FBC NEWS FLASH MASTER FILE

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
WINCHESTER, VA
MAY 5, 2020
VOLUME 81, ISSUE 45
The
TIE
that binds the church & home together
News Flash
Dear Friends,
Inside this issue:
News Flash
Sermon Manuscript May 3
Daily Devotionals- Week 7
Inspirational
Bible Verses:
Psalm 37:23-24
“The LORD makes firm
the steps of the one who
delights in him; though he
may stumble, he will not
fall, for the LORD
upholds him with his
hand.”
Psalm 23:5-6
“You prepare a table
before me in the presence
of my enemies. You anoint
my head with oil; my cup
overflows. Surely your
goodness and love will
follow me all the days of
my life, and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD
for ever.”
It has been good for me to see the sun a bit more the past few days. It has
reminded me that the seasons are changing and that we too are called to a season
of growth ourselves. Even as we shelter at home, our call as followers of Christ
to grow in our faith has not ended. I hope that you will use the resources that we
provide to do just that!
This week, I hope you will continue to join us for Tuesday and Thursday morning
prayer times on our church Facebook page for a morning devotional and prayer.
On Wednesday evening we will gather at 6:30 pm for a Bible Study on Christian
Spiritual Practices through Zoom:
(https://zoom.us/j/340308044?pwd=VU9lZHpXbU10V0NiQjNYaHhQdUY1Zz09,
Password: 678659).
On Saturday, on Facebook, we will air another one of the Singin’ Seniors concerts
from past years. And I also encourage you to continue to find ways to connect
with our program ministries online. Our children’s ministry is posting videos and
Bible studies, our chancel choir is meeting through Zoom, our youth group will
continue to meet on Sunday afternoons for Youth Group through Zoom, Lori is
hosting an Anxiety Support Group on Zoom on Sunday evenings, and we, of
course, will worship together each Sunday.
Of course, because of this pandemic and the necessary precautions and safety
concerns that it brings, our summer schedule at church will look different. We
will continue to keep you updated about changes as we make decisions, but I did
want to let you know about the following changes:
• Our Annual Church Picnic for this year has been canceled. We are saddened
that we cannot join together for this wonderful tradition but the requirements
for gatherings and the availability of the chicken we normally enjoy has
forced us to make this hard decision. We will look forward to gathering again
next year!
• Passport Youth Camp has been canceled for this summer. However, the
Passport organization plans to make materials available for us to use as we
can within our youth group this summer. We will look forward to finding
new ways to join in mission together, even if we are in our own homes.
• On May 14 our normal Wednesday evening gatherings would have come to
an end. At that time, we will no longer gather for Zoom Bible Study.
Instead, we will look forward to gathering for a Summer Book Club on Zoom
on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 am at the beginning of June. We will be
discussing the book An Altar in the World, by Barbara Brown Taylor, which
will also become the backbone of our summer worship series. I encourage

you to purchase the book now, as you are able and join us!
I continue to be grateful for the ways that we can worship together, pray together, and uphold one another,
despite our present circumstances and hardships. I am praying for each of you. May you sense God’s strength
and peace surrounding you this week.
God Bless You,
Pastor Kristin
named Jesus, listened to him teach, watched as he healed, seen him raised from the dead. Maybe they just
wanted to go back to when things felt easier. The days when everything felt under their control. When the
routine of day to day life was theirs to command and the only questions they had to ask were whether or not
they needed to mend any nets that morning and whether they should have packed more for lunch. They were
only in charge of themselves.
Even the disciples who hadn’t been fishermen before, Nathaniel and Thomas, decided that that sort of
life sounded pretty good. So they all followed Peter, who climbed back onto his old familiar boat and pushed
away from shore to go back to his old life, his old routine, his old self. But even as they anchored down into
waters they knew were full of fish, every net they pulled up was empty.
IV.
Sermon Manuscript from Sunday, May 3
Rev. Dr. Kristin A. Whitesides
I.
I always think that I am finished. We have sung a song and said our prayers. The nightlight has been
turned on. The bedtime story has ended. I say, “Goodnight. I love you!” And then make my way quietly out
the door.
But it is never as simple as that. Because sometimes even as I am shutting the door, I watch as my son is
uncovering his legs and throwing them over the side of the bed. Again and again he comes out of his room.
Asking for a glass of water. Sharing his ideas for a new invention or paper airplane he has designed in his head.
