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Pender Music: How Beautiful

“How Beautiful” by Twila Paris was the offertory at Pender’s 9:00 am Traditional Service on July 9, 2023. It was sung by Rachel Kotiah Matos, accompanied on piano by Heidi Jacobs.

Twila Paris sings about the beautiful way Jesus demonstrated love to others while he was in this world. His love was more than warm sentiments. It was an embodied love – a love that expressed God’s compassion through physical actions. His hands served people food. His feet traveled to their homes and villages. His eyes looked upon sinners with joy and acceptance. With his body Jesus demonstrated love to others.

Paris sings about His hands and feet that served and walked to the cross, His heart that forgives all sins, and how His sacrifice inspires her to live a life that is willing to pay the price for her faith. She also talks about how beautiful it is when people spread the good news of His love through their actions and how the church is like a radiant bride waiting for her groom. Overall, the song celebrates the beauty of Christ and His body, the church.

After describing the beauty of Christ’s physical body on earth, the song describes the beauty of Christ’s communal body on earth – his Church. When Christians “live just as he died” – when, like our Savior, we serve others around us through physical expressions of love – the Church is beautiful, too. As the song says, “How beautiful is the body of Christ.”

 

 

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Sunday is World Communion Sunday ~ October 4, 2026

World Communion Sunday offers us an opportunity to experience Holy Communion in the context of the global community of faith.

The first Sunday of October has become a time when Christians in every culture break bread and pour the cup to remember and affirm Christ as the Head of the Church.

On that day, we remember that we are part of the whole body of believers.

Christians celebrate the communion liturgy in as many ways as there are congregations. World Communion Sunday can be both a profound worship experience and a time for learning more about our wider community of faith.

 

 

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Weather Update: Worship Online This Sunday (January 25)

Due to the weather, all in-person worship services and Sunday activities are canceled this Sunday, January 25, 2025, the Third Sunday after Epiphany.

We will record a worship service and share it online at 10:00 AM, and we invite you to join us from the comfort and safety of home via YouTube or our Facebook page.

Pastor Bruce Johnson will preach on “The Fabric of Our Unity,” offering a message of hope and connection as we worship together—apart, yet united.

If you are able, we invite you to continue supporting the ministry of Pender through online giving at penderumc.org or by mailing your offering. Most importantly, please take care of yourself and one another.

Stay safe, stay warm, and know that you are held in prayer.
We look forward to worshiping together online this Sunday.


“The Fabric of Our Unity”,
January 25, 2026 at 10 am
Online Only

Due to inclement weather, we invite you to join us online for worship this Sunday as Pastor Bruce Johnson preaches “The Fabric of Our Unity.”

In this timely message, we will reflect on how God calls us together—even when we are physically apart—and how faith, grace, and love weave us into one community in Christ. Scripture reminds us that unity is not about sameness, but about being bound together by God’s purpose and call.

Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 1:10–18
Matthew 4:12–23

Though weather may keep us at home, we remain connected through worship, prayer, and the Word. Join us online as we gather virtually to seek God’s guidance and celebrate the unity we share as the body of Christ.

Watch live online and participate from wherever you are—warm, safe, and together in spirit.

 
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Posted by on January 23, 2026 in Posts of Interest

 

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A Chapter a Day: Journey Through Luke This December, Luke 17

Sin, Faith, Duty

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[b] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

The Coming of the Kingdom of God

20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”[c]

22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day[d] will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” [36] [e]

37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 17:3 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman.
  2. Luke 17:12 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  3. Luke 17:21 Or is within you
  4. Luke 17:24 Some manuscripts do not have in his day.
  5. Luke 17:36 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Matt. 24:40.

 

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Hymn History: Since Jesus Came into My Heart



The Pender UMC Traditional Service Final Hymn “Since Jesus Came into My Heart”, Sunday March 17, 2024 was played by Hetty Jacobs on piano and sung by the Sanctuary Choir and congregation. This was the fifth Sunday in Lent.

Rufus Henry McDaniel, ordained in 1873, turned his profound grief into a timeless hymn after losing his son Herschel in 1913. In 1914, he crafted “Since Jesus Came into My Heart,” a gospel hymn that beautifully encapsulates the transformative journey of faith, resonating with personal salvation experiences. McDaniel’s choice of repeating the impactful phrase “since Jesus came into my heart” throughout the hymn emphasizes the deep-seated change brought by faith.

Scriptural Foundation:

The hymn’s message is deeply rooted in scripture, particularly in 2 Corinthians 5:17, which declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” This verse perfectly encapsulates the transformative journey that McDaniel illustrates through his hymn.

Experiencing Transformation:

Each verse of the hymn narrates the significant shift from a life of wandering to one of purpose and direction, akin to the lost son’s return in Luke 15:24. This parable and the hymn alike celebrate the restoration and new life found in coming home to the Father through Jesus Christ.

Joy in Salvation:

The hymn exudes a joy that resonates with 1 Peter 1:8-9, which speaks of “an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” McDaniel’s lyrics mirror this joy, reflecting the profound inner peace and satisfaction that accompany salvation.

Navigating Life’s Journey:

In “Since Jesus Came into My Heart,” there’s a clear narrative of moving from life’s aimless wandering to walking a path illuminated by Christ’s love, reminiscent of Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” The hymn emphasizes the guidance and clarity Jesus brings to our lives.

Eternal Perspective:

The hymn concludes with a forward-looking view, expressing hope and assurance in the eternal life promised in John 14:2-3, where Jesus assures, “In my Father’s house are many rooms… I am going there to prepare a place for you.” McDaniel’s lyrics affirm the believer’s hope of dwelling with Christ forever.

“Since Jesus Came into My Heart” is not just a hymn but a profound testament to the enduring power of faith and the unifying journey of believers. It continues to inspire and resonate within the global Christian community, proving the timeless nature of McDaniel’s heartfelt composition.

In sum, “Since Jesus Came into My Heart” is a vibrant declaration of the radical change and boundless joy that come with a life surrendered to Christ, offering a blueprint for the Christian walk that is guided by faith, illuminated by divine love, and anchored in eternal hope.

Closing Prayer:

Dear Lord, we thank You for the profound changes You instigate in our lives. Like the joyful declarations in “Since Jesus Came into My Heart,” we too celebrate the new life, direction, and hope You have gifted us. May our lives continue to reflect the transformative power of Your love and grace. Amen.

 
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Posted by on May 18, 2024 in Posts of Interest

 

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