John

When Plans Fail

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When Plans Fail

August 02, 2026*

By Pastor John Partridge

Genesis 32:22-31                   Matthew 14:13-21                 Romans 9:1-5

Most of us have seen an abundance of memes on the internet. One that stands out and matches the theme of today’s message is one that simply said, “If I had to describe my life in one sentence, it would be, “Did not go according to plan.” And the meme is funny because that resonates with our lived experience. We missed an interview because of a flat tire, a missed airline connection meant that our cruise ship sailed without us, our late flight meant that we spent the night at the airport so we could catch our connecting flight on the next day, we cancelled our family vacation because we spent the money at the orthodontist, or because one of our children had to stay home to attend summer school, or any one of a thousand other things.

The only rule that seems predictable is that life is not predictable and rarely goes according to plan. I once added an additional year of college because while I had planned to attend a summer class at Ohio Northern after four weeks of training for the Army, when I arrived in Virgina I was told that my orders were incorrect and the class was not four weeks, but six. It was frustrating, but life is like that, and we learn to adapt or we end up bitter and angry about things that we have no power to change. And, as we read our scriptures for today, we are reminded that the people we meet in the Bible had the same sorts of problems that we have experienced. Even God’s prophets, the patriarchs of the Old Testament, the disciples, and Jesus himself were not immune. We begin today by rejoining the story of Jacob and Esau as Jacob hopes to spend the night alone, thinking and planning how he will meet his brother Esau the next morning. But even that does not go according to plan. Reading from Genesis 32:22-31, we hear this:

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

Jacob clearly did not plan to spend the entire night wrestling with a stranger. It is frustrating that scripture tells us nothing about where the stranger came from, or how the two decided to wrestle, but by morning, Jacob had decided that the stranger must have been God himself. If this was indeed God in human flesh, as we noted in another story a month or so ago, this might well be a Christophany, an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament. In any case, rather than spending the evening in thought and meditation before his meeting with Esau, Jacob exhausts himself wrestling with God physically rather than emotionally or spiritually. Worse yet, as he fears his confrontation with Esau, and worries what his brother’s reaction will be to their meeting, after spending decades believing that he had swindled his brother out of his inheritance, or at least believing that Esau believed that he had been swindled, Jacob now arrives at their meeting with a distinct limp and permanent physical disability. Even for Jacob, who was known to manipulate the people and the circumstances around him, life did not go the way that he had planned. Instead, he followed God’s plan, and received not only his father’s blessing, but God’s as well.

And, as we read the introduction to the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand in Matthew 14:13-21, we discover that the entire encounter was an accident.

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus hadn’t planned to preach. He hadn’t planned to gather a crowd. He wasn’t even planning to work. Instead, Jesus was trying to escape the business of his ministry, find a quiet place, pray, and rest. But the crowd had other plans. Since the people on foot could travel faster than the disciples in a boat, they watched Jesus leave the shore, followed the boat as it sailed, or rowed, estimated where Jesus was going, and arrived there before he did. And rather than send them away, Jesus had compassion on them and healed whatever sick persons that they had brought with them.

And because no one had planned to be in the middle of nowhere at dinnertime, no one had planned to feed fifteen or twenty thousand people. And so, one of Jesus’ greatest miracles happened, not because Jesus or his disciples planned it, but simply because life had not gone according to plan. Or at least, not according to the plans of humans, but completely according to God’s plan. But, as we read Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, in Romans 9:1-5, we realize that even when things go according to God’s plan, we may sometimes mourn that things cannot go another way. Here, Paul says:

9:1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Paul says that, if it were up to him, he would accept curses upon himself and give up his salvation in Jesus Christ, if by doing so he could convince the Jewish people to accept Jesus and follow him. Instead, he mourns with great sorrow and anguish because his people had made their own choices and had chosen another path. As much as he wanted a different result, no amount of planning or sacrifice on his part could change the choices that his people had made, or the harvest that they would reap for turning their backs on Jesus.

Our own lived experience has taught us that life often does not go according to plan. Jacob’s meeting did not go according to plan. Even Jesus’ time of quiet and rest did not go according to plan. And we find that though we might sometimes be frustrated when that happens to us, we realize that we rest in God’s hands, and trust that his plans are always better than ours. Like Jacob, God often chooses to bless us through our times of unplanned struggle. But we also find that sometimes, as much as we trust in God’s plan, we may mourn over the choices that our friends, family, and coworkers make for their own lives. No matter how hard we work, we cannot make the choice to follow Jesus for anyone other than ourselves. We cannot rescue another for eternity, no matter how much we love them, by sacrificing ourselves or taking their place. 

