MVP Message

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Acts 4:32-35 & John 20:19-31 Our new sermon series begins with this worship service exploring a story of the risen Christ coming close to Thomas, meeting him right where he is physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Together pondering how we might experience a similar closeness today.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Mark 16:1-8 When have you been seized by these two, seemingly competing, emotions? When has your amazement paralyzed you in fear instead of propelling you forward in hope? You are invited to hear a message of hope, one centered on the admonition that you truly cannot live in this place of fear or terror anymore.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Mark 11:1-11 & Philippians 2:5-11 The service will begin with a powerful, dramatic interpretation of Mark's telling of the passion narrative performed by a member of our community before we contemplate who Jesus is and the difference he can make in our lives and world today.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scripture: Luke 8:40-56 Join us this week as we explore a passage of scripture in which one person is healed by touching the hem of Jesus’ robe and another person is healed when she is touched by Jesus. Is it any wonder, then, that Jesus used the power of touch to bring about healing and wholeness in the lives of dozens of individuals throughout the...

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern Scripture: Mark 14:1-11 This week we explore the sense of smell, recalling how certain smells have the power to transport us to a specific place while a particular perfume might remind us of a person long gone. We associate the smell of buttered popcorn with the movie theatre and cotton candy with the county fair. But how do we smell...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Psalm 34:1-10 & John 2:1-11 While many questions in life have binary answers, little about faith is clear and concise. But what if God is not only Emmanuel, God with us, but also one who can be experienced through ordinary means each day? In her book, Life in Five Senses, Gretchen Rubin writes, “Because I noticed more, I appreciated m...

Preacher: Lee J. Schriber, Minister of Engagement & Discipleship Scriptures: Psalm 51:1-17 & Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 14. This season, that leads to Easter, beckons us to relinquish some of the sins we have grown to love, embrace a more faithful journey of discipleship, and deepen our relationship with God through intentionally practicing spiritual di...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 & Mark 8:31-38 This week we will ponder the sense of hearing as it relates to our faith. “Our hearing anchors us in the world; it tells us what’s happening behind us, above us, in the dark, and before we’re born,” writes Gretchen Rubin. And yet, we are not very good at truly listening to the sounds that fill the...

Preacher: Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Genesis 9:8-17 & Mark 1:9-15 Many of us ask these and similar questions regularly. And while many questions in life have binary answers, little about faith is clear and concise. But what if God is not only Emmanuel, God with us, but also one who can be experienced through ordinary means each day? In her book,  Life in Five Senses , Gretchen Ru...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol || Pastor Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 & Mark 9:2-9 Join us this week as our sermon series concludes on the Mount of Transfiguration—a place where Jesus was transfigured before a select group of disciples before being joined by Moses and Elijah. Together we will explore the significance of this story and the transformation that can come when we become...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Isaiah 40:21-31 & Mark 1:29-39 Join us this week as we explore two of the tiny changes mentioned by The Guardian: "Remembering to breathe" and "Taking micro moments of rest throughout the day" alongside a beloved text that names God's faithfulness and the story of Jesus' first physical healing in the Gospel...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Psalm 111:1-10 & Mark 1:21-28 Join us this week as we explore the tiny change of "Being honest in every area of your life" through an early miracle recorded in Mark in which Jesus exorcises a demon before silencing it, literally telling it to "Shut up." What voices might Jesus be longing to silence in our lives? Wh...

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern Scriptures: Psalm 62:5-12 & Mark 1:14-20 This week we explore the tiny change of "consciously choosing your first and last thought each day" and ponder how transformation comes when we rest in the assurance of God’s perennial presence in our midst. Indeed, with intentional trust in God’s faithfulness, our entire lives a...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scripture: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 & John 1:43-51 Join us this week as we give thanks for the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and begin our exploration of these tiny changes, starting with the first one: Believing that everyone is interesting and attractive.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol,Pastor Scripture: Psalm 29:1-11 & Mark 1:4-11 Join us for our first worship service of the year. Together, we will ponder the meaning and significance of baptism before being invited to come forward and touch the water as we remember our baptisms and give thanks. We will also celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion.

Preacher: Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Isaiah 60:1-6 & Matthew 2:1-12 As we bring in the New Year, we reflect on how the three wisemen were sent by King Herod to pay homage to baby Jesus. Following the star that lead them to place where Jesus was, this reminds us to stay focused on what God has set out for us to do, we will have many distractions on our journey, but as long as we s...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Isaiah 9:2-7 & Luke 2:1-20 Our traditional evening Christmas Eve service will include hearing the Christmas story read and proclaimed, the sacrament of Holy Communion, and the lighting of candles to conclude the time together.

Preacher: Lee J. Schriber, Minister of Engagement & Discipleship Scripture: Luke 2:1-20 Our Christmas Eve service is an intergenerational service designed with children in mind as we prepare to receive Christ at Christmas, sing carols, hear the Christmas story read and proclaimed, and remember the promise of Emmanuel, God Is With Us. This time of worship will also include the sacraments of bap...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol. Pastor Scriptures: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 & John 1:6-8, 19-28 This week, the prophet Isaiah paints an extraordinary picture of a world that sounds too good to be true. Such a world, an upside-down kingdom, continues to be described today by prophets who believe Jesus was and is the light that is the life of all people. How might we hear their message and w...

Preacher: Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol || Pastor Scriptures: Psalm 85:1-3, 5-8 & Mark 1:1-8 This week we encounter John the Baptist, an unlikely character who offers an invitation to respond to one who can transform lives from the inside out. Would you have stopped to listen to John if you encountered him in the wilderness? Would you have responded to the invitation being extended by this strange...

Preacher: Grace Rogers Scriptures: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 & Mark 13:21-37 What does a prophet, let alone a Messiah, look and sound like? What kind of message do we expect prophets to proclaim? Who are the prophets we trust today? What is it about them that makes them trustworthy? What message do we hear them convey? Join us this week as we hear messages from prophets and false prophets who beckon...

Preacher: Kim Burns, Candidate for Ordained Ministry Scripture: Luke 17:11-19 Join us this this week as we look more closely at Jesus' healing of the men with skin disease before pondering our  own  need to be made clean. Together, we will also learn how gratitude can help our bodies heal. There may even be a Taylor Swift reference or two! Are you ready for it?

Preacher: Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30 Do you embrace risk? Or do you desire security? Do you take chances? Or do you play it safe? Do you live out of gratitude? Or are your decisions guided by fear? Our answers to these questions impact how we live and how we love, how we play and how we sleep, how we give and how we save, how we follow and how we turn away. The questi...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scripture: Luke 15:1-10 This week we will ponder these questions alongside some of the deepest truths about who God is, how God acts, and how deeply beloved we are.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scriptures: Revelation 7:9-17 & Matthew 5:1-12 All Saints Sunday is the day on which we remember and give thanks for the people who have gone before us. It is also an occasion to ponder what our legacy might be. How or for what do you want to be remembered? How are you living now in a way that ensures your memory will be a blessing?