First United Methodist Church
Clinton, Mississippi
In the midst of pandemic, economic uncertainty, and a presidential election, we long for a word from the Lord. In scripture we see that the People of God have lived in times of feast and famine, times of good kings and times of bad, days of hope and days of fear. They cried out for a word from the Lord, and we see that God hears their cry.
November 8- “The Year that King Uzziah Died”– Isaiah 6:1-8
The Sunday after the Presidential Election our candidate may have won, or lost, or we may not know the result. What we do know is what God does when there’s a potential change in leadership.
Isaiah 6:1-8
A Vision of God in the Temple
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 The pivots[a] on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph[b] touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
November 15- “A Reluctant Prophet”- Jonah 1:1-6
Jonah is commanded by God to prophecy to the people of Nineveh, and immediately runs away! He doesn’t want to listen to God, he doesn’t want to help the Ninevites, he doesn’t want to be a prophet. Perhaps we have felt that reluctance to speak a word of hope to people we’d rather leave hopeless.
Jonah 1:1-6
Jonah Tries to Run Away from God
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 The captain came and said to him, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.”
November 22- “Always Enough”- Joel 2:21-27
Thanksgiving is a day devoted to family, feasting, and football! But at its heart is a day we’re asked to recognize the generosity of God, and be thankful for the blessings we have. The prophet Joel reminds the people that in God’s economy there will always be enough.
Joel 2:21-27
Do not fear, O soil;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
22 Do not fear, you animals of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit,
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
23 O children of Zion, be glad
and rejoice in the Lord your God;
for he has given the early rain[a] for your vindication,
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the later rain, as before.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of grain,
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent against you.
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.