And while we may mourn for those who reject Jesus, we are not powerless.

Our strength lies in living a life that follows the teachings of Jesus and in sharing the message of hope, compassion, and rescue that we have found in the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We cannot decide for others, but we can tell the message of Jesus, give them hope, and pray that they will make that choice for themselves.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev.  John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Twelve

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Fog rises from Subcamp Delta Two

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Twelve

July 30, 2026

by John Partridge

My morning was ordinary. I was up before 6:30 am, and to breakfast before 7:00 am. After breakfast I read a little and then walked through our camp to check on the Chaplain’s Aides with each troop in my half of our subcamp to see if they had finished the requirements to earn a special Jamboree patch. I found a few, but unfortunately, most of them were already out of camp so, I determined that I would try again in the afternoon when they were back in camp to make dinner and before they all left again to go to the closing show.

When I returned to our headquarters, I was told to be ready for whenever a driver would be available to take be to the far side of camp where my truck was parked so that I could bring it nearby for loading and departure tomorrow. When my ride finally came, it went to the wrong parking lot (a closer one) and asked if they could change vehicles so that we could ride in a regular truck instead of a four-wheeler for such a long trip. I agreed, but needed to go to the final chaplain staff meeting and group photo first. Once that was done, we successfully retrieved my truck, and not long after that I tried once again to find my half of the Chaplain’s Aides. One of our scouts with Down’s Syndrome was very happy, and his leaders (and a parent, I think) took pictures of the presentation. I managed to find most of them and presented the award patch to those few who had completed the requirements. A few more might bring me their completed forms tomorrow morning before they board their buses for home.

Later this evening, we all headed to the main Jamboree stage and amphitheater for the closing show. I stayed for a while, but returned to camp as it started to get dark. With my hearing loss, I really don’t enjoy the shows very much and after sitting for over an hour, I was getting uncomfortable anyway. Instead, I returned to camp and started writing rather than staying up even later to post this.

As I mentioned, the first bus is scheduled to pull out before midnight, and we just saw those buses pulling in now so it will likely be even earlier, as soon as that troop returns from the show and can get loaded. One or two more are scheduled to arrive at the Jamboree welcome center around 5:00 am, a bunch around 8:00 am, ten more at 9:00 am and the scouts should be gone shortly after noon. With any luck, the staff will be mostly loaded and the camp cleaned up shortly after that and we will be released to head home. Some of the troops even chose to pack their tents this evening and sleep under the stars to save a little time in the morning. No matter how much fun we have had, I think all of us are ready to head home and sleep in our own beds.

Navy skydivers bring the American flag

I am still hoping to post one or two more blogs before I wrap up this series so stay tuned.

Hopefully, we will meet here again soon.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Eleven

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Clouds over Subcamp Delta Two

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Eleven

July 29, 2026

by John Partridge

Unlike yesterday, today was filled with activity from end to end.

I was up at the usual time, and headed to breakfast not long after seven, then returned to camp, took a shower, checked my messages, sent a few messages and emails, and then headed for the far side of camp to the Faith and Beliefs area. On the way there, I stopped at several tents and earned patches from the National Park Service, got my scouting belt branded with (part of) the 2026 Jamboree logo, talked to some folks at the Sea Scouts tent, checked out a couple displays, and watched the Jamboree band. At the Faith and Beliefs area, I earned patches (and other things) from several places, including a few extras to give away to friends at the American Legion. At the Jewish tent, I was given the privilege of reading from a copy of the Torah, and by the end of my time in that area I had my “patch sheet” signed by at least seven denominations, which earned me yet another patch for my collection.

At that point, I looked at my watch and realized that I only had 20 or 25 minutes to get back for a meeting (and ice cream) so I speed walked back. Even though I arrived a little late, I still had plenty of time to get in line for ice cream, watch an awards presentation for base camp chiefs (snore), and then stand for a group photo of our Contingent Operations team.

Once I returned from that, I got to sit down for an hour or so before I had to head over to Delta Medical for my shift at the hospital from four to eight. While there I talked with a number of young people who had been injured as well as their friends who found themselves stuck in a waiting room for an hour or two. I also spoke with a few of the hospital staff (what they do isn’t easy) and a couple parents of injured scouts. Once I completed my shift at the hospital, my friend Terry drove me to subcamp Echo where Josh, my Chaplain’s Assistant, was receiving a certificate along with a few other young people designated as “Aides to Chief.” While I arrived towards the end of their meeting, they were appreciative of my being there and of my mentoring of Josh for the last two weeks. Then, before it got too dark, Josh and I hiked back to our home at subcamp Delta Two. Overall, LOTS of miles walked today.

