Princeton, Ks. United Methodist Church

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Princeton UMC will not hold service or Council Meeting this Sunday. Stay home & safe.

Do to extreme cold predicted this Sunday, Princeton UMC is closed. Stay safe.

Princeton UMC is closed today due to ice and snow.

Princeton UMC wants to say Thank You to everyone who helped and/or donated supplies to the
Chicken and Noodle Carry-Out, November 4th. Our Successes are because of GOD and your gifts. What a team!

Today's Lectionary Text

Psalm 90:14-15 (CEB)

Fill us full every morning with your faithful love
????so we can rejoice and celebrate our whole life long.
Make us happy for the same amount of time that you afflicted us —
????for the same number of years that we saw only trouble.

Today's Devotional

With the arrival of May we enter another season of celebration. Over the next two months we will have opportunities to celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, graduations and, no doubt there will be weddings to celebrate as well since June is still a popular month for weddings.

My own family will be doing some celebrating in May. The celebrations began late last month with the birth of a son to the younger of my two nieces. Tomorrow we will celebrate the graduations of two of his older cousins as my nephew’s oldest son graduates from high school and one of his younger brothers graduates from 8th grade. As many families across the Great Plains Area will be doing over the next several weeks, we will gather to congratulate and celebrate these milestone events in these young men’s lives. Perhaps we may even have the opportunity to meet the newest member of the family, as well.

One of the joys of living faithful lives is the knowledge that God wants us to take pleasure in our lives and to celebrate the joys we experience. There are, of course, many times in life when we do not feel like celebrating because of events that bring pain and sadness to us -- times we cry out to God for relief. Yet the psalmist reminds us that we have access every morning to God’s infilling and faithful love that allows us to celebrate the good things in life every day of our lives. The Creator offers us the opportunity to rejoice and celebrate such things as life’s milestone events – but also the simple joys of nature reawakening in spring, the first snow in winter, a walk through the neighborhood, or time spent with family and friends.

Life is good. As children of God, we can celebrate that goodness even in the midst of a world that often seems to have little to celebrate. God is good, all the time.

-- Robbie Fall, Retired Elder
Hutchinson

Prayer for Reflection

Loving God, help us to remember to open ourselves to the faithful love you offer us each day so that we can “rejoice and celebrate our whole life long.” Amen.

Today's Lectionary Text

Genesis 7:15

Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark.

Today's Devotional

If I’d been Noah, I might have been tempted to do a little creative editing to the ship’s manifesto.

Snakes, scorpions, and mosquitoes: That is just the beginning of a long list of creatures that I might have been tempted to leave off the ark. When God wasn’t looking, I’d have kicked the hyenas out. I’d definitely have tried to omit the skunk.

See what I’m saying? This would have been the perfect opportunity to do a little w**ding out of some of the peskier creatures. That didn’t happen. We still have lions and tigers and bears.

Here’s the thing — if I did do a little pruning down of God’s creation, I would be no better than those revelers dancing in the rain. I would have been choosing my way over God’s way.

This story of the flood is a lot of things. It can be confusing to understand why God would destroy nearly all life. I think the purpose of the story, however, is actually to show God’s enduring love of God’s creation. God takes great pains to ensure that life would continue, even when humanity had sunk so low in its depravity.

In Genesis, God says this: “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark” (Genesis 6:18a)

God is not washing God’s hands of the world — God is saving the world, and reestablishing a covenant with Noah, one that had almost been forgotten. This was the covenant made with Abraham, a promise of unending love and relationship. And, judging by the crazy collection of life upon that ark, God was making a covenant with all of life. Even with the cockroaches.

See, I wouldn’t have been so magnanimous. I would have been tempted to tame the wildness of creation, to make it fit my needs and my comfort. I would have tried to remake the world in my image.

Noah was a wiser man than I. He practiced obedience in his response to God’s strange commands. He was willing to do what seemed to be a most illogical thing, collecting such a menagerie. He must have known something I don’t always remember:

God knows best.

I’ll admit, I struggle with those three words sometimes. I get thinking I know best, forgetting that sometimes we’re called to do things we don’t want to do because they are part of a larger picture that we can’t fully see.

