Sermon Central

By saying “yes” to Spirit’s nudging, Lydia was able to play an important part in the building of the early Christian community. Lydia's home had become a gathering place where the early Christian community could come together, find safety, and be encouraged. Lydia didn't know any of that was going to happen when she first said: "Come and stay at my home." She was just opening her door. But sometimes that's how the kingdom of God works. We don't always know what our small acts of welcome will become. We don't know what will happen because we noticed that someone was alone invited them to sit with us. We don't know what means to someone to remember their name, or say, "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing?" We just know that we open the door, and trust that God will do God’s work.

There are some stories that are so familiar that we almost don't have to hear them anymore… The Wizard of Oz, Forest Gump, The Lion King, Harry Potter, Star Wars. We know the words… the plot twists and all the things that happen to the main character… For some, John 20 might be one of those passages. Because we gather together on Easter morning, and read the story of the empty tomb, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. And as we read, Jesus is the center of the story… rightly so! Jesus is the one who was crucified and is now risen. He’s the one we proclaim on Easter morning: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Jesus is the reason we’re here. But something can happen when we read a familiar story. Sometimes we know the story so well that we stop really listening… stop noticing the details… the people in the story. And so today, I want to focus on a portion of this text—a person—who we tend to overlook. Because standing right in the middle of one of the most important stories in all of scripture is a woman named Mary Magdalene.

August 2, 2026 Sunday's Scripture: Jeremiah 38:7-13 Also Starring...Every great story has an ensemble cast. We often focus on the heroes of the Bible, but no one accomplishes God's work alone. Behind every famous name is someone who encouraged, challenged, protected, equipped, or simply showed up at the right moment. Our current worship series Also Starring... celebrates the people who remind us that the Kingdom of God has always been a community project. Every week we'll explore the question: Who helped God's work happen that doesn't usually get the credit? This week's co-star is Ebed-Melech. God often works through unexpected people who choose compassion over comfort. Today's speaker is Will Fenton-Jones, Director of Multicultural Ministries for the East and West Ohio Conferences of The UMC. He has served in youth ministry and worship leadership roles in the UMC, and in the U.S. Army as a Chaplain Assistant. He deployed twice to Afghanistan, where he worked to build relationships with Afghan religious leaders. Will holds a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and a master’s in Urban Planning, Design, and Development. He currently serves in the U.S. Army Reserves as an Engineer Officer. Will and his wife, Rev. Joy Fenton-Jones, have two sons, Xander (6) and Declan (4).

July 26, 2026 Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:23-33 (NLT) Also Starring...Every great story has an ensemble cast. We often focus on the heroes of the Bible, but no one accomplishes God's work alone. Behind every famous name is someone who encouraged, challenged, protected, equipped, or simply showed up at the right moment. Our current worship series Also Starring... celebrates the people who remind us that the Kingdom of God has always been a community project. Every week we'll explore the question: Who helped God's work happen that doesn't usually get the credit? This week's co-star is Abigail. Peacemakers often shape history more than warriors. Brecksville United Methodist Church is an inclusive church. Our mission is to create safe spaces to grow with God and one another. Our vision is to saturate our community with connection and belonging on the Square and everywhere. We are so glad that you found us! If you are in the area, join on Sunday mornings in person or online for our services at 8:30 am, which is outside, or at 10:30 am in our sanctuary. We are located by the town square in Brecksville, Ohio. Learn more at BrecksvilleUMC.com

There is a phrase that’s often used when talking about movies or television shows. After naming the star, they say, "Also starring..." and then there’s a list of supporting actors. Because you can have a great hero, but every hero needs companions, mentors, friends, and people standing beside them. Sometimes those supporting actors are the ones who make the whole story work. So for the next several weeks, we're going to spend some time with those "also starring" in scripture—the ones who only appear briefly—whose names are easy to miss, but whose faithfulness change the story. Because God's story has never been carried by one person alone—Noah had his family. Ruth had Naomi. Even Jesus had disciples. Again and again, scripture shows us that God works through communities, and partnerships, and ordinary people whose names may not make the headlines, but whose actions make all the difference. And today, we meet one of those people: Hur.