Tomorrow, we will be allowed to bring our vehicles to our subcamp from the faraway parking lots where they have resided since we arrived two weeks ago. In the afternoon there will be more group pictures, and in the evening we will have the big concluding stage show. At least one of our scout troops will leave for home after the final show, others will leave starting around five in the morning and, if all goes well, all of the scouts will be on their way home by lunchtime. Both during and after that, we have equipment that must be packed up, and other things that must be done before the area is declared “clear” and we are given permission to go home.

In any case, that is what we *expect* to happen. It remains to be seen whether it actually will work out that way.

Meet me back here tomorrow, and I’ll let you know.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Ten

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The stage at tonight’s Basecamp Bash

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Ten

July 28, 2026

by John Partridge

Unlike yesterday, today went much as I expected, but that doesn’t mean that I accomplished much.

I had originally thought that I might spend some time today on the other side of the lake checking out the exhibits around the Faith and Beliefs area and around the Summit Center. But the weather forecast was for two inches of rain and strong thunderstorms, so instead I just planned to stay near our camp and be available.

Watching the rain from our pavilion

I did visit a couple troops in their campsites and follow up with some of the folks that I mentioned in earlier posts, but overall I didn’t do much except try to stay out of the rain when it was raining, and try to stay hydrated and in the shade when it wasn’t (because it was hot and humid).

After dinner, I headed down the street to the Delta Basecamp Bash, a concert, but also games (tug-of-war, twister, watermelon seed spitting, an inflatable animal “petting zoo”, and others) along with some free samples of food, but also a few concessions. The chaplains were asked to be a “visible presence” so my friend Doug and I went over for a couple hours and then headed back. Everyone seemed to find something that they liked and was having a good time. Doug and I, both of us being extroverts (him more than me) had fun just stopping periodically to meet new people and chat them up.

I will head for bed soon and, although more rain is expected overnight, tomorrow is supposed to be clear and cooler so, perhaps I will try to go see some things tomorrow before I have meetings and a shift at the hospital tomorrow.

Let’s meet back here again tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Chaplain’s Blog – Day Four

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Chaplain’s Blog – Day Four

July 22, 2026

by John Partridge

Day Four dawned about the same as other days, but when I climbed out of my cot at 6:30 am I felt like I had overslept. I had not planned to sleep that late on such an important day. The camp was alive with activity because today was arrival day. Before the end of our day, forty seven scout units would arrive, unload their buses, set up their tents and their campsites, attend meetings, and get a lot of things organized before bed.

Our whiteboard counting down the arriving units.

Though it doesn’t always happen that way, this year, at first, the arrivals came slowly and I began to worry that we would, eventually, get slammed with many arriving at the same time. Later, while we did get very busy, sometimes with six or more buses unloading at the same time, we still managed. Our subcamp is not small, but even so, I lost track of how many times I walked back and forth escorting Scoutmasters to registration or troops to their campsites. I did take a short break to hop onto a Zoom meeting for a conference committee on which I serve, but since my presence wasn’t strictly required, and we were quite busy at the time, I didn’t stay in the meeting for very long. By dinner time we only had four or five units that had not arrived so I was told that it was safe for me to leave camp to eat.

At 8:00 pm I prayed before a planned meeting with all of the Scoutmasters, Senior Patrol Leaders, and our subcamp chiefs. As chaplains, we had asked that they bring their troop Chaplain’s Aide with them to this meeting as well and, after the opening prayer, we split them off and had our own meeting outlining some of the upcoming religious activities, a special Jamboree Chaplain’s Aide patch that they could earn, information about the Faith and Beliefs tents in the Jamboree activity area, and other religious information that we asked them to communicate to their troops. At the conclusion of our meeting we passed out Klondike bars and Bomb Pop popsicles.

Once that was done, I thought my day was pretty much over, until two scouts came into our office and told us that the youth female toilets weren’t flushing. And, since we always send two adults, I was asked to walk with one of our Commissioners to check it out. When we arrived, we asked one of the young ladies exiting the bathroom to clip of the chain showing that it was closed, and then we waited for everyone else to finish showering and doing what they needed to do. But, while we were waiting, the Adult women’s toilets stopped working, and then the Youth male toilets as well. There was much scrambling to accommodate everyone appropriately, and in the morning I learned that they had ultimately gotten a plumber out of bed to get everything fixed overnight well after I had gone to bed sometime after 11:00 pm.

After dinner I took some photos of our camp. As you can see if you compare the photos I took a day earlier, much has changed now that tents for two thousand people fill our camp.

