Ocala First Connection

We are rapidly approaching the end of January and we are also approaching the end of our Exodus readings.  We will read the final few chapters on Sunday, January 30.  As I shared in my sermon last Sunday, the story of the Exodus is the single most important story in the Jewish faith and one of our most important stories as Christians, second only to the story of Jesus. The author of our Bible Year Devotional book, Magrey deVega, noted in a sermon that the Exodus is so significant that for the rest of our journey through the Bible, we're going to lose count of the number of times the authors of the books of the Bible refer back to this story of God freeing his people from slavery in Egypt through the waters, across the wilderness, and toward the promised land. The exodus forever shapes the consciousness of an entire faith. The exodus would forever remind the Israelites of who God was, who they were called to be, and what they were called to do. Several years ago, we studi...

Congratulations! We have finished reading the first book of the Bible together and today we begin the book of Exodus.  As we look back over the book of Genesis, we first affirm the key themes from the first three chapters that shape the story of the whole Bible: God has made us in the divine image and we part of a good and beautiful creation. We struggle with a downward spiral of sin, rebellion, and disobedience. God never gives up on creation, or us, but continually works for our redemption and restoration. God's promise to Abraham at the beginning of chapter 12 opens up a whole new movement in the story. God calls Abraham to leave his home and go to the land of Canaan, which God says will become his one day. And in that land, God promises to make Abraham into a great nation, to make his name great, and to bless him. The question is why is God going to bless Abraham and his family? Genesis 12:3 makes God’s purposes clear: so that all the families of the earth will find God...

Today marks the first full week of our Bible Year. We have read the first twenty-three chapters in Genesis, beginning with creation and ending with the burial of Sarah, Abraham's wife.  Our Bible Year Pastor's Bible Study begins tonight, Wednesday, January 12, at 5:30 PM! We hope you will join us  in-person in the Family Life Center, or online on Zoom ! Zoom Meeting Info:  Click here to join the meeting. Meeting ID: 837 8303 4354;  Passcode: 391975 I also encourage you to request to join the Ocala FUMC The Bible Year Small Group on Facebook. The group allows for ongoing discussion of the daily readings. The Bible Project is a great resource for short teaching videos on the Bible.  Here are a couple you may find helpful for our first week of readings from Genesis. Overview of the Old Testament Overview of Genesis 1 - 11 Finally, here is summary of my sermon from Sunday.  Y ou can watch the full sermon on YouTube (CLICK HERE) Sermon Summary I...

In the beginning . . . We read those words at the very beginning of Genesis.   Those words also begin our journey through scripture as we read the whole Bible together in 2022. Today (January 5) is Day One and we read Genesis 1:1 – 3:24. In the introduction to The Bible Year , Magrey deVega notes the metaphors that he grew up hearing about the Bible – that it was a road map, a how-to manual, or a cookbook. While those metaphors can be compelling, they ultimately fall short of the true gift of Holy Scripture. Thinking of the Bible in strictly utilitarian ways leads us to ask how the Bible is relevant or useful to me. But there are more important questions to ask: How does scripture draw me closer to God? How does the Bible lead me to be a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ? How do the readings help me grow in my knowledge and love of God and of my neighbor? Magrey deVega rightly points to the importance of linking prayer and scripture reading. As he writes, “We must read t...

Luke 9:28-43 – Astound All the People 43  Everyone was astounded by God’s greatness. The crowds were astounded not because they saw Jesus transfigured. Only three of Jesus’ disciples had witnessed what had happened on the mountaintop. They were astounded by God’s greatness because they experienced their own lives changing because of Jesus.   They had hope where they had been hopeless. They found faith where there had only been doubts.   They found love where there had only been judgement. They found healing where there had only been brokenness. They found life where there had only been death.   After Jesus’ death and resurrection, on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and the church was born, the crowds were astounded once more. They were astounded not because they had witnessed Jesus’ resurrection or ascension, but because they were seeing the lives of the disciples radically change.   Those disciples who had hidden ...

Pastor Anne gave a wonderful introduction and explanation of spiritual gifts on Sunday! Below you can watch her sermon from the 9:00 am service. Her slides are also posted below. We invite you all to take our Spiritual Gifts Assessment and share your results with us.    Go to the   Greater Gifts page   on our website. There you will find two links.  The first link is to a   Spiritual Gifts Assessment .   The second link is to an  online survey  where you can share your results.

As we moved into the New Year and a new worship series, we decided it was time to resurrect the blog after a year's break. Our Greater Gifts Series is all about the ways God has gifted you to love and to serve.  So we invite you to go to the Greater Gifts page on our website. There you will find two links.  The first link is to a   Spiritual Gifts Assessment .   The second link is to an online survey where you can share your results. Sunday's Message: This past Sunday, we talked a lot about gifts and the three-fold pattern of gift-giving:  Expecting, Receiving and Sharing .   And then we ask the critical question: What do you expect from God?  We can expect God to be faithful to all God has promised! And what has God promised?  The gifts we received in our baptism - the  gifts of forgiveness, grace, love, salvation and new birth in Jesus Christ.   All this is God’s gift offered to us wit...