Worship Preview 11.9.25 "Jesus' Mission Statement"

Press Release for November 9, 2025

First United Methodist

Wednesday, November 12^th, Feeding Families in His Name: A free, no obligation meal is served “to-go” style from underneath our portico from 5:30-6:30pm each Wednesday, prepared each week by our members as well as several area churches and community groups. We aim to provide 400 meals per week. If you would like to support this ministry feeding our neighbors, you can make donations online at: www.firstumcfortscott.org/feedingfamiliesdonation. Thank you.

Dec 5-7^th – Our 3^rd Annual Nativity Showcase – a part of Christmas on the Bricks. We’d love to have your favorite nativity set as part of our display this year. To reserve your display space, pick up a registration form at the Church office 9am – 2pm Mon. – Thurs. or  download a copy from www.firstumcfortscott.org/nativity-showcase

Worship This Sunday: 10:30am –  “Jesus’ Mission Statement” Scriptures: Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Luke 4:1-32, select serves from Isaiah 52.. Rev. Christopher Eshelman preaching. 

Last week we celebrated All Saints Sunday. We acknowledged the grief of loss and the joy of promise and the reality that we are still connected by love. We are a people of Resurrection! As an expression of this, we created a paper chain with names, initials, and symbols that we’ll continue to see through Advent and Christmas. We are a people of Incarnation! As we explored this, part of that we looked at was the announcement of Moses death in Deuteronomy 31 – after being told that he will see, but no enter the promised land, he commissions Joshua as his successor and brings him before the Lord. This week we will again touch on that story, beginning the service by hearing from Deuteronomy 34. Moses climbs Mt. Nebo, sees the promised land, and then passes. It is a poignant scene. It seems unfair, but Moses also seems at peace – perhaps the point of the journey is not to arrive, but to be in communion, satisfied, having given our all in our tasks and relationships.

With that in mind, we’ll look at Luke 4. It begins just after Jesus’ baptism when he, “filled by the Spirit” spends his own time in the wilderness – discernment, prayer, testing, and temptation. We’ll see how he turns away temptation and centers himself in his task, then returns to his hometown, and, in the synagogue on the Sabbath, is invited to read from the day’s assigned text in Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And then shocks his neighbors by declaring: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Lately we have being talking about mission and vision. Our denomination’s mission is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Recently, our Bishop’s focused that with a new vision statement that we have been unpacking the last several weeks. ““The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.” 

In Luke 4, after his time of discernment, after already teaching and healing near Capernum - in stories alluded to by not told in Scripture, Jesus declares his mission – a fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision. He proclaims “good news to the poor… freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. But more important that the words – he focuses on doing these things  - while gathering and equipping Disciples to not just learn from and follow him, but to become apostles – doing what Jesus does. This is our task – to move from the words of mission and vision to the lived experience and sharing of them. We do this, as we say in our membership vows,  by intentionally sharing “our prayers, presence, gifts, witness and service.” We share our own transformation with the world – not for ourselves or our own control, but for the good of all.

Here at First UMC: “Our Mission is: to share the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and to exemplify the love of God by knowing Christ, growing in Christ, serving Christ and sharing Christ.”  Sunday we’ll talk more about enacting that mission with a living vision, together as the body of Christ in this time and place – not just for ourselves, but for the larger community. Not just in words – but in action through every aspect of our lives, always taking the next faithful step.

No matter where you are on your faith journey, we invite you to experience the love and presence of Christ, together with us at 10:30am each Sunday and explore your next steps! 301 S. National here in Fort Scott.  Find your path, share your journey!