Forsyth United Methodist Church News
	22 February 2004

This Weeks Scripture:

1 Corinthians 11:23-29

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
²⁷Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. ²⁹For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

This Weeks Sermon:

This week's sermon was a lesson on communion. The service of communion allows three opportunities for Christians. First, it allows us to thank God for all that he has given to us. Second, it allows us to rejoice in the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ. And third, it allows us to ask for forgiveness for our sins. It is wonderful to know that you can draw closer to God and be cleansed again as you are washed with the righteous blood of Jesus. Do you find yourself forgetful of Jesus at times? Communion is a time to remember that Jesus never forgot about us. It is an excellent way to begin the season of Lent.

Word of the Week:

Lent

The Teutonic word Lent, which we now employ to denote the forty days' fast preceding Easter (excluding Sundays), originally meant no more than the spring season.  Still it has been used from the Anglo-Saxon period to translate the more significant Latin term quadragesima, meaning the "forty days", or more literally the "fortieth day".   In determining this period of forty days the example of Moses and Christ must have exercised a predominant influence. Forty days is a traditional number of discipline, devotion, and preparation in the Bible. Thus Moses stayed on the Mountain of God forty days (Exodus 24:18 and 34:28), the spies were in the land for forty days (Numbers 13:25), Elijah traveled forty days before he reached the cave where he had his vision (1 Kings 19:8), Nineveh was given forty days to repent (Jonah 3:4), and most importantly, prior to undertaking his ministry, Jesus spent forty days in wilderness praying and fasting (Matthew 4:2).   The Quadragesima (the forty days) was originally a period marked by fasting, but not necessarily a period in which the faithful fasted every day. Historically, this principle was differently understood in different localities, and great divergences of practice were the result. Today most believe that Lent is a period of prayer and fasting becuase it is fitting for Christians to imitate their Lord with a similar forty day period. Appropriate activities for ordinary days during Lent include: giving up something we enjoy, doing of physical or spiritual acts of mercy for others, prayer, fasting, abstinence, and other acts expressing repentance in general. By training ourselves to resist temptations when they are not sinful, we train ourselves to reject temptations when they are sinful. We also express our sorrow over having failed to resist sinful temptations in the past.

Prayer of the Week:

Almighty God, help us to be closer to you every day. Allow us to reach out to others in your name. Give us strength to make this season of Lent a memorable one. Forgive us of our sins. Guide us to your paths. Amen.

Question of the Week:

What does The United Methodist Church say about fasting?

 

Fasting has been a part of Methodism from it's early beginnings. John Wesley considered fasting an important part of a Christian's life and he personally fasted weekly. To Wesley, fasting was an important way to express sorrow for sin and penitence for overindulgence in eating and drinking. He believed it benefited prayer life by allowing more time for prayer. He also felt fasting was more meaningful if combined with giving to the poor. Wesley did advise caution against extreme fasting and against fasting for those in fragile health.

The penitential season of Lent is a season of the Church year which commemorates the forty days Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness before he began his public ministry. Although fasting usually refers to any practice of restricting food, there is a distinction, in the Church, between fasting (limiting food to one full meal a day, with two smaller meals allowed) and abstinence (abstaining from eating meat.) Abstinence from meat one day a week is a universal act of penitence.

Lent is a very personal time for individuals, so the United Methodist Church does not have official guidelines on how individuals should observe Lent.  For example, the church does not say everyone has to fast.  We may choose other ways of observing acts of penance, but we are not to neglect it, either - the value of self-denial can be learned early in a person's life. Lent provides an excellent opportunity to teach children the necessity of self-denial in our permissive society. A spirit of fasting can include restriction of luxuries such as television watching, shopping and going out with friends. We can give away clothing or possessions to those in need or we can give time to the Lord by volunteering our services or special prayers and devotions. Whenever possible we can pray more often alone or with family members.