Asking for one more story. Just one more.
Right when I think the process has ended, I am back in the room, tucking him in. And saying, “Let’s see. Well,
once upon a time…”
II.
Right before our Scripture for today, the author of John’s gospel writes, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of his disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to
believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in Jesus name."
(John 20:30-31)
That’s such a good ending, don’t you think? Jesus has risen from the dead. He has appeared to Mary at
the tomb and sent her out to share the good news. Which she has done. He has appeared to other disciples,
locked up in an upper room in fear. He has shown Thomas the wounds on his hands and in his side. And he
has given them the gift of peace and commissioned them to go and tell the world about God’s miraculous
power and grace. The end.
But it isn’t the end, is it? Because right after those last lines in chapter 20, the author of the Gospel of John
writes, “After these things, Jesus showed himself again.” As Barbara Lundblad writes, “it isn't the end. After the
conclusion, after saying that there are many other signs not written in this book, the evangelist writes more in
the book!... “After these things, Jesus showed himself again." After all was said and done. After everything was
written that needed to be written. A postscript, another chapter and another ending.”
It’s almost as if Jesus just can’t help himself. Even when the story seems to be over, he keeps coming back.
III.
When Jesus shows up on the shoreline of the Sea of Tiberius that day, he must have wondered what his
disciples were doing. After all, he had met them behind their locked doors and given them the gift and the
power of the Holy Spirit. He had blessed them with his peace. And then he had sent them out to share the
good news of a God who cannot be contained.
But instead of becoming missionaries, the disciples had climbed back on a boat to go fishing. They have
gone right back to their old lives and their old routines, the ones they had before they had ever met a man
And it was in that moment, when the disciples were about to head back home, tired, dejected, and all
out of ideas, that Jesus called out to them from the shore. “Friends, you haven’t caught any fish, have you?” He
already knew the answer. He had watched them haul up those empty nets.
Across the water, they shouted back, “No.”
“Try casting your nets on the other side.”
And we already know how this story will go, don’t we? After all, in the Gospel of Luke we have read it before.
When Jesus told the fishermen to throw their nets on the other side and they caught so many fish that they
couldn’t haul them in without capsizing. It was on that day that the author of Luke tells us that he called the
disciples to come and follow him. In that Gospel, it was the beginning of their story. And here, we find the
same story. But this time it comes at the end. Actually it comes in the post-script, after the story should have
already ended!
V.
When the disciples begin to haul in that miraculous catch, it all comes back to them like muscle memory.
Only Jesus can produce this kind of abundance. “It is the Lord!” they declare! Peter jumps out of the boat and
swims to Jesus. He can’t wait until the boats get pulled back onto the sand. Because even after the disciples
have run out of options. Even after they have tried to go back to their old lives only to fail at that too: Jesus has
come to them!
And just like the other time he gathered with his disciples on the Sea of Tiberius in the Gospel of John, this
time Jesus stands on the shore with bread and fish. And the disciples recognize their Lord because he is doing
the things he has always done. Teaching them about abundance. Showing them the way. Meeting them where
they are and sharing a meal. Making bread and fish enough to feed them until they are full. They don’t need to
ask who he is. Because they already know.
VI.
During these days of isolation and new routines, I have sometimes found myself coming to the end of my rope.
Juggling homeschooling and working from home, trying to sift through conflicting information in the news,
unsure of when any of this will end or what life will look like moving forward from here. There are some days
when I do everything I can do and things still don’t turn out the way I hoped. Like I have worked hard all night
and only hauled in empty nets. Maybe you have felt like that some days, too.
But our Scripture today reminds us in those moments, when our own power and abilities come to an
end, Jesus comes to us to show us how God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. When we come to the
end of what we understand or can comprehend, Jesus comes to us to show us how God’s wisdom continues to
lead and guide us. When we come to the end of our own words and explanations, Jesus comes to us with a
Spirit that intercedes on our behalf.
And friends, when we think we have finished the story all together. When we think all the miracles and
resurrections are over. When we have closed the book, closed the door, and walked away. Well, Jesus keeps
coming back to us again. He tells us that some things have ended and been put to bed. But there is always time
for one more story…one more miracle. Even now.
Amen.

Evening Devotionals
Written by Rev. Dr. Kristin Adkins Whitesides for COVID-19
This week, I want to encourage you to find new ways to pray. I will give you a new idea each day that can be
used alone or with your family. May God bless you!
