Messages – Fairview United Methodist Church

Messages

Love Made Complete

Delivered by Amy Higgins on January 14, 2023 Scripture: 1 John 4: 16-21 Earlier this week I saw a quote by the 19th century French nun, St. Therese Lisieux that said, “You know well enough that our Lord does not look so much on the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.” When I saw this quote, I was rereading the book, Unrelenting Grace written by our own bishop, Ken Carter, as I was already thinking of how we belong to one another and the love and grace, or…

Aha!

Delivered by Amy Higgins on January 7, 2024 Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-6 & Matthew 2: 1-12 It should be no surprise that for days now I have had the song “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem” stuck in my head. Oh Beautiful Star of BethlehemShining afar through shadows dimGiving the light for those who long have goneGuiding the wise men on their wayUnto the place where Jesus layOh Beautiful Star of Bethlehem shine on. R. Fisher Boyce. 1940. Vaughan Publishing. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and God’s glory rises upon you.” Isaiah, sharing the words of Jehovah, says God’s glory rises…

Radical Joy

Delivered by Amy Higgins on December 17, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 25: 1-13 And Mary said: ♫My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord And my spirit exults in God my Savior For He has looked with mercy on my lowliness And my name will be forever exalted For the mighty God has done great things for me And His mercy will reach from age to age And holy, holy, holy is His name.♫ Magnificat by John Michael Talbot 1992 That is how we think of Mary’s Song, the Magnificat. It is called the Magnificat because it is a canticle, a…

Into the Wilderness

Delivered by Amy Higgins on December 10, 2023 Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11 If you’ve ever seen the episode of The Andy Griffith Show where Andy and Barney set up Gomer with Thelma Lou’s cousin, Mary Grace, you may remember the scene where they try to tell Gomer not to get ahead of himself and expect Mary Grace to be “Ms. Right”. And Barney being Barney says, “During our lifetime we travel many roads. There are big roads and little roads, rocky roads and smooth roads. Dirt highways and improved roads…” And while Barney’s analogy does not quite fit the point they…

The King and the Kingdom

Delivered by Amy Higgins on November 26, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 25: 31-46 A man was hired to paint a boat. He painted it bright red as requested. As he painted, he noticed a small hole so he repaired it and continued painting. When he finished, he accepted the agreed upon payment for painting the boat and went on his way. The next day, the owner of the boat arrived at the painter’s home and gave him an additional check. The painter said he had already been paid for painting the boat. The owner said, “This is for repairing the hole…

Promise and Penumbra

Delivered by Amy Higgins on November 19, 2023 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 There was a little girl who was born into New York society. Her father’s family at that point was far removed from their poor immigrant ancestor. Her mother was a socialite admired for her beauty. But that beauty was merely physical for the little girl could not recall her mother ever making her feel anything except ugly. This child’s own mother called her “Granny” not just because of her looks but also the way she acted. Was it her nature or was it the role she was assigned…

Inside Out

Delivered by Amy Higgins on September 24, 2023 Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-25 I have a confession. I follow Prince William and Princess Catherine more than I should. Not the gossipy stuff but, their philanthropic work. And yes, their kids. I mean they are pretty cute. Why do I follow them? Probably because good news is so hard to come by these days. And good or bad, it’s all part of our human experience. But my good is not the same as your good. Your bad is different than mine. And while we may not know where someone is coming from or…

People Loving People

Delivered by Amy Higgins on September 17, 2023 Scripture: Romans 13:8-12 One day my dad was sitting at an intersection waiting to pull into a restaurant and a man standing on the corner asked him for money. Money could be tight for my family at times but still, dad replied, “You can go inside with me and I’ll buy you breakfast.” Agape. They went in the restaurant, a regular spot for my dad where he knew the owner well. The owner, sensing the situation, did not charge my dad for the other man’s food. Agape. A man named Billy, spoke…

Bless Your Heart

Delivered by Amy Higgins on September 10, 2023 Scripture: Romans 12:9-21 A frazzled mother pushed her upset toddler in a cart through Target. Whether she had chosen to let him cry it out or had just given up, she was ignoring him. Finally, the toddler says, “Mommy are you gonna bwess my heart? BWESS! MY! HEART! MOMMYYYY!” Oh, bless him. And his mom. Every region has trademark phrases and the South is no exception. No matter how the phrase originated, we know “Bless your heart”, and especially it’s double-edged meaning, is very much a Southern thing. As one person described…

On the Rocks

Delivered by Amy Higgins on August 27, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 16:13-20 St. Peter needed a break and asked Jesus to cover the Pearly Gates for him. The first person came up and Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?’ The man answered, “The Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus asked, “And how do you know this?” The man replied, “My pastor told me.” Jesus told the man he would have to wait. A second person came up and Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” And the man answered, “The Messiah, the Son…

Fallen Crumbs

Delivered by Amy Higgins on August 20, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 15:21-23 A woman sat in a movie theater behind an elderly man who sat in the front row with his dog. The movie they were all there to see was a romantic comedy. In the romantic moments the dog would cry and in the funny moments the dog would laugh his head off. The dog did this all through the movie. When it ended, the woman tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Your dog actually seemed to enjoy the movie.”…

In and Out

Delivered by Amy Higgins on August 13, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33 After the storm we experienced this week, I don’t need to open with an anecdote about storms. We had rain and strong winds, which for some, slammed into their homes. At best, yards were covered in leaves or a few shingles blew off roofs. For others, limbs, or worse, entire trees, came down and in some instances took utility lines down with them. Many of us have worked to clean up and make repairs after the storm this week. And as difficult as the clean up was, at least…

The Great Provision Co.