It’s not just obedience that Noah displayed, it was faith. Faith that God is on the scene, gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) working to give new life to life itself.

If you find yourself being tugged in a direction that doesn’t fully make sense, try to look at the situation through God’s eyes. Instead of forcing things to your own comfort, allow yourself to be a little uncomfortable for the sake of God’s covenant and great purpose.

Left to my own devices, I confess I would have gotten rid of bats and spiders, never realizing … they both eat mosquitoes.

-- Rev. Mitch Todd
Campus pastor, K-State Wesley
[email protected]

Prayer for Reflection

Dear Lord, forgive us when we try to remake the world in our image, not Yours. Amen.

Today's Lectionary Text

Ezekiel 34:11-16

For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep and will sort them out. As shepherds sort out their flocks when they are among scattered sheep, so I will sort out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them into their own land, and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strays, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.



Today's Devotional

The Psalms, Ezekiel, and later Jesus, use metaphor for God as a Good Shepherd. And perhaps it is hard for us to fully understand this imagery while living in the industrialized 21st century.

But the shepherd was the one who led the flock to pastures where there was plenty to eat, the shepherd would protect them from danger, and the shepherd knew every sheep by name. That is exactly what God does for us, leading us to abundant life, protecting us from harm, and calling us each our name.

So, it should be easy to follow the Good Shepherd, right? Well, at times it can be challenging to follow in the ways of the Good Shepherd. To forgive someone who has wronged you? To not hold a grudge against someone? To truly love everyone, even that person we disagree with?

We begin to follow the shepherds of the world. The political leaders, celebrities, others in the flock, who convince us we don’t really need to show unconditional love. They convince us fear and judgment will curb our hunger, but that does not fully sustain and nourish our spirits.

Ezekiel describes what the Good Shepherd provides, “I will feed you with justice.” Justice and reconciliation are what will feed our spirits and what the Good Shepherd wants us to have. Not vengeance or hate, but unconditional love and kindness. Are we ready to follow the Good Shepherd? To trust the paths we walk? To be fed with justice? Will we follow in the way that leads to an abundant nourishing life? And then will we make sure every other person is given this same life? Are you ready to follow the Good Shepherd?

-- Maddi Baugous, associate pastor
Omaha First UMC
[email protected]
Prayer for Reflection

Guiding, sustaining God, you are the Good Shepherd. May we hear your voice call us by name, guide us to safety, and feed us with justice. With each step may we follow in your love. Together we pray. Amen.

Faith practices -- Pray in different ways

Explore a variety of prayer practices to find options that your child most enjoys. As they grow, try new ones to meet their changing needs.

The Lord’s Prayer and the Doxology: Repetition is helpful for children. Saying the same prayer over and over is fine; in fact, it can bring familiarity and comfort.
Body prayer: Use movement to express a prayer.
Take a walk: Head outside to marvel at God’s creativity and give thanks for it.
Artistic prayer: Ask your child to draw what they’d like to say to God.


This is part of a series, "8 ways to nurture faith in young children."

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Today's Lectionary Text

1 John 4:7-21

Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. The person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love. This is how the love of God is revealed to us: God has sent his only Son into the world so that we can live through him. This is love: it is not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as the sacrifice that deals with our sins.

Dear friends, if God loved us this way, we also ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God remains in us and his love is made perfect in us. This is how we know we remain in him and he remains in us, because he has given us a measure of his Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the savior of the world. If any of us confess that Jesus is God’s Son, God remains in us and we remain in God. We have known and have.

Today's Devotional

Those who claim to love God, ought to love their brother and sister also. (v.21). Bear with me on my line of thought for today.

Love – not a word I throw out a lot, hardly at all. Oh, I love people, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t say it. I know too many people who claim to love others, only to use them and throw them away like a used paper towel. When it comes to love I just think action is better than words.

When looking at this passage for the devotion, I decided to go to the experts on definitions, Merriam-Webster. One of their definitions of love is “concern for the good of another”. That’s a definition I can live with! For me, “concern for the good of another” implies action.

