FMC Midlothian

05/23/2026

What if this Pentecost is different?
Pentecost is often a forgotten holy-day in the church. The church shows up and shows out for Christmas and Easter, and yet Pentecost flies under the radar.

It shouldn’t.

Pentecost reminds us of when the church was born with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ followers. On that day, a small band of 120 people who waited for Jesus’ promise turned into a movement of more than 3,000. The church was born and it didn’t look back as it took Jesus’ mission into new frontiers.

The question I have for you as we look ahead to Pentecost Sunday is this: what if this Pentecost is different? What if this Pentecost wasn’t just about remembering the birth of the church but was a day when our church experienced a rebirth? What if it was more than another Sunday, but a day of renewal as Jesus pours out a fresh helping of the Spirit upon us?

I believe it can be.

The difference between this Sunday being that and just another Sunday might just be the spirit we bring to it.

When that small group of 120 gathered on the first true Pentecost, they did so with expectant hearts. They were eager and ready for the Lord to move. They were waiting for the gift Jesus had promised, but they didn’t wait passively. They gathered in worship and prayer. They called on the Lord and made room in their life together for Jesus to do something great. Every time they met, they believed this could be “it”, the moment they got to share in God’s own Spirit.

This Sunday might be “it” for us too. It just might be the day the Lord is pleased to pour out His Spirit and blessing upon us in greater measure than we’re used to.

I hope it is.

I hope you do as well. In fact, I hope you come expecting Him to do that very thing.

I want you to join us for worship this Sunday for Pentecost, but I also want you to come expecting the Lord to do something great. Please don’t come expecting the ordinary but anticipating the extraordinary. Maybe then Pentecost won’t just be something we remember that Jesus did long ago, but something we experience together.

Come Holy Spirit, come.

05/05/2026

We love the teachers in our community! Thank you for all you do!

We are so thankful that FMC Midlothian spoiled our staff today with sonic drinks!! It’s such a blessing to live in a community that supports our schools so well!

04/26/2026

☀️💛 LOVE KIDS? LOVE JESUS? 💛☀️
Your best summer might be waiting for you…

We’re looking for a fun, faith-filled Children’s Ministry Summer Intern to join our Creation Kids team at FMC Midlothian!

The paid internship is from Mid May - August • ~15-20 hours/week

Spend your summer making a real impact—building relationships, investing in kids, and being part of what God is doing in the next generation. 🙌

It’s meaningful. It’s hands-on. And yes… it’s a lot of fun too. 🎉

📲 Interested or know someone who would be a great fit? Head to fmcmidlothian.org/jobs to learn more!

04/25/2026

Stop by our booth at Midlofest today anytime until 8pm!
We’d love to see you!

04/19/2026

Happy Senior Sunday 🎓
Class of 2026, we wish you the best and pray you remember who you are in Christ.

04/05/2026

He is Risen! 🌷 Happy Resurrection Day!

Praying you have a great day and remember that Jesus loves you!

04/05/2026

SUNDAY, 4/5

Read Matthew 28:1-10.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Happy Resurrection Day!

In our passage today, we find ourselves with the women who loved Jesus standing before an empty tomb. The advantage we have over them is we know the whole story. We know that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead. They, however, are caught in the maelstrom of shock and grief. They struggle to make sense of what lay in front of them.

One of my favorite parts of how Matthew describes the scene is the seemingly contradicting emotions that he captures. Leaving the empty tomb, the women are “afraid yet filled with joy”. When reading this, we may wonder how one could experience joy and fear at the same time. We might imagine fear squelching joy or joy overcoming fear. How might they coexist in the same heart?

Being “afraid yet filled with joy” was temporary. The women went to the tomb afraid and filled with sorrow. That began to shift when they didn’t find Jesus’ dead body there. As they allowed themselves to consider the possibility of Jesus’ really rising from the dead, the fear that had encapsulated their hearts began to crack. Joy at the possibility of Jesus’ being who and all that they had hoped made room for joy to make its way in. Of course, in that moment all they had was an announcement. What they had not done was lay eyes on Him. That would come in the next few moments.

As the women left the tomb to go tell the disciples, they encountered the Risen Jesus. He offers them a casual, almost common, greeting for their day. We might wonder why, given the fact that the world has now been forever changed but in the new order Jesus instated that first Easter morning, resurrection is a norm. Jesus may be the first to be raised from death to life, but He won’t be the last. Many are to follow. All who come to Him in faith will follow in His footsteps.

The first thing the women do when they encounter Him is to clasp His feet and worship Him. They go to take hold of Jesus and begin praising Him. That is the appropriate response to the Risen Savior, is it not? We reach out to take hold of the One who captured our hearts. We lift up our voices to heap praises on Him who is worthy.

The women give us a great image for Easter morning. They show us how what we once feared can now give way to joy and our tears can be turned into praise. May the story of our Risen Savior inspire you today. May the glory of Jesus touch your life. May He fill your hearts with His joy. May we be prompted to worship, not because we have to, but because we can do nothing else.

