sunday September 20, 2026

Fruitland United Methodist Church
September 20, 2026

*(Please stand if you are comfortably able.)

Prelude:

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

Call to Worship
Leader: Teach us, O God, to count our days.
People: That we may gain a wise heart.
Leader: Fill us with your steadfast love.
People: That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Leader: Let your favor rest upon us.
People: And prosper the work of our hands.
Leader: Let us live our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
People: Together, let us worship God!
*Passing of The Peace

*Opening Hymn: “Lord I Lift Your Name On High” TFWS 2088

Pastoral Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for the gift of another
day and for the life you have entrusted to us. Teach us to number
our days with wisdom. Be near to those who are suffering, those
who are afraid, those who are lonely, and those who have lost
hope. Help us use the life you have given us to love, forgive, serve,
welcome, and walk beside others. May our lives reflect your grace
and your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

First Scripture Reading: Psalm 90:12-17 Liturgist

Time With Young Christians

Community Expressions Pastor Jorge & 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 Father, who art in heaven...”

Invitation to Generosity Pastor Jorge
Everything we have-our time, our abilities, our resources, and our very lives-
is a gift from God. Our giving is not a payment for God’s grace. Grace cannot
be purchased. We give because we have already received. Let us give with
gratitude and use what God has placed in our hands to bring hope and love to others.
​
Offertory:
*Doxology: “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow . . .” UMH 95

*Prayer of Dedication: God of grace, receive these gifts and use
them to bring hope, healing, welcome, and love to our community.
Help us use all that you have given us for the good of others and for
your kingdom. Amen.

Second Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:21-30 Liturgist
The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

Hymn: “Lord You Have Come to the Lakeshore” UMH 344

Sermon: Have I Lived A Worthy Life? Rev. Jorge Rodgriguez
Philippians 1:21–30

There is a scene at the end of a movie that I have never been able to forget. The movie is Saving Private Ryan. The story takes place during World War II.

A mother has four sons serving in the armed forces. And then the news begins to arrive—the kind of news no mother should ever have to receive. One of her sons has died. Then another. And then another. Three sons killed in the war.But there is still one left. James Ryan. He is somewhere in Europe, in the middle of the war. And when military leaders discover what has happened, they make an extraordinary decision: Ryan must be found. He must be taken out of the battle. He must be sent home to his mother. They cannot allow this woman to lose her last remaining son.So they send a small group of soldiers under the command of Captain John Miller. The mission sounds simple: Find Ryan. Save him. Bring him home.But in war, nothing is simple. To save Ryan, these men have to cross enemy territory. They have to expose themselves to enemy fire. They have to fight. And along the way, some of them die.

Finally, they find Ryan. But something unexpected happens. Ryan does not want to leave. He is defending a bridge with his fellow soldiers, and he feels that he cannot abandon them. They are his brothers now, too. So Captain Miller and his men stay, and they fight alongside them. The battle is terrible, and eventually Miller is mortally wounded.Ryan comes to him. The man who came to save him is dying in front of him. Miller looks at him, calls Ryan closer, and with only a few words says: “Earn this.” Make this worth it. And then the movie does something extraordinary.

Suddenly, decades have passed. We no longer see the young soldier. Now we see an old man walking slowly through a military cemetery. It is Ryan. He has a wife. He has children. He has grandchildren. He has lived an entire lifetime. But it seems that through all those years, he has carried those words with him: “Earn this.”

Finally, he comes to a grave—the grave of Captain Miller, the man who died so that he could live. Ryan looks at the grave. Then he looks at his wife and asks her a question that he has probably carried within himself his entire life: “Tell me I’ve led a good life. Tell me I’m a good man.” In other words: Tell me that the life I have lived has been worthy of what
others did for me. And perhaps, just perhaps, that question can help us hear the words of Paul: “Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

Let us not forget where Paul is when he writes these words. Paul is in prison. He is not writing from the comfort of his home. He is not sitting behind a desk talking theoretically about suffering. He is imprisoned by the empire, and he does not know for certain what will happen to him. That is why he says, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” Paul is thinking about life. He is thinking about death. He is thinking about what remains to be done. And what is remarkable is that, at that moment, Paul is not thinking only about himself. He could say, “I have done enough. I have preached. I have traveled. I have planted churches. I have suffered. I have been beaten. I have been persecuted. Now I am going to worry only about myself.”

No one could blame him. But Paul looks at his life and says: I can still serve. I can still encourage. I can still walk alongside others. I can still strengthen someone. I can still help build community. For Paul, the question is not simply, “How much longer can I live?” The
question is, “What am I going to live for with the time I still have?” And those are 
completely different questions.

Perhaps we should ask ourselves that question too. Not only: How many years do I have left? But: What am I going to do with the years I have left? Not only: How much do I have? But: What am I going to do with what I have? Not only: What have I accomplished? But: Whom have I helped to stand again? Then Paul says: “Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” We could hear those words in the wrong way. We might think Paul is saying, “Earn God’s love. Prove that you deserve the cross. Prove that you are good enough.” But that is not the gospel.

