 Fruitland United Methodist Church November16, 2025 *(Please stand if you are comfortably able.) Prelude: “Amazing Grace” Welcoming the Light of Christ and inviting the neighborhood to worship. Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done glorious things! Surely God is our salvation; we will trust and not be afraid. Behold, the Lord is creating new heavens and a new earth! The former things shall not be remembered, nor come to mind. Joy and gladness will be found among God’s people again. We will rejoice and sing, for the Holy One is in our midst! Let us worship the God who makes all things new! Amen. *Sharing the peace of Christ. *Sing: “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” UMH 89 Scripture – Isaiah 12 – Leslie Pew Bible p.1059 Time With Young Christians – Pastor Jorge Time of Community Expressions Hymn: “Holy, Holy, Holy” TFWS 2007 Thanksgiving and Celebration Prayers for Healing and Wholeness Our Community and The World And now, we pray in the way that Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven . . . “ *Hymn – “How Great is Our God” TFWS 3003 Invitation to Generosity – Pastor Jorge Offertory “Momento a Momento” by May Whittle Moody *Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow . . . UMH 95 Scripture Reading: Isaiah 65: 17-25 Sermon: “Behold, I am Making All Things New!” Isaiah 12; Isaiah 65:17–25 Introduction: When Everything Feels the Same A few days ago, someone told me, “Pastor, everything feels the same… the problems, the news, the routine. Nothing changes.” And I understood. Sometimes life feels like that old clock that keeps ticking even though it no longer tells the right time. We keep moving, but we’re not sure if we’re going anywhere. Maybe Israel felt the same way when they heard the words of the prophet Isaiah. Years of exile, ruins in Jerusalem, memories of a temple that no longer stood. People were asking, “Where is God?” And then, in the middle of exhaustion and despair, God says something completely unexpected: “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth…” (Isaiah 65:17). It’s as if God were saying, “I’m not finishing the story — I’m starting it all over again.” A Song from the Ruins — Isaiah 12 Before speaking of the new creation, Isaiah invites us to sing. Yes, to sing. In Isaiah 12 we hear a song that rises after the storm: “I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me.” It’s a song born not from success, but from comfort. Not from abundance, but from a rediscovery of hope. Have you ever experienced that moment when, after a hard season, you can finally sing again? Not because everything is perfect, but because you know God has never let go of you. That song announces something powerful: God does not let the story end in ruins. God turns complaint into song, fear into trust, and dry ground into living water. “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Faith, says Isaiah, is learning to sing in the dust — believing the water is already on its way. A New Heaven and a New Earth — Isaiah 65:17–25 God is not satisfied with repairing what is old; God creates something entirely new. “Behold, I am making all things new.” What God promises here is not only a distant heaven, but a renewed earth. Listen to the description: “No more shall there be the sound of weeping or the cry of distress... They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat... The wolf and the lamb shall feed together. It’s a radical vision —a world without exploitation, fear, or violence. A world where justice and peace embrace. A world where creation and all creatures live in harmony. Can you imagine it? This is God’s dream — the Kingdom Jesus proclaimed with his words and his hands. Between the “Already” and the “Not Yet” But here lies the tension: that new world doesn’t seem to have arrived completely. There are still wars. There are still tears. And yet, Isaiah is not only talking about the future — he’s talking about the present. God is already at work, already creating, already making all things new — in you, in me, in us. Every time someone forgives, every time a community rises after pain, every time a church opens its doors to offer refuge, every time a hardened heart begins to soften… in that very moment, God is creating something new. Conclusion: An Invitation to Sing the Future Dear brothers and sisters, Isaiah’s call is not to stand gazing at the past with nostalgia, but to sing the future with hope. God is not inviting us to merely survive — God is inviting us to participate in the new creation. That’s why today we can join Isaiah’s song and say: “Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things; let this be known in all the earth.” God is still making all things new — in our communities, in our families, in our church. So when you feel that everything is the same, remember this promise: God is not finished with you. God is starting again. *Prayer of Confession: Creator God, You are always doing a new thing, yet we resist. We hold on to old habits, old hurts, old fears. Forgive us when we cannot see the new life You are planting in our midst. Open our hearts to Your renewing Spirit, so we may rejoice and live in Your promise. Amen. Sing: “Hymn of Promise” UMH 707 Pastoral Benediction: Go forth in the light of Christ. May joy fill your hearts, hope renew your vision, and peace guide your steps. Amen. *Song of Blessing: “We Are Marching in the Light of God.” TFWS 2235 Postlude: “O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee” Reminders: Annual Charge Conference today at 2 pm. Council members and committee chairs are required to attend. Next Week: Harvest Potluck 11:15, downstairs. Rev. Jorge Rodriguez [email protected]
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