Today we are in the final week of our series—Strength for the Climb. This series is based on scriptures our children explored at this year’s Vacation Bible School. Each day of VBS, the kids looked at a story from scripture that amplified the theme verse for the week: Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Often it seems we think of that verse as a kind of spiritual superpower—as if “I can do everything!” “Nothing is hard with Jesus!” But when Paul wrote those words while sitting in prison, he didn’t mean to ignore the difficult, but rather, he meant to assure those reading this letter that God will give us the strength to persevere through anything. Today, we see this illustrated in the story of Peter and John healing someone who was unable to walk.

Today we are in the fourth week of our series—Strength for the Climb. This series is based on scriptures our children will explore at this year’s Vacation Bible School. Each day of VBS, the kids will look at a story from scripture that amplifies the theme verse for the week: Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Now, many of us learned that verse as a kind of spiritual superpower—as if “I can do everything!” “Nothing is hard with Jesus!” But it’s important to remember that Paul wrote those words while sitting in prison—so his intention wasn’t about telling his audience to ignore the difficult, but rather to assure those reading this letter that God will give us the strength to persevere through anything. So far, we’ve seen this in the story of Joseph interpreting dreams for Pharaoh, the story of Esther, and in the widow giving her offering to God. Today, we have an example from Jesus himself, as he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Today we continue our series—Strength for the Climb. This series is based on scriptures our children will explore at this year’s Vacation Bible School. Each day of VBS, the kids will look at a story from scripture that amplifies the theme verse for the week: Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Now, many of us learned that verse as a kind of spiritual superpower—as if “I can do everything!” “Nothing is hard with Jesus!” But it’s important to remember that Paul wrote those words while sitting in prison—so he knew hardship. When Paul wrote these words, what he intended was for the people of Philippi, and us, to be assured that God will give us the strength to persevere through anything. And because God is God, God can use those hardships and challenges to help us become more of who God created us to be. So far, we’ve seen this in the story of Joseph interpreting dreams for Pharaoh, and in the story of Esther. Today, we see it in a woman giving her offering to God.

Today we continue our series—Strength for the Climb. This series is based on scriptures our children will explore at this year’s Vacation Bible School. Each day of VBS, the kids will look at a story from scripture that amplifies the theme verse for the week: Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Now, many of us learned that verse as a kind of spiritual superpower—as if “I can do everything!” “Nothing is hard with Jesus!” But it’s important to remember that Paul wrote those words while sitting in prison—so he knew hardship. When Paul wrote these words, what he intended was for the people of Philippi, and us, to be assured that God will give us the strength to persevere through anything. And because God is God, God can use those hardships and challenges to help us become more of who God created us to be. Last week we saw this in the story of Joseph interpreting dreams for Pharaoh, and today we see it in the story of Esther.

Today we begin a new series—Strength for the Climb. It’s based on the scriptures our children will explore at this year’s Vacation Bible School in just a few weeks. Each day of VBS, the kids will explore stories from scripture that illustrate how God is with us through every season of life, and we don’t have to do hard things on our own. The theme verse for both VBS is Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." When Paul wrote those words, he wasn't standing on the winner's podium—he was sitting in prison. Right before that verse, he says, "I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation..." Then comes the famous line: "I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." The strength Paul is talking about isn't the strength to avoid hardship—life is going to have difficult moments. Paul reminds us that with God, we have the strength to persevere through anything—not only to endure it, but because God is God, God can use those hardships and challenges to help us become more of who God created us to be. And that's exactly what we see in Joseph.

Free Will In the Wild: You Don't Have To Do Everything by BrecksvilleUMC

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The word conform means to take on an outward pattern or shape— often unconsciously allowing yourself to be pressed into a mold or adapting yourself to fit others’ expectations—the systems and assumptions and dominant values of the culture squeezing and shaping you into something that works for its benefit. Fitting you into a box or category that’s easily understood. Fear, outrage, consumerism, productivity, political tribalism, shame, scarcity, success culture… these things are constantly working to form and conform us… IF we’re willing to allow them. Paul tells us, “Don’t let the world decide your shape.”—don’t give the world that sort of power over you. Instead, Paul says, “be transformed.”

