sunday june 28, 2026

Fruitland United Methodist Church
June 28, 2026

*(Please stand if you are comfortably able.)

Prelude: “Rejoice, the Lord is King” by Charles Wesley and John Darwall

Welcoming the Light of Christ and inviting the neighborhood to worship.
Welcome and Announcements Pastor Jorge and Leona

Call to Worship
Leader: We come seeking God’s presence in the midst of life’s uncertainties.
People: God is faithful and walks with us on every journey.
Leader: When we cannot see the way ahead, God calls us to trust.
People: We lift our eyes and place our hope in the Lord.
Leader: God provides what we need and strengthens us for the journey.
People: We come to worship the God who provides.
*Sharing the Peace of Christ

*Opening Hymn “El Shaddai” UMH 123

Opening Prayer: Faithful God, when we face mountains we do not
understand, remind us that you are with us. Give us courage to
trust when answers are few, hope when the path is difficult, and
faith to believe that you will provide. Open our hearts to your Word
and guide us by your Spirit. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 13 UMH 746 Liturgist

Time With Young Christians: Pastor Jorge
(Please write prayer concerns and celebrations on yellow notepads, to be collected.)

Community Expressions Pastor Jorge and Leona
      Hymn: “Holy, Holy, Holy/ Santo, Santo, Santo” TFWS 2007
      Thanksgiving and Celebration. Prayers for healing and wholeness.
      Prayers for our community and the world.
      Let us Pray
           The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Faither, who art in heaven . . .”

Invitation to Generosity Pastor Jorge
      Offertory: “He Leadeth Me” by William Bradbury, arranged by Lani Smith
      *Doxology: Praise God, from whom all blessings flow . . . UMH 95

Prayer of Dedication: Gracious God, all that we have comes from
your hand. Receive these gifts and use them for the work of your
kingdom. Help us to be faithful stewards of your grace and
instruments of your love in the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 22: 1-14 Pew Bible pg. 31 Liturgist

Hymn: “Grace Alone” TFWS # 2162

Message: “God Will Provide” Rev. Jorge Rodriguez
HOW MUCH IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT WORTH?
Genesis 25:19–34

There are decisions that seem small. A conversation. A moment of exhaustion. An urgent
need. An impulse. And yet, those decisions can change the course of an entire life. The
story we hear today begins long before the bowl of lentil stew.

Isaac and Rebekah had waited many years to have children. They had prayed. They had
trusted God. At last, God answered their prayers, but the pregnancy was not easy.
Rebekah felt a constant struggle within her and asked the Lord what was happening.

God answered, “Two nations are in your womb... and the older shall serve the younger.”

Even before they were born, God was already writing a story very different from what
everyone expected.

When the twins were born, they could not have been more different. Esau was strong,
impulsive, and loved the open fields and hunting. Jacob was quiet, observant, patient, and
knew how to wait for the right moment.

The family itself also became divided. Isaac favored Esau, while Rebekah favored Jacob.
Whenever parents choose one child over another, wounds are often created that can last
for generations.

But the heart of this story is not favoritism. The heart of the story is a question: What do
we truly value?

One day Esau came home exhausted from the field. He was hungry. Jacob was cooking a
pot of lentil stew. Then Jacob made him an offer: “First sell me your birthright.”

The birthright was much more than receiving a larger inheritance. It meant leadership
within the family. It carried spiritual responsibility. It meant continuing the covenant God
had made with Abraham. It was the privilege of participating in God's plan for future
generations.

But Esau could only think about his immediate hunger. He answered, “I am about to die.
What good is my birthright to me?”

Perhaps he was exaggerating. He was not actually dying. He was simply very hungry. But
when an immediate need takes control of our hearts, everything else begins to lose its
value.

And that still happens today. We live in a culture that constantly tells us, “Satisfy your
desires now. Don't wait. What matters is feeling good in this moment. You can deal with
the consequences later.” The problem is that we often trade what is lasting for what is
temporary.

We do not always sell our birthright for a bowl of lentils. Sometimes we exchange it for
other things—for a decision made in anger, for a convenient lie, for easy money, for the
wrong relationship, for bitterness we refuse to let go, for the desperate need to be
accepted, or for ambition that eventually consumes us.

Little by little, we surrender the very things God has placed in our hands—not because
someone forces us, but because we no longer recognize their value.

Jacob is not presented as a perfect hero either. He takes advantage of his brother's
weakness. He shows no compassion. He sees an opportunity to gain something for
himself. The Bible does not approve of his actions; it simply presents the story honestly.

Because in this family, no one is completely righteous. Neither Esau nor Jacob. And that
sounds very much like us. Sometimes we act impulsively like Esau. Other times we
manipulate situations like Jacob. All of us need the grace of God.

There is one detail that is easy to overlook. The passage ends by saying, “So Esau
despised his birthright.” It does not simply say that he sold it. It says that he despised it.

Before he lost it, he had already stopped valuing it.

That is often how loss begins. First we stop appreciating God's gifts. Then we abandon
them. First we stop nurturing our relationship with God. Then we stop praying. First we
stop valuing the community of faith. Then we quietly drift away. First we stop caring for
our marriage. Then one day we discover that love has grown cold.

The loss begins long before the consequences appear. We live surrounded by voices
inviting us to exchange what is eternal for what is immediate.

But the Gospel calls us to live differently. Jesus also experienced hunger in the
wilderness. He also felt weakness. He also faced the temptation to seek immediate
satisfaction. But He trusted the Father. He did not exchange His mission for temporary
relief. He did not sell His obedience. He remained faithful to God's purpose.

Where Esau failed, Christ remained faithful. And because of His faithfulness, we have
received an even greater inheritance—not an earthly birthright, but the privilege of being
called sons and daughters of God.

Today God invites each of us to ask one simple question:

What am I trading for a bowl of lentil stew?

What decision am I making simply because I am in a hurry?
What spiritual treasure am I neglecting?
What calling from God have I begun to treat as unimportant?

True wealth is not measured by what we possess today. It is found in the inheritance God
has entrusted to us: a faith to protect, a family to love, a community to serve, and a calling
to honor.

May we never forget that God's blessings are worth far more than any temporary pleasure
this world can offer.

And when we truly value them, we discover that God's inheritance will always satisfy far
more deeply than any bowl of lentil stew. Amen.

Prayer of Confession
Merciful God, Too often we have failed to listen. We have been
quick to speak and slow to hear. We Have overlooked those
who suffer. We have ignored voices that cry out for justice and
compassion Forgive us when we have been concerned only with ourselves.
Open our ears to hear as you hear. Open our hearts to love as
you love. Open our eyes to see those around us who need care
and hope. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Words of Assurance: Hear the Good News: God is gracious and
merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. In Jesus
Christ we are forgiven and made new. Thanks be to God! Amen

Response Hymn: “Give Thanks” TFWS 2036

*Benediction: Go forth trusting in God’s provision. Go forth
knowing that Christ walks beside you. Go forth in the power of the
Holy Spirit, serving with faith, hope, and love. And may the blessing
of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you and
remain with you always. Amen.

*Song of Blessing: “ Halle, halle, hallelujah” TFWS 2026

Postlude: “See, What a Morning!” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Pastor Jorge Rodriguez [email protected]