To continue to break this passage down, I decided to stay with Merriam-Webster for two more definitions: “claim” -- affirm, declare, profess. I believe that if one truly loves God, there is no need to “claim” via affirmation, declaration, or professing. Love for God will be a beautiful sign of how life is lived to the fullest.

The second word is “ought” – used to express obligation, natural expectation. “Ought” can also mean – you need to, you should, you are advised to. When I think of racism, whether to wear a mask or not, how far to distance, equal rights and standards for all people, something in my soul defines “ought” for a lot of individuals, as the second set of definitions -- you need to, you should, you are advised to. I make a lot of mistakes in living life, I miss the mark too many times, yet “ought” in the Tapley household meant that we worked and worked until “ought” became a natural expectation to our parents.

I wonder how different (it) would have been if every single person in the Great Plains United Methodist Conference would have lived life so that our love for God would have been declared and professed in everything we did? I also wonder what (it) would have been like if our life’s definition would have been a natural expectation.

Hmm, I wonder, as I wander …
-- Rev. Hollie Tapley
Disaster Response Coordinator
[email protected]
Originally published April 30, 2021
Prayer for Reflection

Father, thank You for creating us as unique individuals, yet as one family. Forgive us for not living life so that others clearly see You in us. Help us to live in this world with Your expectation for each of us. May our lives bring a smile to Your face, a skip in Your steps, and joyful words saying, “you’ve got this – you understand”. Amen.

Today's Lectionary Text

Luke 24:36-40

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

Today's Devotional

A few years ago, my spouse, when asked what he wanted for Christmas, responded “peace and tranquility.” I was not able to gift him with the peace and tranquility he requested, although I did find a tea blend called “Peach and Tranquility” that he continues to brew and drink.

What do we mean by peace? For some, my spouse’s request of peace and tranquility would appear to be a single (duplicated for emphasis?) request. For others, the request would appear to be for two, related but different, things. Peace can be broadly interpreted as a general lack of war or more narrowly to simply mean freedom from disturbance. Synonyms include quiet, tranquility, goodwill, nonaggression, nonviolence, stillness, silence and more. The word can be used as a friendly greeting (Peace be with you) or an order to be silent (Peace, be still!).

While we read in Luke that Jesus first appeared to believers as they walked to Emmaus, this is the only time in Luke that Jesus appears post-resurrection to his original disciples. In this moment, Jesus greets the gathered disciples with “Peace be with you!” which apparently, and understandably, greatly startled the disciples.

In what appears to be one of Jesus’ less perceptive moments, he asks the disciples why they are startled. Perhaps I could start by pointing out that being startled is a natural response to an unexpected event. After all, while Jesus promised to be with the disciples, he didn’t spell out any details on how that would happen. Appearing to them while they were apparently still talking about the empty tomb news brought by the women would seem to very unexpected and surprising!

In my mind, Jesus’ word of peace in this situation is a blend of command (Don’t be afraid), reassurance (I’m keeping my word) and greeting (I’m here with you). In this word of peace, I hope you will find a reminder of God’s ongoing presence, love and reassurance since while the world and our lives may rarely seem “peaceful,” Christ still comes and offers us a word of peace. It is precisely in Christ’s word of peace that I find a place of personal wholeness. Thanks be to God for this resurrection encounter.
--Rev. Karen Jeffcoat
Registrar, Great Plains Board of Ordained Ministry
Originally published April 27, 2019
Prayer for Reflection

Peace be with and in you. Peace be with and in me. Peace be with and in us. In Christ. With Christ. Through Christ. Amen.

Today's Lectionary Text

Deuteronomy 32:1

Listen, you heavens, and I will speak;
hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.

Today's Devotional

I read a lovely bedtime story last night. It was about a girl named Luna who went on a journey to the stars and back, before snuggling in her bed and drifting off to sleep.

My computer wrote it in about 30 seconds.

Have you heard of ChatGPT? It’s a chat bot, powered by AI. The developers fed it massive amounts of text and trained it to speak in a remarkably conversational way. In some ways it’s an easy-to-use search engine, but it can do so much more. You can ask it to tell you a story or a joke, but you can also ask it to write a research paper on a specific topic or write code for other computer programs.

