Psalm 45:10-17 • Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 • Romans 7:15-25a • Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 This week’s theme is praising God for his goodness. In Psalm 45, the psalmist sings of how Jesus (the Messiah-King) will be praised by the nations forever and ever. In Genesis, Abraham’s servant praises God for answering his prayer for the … Continue reading "Sermon for July 9, 2023 – Proper 9" Read the article
Team Based – Pastor Led leadership avoids the pitfalls of vanity and believing the pastor is or has to be always right. By Danny Zachariah, Pastor and Regional Director India Sub Continent As our denomination continues to discuss healthy leadership, a phenomenon leaders should be wary of is, what I would call, the “Infallibility” syndrome. … Continue reading "Breaking the Myth of ‘Infallible’ Leaders" Read the article
Psalm 13:1-6 • Genesis 22:1-14 • Romans 6:12-23 • Matthew 10:40-42 This week’s theme is implications of belonging to God. The call to worship Psalm is a prayer for deliverance from enemies that turns into a prayer of rejoicing because of God’s response. The Old Testament reading from Genesis recounts the story of Abraham’s attempt … Continue reading "Sermon for July 2, 2023 – Proper 8" Read the article
A summary of the three Avenues And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthian 13:13). Love: the calling on the ministry to engage their community with tangible acts that reflect the love of God. It must connect back to the life of the church. … Continue reading "Love, Hope, and Faith in Action" Read the article
It is vital to have a clear focus for equipping. By Cara Garrity, Development Coordinator The 4 Es – engage, equip, empower, encourage – provide an intentional process to guide the development of the priesthood of all believers for participation in Jesus’ ministry. Let’s take a closer look at equip. When we equip, we develop … Continue reading "Process of Development: Equip" Read the article
The Trinity is more than doctrine, it is relationship. I am purposely capitalizing Trinity throughout this article to make a point. I love learning about the doctrine of the Trinity, and as June 4 is Trinity Sunday, I was inspired to write on this topic. I’ve been blessed to read books by some great theologians … Continue reading "Loving the Trinity" Read the article
The “church” includes all – Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, children, teens, and adults. At the end of this month, we will celebrate Pentecost, the day the church was born. Luke describes the event in Acts 2: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly … Continue reading "They ARE the Church" Read the article
Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 • Genesis 21:8-21 • Romans 6:1b-11 • Matthew 10:24-39 The theme for this week is the revolutionary responsibilities of discipleship, and it’s our opportunity to consider that real discipleship requires us to let go of closely held opinions and worldviews to love and advocate for others the way Jesus did, trusting that … Continue reading "Sermon for June 25, 2023 – Proper 7" Read the article
By Cara Garrity, Development Coordinator As previously mentioned, the 4 Es – engage, equip, empower, encourage – provide an intentional process to guide the development of the priesthood of all believers for participation in Jesus’ ministry. So where do we start? Engage is the first of the 4 Es for a reason. The process of … Continue reading "Process of Development: Engage" Read the article
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 • Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) • Romans 5:1-8 • Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23) This week’s theme is God’s response to human need. The call to worship Psalm is a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s response to human need. The Old Testament reading from Genesis recounts Abraham’s and Sarah’s responses to God fulfilling his promise … Continue reading "Sermon for June 18, 2023 – Proper 6" Read the article