God of morning light and flickering stars, you breathed your Spirit into dust and called humanity good. You placed within us the sacred freedom to choose what we will carry, what we will release, what we will nurture, and who we will become. And yet, there are days when the world feels heavy— when fear grows louder than hope; when we forget that even small acts of love can illuminate the darkness. So as we gather together again, kindle your light within us. And if we come today feeling weary or powerless, remind us who we are: people created in your image, and filled with your Spirit; people called to shine. May our worship today become light for the world. In the name of Christ, who is our light and our life, we pray. Amen.

We began our series by remembering—by recognizing our spoken and unspoken money stories and how those stories have impacted our relationship to money. Then, we acknowledged those parts of our story that keep us from freedom and wholeness, and practiced release. Last week, we began to reimagine our money story, recognizing that God refuses to let brokenness become destiny. Today, we conclude our series focusing on restoration.

Today we continue the worship series, Our Money Story. Money and possessions are one of the most common topics in scripture—Jesus talked about money more than both faith and prayer. Because how we use our money—the way we choose to steward or spend it—is a deeply spiritual practice—and connected to what we think about God. Do we think God will provide? Do we think money is power or freedom or security or opportunity or control? Do we think that the money is ours because we worked hard for it, or do we think it’s God’s because everything we have is a gift from God? Our answers to all of these questions make up our money story—a story that has been written by our early experiences with money, and now shapes our beliefs and values surrounding money. Whether we realize it or not, we all have a money story. It might be a story of fear or shame, or a story that our actions won’t have an impact, or that we don’t have enough. The goal of this series is to give each of us an opportunity to pause and acknowledge the money story we’re living into and then wonder, “Is this story helpful?” and if not, “How might God be speaking a new narrative into our lives?” We began our series by remembering—by recognizing our spoken and unspoken money stories and how those stories have impacted our relationship to money. Then last week, we acknowledged those parts of our story that keep us from freedom and wholeness, and practiced release. This week, we reimagine our money stories.

Today we continue the worship series, Our Money Story. Money and possessions are one of the most common topics in scripture—Jesus talked about money more than both faith and prayer. Because how we use our money—the way we choose to steward or spend it—is a deeply spiritual practice—it’s connected to what we think about God. Do we think God will provide? Do we think money is power or freedom or security or opportunity or control? Do we think that the money is ours because we worked hard for it, or do we think it’s God’s because everything we have is a gift from God? Our answers to all of these questions make up our money story—a story that has been written by our early experiences with money, and then shapes our beliefs and values surrounding money. Whether we realize it or not, we all have a money story. It might be a story of fear or shame, or a story that our actions won’t have an impact, or that we don’t have enough. The goal of this series is to give each of us an opportunity to pause and acknowledge the money story we’re living into and then wonder, “Is this story helpful?” and if not, “How might God be speaking a new narrative into our lives?” Last week, we began our series by remembering—by noticing our spoken and unspoken money stories and how those stories have impacted our relationship to money. This week, we’re acknowledging those parts of our story that keep us from freedom and wholeness, and practicing release.

The Good News is Alive in the World! “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” - Matthew 28:1-10 Death cannot stop the good news. It is alive, unbound, and wild in the world. Like the mustard seed, it grows without limit. Like water turned into wine, it surprises us with joy. Like loaves of bread, it multiplies to feed each hungry soul. And now, even in the face of death, it will not be buried or silenced. Just as the angels in Advent, the angel at the empty tomb delivers good news: “Do not be afraid.” On the way to Galilee, Jesus greets the women with this same message, but adds: “Go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

​​Today is Palm Sunday—the last Sunday of Lent, and the beginning of Holy Week. Throughout Lent, we’ve been asking the simple yet powerful question: Where do we see good news? In a world in which we’re inundated with bad news, this question helps us return to the heart of Jesus’ teachings, and reminds us that the Gospel is good news! It’s the story of a God who loves humanity so deeply that God took on flesh and bone to be with us—a love so deep that even death cannot overcome it. And it’s a love that calls us into community: to care for one another, protect one another, and remind each other that we belong. Naming all that goodness reminds us that God is still at work, and it helps us remember that following Jesus isn’t meant to be passive—we are called to be messengers of God’s Good News right here and right now!

