people of Cuba and especially the Christians can sing or are singing “blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Let us sing for them and with them as they grapple with and try to come to terms with the harsh realities of punishing sanctions and isolation being meted out to them (Hebrews 13:4).  In their dark hour, let us pray that Jesus will indeed ride into their midst and affirm “Lo I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
 
          Ride on King Jesus to set the captives free and bind up the broken-hearted.  Amen.
 
 
Rev. Michael Graham]]>Sat, 28 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/saturday-march-28-2026Read: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-25
 
Psalm 118 begins and ends with the call to give thanks to the Lord.  We are reminded that God’s love is not fleeting or conditional; it is everlasting and available to all who seek him.  The psalmist presents the imagery of entering the gates where the righteous enter and we go in and thank the Lord with all our strength, merit, and thankful hearts.
 
Reflect on those times when God has answered your prayers and brought you through difficult moments.  Rejoice in God’s salvation, recognizing that you have access to his presence through Jesus, the cornerstone.  Boldly ask God for help and success, believing he desires good for his children.
 
These verses remind us that God often works in unexpected ways; what the world overlooks, God makes essential and marvelous.  God has given you this day, be joyful and glad that you have another opportunity to live and serve him.
 
 
Lord, thank you for your steadfast love that never fails.  Open the gates of righteousness before me, that I may enter and give you thanks.  Help me to rejoice in each day, trusting in your goodness.  Save me, Lord, and grant me success in all I do for your glory.  Amen
 
 
Stephanie Banks

]]>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.fumchy.org/lent2026/friday-march-27-2026Read: Matthew 26:30-35, 69-75
 
In this passage, Peter denies Jesus three times after Jesus had been seized and led away.   We often believe our devotion to God is unshakeable until it is truly tested.  Jesus had just told Peter “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!”  ( Mathew 26:34-35). This passage contrasts Peter’s overconfident promises with his failure, ultimately showing us that our hope lies not in our own strength, but in Jesus’ unwavering grace, forgiveness and love.
 
Have you ever laughed at a joke even though you know it was offensive to others, or stayed quiet when you see someone being treated unfairly due to fear of retaliation or to just fit in?
 
Peter denied Jesus because he feared the consequences of being associated with Jesus.  While Peter failed significantly, his story ends with restoration and a second chance.
 
Heavenly Father, forgive our pride when we think we can stand on our own.  Thank you for your patience when we stumble and for always being a constant source of restoration.  When we fail you, remind us that your love is not dependent on our perfection.  Like Peter, may we turn back to you and find our strength in you alone. Amen.
 
 
Isha Cole

]]>