Here the story of Ryan and our Christian story take different paths. Ryan hears: “Earn this.” But Jesus never looks at us from the cross and says: “Earn this.” Because we could not. We could never repay the cross. We could never purchase grace. We could never earn the love of God. Grace is grace precisely because it cannot be earned. Jesus does not say, “Prove that you deserve my love.” Jesus says: “I love you.” Christ loved us first. So we do not live in a worthy manner in order to receive grace. We live in a worthy manner because we have already received grace. And that difference changes everything.

The Christian question is not: How can I repay God? The question is: What am I going to do with the life God has given me? What am I going to do with this grace? What am I going to do with this love? What am I going to do with another morning, another opportunity, another person God places in my path?

Paul continues: “Standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the
faith of the gospel.” A life worthy of the gospel is not simply an individually good life. It is a life shared with others. Paul speaks about being together, walking together, serving together, striving together. Perhaps that is another powerful image from the movie. Ryan did not survive alone. Someone went looking for him. Someone crossed dangerous territory for him. Someone was willing to go where he was. And perhaps that is also a beautiful image of the church. The church is not simply a place where we wait for people to come to us. The church is a community that goes out looking. Looking for the one who is alone, the one who is afraid, the one who is wounded, the one who has lost hope, the immigrant who feels they do not belong, the poor person who feels invisible, the person who believes that God has forgotten them. And when we find them, we do not first ask: “Do they deserve it?” Because God never asked that question about us. We simply say: “Your life has value. We will walk with you.”

When Paul says, “live in a manner worthy,” he uses a word connected to public and civic life: politeuesthe—live as citizens. That means our faith does not end when worship ends. Our faith walks out through those doors. Our faith enters our homes. It enters our workplaces. It enters our relationships. It enters our community. And it also enters the way we participate in society. I am not talking about political parties. I am not talking about candidates. I am talking about the gospel. Because if we follow Jesus, that must affect the way we see the poor, the stranger, the vulnerable, the person who thinks differently from us, the person who is afraid, and the person who has no power. If our faith never changes the way we treat people, if it never changes our priorities, if it never changes the way we use our voice, our money, our power, and our time, then we have to ask ourselves: Is the gospel really transforming our lives?

At the end of Saving Private Ryan, an old man stands before a grave. His family is behind him. An entire lifetime has passed. And that man asks a question: “Tell me I’ve led a good life.” Perhaps someday we too will look back. And we will see the years, the opportunities, the people, the mistakes, the times we loved, the times we could have loved and did not, the people who helped us, and the people God placed in our path. And perhaps the question will not be: “Did I live a life good enough to deserve God’s love?” No. Because grace was never something we could earn.....The question will be different: What did I do with the grace I received? Did I love? Did I forgive? Did I serve? Did I share? Did I defend the vulnerable? Did I walk with the one who was alone? Did I draw near to the person everyone else avoided? Did I build bridges? Did I help someone discover that their life had value too? Because in the end, brothers and sisters, perhaps a life worthy of the gospel is not necessarily an extraordinary life. Perhaps it is simply a life in which someone can say: Because you lived, I was not alone. Because you lived, someone had food. Because you lived, someone was welcomed. Because you lived, someone found forgiveness. Because you lived, someone recovered hope. Because you lived, someone was able to see a little bit of Jesus.

Captain Miller looked at Ryan and said: “Earn this.” Paul tells us something different: “Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Do not earn grace. Live it. Do not try to repay the love of God. Share it. Do not waste your life wondering whether you are worthy enough. Use your life to show someone else that they too are loved by God. And perhaps when we reach the end of the road, we will not need to ask: “Was I good enough?” Perhaps our prayer can simply be: Lord, you gave me this life. You gave me your grace. You gave me your love. I hope I used them well. “Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Amen.

Affirmation:
Leader: We have received a grace we could never earn.
People: We will live that grace.
Leader: We have received a love we could never repay.
People: We will share that love.
Leader: God has given us life.
People: We will use our lives to serve, welcome, forgive, and love.
All: With God’s help, we will live in a manner worthy of the gospel of
Christ.

*Closing Hymn: “Here I Am, Lord” UMH 593

Blessing: Go into the world with gratitude for the life God has given you.
Do not spend your life trying to earn grace. Live it. Do not try to repay the
love of God. Share it. Walk beside the lonely. Welcome the stranger. Stand
with the vulnerable. Love generously. Serve faithfully. And as the psalmist
prayed: “Teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” May
we use those days well. And when we look back upon the life God has given
us, may our prayer be: Lord, you gave me this life. You gave me your grace.
You gave me your love. I hope I used them well. Go in the grace of Jesus
Christ, the love of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Song of Blessing: “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah” TFWS 2026

Postlude:

Pastor Jorge Rodriguez [email protected]