Hopefully, we will meet back here tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Gifts of Spirit, Wind, and Fire

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Gifts of Spirit, Wind, and Fire

May 24, 2026*

(Pentecost)

By Pastor John Partridge

John 20:19-23                        Acts 2:1-21                 1 Corinthians 12:1-13

Every family, and every family member, has a story. Our stories tell us who we are, and where we come from. In my family, there are stories, or at least speculation, about the first of the Partridges to come here from England, stories about my grandfather’s time fighting for Germany in World War One and his immigration to the United States afterward. We tell the story of his marriage to my grandmother on the docks of New York after he sent for her to join him, and there are stories of how my parents met in college, of Dad’s time in the Navy during World War Two, his brothers that served in other branches, Dad’s call to ministry, my brother Steve being drafted during Vietnam, my volunteer service in the Army Reserve and eventual call to active duty for Desert Storm and my own call to ministry. There are many more stories from Patti’s side of the family, stories about the miracles that we have seen, how our children joined our family, and many, many more. But it is the telling of those stories that anchor us in history and tell us who we are and how we got here.

Churches have the same stories. Christ Church has stories of beginning downtown, buying property on the hill and, eventually, building the church in which we now worship. There are stories of the Glamorgan family and how they came to donate the bells in our bell tower, stories about how the bells were hoisted, using horses and ropes long before the era of hydraulic cranes. Like biological families, our church has countless stories, passed down from generation to generation, and those stories tell us something about who we are and how we got here. But Christianity itself has stories that are a part of us, some that date back to the very beginnings of our faith, and some which, again, tell us about who we are and how we got here.

In recent months, as we have worked our way through the liturgical year, and through the scriptures highlighted by the lectionary, we have walked through many of those stories. You will remember hearing John the Baptist in Luke 3:16, when he said, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” And those words had to echo in the mind of Jesus disciples after Jesus’ death and resurrection when this happened in John 20:19-23:

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

We remember that the words that we translate in English as wind, spirit, and breath, are all the same word in Greek. And so, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the holy breath” but also, as the NIV translated, “receive the Holy Spirit,” but also leaving us the option of “receive the holy wind,” which we will see as important in just a moment. Before Jesus ascended into heaven and left the earth, he reminded the disciples of John’s words by giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit. But he wasn’t done. In Luke 1:4-5, Jesus also told his disciples “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

And so, as we read in recent weeks, the disciples and other followers of Jesus did just that. They stayed together in Jerusalem, worshiping in the temple each day, praying, and sharing meals together until, in Acts 2:1-21, this happened:

2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own languages!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

On the day of Pentecost, the believers and followers of Jesus Christ were gathered eating, socializing, praying, or otherwise being together and suddenly there was wind as Jesus had said, and there was spirit, and there was fire just as John had said several years earlier. But what is also notable, beyond the fulfillment of the words of John and Jesus, was the result of the infilling, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in the followers upon whom the flames of the spirit had fallen. Filled with the spirit of God, the followers of Jesus went out into the streets just as the people in the streets gathered and crowded to search for whatever had made the sound of a violent wind on what was likely a calm and quiet day. And each person in the crowd of people who had come to Jerusalem from all over the know world for the Jewish festival of Shavuot, which is also known as the Festival of Weeks, heard the retelling of the story of the good news of Jesus in their own languages. And this from men and women who were uneducated, rural folk, who were considered to be country bumpkins.

The speakers certainly did not know the languages in which they were preaching… and yet they did so because of the power of the Holy Spirit working through them. Peter explains to the crowd that what they were witnessing was not a crowd of drunks, but the miraculous fulfillment of God’s prophecy for the last days of creation, that God was, even now, pouring out his spirit upon the people so that those who called upon his name could be saved.

But still, it was not always clear what the filling and indwelling of the Holy Spirit meant, and the people of the church had questions about what indwelling meant, or what it meant to be baptized by the spirit, or what God’s purpose was in doing so. And so, in 1 Corinthians 12:1-13, Paul writes to the believers in Corinth, and he explains it this way:

12:1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of languages, and to still another the interpretation of languages. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized byone Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

First, Paul clarifies that anyone that says that Jesus is cursed is not a follower of Jesus and is not filled with the Spirit of God. Second, Paul says that anyone who says that Jesus is Lord is indeed permitted to say so by the Holy Spirit. I would caution, however, that other scriptures still indicate that saying this does not automatically ensure all of what they preach is trustworthy. In any case, Paul continues by saying that the gifts that are given to each believer, when they are filled and empowered by the spirit of God, are not the same for each person. There are some common types and some common groupings of gifts, but each person is just as unique as one part of the body is from another. Just as the parts of the body work together to allow humans to do amazing things, our different gifts allow us, as the body of Christ, to work together and accomplish amazing, even miraculous things for the kingdom of God, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Pentecost is one of our key stories that we repeat each year because, just like family stories, it tells us where we came from and who we are, both as a church, and as individuals. We are the body of Christ as we use our gifts, together, to do the work of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. Each of us are unique and different from one another, but each of us has been given a specific set of gifts and talents, and then filled with, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, so that we can do our part as God calls us, and leads us as we work to accomplish his mission and ministry.

