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Wilson 1st Presbyterian and United Methodist Churches, 319 24th Street, Wilson, KS (2026)

01/26/2022

Jan. 30, 2022
Call to Worship, Prayer, Outline, and Pastor’s Ponderings
A Contagious Style
1 Thessalonians 2:1-13
Call to Worship: Psalm 71:1-6
L: In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.

P/C: In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me.

L: Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

P/C: Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.

L: For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.

P/C: Upon you I have learned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.
Prayer: Almighty God, giver of every good and perfect gift, teach us to render to you all that we have and all that we are, that we may praise you, not with our lips only, but with our whole lives, turning the duties, the sorrows, and the joys of all our days into a living sacrifice to you; through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Outline: A Contagious Style
A Contagious Style Is Biblical in Content
A Contagious Style Is Authentic in Nature
A Contagious Style Is Gracious in Attitude
A Contagious Style in Approach
Living Insights

Pastor’s Ponderings: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16 “Gentle Evangelism”
What thoughts come to your mind when you hear the word evangelism? Pushy people trying to get you to see things their way? Guilt for not saying enough about your Savior? People swarming down the aisles at a gigantic rally? Or friends sharing the excitement of the good news with each other? For Paul, evangelism was always delightful and exciting. In this passage he tells us why talking about Christ is such a positive experience for him.
Warming Up to God: How do you feel about telling others about your faith? Talk with God about any fears or guilt you experience.
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16.
Discovering the Word: 1. What excuses might Paul have had not to preach to the Thessalonians (vv. 1-2)? 2. What attitudes enable Paul to continue preaching despite opposition (vv. 3-6)? 3. What does this teach you about proper and improper reasons for witnessing to others? 4. Paul claims to have been “holy, righteous and blameless” (v. 10) among the Thessalonians. If this is important, how can imperfect people dare to do evangelism? 5. How is a father dealing with his children a good example of an evangelist (vv. 11-12)?
Applying the Word: 1. In what specific ways can gentleness and caring become more a part of your evangelistic efforts? 2. In what ways have you found evangelism to be difficult? 3. What ideas and encouragement from this passage can help you to overcome these difficulties?
Responding in Prayer: Ask God to give you encouragement to be a gentle evangelist.

01/17/2022

January 23, 2022
Call to Worship, Prayer, Outline, and Pastor’s Ponderings
A Genuine Concern for Others
Acts 3:1-8
Call to Worship: Psalms 19:7-10
L: The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
P/C: The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
L: The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
P/C: The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
L: The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
P/C: The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
L: They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
P/C: they are sweeter than honey,

Prayer (Kanopolis): O God, the Giver of life, we pray for the Church throughout the world. Sanctify its life, renew its worship, empower its witness, restore its unity. Remove from your people all pride and every prejudice that dulls their will for unity. Strengthen the work of all those who strive to seek that common obedience that will bind us together. Heal the divisions which separate your children from one another, that they may keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Amen.

Outline: A Genuine Concern for Others
I. A Brief Glance Backward
II. F Is for Fellowship
III. E Is for Expression
IV. Living Insights

Acts 3 Healing Power
In over 20 years I’ve been blessed witnessing the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has demonstrated not only through physical healing, but also in the “complete healing” that includes every aspect of our lives.

Warming Up to God: Recall a time when you felt broken and in need of healing. Thank God for the ways that he has transformed and healing you since then.

Read Acts 3.

Discovering the Word: 1. How does the response of the people to the miracle in verses 6-8 contrast with the beggar’s response (vv. 8 and 11-112)? 2. When Peter noticed how the crowd reacted, he saw his opportunity and talked to them about Jesus. According to Peter’s message, what had God done to Jesus (vv. 13-15)? 3. How is the authority of Jesus demonstrated in this miracle (v. 16)? 4. How did Peter explain that all that had happened to Jesus was a part of God’s plan (vv. 17-26)?

Applying the Word: 1. What healing do you need in your life? 2. How do you respond when you have opportunities like Peter’s to talk about Jesus? 3. The “completely” healed man was a powerful testimony to the power of God and the truth of Peter’s words. How have you seen the power of God demonstrated in your life and the lives of others?

Responding in Prayer: Thank God for working so powerfully to change your life, and ask God to give you the opportunity to talk about Jesus to one person this week.

