Worship Preview and Weather Update - Epiphany Sunday 1.5.25

FIRST UNITED METHODIST 

This Sunday: 10:30am – “Epiphany Sunday.” Rev. Christopher Eshelman preaching. Scriptures: Matthew 2

Happy New Year – and Merry Christmas

First – a word on weather. We all know Kansas weather is hard to predict. Right now those most dedicated to trying to do so are predicting a major winter storm across the region and they will be right – but it’s hard to pin down exactly where. Fort Scott is along the edge of what is predicted. Here is our weather policy. During the week we follow the school district – if they close, our office does. Makes it easy to communicate. Sundays are harder – Pastor Christopher is reluctant to cancel and will basically never cancel over cold or snow (short of a major blizzard and local officials urging us to) however ice is a different story. Given the coming storm, we will monitor that. If we have dangerous levels of ice on surfaces late Saturday to early Sunday, a post will be made on our Facebook page and the radio station will be called.  So if you’re unsure, check at https://www.facebook.com/firstumcfortscott for the latest update.

My hope is that we’ll gather as normal to celebrate Christmas…. What? Yes, as we talked about last week, it is still Christmas according to the liturgical calendar. Christmas is more than a day – it is a season in which we celebrate the incarnation. It lasts from Dec. 25th through Epiphany on January 6th.  Although some consider it still Christmas until the next Sunday, a celebration of the baptism of Christ – and still others, until Februrary 2nd and a celebration called Candlemas. Lots of tangents I could pursue there, but suffice it to say that different traditions have done things differently. Which is why I don’t tend to get too worked up over when people put out or take down decorations. It’s not about the specific dates, its about the meaning – and how it changes us.

We love the Christmas story of Luke 2 – and we tend to pick up the “wise men” (or Magi, or 3 Kings) from Matthew and fold that in, while overlooking or avoiding much of the rest of Matthew’s account. It’s harsh. It’s full of the kind of senseless slaughter we are all too familiar with from the nightly news. We want to sing comfortable carols, not confront horror. Yet this is the world Christ is born into. This is the world his life and ministry confront. And that confrontation leads us to Easter. It is all connected.

If you do not have a church home, or if it’s time for a change, we invite you to take this Advent journey with us. We meet each Sunday at 10:30am at 301 S. National. Come as you are, wear what you have, and join with others as we sing, pray, and seek to to find our path and share our journey! Blessings in this holy season. 

Upcoming Events: 

Feeding Families meals resume Wednesday, January 8th – we follow the school district on any potential weather cancellations that day. We thank Community of Christ for doing the cooking this week and look forward to seeing you again! this free meal is available to everyone without obligation. A “to-go” meal is distributed under the portico at 301 S. National. A reminder: Please do not block nearby driveways while waiting. Thank you. If you would like to support this ministry, you can make donations online at: www.firstumcfortscott.org/onlinegiving. 

2025 FELLOWSHIP SOUP LUNCHEONS –will usually consist of 2 types of soup, chili and pies. A freewill offering  is requested to help fund our mission and ministries as designated below. Each meal begins at 11:30am and runs until we run out or 1pm.

Friday, January 24th will benefit the Mission Committee and Friday, February 29th will benefit Feeding Families. Then Friday, March 14th will be the United Women of Faith Potato bar instead of a soup lunch.