Text: Acts 15 The book of the Acts of the Apostles is the story of how the good news of Jesus spread from Jerusalem, through Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth. Along the way, the culture and traditions and scriptures of our spiritual ancestors encountered a variety of peoples and backgrounds. When…
Ordinary Time
A Way Forward? To Each Their Own Convictions
Text: Romans 14:4-12 “How do we know we are following the way of Christ?… How do we navigate the culture around us? What happens when Christians disagree profoundly with each other?” There are just a few of the questions that Rev. Christine Chakoian believes Paul is trying to answer in his letter to the…
A Way Forward? 25-cent words
Texts: Philippians 4:8-9, Matthew 22:34-40 This past year as I taught confirmation, one of our lessons focused on how we are all theologians. I wrote that word up on the board and one of our students exclaimed – WOW! That’s a 25-cent word! There was an old idiom that you shouldn’t use a 50-cent word…
A Way Forward? Fixed And Free
The United Methodist Church is at a crossroads. On the one hand, we do incredible work together because of our connection across the globe. Missionaries go from everywhere to everywhere. We are present amid disaster and crisis providing relief. New faith communities have been formed in West Des Moines, Camaroon, and Russia. And these things…
Your Greater Purpose
Text: Isaiah 1:10-20 This morning’s scripture… wow. These are the words God speaks to the prophet Isaiah as he is called into service. This is the message that Isaiah is called to shared with the kings and rulers of Israel, the children of God. God, who created them… God, who rescued them from slavery in…
Staying Awake
Scripture: Acts 2-:7-12 This afternoon, our Volunteers in Mission, VIM Team will head to Omaha. Maybe you could already see the sleeping bags, luggage and tools outside our main entrance as you came in to worship this morning. We’ll pack everything up, get everyone securely in the vehicles, and head out. And pray that our…
Like a Child: Say You’re Sorry
Text: Matthew 18:21-35 Last week, Pastor Todd helped us to launch our series, “Like a Child,” by reminding us of how Jesus welcomed little children in not one, not two, but three of our gospels. In each place, Jesus reminds the disciples, and us, that unless we humble ourselves or have the faith of a…
God is Speaking!
Last Saturday, Brandon and I cuddled up on our gigantic couch in the family room, turned on Netflix, and proceeded to binge watch an entire season of a new show. There was no waiting to see what would happen next… the episode played automatically. There were no spoilers, because the series, Altered Carbon, had just…