01/11/2022

January 16, 20222
Call to Worship, Prayer, Outline, and Pastor’s Ponderings
Our Objectives
Acts 2:41-27
Call to Worship:
L: Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
P/C: Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
L: How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
P/C: They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
L: For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
P/C: Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.

Prayer (Kanopolis): O creator and mighty God, you have promised strength for the weak, rest for the laborers, light for the way, grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love. O creator and mighty God, help us to continue in your promise. Amen.

Scripture: Acts: Acts 2:41-47

Outline: Our Objectives
I. Ten Statements about Ministry
II. Four Major Objectives for the Church – W-I-F-E
III. W is for Worship
IV. I is for Instruction
V. Living Insights

Pastor’s Ponderings: Acts Receiving the Power Acts 2

In Acts chapter 2, Luke, the author of the book of Acts shares about prayer and the Holy Spirit. Those in the Upper Room, realized there was only one source to accomplish this task-the power of the Holy Spirit. They had been in the Upper Room waiting and praying for the Holy Spirit for one week.

Warming Up to God: The Holy Spirit, although at times we do not sense him, is always there to help us. Let the Holy Spirit quiet you now and open your heart to what he wants to tell you about himself.

Read Acts 2.

Discovering the Word: 1. How do the Jews respond to the power of the Spirit which they witness (vv. 5-12)? 2. Here we see Peter as a dynamic leader and preacher. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that has changed this man who once a coward who denied Jesus three times. Scripture, again, is the foundation of Peter’s proclamation of truth. What message does the Old Testament book of Joel have for the bewildered crowd (vv. 17-21)? 3. What is there in Peter’s sermon that would reassure Theophilus about his faith and help him “know the certainty of the things” that he’d been taught? 4. What does Peter have to offer to those who are responsive to his message (vv. 37-39)? 5. Describe the fellowship of the believers in this young church (vv. 42-47).

Applying the Word: 1. Imagine you were there on the day of Pentecost. What do you think it would have been like for you as one of the crowd looking on? 2. How has your life been affected by the gift of the Holy Spirit? 3. How does the life and purpose of your church or Christian fellowship group compared to that of this group?

Responding in Prayer: Ask God to make the power of the Holy Spirit come alive in your life and pray that God will use you through that power.

12/28/2021

Please keep her and the family in your prayers. Love goes out to all!

Please help me in flooding our beautiful momma, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter McKenzie with cards ONLY of well wishes! While she is in ICU she can not have flowers or anything. Thank you everyone so much for all the love, support and prayers! The are appreciated more than you will ever know! Hunter Ingham Pat Thrasher Sandy King Shanna Bacon King McKenzie Ingham Kamdyn Thrasher

Here is the address to send to her!
Via Christi St. Joseph's
Patient: McKenzie Ingham
3600 E. Harry St.
Wichita, Ks 67218

11/16/2021

November 21, 2021
Call to Worship, Prayer, Outline, and Pastor’s Ponderings
Correctly Jesus Is King
John 18:28-38
Call to Worship: Psalm 78:1-4
L: My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
P/C: I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old
L: things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.
P/C: We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
Prayer (Kanopolis): O Lord, You remembered us when we forgot you. You followed us even when we tried to flee from you. You met us with forgiveness when we returned to you. For all your patience and overflowing grace. We pray this in name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture: John 18:28-38
Outline: Correctly Jesus Is King
I. The Accusation
II. The Interrogation
III. The Defense
IV. The Verdict/ What Is Truth

Pastor’s Ponderings: John 18:28-19:16 “Pilate on Trial”
The New Testament does blame the Jewish leaders for condemning Jesus to die. But they weren’t acting alone. The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, also condemned Jesus to die. There is a sense, too, in which we killed Jesus. He died for our sins. The most amazing answer to the question of who killed Jesus is that no one did! Jesus said, “No one takes my life from me. I lay it down of my choice.”
Warming Up to God: What temptation to compromise your Christian faith or witness are you facing? Ask the one who has faced deep trials to give you strength.
Read John 18:28-19:16.
Discovering the Word: 1. A Roman trial included four basic elements: the accusation (18:29-31), the interrogation (search for evidence) (18:32-35), the defense (18:36-37) and the verdict (18:38). What events or statements from the text are included in each? 2. Pilate obviously was trying to release Jesus. What specific attempts did he make (18:39; 19:4, 6, 10, 12, 15)? 3. The Jews true charge against Jesus comes out in verse 7-“He claimed to be the Son of God.” Why do you think Pilate reacted to that statement as he did (vv. 8-9)? 4. Why didn’t Jesus say more to Pilate (vv. 9-11)? Shouldn’t he have defended himself more vigorously? 5. What can you conclude about Pilate’s character after reading this passage? What kind of man was he?
Applying the Word: 1. How can you respond appropriately to Christ’s grace to you? 2. What does this passage tell you about how you should respond when you are treated unjustly?
Responding in Prayer: Ask God to help you follow His example of grace when you are under pressure.