Remember the stories.

Remember where we came from.

Remember who you are.

And never forget whose you are.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev.  John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Resumé, Request, Blessing, Mission

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Resumé, Request, Blessing, Mission

May 17, 2026*

(Seventh Sunday of Easter)

By Pastor John Partridge

John 17:1-11              Acts 1:6-14                 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

If you are like me, many of you have changed jobs from time to time. As a young person, the first time you apply for jobs, the process is intimidating, unfamiliar, awkward, and uncomfortable. But the second time the process feels more familiar, and by the third or fourth time, you understand the process well enough to feel the flow of it, to anticipate what will happen next, and almost read the minds of the people interviewing you. There is a current that flows between the initial contacts that are made and the work that is performed after you are hired to do the job. And, as I read our scripture passages for today, it is that flow that came to mind, and that process that you will see as we read, digest, and understand the path that the disciples, the followers of Jesus Christ, and we ourselves follow from the time we meet Jesus until he sends us out to do the work of God’s kingdom.  We begin this morning by reading John 17:1-11, as Jesus prays with, and for, his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion.

17:1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

6 “I have revealed youto those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power ofyour name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.

As Jesus prays to his father, it is as if he reads his resume and reminds God of the work that he has done during his time on the earth. And afterward, he requests that God return him to the glory that he had with God before the world began. Next, Jesus prays over the resume of his disciples, as if reminding God of who they are, what they have done, and what Jesus had taught them and given to them. And again, afterward, Jesus requests that God would protect them so that they would be unified in spirit, purpose, and mission for the kingdom work that they would be sent to do.

But, before that could happen, Jesus concluded his time on earth, ascended into heaven, and returned to his father. But only a moment before he did so, he made a promise and assigned a mission to them, both the promise and the mission have been passed on to us. We hear this in the words of Acts 1:6-14:

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walkfrom the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Jesus is plain in saying that there are limits to God’s willingness to share the details of his plans for the future. While he called the disciples in the first century, and calls us today, it is not for us to know when God will choose to do the things that God will do. The important thing is that God promises to give us the power to do the things that he calls us to do, and that our mission is to carry his story and message of hope to the ends of the earth. Like the disciples, we cannot simply stand around, looking up at the sky, waiting for Jesus to return. Instead, we must wait in anticipation, and busy ourselves with the work that must be done until the time of his return.

But doing the work to which God has appointed us will not always be easy. In his letter of 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11, the apostle Peter gives the people of the church some advice on how we should live in order to accomplish the work of the kingdom, saying:

4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Peter reminds the people of the church that they should not be surprised that an ordeal of suffering had come to test them. Instead, rather than complain, flee, or quit, he encouraged them to rejoice that they cold share their suffering with Jesus and be happy that they would be rewarded on the day of Christ’s return. If we are insulted because of our faith in Jesus, Peter says, that is a sign that the Spirit of God’s glory, and the Spirit of God itself rests upon you.

Moreover, rather than being proud, or arrogant, that you are a follower of the Jesus and a follower of the most high, creator God, humble yourself before God and let him lift you in praise as he sees fit at a time of his choosing. Instead of worrying and being anxious about your life, trust the God that cares for you, and let him carry the burden of your anxiety and fear. Your job is to be alert to the manipulations of the enemy because he prowls the earth looking for ways that he can deceive, subvert, mislead, and consume the followers of Jesus Christ. Resist these temptations that are so common in our culture and stand firm in the faith that you share with many who are suffering. In the end, although God may allow you to suffer temporarily, he will ultimately restore you in body, mind, and spirit.

As we have seen in our scriptures today, there is often a process with God just as there is when we seek employment. God has seen our resume and Christ himself has prayed that God would protect you and bless you so that the followers of Jesus Christ might be one with God and be united and unified in purpose. We won’t always know the plans that God has for our future, but God promises to give us the power to do the things that he calls us to do. Our lives, as the followers of Jesus Christ, are not guaranteed to be filled with roses, and rainbows, and unicorns, but may often have its share of discomfort, suffering, insults, and fiery ordeals. But we rest in the knowledge that as we suffer, we share in the suffering of Jesus, and we are invited to humble ourselves, and let him carry the burden of our anxiety and fear.