Praying Together:
“Risen Jesus, like the women at the tomb, we embrace You and offer You our praise. Jesus, You have shown that You are worthy of all praise, glory, and honor. On the cross, You showed Your authority over sin and the grave, You displayed Your power over death. We see You as You are and declare Your glory to the world. Amen”

04/04/2026

Read Matthew 27:57-61.
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

This is a somber moment. The hopes of so many people were bound up in Jesus. Some hoped Jesus would save Israel from Roman rule; others, that He would heal their bodies. Still others believed that He would usher in God’s Kingdom. Whatever the hopes the people had in Jesus, those hopes died with Him.

That is a fitting thought for us today given that it is known as Holy Saturday. Holy Saturday isn’t as widely celebrated as the other days of Holy Week, but it’s worthy of reflection as it sandwiched between the tragedy of Good Friday and the joy of Easter Sunday.

We call such a space the in-between. The in-between is when we find ourselves between heartbreak and restoration, when we’re smack in the middle of trouble and resolution, of pain and healing.

When you’re in the in-between, you often feel stuck. At worst, you can feel hopeless, as if things will never get better and the promise of brighter days is too far away and may never be realized. The in-between isn’t an easy space to be. It can feel lonely. It can be hard to see beyond the in-between. It’s hard to exercise faith or hold onto hope in the in-between.

However, the in-between plays a vital role in our lives, especially our life of faith. We are shaped by the in-between more than any other season of life. It’s the journey through that wilderness that carves out our character and forms our faith. God often does His best work when we’re in the in-between. He also makes Himself known to us most clearly in the in-between.

The key for us is clinging to God’s promises when they have yet to be realized. It is walking with joy even when we cannot see when or even how our hopes will come to pass. That is faith if exercised. We trust for no other reason than we know who the Lord is. We know what He has revealed about His nature. This is why keeping our eyes fixed on Him is so important on days like Holy Saturday, when the promise is over the horizon but we can’t see it just yet.

So my encouragement to you is this: if you have experienced Good Friday tragedy and find yourself living in the in-between of Holy Saturday, hold on--Easter is coming! God sees you when you’re in the in-between. You aren’t lost. You aren’t forgotten. God’s promise is closer to being realized than you might think.

Praying Together:
“Lord, give us strength as we navigate seasons of uncertainty. Help us hold fast to You and Your promises. May Your promises fill our hearts with joy and hope as we look to You. Be near to us. Minister to us. Shape us and fix our eyes on Your goodness. Amen.”

04/03/2026

Read Matthew 27:27-56.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

There is a lot to consider in the passage today. The words that jump out to me are Jesus’ words from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Those words are haunting given they were among the last He spoke before He died on the cross. If taken at face value, they might seem to indicate that God had forsaken Him, turning away from His beloved Son. They make it seem as if all is lost. However, that’s the danger of interpreting events by how they seem. As the saying goes, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

Jesus’ words from the cross are taken straight from Psalm 22:1. Psalm 22 was a familiar song to God’s people. Often people quoted the first line of a song as a way of inviting people to recall the entire song. That is certainly the case here as you read through Psalm 22.

The psalm begins with King David’s feeling as if God has abandoned him. Listen to the descriptions the king gives to his predicament. He says he has been ridiculed and rejected by the people. They mock him by saying, “Let the Lord rescue him since he delights in [the Lord].” They have pierced his hands and feet. They have divided his clothes and cast lots for his garments. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Jesus is using Psalm 22 to speak to His circumstances and that these events have been prophesied long ago.

Quoting Psalm 22 also serves the purpose of proclaiming the Lord’s power to vindicate. Psalm 22 states that while it seems as though God has abandoned King David, the truth is God is in the midst of redeeming him. God is at work doing a new thing. Their efforts to shame the king will end in his glory. Psalm 22 ends with the people’s turning to the Lord and declaring His righteousness; in fact, they proclaim the victory He won, saying “He has done it!”

That is what we see on Easter Sunday. We see God’s power to vindicate Jesus. the Righteous One. We see God’s mighty power to save. We see the King of Kings shedding the shame of the cross for glory, its mockery for majesty.

Following Easter Sunday, we will see Jesus seated at the highest throne next to His Father, the very place He resides now as the Head of the church. From the depths of a grave to the heights of heaven, such is the power of God to give victory.

Let that picture of Jesus be an encouragement to you. What God has done for His Son, He can do for you and me. The same power God poured out on His Son, He pours out on His sons and daughters that we may be raised to be seated with Jesus in a place of glory we do not deserve.

May the reminder of our place with Him bless us this day. May we find comfort knowing that we belong to Him, that He has won the battle we could not, and that nothing can separate us from His love.

Praying Together:
“Merciful Lord, we praise You for enduring the pain of the cross. Give us faith that we may hold fast to You. Help us trust the place You have given us. May we have faith in Your power to deliver us from sin and death. May we live in victory today because of what You have done. Amen.”