10/22/2021

October 24, 2021
Call to Worship, Prayer, Outline, and Pastor’s Ponderings
Exodus 33:13-17 & 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Call to Worship:
L: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength, And come and save us!
P/C: Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! L: O LORD God of hosts, How long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people? P/C: You have fed them with the bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure.
L: You have made us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves.
P/C: Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

Prayer (Kanopolis): Almighty and everlasting God, you have safely brought us to the beginning of this day. Defend us with your mighty power, and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger, but that all our doings, ordered by your governance, may be always righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture: Exodus 33:13-17 & 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Outline: Motivation
I. Introduction
II. A Response to God’s Grace
III. Built Into the Seed
IV. Faith & Actions
V. God’s Abundant Giving
VI. The Motivation for Stewardship
Pastor’s Ponderings: Exodus 33 God’s Presence and Glory
I want you to think about taking your child to school the first time. You may have to drag them all the way. Your presence was not enough to enable them to face this terrible prospect. The command to go was clear, but that wasn’t enough for your child. In the same way God commanded Israel to go to the good land he had promised to give them. God’s leader asked for God’s presence before he would move out. In this study we see more of God’s loving patience with Moses and Israel and how this speaks to our own basic spiritual goals.
Warming Up to God: Sit quietly and imagine you are a glass of water, full of words, thoughts, ideas and sins that distract. Pour yourself out in front of the Lord and let the Spirit refill you with His good, refreshing water.
Read Exodus 33.
Discovering the Word: 1. What commands, promises and warnings did God give Israel? 2. What occurred at the tent of meeting and why? 3. What do these verses reveal about Moses’ relationship with God and the effect it had on others? 4. Look at the development of Moses’ requests (vv. 13, 15, 18). How do they increase in spiritual wisdom and depth and reveal Moses’ deepest desire? 5. In God’s answer to Moses (vv. 19-23), what do you learn about his nature and character?
Applying the Word: 1. Moses could not see God’s face. What is our privilege and responsibility in light of John 14:8-14 and Hebrews 1:1-4? 2. In what ways do you demonstrate a desire to know God and to see his glory?
Responding in Prayer: Thank the Father for showing you His glory incarnate in His son, Jesus Christ.

10/12/2021

October 17, 2021
Call to worship, Prayer, Outline, and Outline, and Pastor’s Ponderings

Call to Worship;
L: Bless the Lord, O my soul
P/C: O Lord my God, You are very great:
L: You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment
P/C: Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
L: Who makes the clouds His chariot, which walks on the wings of the wind,
P/C: Who makes His angels spirits, His [a]ministers a flame of fire.
L: You who [b]laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever P/C; You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
L: At the voice of your thunder they hastened away. They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them.
P/C: You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they may not return to cover the earth.

Prayer (Kanopolis): O God, may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!” Yes our heart is glad in God, because we trust in God’s holy name. Let us make a joyful noise to God with songs of praise! We praise you, O God; we acknowledge you to be the Lord. Amen.
Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10 & 2 Timothy 4:6-8
Outline: Perspective
Introduction
Contentment
Money Matters
Acts of Kindness
Pastor’s Ponderings: 1 Timothy 6:3-20 “Find Your Riches in Christ
Some well-known Christian teaches and authors tell us that being a Christian means success and prosperity. If we are faithful. God will bless us with wealth. Other Christians advocate a simple lifestyle without interest in material possessions. What does Scripture say about how we are to regard money? In this chapter Paul concludes his agenda of how to lead the powerful and the powerless by addressing the wealthy members of the church.