I asked it to write a 300-word devotion about AI and it gave me a pretty good one, citing God making humanity in God’s image, and how Artificial Intelligence is just that, artificial and not to be worshiped or idolized. So I suppose that’s comforting. (I’m not posting it here — I don’t need the competition!)

Still, I can’t help but have the wi***es when technology has advanced to the point that our computers can write as well as humans can! Is the day coming when human creativity is replaced by all-knowing AI that does our thinking for us?

I honestly don’t know what the future holds for this technology, but I am reminded of an ancient song in the Bible, the Song of Moses. Moses taught this song to his followers as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. It is forecasting the turning away of God’s people, worshiping other gods, listening to other voices. Moses instructed all the Israelites to memorize it so that they would never forget their God.

I guarantee the Song of Moses took more than 30 seconds to write, and its words carry so much more weight than what the Internet can spit out for us. It reminds me that we, today, must be on guard not to hold anything, including our technology, above the One True God.

If you’re curious–yes, ChatGPT can write sermons, too, but not great ones. Technically they can be fairly sound, theologically. But what they lack is soul. My advice is if you’re looking to know more about God, check out your NIV or NRSV or whatever version you use. Thousands and thousands of years of human and divine partnership created this remarkable collection of writings that inform us, teach us, and point us to the incalculable love of our Creator.

The Song of Moses is not a bedtime story. It’s a call to faithfulness and vigilance, and it is meant to be wrestled with and taken to heart, as is all of scripture.
Artifical Intelligence is a remarkable achievement, but it is no substitute … for Real Wisdom.

-- Rev. Mitch Todd, campus pastor
K-State Wesley
[email protected]

Prayer for Reflection

Dear God, remind us that no matter how advanced technology may become, you are the true source of all wisdom. Amen.

Today's Lectionary Text

1 Peter 1:17-23

If you invoke as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person’s work, live in fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile conduct inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your trust and hope are in God.

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual affection, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

Today's Devotional

Share your thoughts on these questions on our page:
What do you think are the “perishable things like silver or gold” in our current life?
What does Peter’s contrast of “perishable things like silver or gold” with “the precious blood of Christ” highlight?
What does Peter’s statement, “Your faith and hope are set on God,” mean to you? What might it mean for your church community?
How does what Peter said lead to his command to “love one another deeply from the heart” (v. 22)?

Today's Lectionary Text

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There’s a season for everything
and a time for every matter under the heavens:
a time for giving birth and a time for dying,
a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted,
a time for killing and a time for healing,
a time for tearing down and a time for building up,
a time for crying and a time for laughing,
a time for mourning and a time for dancing,
a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces,
a time for searching and a time for losing,
a time for keeping and a time for throwing away,
a time for tearing and a time for repairing,
a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,
a time for loving and a time for hating,
a time for war and a time for peace.



Today's Devotional

Last Thursday the patch of w**ds I call my front lawn was just a dead-looking brown mass of last year’s tufts of plant life with the occasional bright yellow dandelion popping up. On Friday night we had rain – real, measurable moisture falling from the sky for long enough to amount to a little over an inch falling in my neighborhood. Monday morning, that patch of w**ds had turned into green patches of chickw**d with its bright purple flowers along with the ever-cheerful dandelions. On Tuesday morning I hauled out the mower and ran it over the front w**d patch. There are still blooming w**ds for the bees to feed on but the tall stems with fuzzy heads are gone for a day or two.

Lawn mowing season has arrived. And, just as the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is a season for everything under heaven. I never cease to be amazed with how quickly green leaves and grass blades appear in the spring after the first rain. It is a phenomenon I came to appreciate a great deal while living in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas as pastureland was burned each spring and in a matter of days shoots of green grass began to appear.

The writer reminds us that God has given us many kinds of seasons in life, and some are not so joyful. Some of those seasons come right alongside seasons of joy. In the midst of the greening of the world in spring there are people experiencing grief, loss, and despair, who cannot see hope anywhere in the season they are experiencing. We all face moments when we cannot see hope through the darkness of the moment.

