Friday, February 20, 2026

Happy Friday, Friends!

Today's look at scripture takes us into Matthew's gospel account...
 
          "Is there a person here who, finding one of your lambs fallen into a
            ravine, wouldn't, even though it was the Sabbath, pull it out?"  
                                         (Matthew 12:11 MSG)
 
Why is it so easy for us to be critical? Even in the Christian life -- maybe especially in the Christian life --- we fall prey to judgmental attitudes.
   
It's one thing to stand firm on the teachings of scripture. We must do that, though as graciously as possible. It's something else entirely to impose our preferences on others in the name of scripture. Or to give ourselves a pass on biblical rules while expecting everyone else to observe them. The Pharisees of Jesus' day were famous for just such hypocrisy.
   
In Matthew 12, Pharisees had accused Jesus' disciples of breaking God's rule against working on the Sabbath. Walking through a field of ripe grain, the disciples grabbed some of the kernels as a snack. Apparently, they were harvesting on the day of rest!
   
Jesus defended His disciples with two Old Testament cases of "rule breaking" (verses 3-5), then infuriated the Pharisees by healing a man's crippled hand (verses 11-14). The Lord noted that any Pharisee would help his animal on the Sabbath --- so why not help people? Then, quoting God's pronouncement through the prophet Hosea, Jesus told the Pharisees, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (verse 7 NIV; see Hosea 6:6).
   
Let's try to keep that truth in mind for ourselves. Let's not be Pharisees.
 
              Lord, grant me Your perfect balance of grace and truth. Amen. 
 
+++ On Sunday we will gather for worship at 8:30am and 10:00am. On this first Sunday in Lent we continue our Lenten theme... Dying with Christ, Living with Christ. As we think about the things in our life we are called to "die" to, this week my message is "Dying to Pride, Living for Others". I'm thinking about how our pride can often keep us from truly serving the needs of others. We'll hear about James and John and their request of Jesus about good seats for the coming of eternity. How does our pride distract us from the call God places on our lives? If you can't be with us in the Sanctuary, join us at 10:00am on the church's Facebook page as we "live-stream" the worship service. Or you can watch the completed worship on the church's YouTube channel a little later in the day. However you can, we hope you'll join us on our Lenten journey to the empty tomb of Easter.  

+++ Look for the display table with information about our Lenten mission project to support the summer lunch program at First UMC in the village of Camillus. You'll find a list and examples of the items needed for this program... and also a full supply of Lenten coin boxes should you wish to support this mission with your financial gifts. We are all about feeding people in our community here at Immanuel and this is a great way to do just that! 

+++ The newsletter deadline for articles for the March/April edition of our church newsletter is TODAY! Please make sure your articles are in the office so we can meet our publishing deadline. Thanks!

+++ Our Lenten study begins on Monday, February 23rd at 12:00noon in the Fireside Room. Bring along your lunch, enjoy some hot soup, and join us as we look in depth at our scripture theme of Dying with Christ, Living with Christ. Sign up is outside the Fireside Room door.

+++ Coffee With the Pastor continues on Wednesday mornings at 9:30am. Come and join us for some fellowship and conversation for an hour or so. We hope to see you on Wednesday. 

+++ There are new editions of the Upper Room magazine on the back table in the Narthex, as well as annual reports of the congregation for your use.  

+++ You are also asked to sign up for our next Second Sunday Luncheon coming up on March 8th! We need to let the Fellowship Team know how many will be joining us for lunch that day.... So please sign up soon!  
 
Make this day a great day and try to avoid becoming a Pharisee in your life!   
​Pastor Jack