The Good News is Rooted in Justice, Mercy and Faithfulness by BrecksvilleUMC

Today is the third Sunday of our Lenten series, “Tell Me Something Good.” Traditionally, Lent is a solemn time, focusing on repentance and fasting—preparing new believers for baptism on Easter. This year, though, we’re preparing ourselves for Easter in a different way—each week, we’re asking ourselves the simple yet powerful question: Where do we see good news? This question helps us to return to the heart of Jesus’ teachings, rooting ourselves in the goodness God desires for all creation, and reminding us that the Gospel is good news! The gospel is the story of a God who loves humanity so deeply that God took on flesh and bone to be with us. It’s the story of a love so deep and wide that even death cannot overcome it. And it’s the story of a love that calls us into community — to care for one another, protect one another, and remind each other that we belong. And naming all that goodness grounds us. It reminds us that God is still at work, and helps us remember who we are and what we are called to be: messengers of the Good News right here and right now! Today’s good news is that together, the impossible is possible.

Are you weary of the "bad news" cycle? This Sunday, guest speaker Rev. Ed Fasbaugh brings us a beautiful reminder that the Good News isn't about being perfect—it's about being loved. Whether you feel like you have it all together or you’re carrying a story that feels a bit messy, there is a place for you here. We’ll be celebrating Holy Communion, remembering that at Christ’s table, mercy is always the guest of honor.

This first miracle of Jesus turning water into wine reminds us that God doesn’t just show up in mountaintop moments or dramatic miracles. But in kitchens, at tables, in conversations between friends, and in small acts of care. In the ordinary rhythms of life. So the invitation for us this Lent is simply this: pay attention.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been using Zach Lambert’s book, Better Ways to Read the Bible, to take a look at different lenses through which we read scripture—by lenses, we mean sets of assumptions that we filter the scripture through, as we attempt to make meaning out of an ancient text. For the first three weeks of this series, we looked at unconstructive lenses that Christians have used—lenses of literalism, moralism, hierarchy. Then for the last couple of weeks, we started focusing on lenses for reading scripture that are more constructive—ways that help us understand what God intends for these sacred texts to tell us. First, we looked at the Jesus lens, asking ourselves if a scripture is in alignment with the person, work, or teachings of Jesus. Acknowledging that if it wasn’t, then it’s a big hint that we’ve misinterpreted or misunderstood what the scripture intends. Last week, we looked at the context lens, which takes into consideration a scripture’s historical setting, audience, and place in the larger story of scripture. Today, we look at the Flourishing Lens, which invites us to ask: does this reading of scripture lead to life? Does this interpretation lead to greater love, justice, and well-being for all?

A word of care: Our scripture reading today has been difficult for many, especially when it’s been read without attention to context or used to limit rather than heal. Today, we’re reading it with attention towards the particular situation it was written for, and the culture it was shaped by. Reading with the Context Lens invites us to ask: Who was this for? What was happening? And what does faithfulness look like in light of that?

Believe it or not, Christianity isn’t a text-centered faith. It’s a Jesus-centered faith. As Zach Lambert says in his book, Better Ways to Read the Bible, “Christians are not primarily people of the bible; rather they are people of the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” As important as the bible is for understanding who Jesus is, our faith isn’t ultimately in a text but in a person—that’s why we aren’t called “little Bibles,” but “little Christs.” That’s what “Christian” literally means—“little Christ.” But how do we know that our faith isn’t text-centered, but Jesus-centered? Because the bible tells us so.

When Winter Storm Fern marched across most of the United States, with dangerously cold temperatures and plenty of snow making travel dangerous, we made the unprecedented decision to cancel worship services on Sunday morning. But Pastor Heidi shared a special message using Facebook Live. Join us for sanctuary on a winter day!