Yet the greening of the world as spring unfolds speaks to me of hope. This IS the season when hope abounds – the season in which we celebrate the hope of Easter. For those in the northern hemisphere, spring is the season of an open and empty tomb, of promises fulfilled, and of a sense of joy unfolding within us as we embrace the promise of life lived in resurrection faith. The dark seasons of life will come to us all, but the hope of that empty tomb is always waiting for us to rediscover it.

Mowing season will go on for months – and I will lose my enthusiasm for it long before it ends. But there is always another season awaiting me and I know that whatever that season might bring, God has provided an alternative season.

-- Robbie Fall, retired elder
Hutchinson

Prayer for Reflection

God of promises fulfilled, help me to find hope and joy in whatever season I find myself. Amen.

Today's Lectionary Text

Genesis 2:1-4a

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

Today's Devotional

After Holy Week, I must admit the understanding of God resting is something I trying to incorporate into my week.

The last few weeks I’ve felt like it was go, go, go, all the time and there was little time to just sit down, take a deep breath, and breathe. Holidays will do that, especially when you work at a church and are expected to have multiple other services not just on Sundays.

And so, I humbly admit to you all, right now: I’m tired. I feel worn out. And I might need to take a nap every day to make up from the lost sleep of Holy Week. It can be easy to begin to shame myself or feel bad that I am tired after a long week, especially in a world where working 24/7 is praised. But even when God was forming all creation, from the heavens and earth, God did not work around the clock. God took time to rest. Before Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem, he rested.

Our worth is not determined by us working around the clock. Our worth is not about if are on the go all the time. Our worth is found in the moments we spend caring for others, being compassionate and kind. It is in the times we care for creation, ensuring we treat her with dignity and respect. It is found in the moments where we fully admit, “I’m tired and I need a nap,” instead of lashing out and feeling resentful later.

Rest is an important spiritual practice and one we cannot forget or lose. So, after resurrection of Jesus, if you need more time to be fully resurrected and get back to work, that is okay. Know that rest is okay, rest is spiritual, and you deserve time to rest. Now I need to go take a nap.

--Maddi Baugous, associate pastor
Omaha First UMC
[email protected]
Originally published April 20, 2022.
Prayer for Reflection

God of creation and resurrection, thank you for rest. Thank you for showing us, we can rest. We can take breaks, nap, and we do not have to do it all. Give us the confidence to ask for help when needed and to make rest a priority. Together we pray. Amen.

Today's Lectionary Text

Luke 9:10-17

On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured.

The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish — unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Today's Devotional

In Ken Blanchard’s “The One Minute Manager”, an employee calls her boss and says, “I have a problem.” Before she can get another word out, her manager answers, “Good, that’s what you’ve been hired to solve.” I can’t help but think Jesus must have been a One Minute Manager. When the disciples come to Jesus and say, “We have a problem.” He says, “Good. That’s why I’ve called you.”

The problem is a hungry crowd. Thousands of people have gathered, it’s late in the day and they have no way to feed them. They suggest Jesus disperse the crowd, so they can go find food on their own. His answer is quite simple, “You give them something to eat.”

They gather the resources they have. Jesus takes the bread and fish, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them to share with the people. And there is more than enough for everyone. Jesus performs a miracle; but the disciples are not bystanders. They are called to do the work of feeding the crowd.

It is that way in our lives, too. We may see those who hunger, who are in pain, who long for God’s love. We may pray that God provides for those in our communities who do not have what they need. But we are not bystanders while God works. We must answer the call to do the work of being the hands and feet of Christ in the world.
-- Michael Turner, pastor
Osage City-Reading UMCs
[email protected]
Originally published April 3, 2019
Prayer for Reflection

Holy God, when we see those who most need to know Your love in this world, help us to remember we are called not only to pray for them, but to do the work of caring for our brothers and sisters in need. Amen.

Today's Lectionary Text

1 Peter 1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith— being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.



Today's Devotional

Discuss these questions among yourselves or on our page:
What might it mean to be gifted with a “new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”?
How might receiving a “new birth” as a gift be countercultural in a society that emphasizes productivity?
What might it look like to live confident in our “inheritance” ?
Why do you think Peter notes that our faith is “more precious than gold”?