SUNDAY:
Find a map in your home or in your car. Spread it out on a flat surface. With your family, or by yourself, circle
places on the map for which you can pray. Or, even better, if you have tea lights, light the candles and place
them on top of those areas as you pray.
As you pray for specific areas of our world, our country, or our town, remember to pray for these things:
• The leaders of each area. May God give them wisdom as they seek to lead and make decisions, some of
them very difficult.
• Those who are sick or suffering. May God bring healing and hope.
• Those who are responding to needs, whether they be essential workers, healthcare workers, parents, or
caregivers. May God bless them with patience, strength, and grace.
• Find other ways you can pray for the residents of each area.
MONDAY:
If you have Scrabble tiles or tiles from the game Bananagrams, spread them out in front of you. If you are
praying with family members, take turns spelling out someone or something you are praying for or, if you are
praying alone, simply take some time to spell out each prayer focus. Connect the words using the tiles, taking
your time to pray over each word.
TUESDAY:
Today, we will focus on repentance. Using a washable marker, write a word or a symbol representing something
for which you need God’s forgiveness. As you pray for forgiveness, wash your hands and watch the word or
symbol disappear. Remember that God has forgiven you. Say a prayer of thanksgiving.
WEDNESDAY:
Today, pray using the ancient Christian practice of lectio divina. Choose a favorite psalm. If you are praying
with your family, take turns reading the psalm three times. Otherwise, read it for yourself. The first time, read
very slowly. After reading, think about the word or phrase that stood out to you. As you read it a second time,
focus on that word or phrase. After reading, prayerfully consider why that word or phrase might be connecting
with you today. The third time you read, allow the words of the psalm to become a prayer for you. Take some
time after reading the last time to ask God to move in your life, transforming you or guiding you into ever
deepening faithfulness.

THURSDAY:
As the weather permits, go on a prayer walk today. Or, if it is rainy or unpleasant out, simply walk through your
home. As you walk:
Thank God for the blessings of nature.
Ask God to move and work in the lives of your neighbors.
Thank God for the gift of your human body: hands that can help, feet that can move you from place to place,
eyes to see, ears to hear, a mouth to speak or find nourishment.
Ask God to continue to lead and guide you as you move through your life and make decisions each day.
Bless this food and drink we pray
And all who shares with us today.
Our Heavenly Father, kind and good,
We thank Thee for our daily food.
We thank Thee for Thy love and care.
Be with us Lord, and hear our prayer.
Come, Lord Jesus, our guest to be
And bless these gifts
FRIDAY:
Today, when you eat a meal, try using a new blessing. Sometimes, when we use our typical table blessings, we
say them without thinking. Today, find new ways to thank God for providing for your bodily needs. Thank
God for those who helped to prepare the meal. Thank God for those who harvested the vegetables or raised
the animals. Thank God for all the places from which your food came. If you are eating with others, thank
God for those with whom you are sharing the meal.
Here are some table blessings you might consider:
God bless to us our bread,
And give food to all who are hungry,
And hunger for justice to all who are fed.
God bless to us our bread. (from the Iona Community)
God is great and God is good,
Let us thank Him for our food;
By His hands we all are fed,
Thank you Lord for our daily bread. (traditional)
Bless, O Lord,
This food to our use
And us to thy service,
And keep us ever mindful
Of the needs of others.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen. (traditional)
God our Father, Lord, and Savior
Thank you for your love and favor
Bestowed by Thee.
And bless our loved ones everywhere,
And keep them in Your loving care. (traditional Moravian prayer)
SATURDAY:
Today, practice breath prayers. Simply choose one or two lines to meditate on and inhale and exhale as you say
them. A traditional form of breath prayer is known as “the Jesus Prayer.” These are the words:
(Inhale) Lord Jesus Christ, son of God,
(Exhale) Have mercy on me, a sinner.
Repeat the prayer at least ten times with good breaths in and out, focusing on the words.
Other prayers to consider using:
(From Matthew 11:28-30)
Inhale: Humble and gentle One,
Exhale: you are rest for my soul.
(From John 15)
Inhale: True Vine and Gardener,
Exhale: I abide in You.
(From Romans 8:38-39)
Inhale: Nothing can separate me,
Exhale: from the love of God.
(From Psalm 46:10)
Inhale: I will be still
Exhale: and know that you are God.