09/28/2021

Oct. 3, 2021
Call to Worship, Prayer, Outline, and Pastor’s Ponderings
Scripture: Exodus 19:5-6 and Matthew 22:36-40
Covenant
Call to Worship: The Apostles’ Creed UMC 881
Prayer (Kanopolis): Almighty God, giver of every good and perfect gift, teach us to render to you all that we have and all that we are, that we may praise you, not with our lips only, but with our whole lives, turning the duties, the sorrows, and the joys of all our days into a living sacrifice to you; through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture: Exodus 19:5-6 & Matthew 22:36-40
Outline: Covenant
Introductive
Keeping God’s Covenant
Aligning Under God
The Wilderness Experience
The Productive Kingdom Steward
Holy Communion for Ellsworth and Wilson

Pastor’s ponderings: Exodus 19: Preparing for God
Do you tune in or tune out when the pastor stands to read the Scripture? You’ve heard it before? Probably. How then can Christians who have heard the Bible so often recapture the expectancy of hearing it for the first time? A very practical problem indeed. When God spoke to his people the first time, a thunderstorm erupted. We can’t expect that every Sunday, so perhaps we have to look within. How eager are we to hear God speak? To listen and obey? In this study we find not only thunder and lightning but a prepared, excited-even fearful-people. The New Testament reminds us that God is still a consuming fire.
Warming Up to God: Spend some time quietly meditating on the nature of God. Prepare your heart to be met by the Lord today.
Read Exodus 19.
Discovering the Word: 1. What prospect did God hold out for his people after 3 months on the road (vv. 1-6)? 2. What preparations did the people have to make for God’s appearance and why (vv. 10-15)? 3. What message was God conveying about himself and about his words (vv. 6, 23)? 4. How and why did the people react to the signs of God’s presence on the mountain (vv. 16-19)? 5. Why would Israelites be tempted to “force their way through to see the Lord” (v. 21)?
Applying the Word: 1. Moses “consecrated” the people so they could meet God(v. 14). What is required of you to meet him? Why? 2. Moses acts as mediator between God and his people. In what sense is Jesus our mediator now (1 Tim. 2:5-6)? 3. The events of these days cause the people to hear and obey. How can we hold God’s Word in holy awe?
Responding in Prayer: Ask the Lord to help you prepare your heart for worship before you come to church.

09/21/2021

September 26, 2021
Call to Worship, Prayer, Outline, and Pastor’s Ponderings
Gen. 1:27-31 & 1 Peter 4:8-11
Responsibility
Call to Worship: Psalm 8:3-9
L: When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
P/C: the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
L: what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
P/C: human beings that you care for them?
L: You have made them[b] a little lower than the angels
P/C: and crowned them[d] with glory and honor.
L: You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
P/C; you put everything under their feet:
L: all flocks and herds,
P/C: and the animals of the wild,
L: the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea,
P/C: all that swims the paths of the seas.
L: LORD, our Lord,
P/C: how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Prayer (Kanopolis): We believe, O Lord that you have not abandoned us to the dim light of our own reason to conduct us to happiness, but that you have revealed in Holy Scriptures whatever is necessary for us to believe and practice. How noble and excellent are the precepts, how sublime and enlightening the truth, how persuasive and strong the motives, how powerful the assistance of your holy religion. Our delight shall be in your statues, and we will not forget your Word. Amen.
Outline: Responsibility
I. Introduction
II. God’s House
III. God’s Creation
IV. The Freedom God Gives
V. Time, Talents, and Treasures
Pastor’s Ponderings: “Responsibility”
Read Genesis 1:27-31 and I Peter 4:8-11
When we read Genesis 1:27-31, we see the benefits for managing: Time, Talents, and Treasures include receiving God’s manifold blessings. 1.) Blessing is the experiencing of God’s favor, which God entrusts to us for our benefit as well as for the benefit of others. 2.) When one steward’s well what God has given to you, you set yourself up to be blessed by God. 3.) The blessing will always enable you to manage more, rule more, and expand God’s kingdom resources more. As God said in Gen. 1:28, their blessings were directly tied to and given for the express purpose of ruling God’s creation as God’s kingdom stewards.
First Peter 4:8-11 urges us to use our gifts in serving God and others while also reminding us of the boomerang effect that extending love and service can positively have in our lives. 1.) In all things, God is to be glorified through Jesus Christ by the right management of your talents. 2.) After all, it is God who has allowed you to receive an education, develop skills, acquire talents, and benefits from them yourself as well. 3.) Functioning from a mindset of gratitude for God’s abundant grace will keep you in alignment with His calling of service with regard to your talents.

