To do good is more than simply being good. It requires us to pay attention to the needs around us and reach out to people who are hurting – physically, emotionally, and spiritually – and work for the Kingdom of God here and now. This is the eighth week in the series, “Discipleship: The United […]
Though it’s easy to look at the sins of others, sin is pervasive and very much alive in us, too. In order to do no harm, we have to be honest about our struggle with sin and seek to fight its power in our lives. This is the seventh week in our series, “Discipleship: The […]
In order to attend upon all the ordinances of God, or stay in love with God, we have to be intentional about attending to our spiritual lives. A relationship with God is nurtured through time spent with God and others. This is the sixth week in our series, “Discipleship: The United Methodist Top Ten.” Pastor […]
We make promises to important people and about important aspects of our lives. In the church, we take membership vows as a way to profess our faith in Christ and be accountable to others in the Body of Christ. Committing our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness to the church is a touch point of […]
Our faith journey begins with Scripture, but we also bring ourselves to the reading and understanding of Scripture, including our reasoning and experience and the traditions of the church over the ages. How do we understand Scripture as a story of faith that guides us today. This is the fourth week in the series, “Discipleship: […]
God’s grace is a gift to us, and we experience God’s grace throughout our lives as a movement – working in us even before we understand it, bringing us to faith in Jesus, and continuing to guide us as we seek to follow Jesus every day. This is the third week in the series, “Discipleship: […]
Holiness is what we seek as people who follow God in Christ. Though we hear the word closely connected to perfection, we hear the call to be holy as a constant encouragement to love God and love neighbor. This is the second week in the series, “Discipleship: The United Methodist Top Ten.” Pastor Mary’s message […]
All Christians share a common mission that Jesus gives after the resurrection – to make disciples. Discipleship is the ongoing process of learning and growing in faith, and it must be intentional. How are we living our Christ’s call to be disciples who make disciples? This is the first week in the series, “Discipleship: The […]
In our humanness, we wrestle with the desire to get more and have more – especially when we look around and see what others have. Greed can take over, and we forget that abundant life isn’t about getting more and having more, but in knowing God’s love and grace, letting it shape our lives, and […]
It seems more difficult to know what is true. Sources that were once trusted – whether individuals or groups – are suspect. Gossip runs rampant and has real consequences. This commandment concerns giving false testimony in a court setting, but it still calls us to speak what is true about God and each other. This […]