Phillipsburg, KS United Methodist Church

05/02/2026

We are excited about our newest friends in the Church! We are grateful that we were able to add this to our space.

A big thanks to Phillipsburg, KS United Methodist Church for insuring an AED graces our shared space.

An AED is now located by the entrance to the church office on the second floor.

Need a refresher on AED use? We 10/10 recommend a CPR class put on by Phillips County EMS!

05/02/2026

We want to thank our Church Family that volunteered their Sunday to help do some spring cleaning. It was time well-spent together with laughs, smiles, and a few rain-soaked members. God is good!

04/13/2026

Wisdom from above from James. Happy Christ-like living! ✝️🤍

04/03/2026

“It Is Finished.” — John 19:30
The cross was not the end… Sunday is coming.

Join us tonight for our Holy Week Service and Sunday as we celebrate the hope, love, and victory of Jesus.

02/18/2026

"Remember that you are dust... and to dust you shall return."
These words are often offered during Ash Wednesday worship services.

The words are not meant to sound threatening or foreboding. Instead they remind us that we are not God, but God's good creation. As we receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday, we acknowledge our mortality, our dependence on God and our need for renewal. It is a call to live fully, love boldly and turn our hearts toward God’s grace.

Join us for Ash Wednesday service with imposition of ashes and Communion at 6:30 tonight.

02/11/2026

01/24/2026

Service cancelled Sunday 1/25/26, due to the extreme cold temperatures and road conditions.

01/10/2026

Friday, Jan. 9, 2026
By Rev. Dr. Anne Gatobu

Scripture
Matthew 12:1-8
At that time Jesus went through the grain
fields on the Sabbath; his disciples were
hungry, and they began to pluck heads of
grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw
it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were
hungry? How he entered the house of God, and they ate the bread of the Presence, which it
was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? Or have you not read
in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are
guiltless?
I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I
desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of
Man is lord of the Sabbath

Devotion
While this passage focuses on the Sabbath and its regulations, it ultimately raises a deeper
question: What does genuine relationship with God look like, and how should it shape Christian
living? At its core, Jesus confronts a faith that elevates rule-keeping above love, mercy, and
justice.
My understanding of this tension is grounded in two key scriptures:
• Micah 6:8 — What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk
humbly with God.
• Jesus’ greatest commandment — To love the Lord your God withal your heart, mind and
soul and to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
Viewed through this lens, Matthew 12:1-8 becomes especially clear. God originally gave Israel
ten commandments as guidance for loving God and others. Over time, these were expanded

into 613 laws that governed every aspect of daily life. What was meant to nurture faithful
relationship with God and neighbor, became an oppressive system, Obedience to
these laws became the measure of righteousness.
Jesus challenges this thinking. He reminds the Pharisees that David ate the consecrated bread
without condemnation, and that priests routinely worked on the Sabbath in the temple and
were still innocent. His message is unmistakable: strict adherence to religious law is not the true
measure of righteousness.
Instead, true righteousness is found in loving God and God’s creation — which naturally gives
rise to mercy and justice. When love requires choosing compassion over rigid rules, Jesus
makes clear where God stands: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
Freed from legalism that distorts faith, we are invited into the abundant life Christ offers—one
rooted in love, grace, and authentic relationship with God.
Prayer
Dear God, open our hearts and minds to discern when faithfulness to You calls us beyond
surface rules into deeper acts of love, mercy, and justice.

01/08/2026

Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026
By Rev. Lori Patton Aguilar

Scripture
Exodus 1:15-21
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the
other Puah, “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool,
if it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”
But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they
let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have
you done this and allowed the boys to live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the
Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the
midwife comes to them.”
So God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very strong. And
because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

Devotion
A friend asks how you’re doing, and the
real answer is far too long to get into. A
co-worker asks if you like their new
haircut, and you don’t want to hurt their
feelings. So, we exchange pleasantries. We
tell “little lies.”
We say, “I’m fine,” or “Your haircut looks
great.” Sometimes we shade the truth to
protect feelings, avoid awkwardness, or
protect ourselves.
Shiphrah and Puah, however, didn’t tell a
little lie — they told a big one. And God
honors them for it. Shiphrah and Puah
were midwives who received a command
from Pharaoh to kill every Hebrew baby

boy at birth. They were ordered by the authority of the state — the empire itself — to
participate in violence. Instead, they chose to honor God. They disobeyed. They let the babies
live.
When Pharaoh realized his plan wasn’t working, he summoned the midwives and demanded an
explanation. Shiphrah and Puah lied, saying the Hebrew women gave birth too quickly — before
the midwives could even arrive.
There is a profound difference between these midwives’ actions and the “little lies” we tell for
convenience. Shiphrah and Puah are not protecting their own comfort or avoiding
awkwardness. They are refusing to become complicit in injustice. They stand against the
authority of the state, even when it puts their own lives at risk. They refuse to cooperate with a
system of death and use what power they have to protect the vulnerable. Scripture tells us they
feared God more than Pharaoh — and God brought life from their courage.
We live in a culture where love of God and love of country are often intertwined. But what
happens when they come into conflict? And what might faithful refusal look like today?
A faithful witness isn’t always loud, dramatic, or heroic. Sometimes it simply means refusing to
participate in harm, declaring that no life is expendable — even when silence would be easier.

Prayer
God of Justice, give us courage to refuse what is wrong and to protect the vulnerable. May our
actions honor you above all else and reflect your love for all of creation. Amen

01/07/2026

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026
By Andrea Paret

Scripture
Matthew 2: 13-23
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up,
take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is
about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother
by night, and went to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what
had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and
killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to
the time that he had learned from the magi. Then what had been spoken through the prophet
Jeremiah was fulfilled:
“A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and
said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were
seeking the child’s life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went
to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in place of his father
Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the
district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been
spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Devotion
Jesus, our Savior, our King, Prince of Peace, Ruler of the World. But also Jesus, a refugee, an
outcast, persecuted, and yes, killed.
We celebrate Christmas, the birth of the Christ child. In many nativity scenes and plays
Christmas is romanticized. Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus, all dressed nicely, the light of

the shining star lighting the stable.
But what about the smell of
manure, the flies, the bugs, the
dirty diapers?
Years ago, I experienced a different
kind of nativity play. In this play,
the mayor of Bethlehem and other
community leaders prepared for
the arrival of Jesus. The best
rooms in the inn were prepared,
welcome signs for Mary and
Joseph were hung across the street. The best possible food was prepared, a doctor was ready to
assist in the birth. But at the end the question was asked, what about the shepherds in the
fields, belonging to the lower class and not very respected. Would they have been allowed to
come and welcome Jesus?
We sing the hymn, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” but often ignore what is happening in
Bethlehem today where Palestinian Christians and Palestinians with different faiths are all
brutally oppressed.
Jesus was born under an oppressive regime, a government that ordered people to go to other
places to get counted for tax purposes and that ordered babies to be killed. Mary and Joseph
took Jesus and fled to Egypt.
Today, there are more than 110 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide, among them
internally displaced people, refugees, and asylum seekers. Most people love their country and
want to stay. But what if you see your children hungry or threatened by gangs wanting to force
them into prostitution? What if you receive death threats because you refuse to follow orders
that devalue other humans?

Prayer
Creator God, you sent Jesus to remind us of your great love for all human beings as all were
created by you. You are with each one of us in happy and in difficult times, you know our fears,
our vulnerabilities but also our joys. Help us to welcome the stranger, to see your image in each
person we meet and to share your love with all. Amen.