Going towards the Need

First Houston United Methodist Church

🎥 Summary for YouTube – “First Fruits: Go Serve”

Title: Go Serve – Finding God in Vulnerability Speaker: Pastor [Name not specified] Series: First Fruits Scripture Reference: Matthew 25:31–46

🌙 Opening Story

The sermon begins with a relatable moment — being startled awake by a child in the middle of the night. It’s a vivid image of vulnerability and comfort — how, when we’re scared or weak, we draw close to those who love us. Pastor connects this to how God draws close to us in our need — or more precisely, how we become aware of His constant closeness in our moments of fear, pain, or loss.

🙏 God’s Presence in Weakness

Scripture after scripture reminds us that God meets people in their low points:

Elijah in the cave hears God’s whisper.

Jonah prays from inside the whale.

The woman at the well finds Jesus in her shame.

Jairus, desperate for his daughter, meets Jesus in fear.

God’s power is made perfect in weakness, and our closeness to Him often grows from our most difficult moments.

❤️ Serving the Vulnerable

When we’re not the ones in need, Jesus calls us to serve those who are. Why?

Because people often experience God’s love through us — the hands and feet of Christ.

Because being close to those in need helps us experience God’s presence more deeply.

🌍 Practical Examples

Pastor shares stories from ministry:

Working with people in Pasadena who have little yet show profound faith.

Encounters at NIA and on mission trips to Honduras or Cuba, where faith shines brightest in poverty.

The reminder that Jesus is close to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18).

We often avoid vulnerability — stepping back from tears, hospitals, or the unhoused — but Jesus says:

“Lean in. Go visit the sick, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger.”

It’s in those places that God’s beauty and power are revealed.

✝️ Living Out Matthew 25

Jesus identifies Himself with “the least of these” — the hungry, the sick, the imprisoned, the stranger. To serve them is to serve Christ Himself.

A powerful story illustrates this: A man once served by the church’s Lifeline ministry now wakes up at 4am to volunteer — traveling by bus to serve others in the same alleyway where he once stood in need. That’s transformation. That’s “Go Serve.”

🤝 Two Challenges

Each Week: Find one person in need to serve — however small the act.

“Just one, one, one.” — Mother Teresa

Each Year: Serve in community — with your church, on a mission trip, in local outreach.

Doing these will:

Fulfill Jesus’ command to love and serve.

Draw you closer to God than ever before — a closeness that settles your heart in His peace.

🕊️ Closing Thought

Just as God came close in Jesus — fragile, vulnerable, human — He calls us to go close to others. When we go to “the least of these,” we meet Christ Himself.

“Go serve. Go love. Go, and find God in the faces of the vulnerable.”

fmhouston.com