Our calling is to stand firm in our faith and to resist the enemy of our souls, to be alert for his attempts to deceive, mislead, and tempt us to wander from the path of truth. Our mission is to carry the good news of Jesus Christ and his message of hope, healing, and restoration to the ends of the earth.

Just like finding a new job and building a career, it isn’t something that happens overnight. It is a path. It is a process. And it is a journey that we must choose to travel…

…one step at a time, one day after another, until at last we meet Jesus at the throne of grace.

Until then, let us do as the disciples did so long ago, let us pray together, worship together, and work together to rescue the lost, and do the work of God’s kingdom.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev.  John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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How You Fit in God’s Big Picture

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How You Fit in God’s Big Picture

May 03, 2026*

(Fifth Sunday of Easter)

By Pastor John Partridge

John 14:1-14             Acts 7:55-60               1 Peter 2:2-10

Have you ever read a book, or watched a movie, and considered what the story would look like to one of the minor characters? You know what I mean, the people who, at the end of the movie appear in the credits without even having real names but simply listed as “Woman on the street” or “Cop #3.” But minor or not, there was a larger story swirling around them and sometimes, despite being unnoticed, their presence and their contribution made a difference to how the story turned out. In the Star Wars saga, hardly anyone talks about Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, but they were the ones who raised Luke Skywalker from infancy to adulthood and who shaped his morals, ethics, and sense of justice. Without them, the story falls apart.

And I doubt that few, if any of you would recognize the very real name of Frank Willis. Frank Willis was an ordinary man, living an ordinary life that led him to be invisible to the world around him both before and after one singular event that, by itself was unremarkable but led to the fall of one of the most powerful men on the planet. While working as a night security guard, Frank Willis noticed a piece of tape. That’s it. That is the thing that made Frank Willis famous. A piece of tape. One evening, while making rounds that he had made a thousand times before, Frank Willis noticed a piece of tape where it should not have been. A piece of tape that was preventing a door from locking properly in the Watergate building in Washington D.C. Frank reported his findings and the subsequent investigation forced the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Most of us spend our lives feeling as if we were unnoticed people on the street, important to our families, but minor characters in the world around us. But that isn’t what scripture says. Scripture is clear that each of us, no matter how unimportant we might feel, has a vital role to play in the drama that God is creating. Like Aunt Beru, or Frank Willis, while our screen time might seem short, the part that we play has world changing implications in the big picture of God’s story. And we see that in our first scripture this morning in John 14:1-14 when Jesus says:

14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will knowmy Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

To begin, there are two big “asks” that we need to discuss. The first is when Jesus tells his disciples that they should not only believe in God but also believe in him. We tend to skip past that without thinking, but this is important. This is something much bigger than asking someone to listen to, or to follow a teacher. Jesus is literally asking his disciples to believe in him in the same way that they already believe in God and therefore describing himself as an equal to God. In saying this, we are left with only two choices: either Jesus is the son of God and a member of the Trinity, or he is, as the Pharisees accused, a blasphemer and heretic that must be ignored at all costs.

The second big ask is when Philip asks Jesus to “show us the Father” as if that is a simple thing. You should remember that Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, and Moses, in Exodus 33, were allowed to be in God’s presence, but even then, Elijah covered his face with his cloak, and Moses only saw Gods back because anyone who saw God’s face would die. So, Philip asking to see the Father was no small thing, but Jesus expanding on the idea that he and God were equals, says that because they have seen him, they have already seen God.

But next comes the part that connects to you and me when Jesus says, “whoever believes in me will do the works that I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…” My friends, we may think of ourselves as ordinary, unimportant, and forgettable characters on the world stage, but Jesus’ opinion of you is quite different. Jesus says that if you believe in him, you will, not can, will, do even greater things than he has done, and that is no small thing. That is world changing, powerful, amazing stuff.

And some of what we just read is confirmed as another minor character becomes what we often describe as the first Christian martyr, Stephen. We don’t really know much about Stephen except that he was a follower of Jesus and knew the disciples personally. But despite otherwise being a somewhat ordinary and unremarkable follower of Jesus, Stephen is given some amazing and impressive gifts that we will see as we read his story in Acts 7:55-60.