We like to think that we can just pick up the bible and read it, and we’re going to understand what it means—God will show us The Truth of that scripture and it will give us wisdom for the day. But the reality is, the bible wasn’t written for us, in the 21st century—we read scripture over the shoulders of those who originally received it. We don’t instinctively understand the contexts and cultures of the biblical texts, and we don’t natively speak Hebrew or Greek or Aramaic. Which means that when we read scripture, we bring with us a set of lenses—a set of assumptions that we filter the scripture through, attempting to make meaning out of an ancient text. There’s a 21st century lens, and then lenses for our personal experiences, what we’ve been taught about scripture and life, our questions and doubts, what we fear, what we hope to be true—all of these are like that “1 or 2” “3 or 4” of the eye doctor—they all change the way we understand scripture. It’s tempting to think, “Well, I’ll just take off all the lenses I have and then I can see clearly.” But there is no neutral or unfiltered way of reading scripture. What we can do, is recognize and name the lenses we have—take stock of the assumptions we bring to scripture—and ask ourselves, “Is this lens helpful or harmful?”

Today, we come to the end of our series, “What Do You Fear?” that has led us through Advent and beyond. And we come to the end of the story of Jesus’ birth. It’s the end of the story, and yet Herod is still in power. Christ is born, yet it feels as if the world has not changed. The Gospel of Matthew doesn’t give us a tidy ending—the magi leave quietly, warned by God to go home by another way. And when Herod discovers he’s been outwitted by them, his fury turns into devastating violence. It’s yet another example of having a reason to hope for transformation—Jesus is born!—and then look around and think, “Nothing has really changed.” The same systems still operate. The same people still hold power. The same fears linger. And when fear lingers long enough, it can be tempting to give up. To grow numb. To shrink our expectations. To settle for survival instead of hope. However, the reason Matthew tells this story it’s not to resolve our fear, but to show us how to move through it.

Graham Ball, Executive Director of Nehemiah Mission, visits with an inspiring message about caring for those on the margins. As we enter a new year, what action can you take to make the world more safe and just for everyone?

Today is a special Sunday—we will hear our scripture and message in the form of a Cantata our choir will share with us.

Sitting in a hospital waiting room, watching/listening/reading the news, a painful conversation you didn’t want to have, staring at a list of all that is yet-to-be done, wondering, Is any of this worth it? There are moments in life when our hope feels threadbare—like the smallest movement will cause it to fall to pieces at our feet. The future feels hazy, our effort feels fruitless—the world’s brokenness feels so large that our small acts seem almost laughably insignificant. This is where we meet John the Baptist today.

“In the time of Herod…” Luke’s gospel begins the story of Jesus’ birth with these words. It sounds like simply a timestamp—a historical reference to let us know when Jesus was born. But it’s much more than this. What if someone began a story with, “In 2020…?“ It sounds like just a year. But for those of us who know—who lived through it, the year 2020 conjures up memories of a global pandemic and social distancing, civil unrest, social upheaval, a tumultuous presidential election, and prolonged uncertainty. It was a time when the things we trusted to be steady suddenly weren’t—our routines, our work, our health, our plans, even our sense of safety. The words, “In 2020…” are much more than a timestamp...

Today we continue our short series on “Practices of our Faith.” We often think of religion as confined to certain texts or spaces, and the practices of faith as things we do in addition to “regular life.” But our faith can be so much more — actually, that’s what Jesus’ life is an example of—he challenges us to live our faith—having it guide our life’s purpose and inspire the seeming minutiae of our daily routines. In this series, we’re exploring just three Christian practices that go beyond the typical practices we think of, like reading scripture, prayer, worship, and service. These additional practices particularly speak to our lives as we move into the busy holiday season—but really, they apply to life year round. Today, we’re looking at the practice of “household economics.”