03/31/2021

Holy Wednesday

03/25/2021

Today's Lectionary Text
Ephesians 3:17-19
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Today's Devotional
Most mornings I wake up and read for 30 minutes to an hour. I read the Bible, a devotion, a poem and at the moment, I am reading a prayer book for Lent. I have been doing this for a while, maybe a couple of years. It is a way to refill my cup; a cup that is taken from on a daily basis. I have done a daily gratitude journal where you write five things that you are grateful for each day. I have read the book Untamed. At the moment, I am reading Caste and a collection of Mary Oliver poems. I read from a Lectio Divina Bible, so it has prescribed readings for the day; right now I am in Amos. I just finished Genesis. My Lenten journey was to read Sara Bessey’s new book on prayer. It is quite beautiful. There are prayers from a collection of authors that are mostly known in the religious realm. There is a great intentionality to the collection of prayers. It is speaking to my soul.

Since about January (I think January, I am not sure because the winter days just seem to all run together, the dark gloominess of the days just seem to swallow me), I find myself in what the doctor called a “mild depression.” Now, I knew what depression was. I have seen others struggle with it. I have read about it, studied it; I even have a certification from Iliff School of Theology in Pastoral Care, but I could not put my finger on what was wrong. Not much brought me joy. I love to embroider and during this time, I just lost interest. I love to eat, especially tacos but during that time, I just lost interest. I worked every day, I have a really cool job, but nothing was bringing me joy. I slept a lot. I got really frustrated with the silliest stuff. People cutting me off on the highway made me have to come home and take a nap. I had gone to my favorite coffee shop and they were out of my drink; I just bawled. That poor barista. I kept my feelings inside and went about my days as if life was just great but inside, I felt incredibly sad. I didn't even feel this way when my dad died; it was a sadness I had never experienced. I tried to exercise. I tried breathing. I tried calling a behavioral hotline. I tried talking to the people who loved me the most. The sadness just lingered around like a bad smell. Finally, at a routine doctor’s appointment, my doctor asked how I was doing, and I started crying. She began to ask me questions. Then she said those words, you are experiencing a “mild depression.”

The ones who help everyone sometimes have the hardest time helping themselves. I found that to be the case with me. Depression is a mental illness or what I like to call a brain illness. Why brain illness? Because your brain is affected, and it is your brain that is sick. Depression affects every part of your brain and your body. I am familiar with being sick; I have asthma. I know what to do when I have bronchitis or pneumonia. Rest, medicine, fluids and selfcare make up the recipe for recovery from a lung illness so I thought I would do the same for my brain illness. Over the course of about four weeks, one day I just woke up and didn't feel the incredible sadness anymore. It was and is the strangest thing. I still have unsurmountable amounts of anxiety, but the overwhelming sadness has dissipated.

Brain illness is real. It does not mean that you lack faith. It does not mean that you are weak. It does not mean that you have sinned. It does not mean that God does not love you. Brain illness is just that, an illness. Brain illness can happen to anyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, education, marital status, or money in the bank. None of those things matter a hill of beans for brain illness to strike. Here’s the thing: you are loved beyond measure by God. The very God that created you is with you just as much in the valley as when you are on the mountaintop. God will not forsake you during your illness. God loves you.

Now back to my beautiful Lenten devotion. On Monday I was reading my Sarah Bessey prayer book and it was a prayer from her. The way she writes, for me, is just this beautiful waltz of words that just plant themselves into the very depths of my soul. The prayer for the day was called “A Reminder.” Hear some of her words;

“you don't have to be productive and you don’t have to change the world. You’re already so loved. You can doubt or feel great certainty (even if that certainty is in your doubt). . .You can carry chronic pain or dance through life. . .You don’t have to love yourself or even like yourself, you are loved. Whether your life looks well put together from the outside while hiding a hot mess inside or vice versa, sometimes on the same day, you are loved. You have nothing to prove. . .You are so loved. You are so loved. You are so loved.”

-excerpt from A Rhythm of Prayer by Sarah Bessey

Prayer for Reflection
On days that your illness is more than you can take and if all that you do is remember to brush your teeth, you are loved. On days that you have to lay on the couch and sleep for five hours because your body just hurts, you are loved. Be kind to yourselves and know that you are loved. My prayer for you is that through the clouds, you will be able to see the rainbow. God’s promise is always there. Amen

Wilson 1st Presbyterian and United Methodist Churches

01/26/2022

01/17/2022

01/11/2022

12/28/2021

11/16/2021

10/22/2021

10/12/2021

09/28/2021

09/21/2021

03/31/2021

03/25/2021

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