55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen looked up, and rather than seeing the sky, we are told that, being full of the Holy Spirit, he looked up, was given a vision, and saw heaven itself, he saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. The second gift that we see comes as the witnesses throw the stones that will kill him, and Stephen has the grace to pray for the forgiveness of his own murderers. For us, once again, the message we can find is that even minor characters are given important gifts. Because we believe in Jesus Christ, and because we are therefore filled with the Spirit of God, we too can be given visions by God and can see the truth in the world around us even when it is obscured by culture, influence, money, and power. Moreover, even minor characters can be unnaturally filled with grace and forgiveness even when surrounded by people that despise everything in which we believe.

And finally, as we read 1 Peter 2:2-10, we are reminded that we are more than unimportant, minor characters because we belong to something that is bigger than ourselves. Peter explains this saying:

2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

8 and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Peter says that like newborn babies, we must crave the food that will make us grow and mature because we know that God is good. And Peter continues by saying that as we come to Jesus, we should understand that we, as individuals, are being built into a collective, just as individual bricks are built into something bigger. Just as individual bricks collectively become a house, we, as the followers of Jesus Christ, are becoming a holy priesthood that collectively offers sacrifices that are acceptable to God. The people around us who have rejected Jesus and who struggle and stumble over values, ethics, and attitudes that are shaped by the teaching and the example of Jesus, are struggling precisely because they are disobedient to the message and witness of Jesus.

But here, in the church, we are becoming something else as we answer God’s call upon our lives. We are not alone. We are not insignificant, unnoticed, unimportant, minor characters because in the big picture of creation and God’s redemptive plan for the world, you are a chosen people, hand picked to do the work of God’s kingdom and to act as agents in accomplishing God’s goals. You are a royal priesthood who are, collectively sacrificing to give gifts that are acceptable to God. You are not just a small group of friends and worshipers of Jesus Christ who gather at Christ Church in Alliance, Ohio, you are being built into a spiritual house that is bigger than yourself, a house that is bigger than your imagination, because you are a part of a holy nation, a people devoted to Jesus Christ, and a special possession of God. You are a people who do the work of Jesus Christ and who praise him for rescuing you from sin and darkness and calling you into a new life filled with joy, grace, hope, mercy, and light.

That’s a lot of words. But I want you to hear and to remember the heart of what has been said.

You are not alone.

You are not insignificant, unnoticed, or unimportant.

You are a part of something bigger than yourself; a stone being built into God’s spiritual house.

You are an important and vital part of God’s plan of redemption for the world.

You don’t have to believe me, believe scripture. You don’t have to believe dogma, believe God.

You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people chosen by God.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev.  John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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From Chaos to Confidence

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From Chaos to Confidence

April 05, 2026*

(Easter Sunday)

By Pastor John Partridge

John 20:1-18              Acts 10:34-43             Colossians 3:1-4

Easter can still be surprising if we look at it from a different angle than we usually do. And one way to do that is to consider Easter as an act of God’s creation. That may seem unusual but bear with me and this message will become clear before we’re done. In the first words of Genesis, we hear these words:

1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

And, as easily as this passage comes to our memory, consider that the Hebrew that we translate as “formless and empty” is tohu va-bohu which implies an environment understood by the ancient world as one of terrifying disorder, such that in some modern translations, this phrase is being rendered simply as chaos. The world in the beginning was a place of terrifying chaos, and from it, God created order. And again, while the parallels might not be immediately apparent, bear with me as we begin this morning by remembering the first Easter morning that we read in John 20:1-18:

20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

The actions of the players in this story may not seem all that strange to us in the twenty-first century, but in the context of the first century, everything understood to be culturally normal is turned on its head. Women were believed and understood to be unreliable such that, under Roman law, the testimony of a woman in court was only considered to be dependable if produced under torture. But here, while the women are understandably emotional, they are the ones doing the work that must be done while the men have remained at home paralyzed with grief. Similarly, we are told that the disciples, who had walked with Jesus for three years, still did not understand that Jesus had to rise from the dead. These men were baffled, confused, and emotionally incapacitated to the point that they follow the leadership of Mary and the other women. Moreover, Jesus’ first appearance isn’t to any of his trusted friends and disciples, but to the women whose testimonies would automatically be doubted. From the perspective of the disciples and the people in story, everything here is upside-down and utterly chaotic. If the disciples had chosen to invent a story about the resurrection, this is exactly the kind of story that they would have avoided at all costs because it would have been completely unbelievable. To the original audience, this story is utter chaos.