We often think of religion as confined to certain texts or spaces. But our faith can be so much more — from guiding our lives’ purpose to enriching the seeming minutiae of our daily routines. Christianity offers timeless practices that help both Christians — and the world — to flourish. Practices that—woven together, form an entire way of life. Today we begin a short, three-week series in which we will explore just three of these practices, helping us to see that it’s possible to create a way of life that’s both attuned to present-day needs and taught by ancient wisdom. I chose three practices that I thought particularly speak to life as we move into the busy holiday season—a season that is filled with joys and struggles that are both unique to this time of year, and present all the year through. Today, we begin with the practice of saying “yes,” and saying “no.”

I once heard grief described as standing on the seashore. At first, the wet sand is uneven beneath your feet, and even the smallest wave causes you to wobble and sink deeper into the sand. Eventually, though, you come to a point where you’re steady (enough) and you’re better able to handle the waves. Until a large wave comes—completely out of nowhere—and you’re tossed off-balance, arms flailing, struggling to keep your footing once again. Grief, in the same way, is something that you think would dissipate over time—the longer you stand at the shore the easier it should be—you learn to live without your loved one, or you get used to being divorced, or you make new friends at a new job or in a new town—whatever the grief is, you expect it to subside with time. But if you’ve ever experienced grief, you know that rogue waves come—out of nowhere, pulling the ground from underneath your feet, causing you to fall or at the very least stumble with arms flailing, trying to find some firm ground beneath you.

We have come to the final week of our Curious Church series. For many reasons, we are heading into a new chapter as a church—as we think about how we use our building and prepare for a capital campaign, and as we pray about hiring a new staff person to attend to the people God has placed in our care; as we think about the way culture’s relationship with the church has changed over the past several years, and how we can use the unique gifts God has given us as a church to be in partnership with our community. And as with any big (or small) change, it’s important to listen to where to Spirit is leading—to get curious with God. Over these past weeks, we’ve wondered together—about God, about scripture, about ourselves, and about the kind of community we’re becoming. And if curiosity has taught us anything, it’s that God is never finished with us. That’s what Isaiah is trying to tell the people in today’s passage.

Today, we continue in our worship series—Curious Church: Wondering Our Way Forward. For many reasons, we are heading into a new chapter as a church—as we think about how we use our building and prepare for a capital campaign, and as we pray about hiring a new staff person to attend to the people God has placed in our care; as we think about the way culture’s relationship with the church has changed, and how we can use the unique gifts God has given us as a church to be in partnership with our community. And as with any big (or small) change, it’s important to listen to where to Spirit is leading. The best way I know how to attune myself to God’s Spirit is through curiosity—asking questions, and then opening myself to the Spirit’s prompting. So, in this series, we are getting curious together: “What does the next season look like for us?” “How is God calling us to be a safe space here and now, at this time in history?” This isn’t about “fixing the church,” or discovering all the answers, but opening ourselves to the movement of God, trusting that God is leading us to the incredible things we haven’t even imagined yet. If you think about it, this is how Jesus taught—through questions and parables and invitations, rather than easy answers. Today, curiosity leads us to think about our mission, and how God is leading us forward.

For many reasons, it seems we are heading into a new chapter as a church—as we think about how we use our building and prepare for a capital campaign, and as we pray about hiring a new staff person to attend to the people God has placed in our care. The best way I know how to attune myself to God’s Spirit is through curiosity—asking questions, and then opening myself to the Spirit’s prompting. So, in this series, we are getting curious together: “What does the next season look like for us?” “How is God calling us to be a safe space here and now, at this time in history?” This isn’t about “fixing the church,” or having all the answers, but opening ourselves to the movement of God’s Spirit, trusting that God is leading us to the incredible things we haven’t even imagined yet. If you think about it, this is how Jesus taught—through questions and parables and invitations, rather than easy answers. Today, curiosity leads us to think about what it means to be in community. And we have the opportunity to hear from Shannon Kantorowski, who is our Finance Manager here at BUMC. Shannon is someone for whom community has always been an important component of living as a follower of Jesus. Before coming here, she was trained to facilitate small groups, and she’s the one helping to start small groups here this winter. Each time Shannon and I have spoken about small groups and being in community, she’s spoken with such passion and excitement, and I’m excited for her to share that with you today. Let us welcome Shannon!

