Monday 23 March 2020
A Weekday Emailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois

Dear Friends, 
 
Diane Mortensen reached out to me with the story about how she got her cat—or, how her cat got her. In Diane’s words:
 
“Some of you may remember the devotion in These Days about a widow whose daughter told her she should get a cat to keep her company.  The woman replied, “If the Lord wanted me to have a cat, He would have provided one.” 
 
 At their next outdoor worship service along came a stray cat who jumped up on the woman’s lap.  She took it home and named it Lucky. 
 
I read that devotion in the autumn of 2018 when I was adjusting to living alone.  One day, my granddaughter called me nearly in tears because her friend who had recently adopted a cat, found he was allergic to it and planned to return it to the humane society.  She told him, “Wait, I’ll call my Grandma.”  
 
You can guess the rest of the story. 
 
I named him Mitty Kitty.  He is part Maine Coon, has four white feet, and is playful and friendly.  When you come to see him, he will greet you at my door.”
 
Share your pet stories with us!
 
News:
 
SUNDAY WORSHIP. I’m very sorry our live-streaming was a bust yesterday for our 9:00 a.m. service of worship. Some families were able to gather; thank you for showing up. But systems were overwhelmed, and many of you who tried could not connect. We are working on other methods to get worship to you on Sunday. Thanks to all of you who tried tuning in. 
 
Remember, you can go to our church webpage where you can find archived services. 
 
 
The Good Word: 
 
John 4:7-15                         
7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)[a] 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
 
 
Let Us Pray:
 
Come to me,
O servant LORD,
pour water in your bowl,
and wash me feet.
I am bold to ask this
because of my longing
for fellowship with you.
Wash my feet, then,
and be my companion. Amen.
(based on a prayer of Origin, 185-254)
 
PEACE,
 
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church