Apex United Methodist Church Podcast

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - In this text, we find everyone asleep.  It is as if they had all wandered with Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion into the poppy field.  Everybody is out.  And the sleep described here wasn’t just physical – it was an existential sleep as well.  There was a malaise that had settled across the nation of Israel.  But God doesn't let them (and by...

Pastor Daeho Kang - Behind every name in Jesus’ family tree stands the same faithful God whose steadfast love has carried every generation to this moment. As we come to the end of the year, we give thanks for God’s faithfulness in the year past and trust in that same faithfulness for the year to come.

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern, 5 p.m. Traditional Worship, Christmas Eve Service 2025. Tonight, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ!

Christmas Cantata – December 14 On Sunday, December 14, the Chancel Choir and Chamber Orchestra will present “Once Upon a Night” by Pepper Choplin at 8:15am and 11:00am Traditional Services. Told from the perspective of Luke, this moving work uses seasonal carols and dramatic narrations, bringing to life the ultimate story of love in Christ’s incarnation and birth.

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - One of the most striking aspects of Jesus' family tree is how many nobodys it includes.  Who is Azor or Achim? Eliud or Eliezar?  They are not in the Biblical Who's Who.  Join us as we explore the ways that Jessus' family tree includes the obscure, the unknown, and the nobodies - giving hope for all of us. 

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - There are many surprises in Jesus' family tree.  The line of Jesus comes from Judah, not the beloved son Jacob.  There are five women included!  There are outsiders.  Even the way the genealogy is worded is surprising.  Join us as we explore the surprises in Jesus' family story.

Pastor Daeho Kang - Jesus' ancestral heritage is a mixed bag.   There are saints, scoundrels, and everything in between.  King David himself is a mix of both the best and worst any human, much less a king, can be. Join us as we learn about the colorful people who make up Jesus' family tree and how a checkered family past relates to a faithful future. 

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - “Christ the King Sunday,” the traditional title for this final day of the Christian Year, focuses on the emphasis of allegiance to the Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - In this simple but challenging text, God commands the people of Israel to bring pure oil to the temple in order to keep the lamps lit.  The meaning is two-fold. First, literally, we need to provide what is needed to keep the lights on.  Second, figuratively, we need to provide what is needed to keep the light of God shining in the world.

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - John the Baptist's call for repentance has specific asks attached, "whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."  Join us as we consider the ways our faith makes specific asks of us to be in service to others.

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - On All Saints' Sunday United Methodists publicly remember and honor those who have passed away by lighting candles, ringing bells of remembrance, and calling the names of those lost in the previous year. Please join us as we gather to honor our saints and grieve our losses collectively.

Pastor Daeho Kang - Often in church we like to focus on the spiritual, rather than material, aspects of gift giving. However, one of the first stories after our Lord's birth is that of people bringing Him material gifts.  Join us as we think on these gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and what and how we, too, present gifts to honor God. 

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - Again and again, our Scriptures promise that this life is not the end - that there is something more - something eternal.  However, what does eternal life really mean?  How does this assurance of eternal life help us live our lives in the here-and-now?

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - For the many debates over how to worship, the Scriptures offer very little instructions on worship styles or worship orders.  What Scriptures do make clear, however, is the why - that the act of worship matters to God.  Join us this week as we explore what worship is and why we engage in it. 

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - Certain things, items, and rituals, we deem sacred. However what we deem sacred and why is often more assumed than understood. Join us this week as we explore the meaning of sacraments and the importance of our two sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion, in particular.

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - The heart of the salvation story is in the story of Jesus Christ and the cross.  But the salvation theme begins in the Old Testament, particularly in God's relationship with Israel.  This ancient song of praise from Isaiah makes clear our salvation is in God and God alone.  Join us as we name our need for a Savior and explore what salvation means for our lives. 

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - Sin has become an almost unmentionable word in modern times. However, the word occurs frequently in our hymns, our liturgy, and our prayers.  More than that - sin is in our lives.  We all know something is fundamentally wrong with humanity, we just don't know how to name it.  Join as we discuss this hard, but important, word.

Pastor Daeho Kang - In this Scripture, the Apostle Paul speaks about grace from first-hand experience.  Looking back on his life, he knew where grace had occurred.  Join us this week as explore what grace means and learn to name where it is at work in our lives and in our world. 

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - Vocabulary of Faith We're likely to think of faith as a noun - as in having faith or not having faith, but in the Bible faith is more of an action.  Hebrews 11, sometimes called the "faith chapter," helps us understand more about what faith is and what faith looks like in practice. 

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - In these concluding scenes in the book of Acts, Paul is sailing to Rome when he is shipwrecked in a storm.  Join us for this amazing story of deliverance, perseverance, and grace. 

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - This is a beautiful passage of liberation and hope.  Paul and Silas are in prison at Philippi, singing and praying at midnight in their prison cell, when an earthquake shakes the prison open.  God's power extends to their jailor as well who ends up believing and having his family baptized.   There are moments, like this one, where being SENT means experiencing tr...

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - When people are excited about being SENT out to share the Gospel - there are sometimes disagreements about how best to do it.  In this passage we read of a falling out between Paul and Barnabas.  Join us as we explore the complexities of well-meaning, but broken, relationships. 

Pastor Daeho Kang - The Council of Jerusalem is a pivotal moment in the early church. Through a fascinating process of administration and discernment, the leaders conclude that both Jews and Gentiles can be true practitioners of the faith. This quintessential church meeting opens up what it means to be SENT and to who we are SENT.

Pastor Daeho Kang - Peter escapes miraculously from prison. The escape is shocking that even Peter wonders if it's real or only a vision.  He goes to a house of Mary where a servant girl, Roda, struggles to convince everyone that Peter is really there. Join us as we explore how being SENT in the Gospel can result in surprising and unbelievable events.

Pastor Laura Katherine Stern - Peter has a dream which tells him that his thinking needs to change. Instead of holding onto categories of holy and unholy people, Peter learns he is SENT to everyone. Even more importantly, he learns that everyone has a share of the Holy Spirit to share with him. When have we, as Jesus’ disciples now, needed to readjust our perspective on who is holy?