I have been at Brecksville United Methodist Church for 6 years, and together, we have stayed attuned to where God is leading us, allowing the Spirit to direct our every move. Even as the world has continued to change at a surprisingly fast pace, and we’ve had to modify and change to meet people where they are. And I’m proud of the ways we’ve stepped out in faith, trusting God even when we weren’t entirely sure where God was leading us. For many reasons, it seems we are heading into a new chapter as a church—as we think about how we use our building and prepare for a capital campaign, and as we pray about hiring a new staff person to attend to the people God has placed in our care. The best way I know how to attune myself to God’s Spirit is through curiosity—asking questions, and then opening myself to the Spirit’s prompting. So, in this series, we’re going to get curious together: what is God up to? “What does the next season look like for us?” “How is God calling us to be a safe space here and now, at this time in history?” This isn’t about “fixing the church,” or having all the answers, but opening ourselves to the movement of God’s Spirit, trusting that God is leading us to the incredible things we haven’t even imagined yet. If you think about it, this is how Jesus taught—through questions and parables and invitations, rather than easy answers. Today, curiosity leads us to think about the cost of discipleship.

We are in week 4 of our worship series—Curious Church: Wondering Our Way Forward. How do we stay attuned to the leading of God’s Spirit? I’ve found that the best way is to come to God with curiosity. “What does the next season look like for us?” “How is God calling us to be a safe space here and now, at this time in history?” So, in this series, we’re going to get curious together: what is God up to—in us, in our neighbors, and in the world? And how is God calling us forward? This isn’t about having to “fix the church,” or having all the answers, but trusting that God is leading us to the incredible things we haven’t even imagined yet. If you think about it, this is how Jesus taught—through questions and parables and invitations, rather than easy answers. Today, we are taking a look at the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, and wondering, “What happens when we become curious about ourselves?”

We are in week 3 of our worship series—Curious Church: Wondering Our Way Forward. I’ve found that the best way to stay attuned to the leading of God’s Spirit is to come to God with curiosity. “What does the next season look like for us?” “How is God calling us to be a safe space here and now, at this time in history?” So, in this series, we’re going to get curious together: what is God up to—in us, in our neighbors, and in the world? And how is God calling us forward? This isn’t about having to “fix the church,” or having all the answers, but trusting that God is leading us to the incredible things we haven’t even imagined yet. If you think about it, this is how Jesus taught—through questions and parables and invitations, rather than easy answers. Today, curiosity leads us all the way back to the Babylonian exile.

We are in week 2 of our worship series—Curious Church: Wondering Our Way Forward. A lot has happened in the past six years—both within our church, and in the world. Pastor Heidi says, "Through it all, we’ve stayed attuned to where God is leading, allowing the Spirit to direct our every move. And I’m proud of that. And yet, I find myself wondering, what does the next season look like for us? How is God calling us to be a safe space here and now, at this time in history?" So, in this series, we’re going to get curious together: what is God up to? What’s God doing in this moment—in us, in our neighbors, and in the world? And how is God calling us forward? This isn’t about having to “fix the church,” or having all the answers, but opening ourselves to the movement of God’s Spirit, trusting that God is leading us to the incredible things we haven’t even imagined yet. If you think about it, this is how Jesus taught—through questions and parables and invitations, rather than easy answers. Today, curiosity leads us all the way back to the wilderness.

Our world feels like it’s one of those dryer balls tumbling around in a clothes dryer—tumultuous presidential elections, civil unrest from just about every corner as people have reached the breaking point—sick of being pushed to the margins and ignored for centuries. The relationship between the church and greater culture had drastically changed. Trends that we had been seeing for years have finally come to a head—people are worshiping less often, and the likelihood that someone new will walk into the church is as likely as someone attending a wedding they weren’t invited to. People are less likely to check ‘Christian’ on a survey, but more likely to Google, ‘How do I live a meaningful life?’ Many people don’t trust religion, but they are yearning for God. We're beginning a multi-week series where we're going to get curious together. We'll ask what is God up to? What’s God doing in this moment—in us, in our neighbors, and in the world? And how is God calling us forward? This isn’t about having to “fix the church,” or having all the answers, but opening ourselves to the movement of God’s Spirit, trusting that God is leading us to the incredible things we haven’t even imagined yet. If you think about it, this is how Jesus taught—through questions and parables and invitations, rather than easy answers. Today, curiosity leads us back to our roots—What did “being the church” look like in the beginning? Is there anything we can recover from those roots today?