But just a few weeks later, when Peter confronts a crowd of people in the temple courts in Acts 10:34-43, he says this:

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Peter admits that it all seems crazy. He knew that the women saw Jesus first, that the men were the ones who were overly emotional and paralyzed by grief, and he finally sees the truth, he now understands that God’s plan doesn’t automatically follow the prejudices and favoritisms of human culture. Despite the chaos, despite turning the preconceived assumptions of culture on their heads, Peter admits that they stood as witnesses to the truth of the story that they shared and the message that they preached. The story that Peter and the disciples were preaching was chaotic, crazy, culturally disconnected, and felt uncomfortable and wrong to many who heard it, but nonetheless, they stood up and swore that this was the truth that they had witnessed.

But where does that leave us? Why does it matter? And what does it mean for us?

And as we read Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, he connects the dots for us. Reading from Colossians 3:1-4, we hear this:

3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is yourlife, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Paul summarizes the story that the disciples told. Because Jesus died and rose to life again, and because we have chosen to follow him and to put our trust in him, we too have been raised from the dead. But, because have, and because we have this hope for the future, God calls us to live our lives differently from the people around us. We are called to focus on God’s kingdom and not on the things that our earthly cultures label as important. More importantly, we have confidence that when Christ returns, we will live with him in the glory of his kingdom.

Just as God’s presence in the story of creation transformed chaos into order, the resurrection of Jesus on that Easter morning two millennia ago has transformed the confusion and chaos of our culture into a calm assurance for our future and for eternity.

What began as chaos has been transformed, through faith, into confidence.

Our mission is to remember, and to live out, the words of Peter that we heard in Acts 10. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. We are called to preach, and to tell the world, not because we seek power, or influence, or because we want to manipulate people for our own selfish purposes, but because we choose to share the peace, confidence, assurance, and love that we have found, and because we want to help others to escape the chaos of our culture.

Happy Easter everyone!

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev.  John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Betrayal, Humility, Sacrifice

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Betrayal, Humility, Sacrifice

April 02, 2026*

(Holy Thursday)

By Pastor John Partridge

Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14            

John 13:1-17, 31b-35           

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

What is it that makes your family, your church, your civic organization, or your community unique? What is the story that you tell others about how you started, or about your mission, that explains who you are and what you do? As I was growing up, I often heard that while we were encouraged to try new things, Partridges did not quit. If we tried something new, we had to give it a fair trial. Learning to play an instrument is difficult, and so was wrestling when I only weighed seventy-two pounds. But I wasn’t allowed to quit until I had, at least, completed a year or two of band and at least a full season of wrestling. I stayed in band until my second or third year in college and stayed in wrestling for two seasons until I finished junior high school. Patti and I sent the same message to our children when they were growing up. We encourage you to try new things, but once you start, you cannot quit until you’ve given it a fair chance. Every group, and every family, has similar stories that shape the character of the organization as well as the character of its members. And for the people of Israel, and later for the followers of Jesus Christ, one of those formative and defining stories is the story of the first Passover that we find in Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14.

12:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs, and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.

12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.

The Passover story declares to everyone that all of Israel, from the least to the greatest, is a family and that everyone is included. It is also a story of God’s rescue and his love for his people.

And it is with this background in mind that we enter the story of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion found in John 13:1-17, 31b-35 and hear this:

13:1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord, and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

31 When he [Judas] was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him. God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Jesus knew that these were his last hours on earth and, rather than fleeing to save his own life, Jesus followed the pattern of God, of Israel, and of the Passover, by placing love, family, and rescue ahead of his own wellbeing. Jesus takes on the role of the lowest ranking servant and humbles himself as he washes the feet of those who follow him. Jesus says that just as every person who belongs to the nation of Israel is a part of the family, every person who follows him must be humble enough to wash feet and serve others. The distinguishing character of Jesus’ followers will not only be family but also love and humility. Jesus says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This can’t be the ordinary love that we see among families and friends, but it must be so extra-ordinary, so singularly distinctive, that people will see it and know that we belong to Jesus.

But there is another thing that makes our community unique and shapes the character of the organization and its members, and it goes beyond who we are and how we act. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, the Apostle Paul explains it this way:

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Paul says that he was passing what he knew forward to new generations and that this was a key part of his mission. It was important that he passed on to others the knowledge and teaching that he had received from God. He passed on the importance of sharing a meal at the Lord’s table and remembering Jesus’ last supper, but he emphasizes that each time we share that meal together, we proclaim the message of Jesus’ sacrifice, death, and resurrection and teach others about him. Our celebration of the Lord’s table, or the Eucharist, or Communion, is a reminder to us, and a reminder to the world, of the gift that Jesus gave to all of us. And, like Paul, our mission is not to keep that gift to ourselves, but to share it with others and pass it forward to new generations.

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™