Delivered by Amy Higgins on August 6, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 14:13-21 Jimmy is having friends over. He has four friends and made three sandwiches for each of his friends. How many sandwiches did he make? Jimmy also made six glasses of lemonade. If each glass took two lemons, how many lemons did Jimmy use? Lastly, Jimmy set up four games for them to play. If it took five minutes to set up each game, how long did it take Jimmy to set up all the games? Extra credit: There are over 5,000 people gathered on a beach. They have five…

In the Weeds

Delivered by Amy Higgins on July 23, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 My grandmother had red geraniums every summer. And the summer after she passed away, my dad put an oak barrel planter by our front door which he filled with red geraniums every summer until he passed away himself. I love geraniums of any color although, I am partial to red, and I love to put pots of geraniums on my front porch steps. They really are glorious when they fill out the pot with their big green leaves and full, beautiful blooms. But if you know anything about…

To Seed

Delivered by Amy Higgins on June 16, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 The Parable of the Sower. There’s the path, the rocky places, the thorns, and finally the good soil. Now, we naturally see ourselves and others in the types of soil. It is after all, part of the parable. The condition of our soil, that is our hearts, is important. It should be well tended and prepared to receive the seeds for our faith to grow. But, if we are not careful, we can focus so much on our soil being good soil, we can find ourselves comparing ours…

Where Is The Lamb?

Delivered by Amy Higgins on July 9, 2023. Scripture: Genesis 22:1-14 The door it opened slowlyMy father he came inI was nine years oldAnd he stood so tall above meBlue eyes they were shiningAnd his voice was very coldSaid, “I’ve had a visionAnd you know I’m strong and holyI must do what I’ve been told.”So he started up the mountainI was running, he was walkingAnd his ax was made of gold Story of Isaac lyrics © Sony/atv Songs Llc, Leonard Cohen Stranger Music Inc., Sony Atv Music Publishing Acquisition Inc That is the first verse of the song “Story of…

Grace, Connection, Holiness

Delivered by Amy Higgins on July 2, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 10:40-42 My first trip to Lake Junaluska as an adult was for the Gathering of the Laity celebration the year before I became a Lay Delegate to Annual Conference eight years ago. I had not been to Lake Junaluska since I was a child so, nearly three decades later Mom and I walked back into the auditorium for the first worship service of the weekend. We found a seat and sat there a few minutes before we began to get a little chill. I looked up and directly above us…

God Will Hear

Delivered by Amy Higgins on June 25, 2023 Scripture: Genesis 21:8-21 On the second day of my first Annual Conference several years ago, I came out of the last session of the day and it was pouring down rain. I was staying in Maggie Valley and needed to take a trolley back to my car which was parked in an outlying lot. A group of us took shelter under one of the empty vendor tents still up outside the auditorium. Being good Methodists we talked about our churches and tried to see if we had any ministers in common. It…

A Not So Ordinary Time

Delivered by Amy Higgins on June 11, 2023 Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 The late anthropologist Margaret Mead was once asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. Expecting her to talk about utensils or clay pots, the student was surprised by his teacher’s response. Ms. Mead answered that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. She explained that in the animal kingdom, a broken leg means death. Without the ability to run from danger, hunt for food, or…

Rejected and Chosen

Delivered on May 7, 2023 by Amy Higgins Scripture Lesson: 1 Peter 2:2-10 The village of Dezzo di Scalve is in the Lombardia region of Italy. Along each side of the village is a row of houses which, is common in Italy but, the row on the eastern side of Dezzo di Scalve is not typical. This row of houses is built against the side of a mountain. But that’s not unusual in Italy. What does make this row of houses special is the boulder that juts out in the middle of it. The oldest recorded survey of this area…

Mountain Tops

Delivered on February 19, 2023 by Amy Higgins Scripture Lesson: Luke 9:28-36 Five years ago, I was at a crossroads in my ministry and how and where to serve in the church. And as God is wont to do, He guided me and brought me to a cohort called Neighborhood Seminary. It was a district program so the students and instructors were all from different churches. The first day I did not know anyone but, that quickly changed. Before she introduced herself, I was drawn to Yvette. Her countenance was comforting and her whole presence was infectious. I secretly hoped…

Again and Again, and Again

Delivered March 5, 2023 Scripture Lesson John 3:1-17 My niece was just in for a visit this last week. We had been eating lunch at my house, she and I, my brother, and my mom. Lauryn, my niece, stood up from the table and I thought to myself, “boy she’s grown since the last time I saw her”. She’s thirty. And when she got to the sink she said, “I remember when I had to stand on a chair to help wash dishes and now I have to bend over to reach the sink”. And the woman at the sink…

If

Delivered October 9, 2022 by Amy Higgins Scripture Lesson: 2 Timothy 2:8-15 Mom and I watch The Andy Griffith Show every day. In the third episode of the first season, Andy devises a plan so that the traveling band stopping in town for lunch can hear the local guitar prodigy (who apparently, became the sheriff of Hazard County twenty years later). When Andy finally gets them together, he begins to negotiate, “Mr. Fleet, if Jim was ready, and if you was to hire him, and if you was ready to talk money…” Then Jim interrupts, but Andy says, “Now Jim,…