Jesus calls us to make some good trouble, to turn the world upside down.

For the past few weeks, we’ve been taking a look at some occasions in scripture when people of faith had “holy meltdowns”—when pillars of our faith like Moses, Jonah, and Elijah had big emotions. Because right now, there seem to be a lot of big emotions in the world. Something that might have bothered or annoyed us before, now has the potential to really set us off. It’s like we each have less of an emotional buffer, and then when you put us all together in society, we feed off each other and reactions get really intense really quickly. Traditionally, the church has told us that "good" or "faithful" Christians don't let their emotions get the best of them. But the truth is, there are times in everyone's life when they have "big emotions." Sometimes, even the most faithful people—those who love God and serve Christ with their whole lives reach a breaking point. In this series, we’re looking at these “holy meltdowns” to see how God worked in or through them, and think about how God works through us, too, in similar situations. We’ve looked at holy meltdowns in the prophets and in Jesus himself, and today we see a different kind of moment—a relational meltdown between two apostles: Paul and Barnabas.

For the past few weeks, we have been taking a look at some occasions in scripture when people of faith had “holy meltdowns”—when pillars of our faith like Moses, Jonah, and Elijah had big emotions. Because right now, there seems to be a lot of big emotions in the world. Many—if not most—of us are struggling with something: grief, sadness or depression, anxiety, anger… because life seems to be particularly “lifey” right now, and then add to that a news cycle, and media that seem to play on our emotions, and it’s a perfect storm to create holy meltdowns here and now. Traditionally, though, the church tells us that "good" or "faithful" Christians don't let their emotions get the best of them. But the truth is, there are times in everyone's lives when they have "big emotions." In this series, we’re looking at these “holy meltdowns” to see how God worked in or through them, and think about how God works through us, too, in similar situations. Today, we look at Peter and the infamous story of his regret.

What was Jesus so mad about, anyway?

In this series, Holy Meltdowns, we’re taking a look at some occasions in scripture when people of faith had big emotions—like Moses hitting a rock, Jonah getting bitter, Jesus flipping tables, and more. Because right now, there seems to be a lot of big emotions in the world right now. Many people—I would go as far to say “most of us”—are feeling overwhelmed by life and the news cycle, and we’re responding in ways that we may not normally—getting angry, impatient, frustrated, sad, or feeling hopeless. Traditionally, the church tells us that "good" or "faithful" Christians don't let their emotions get the best of them. But the truth is, there are times in everyone's lives when they have "big emotions." In this series, we’ll see how God worked in or through these “holy meltdowns” and think about how God works through us, too, when we have big emotions. Today, we’re looking at Elijah’s meltdown.

God asks Jonah "Do you do well to be angry?" It's a question we should all ask ourselves. As the world swirls through a period of division and change, when things don't turn out as we had planned, do we do well to be angry? Guest speaker, Rev. Sharon Seyfarth Garner, delivers an inspiring message that encourages us to stay curious, not judgmental.

Today, we begin a new worship series, “Holy Meltdowns.” Have you noticed that there seem to be a lot of big emotions in the world right now? Many people (most of us?) are feeling overwhelmed by life and the news cycle, and we’re responding in ways that we may not normally—getting angry, impatient, frustrated, sad, or feeling hopeless. Traditionally, the church tells us that "good" or "faithful" Christians don't let their emotions get the best of them. But the truth is, there are times in everyone's lives when they have "big emotions." In this series, we’ll take a look at some examples in scripture when people of faith had big emotions—Moses hitting a rock, Jonah getting bitter, Jesus flipping tables, and more. We’ll see how God worked in or through these “holy meltdowns” and think about how God works through us, too. Our first meltdown is brought to us by one of the greatest leaders in scripture—Moses.