Church of the Messiah UMC

As we continue our sermon series, Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets, this week we’re exploring how our lives are more than random, disconnected events. They are stories being written. Whether it's a thoughtful response or an emotionally fueled reaction, we write the stories of our lives one decision at a time. I hope you’ll join us as we reflect on the power of our choices and how they shape our jou...

We’re diving into the second week of our sermon series, Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets. Based on Andy Stanley’s teachings, this series offers five key questions to guide us toward better decision-making. This week’s focus is on integrity—living with honesty and faithfulness. It’s easy to deceive ourselves, but doing the hard work of being honest with “the person in the mirror” helps us avoid regr...

We make countless decisions every day. In life, we all face moments where a decision can shape our future. Whether it's in our finances, relationships, career, or personal growth, the choices we make write the story of our lives. The Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets series, based on Andy Stanley's teachings, invites us to discover five powerful questions to ask before making any major decision. Thi...

This Sunday, Church of the Messiah will gather for a special "State of the Church" Sunday. This time of reflection highlights the incredible mission and ministry work that has taken place throughout 2024—a year of growth, generosity, and transformation, where the call to be the hands and feet of Jesus has been lived out in powerful ways. The sermon will celebrate the many ways the gospel has been...

Reports I’ve seen indicate that 94% of people will fail their New Year’s resolution by this time next year. Isn’t that encouraging? You’re not defective! No one is a robot! Given that perfection is impossible, let’s commit to try anyway. Let’s try to be faithful together; try to exercise compassion and love; try to follow the light of Christ in our lives in some new way. It won’t be perfect, but i...

Have you recovered? The wrapping, and unwrapping, is complete. Christmas meals have been cooked and eaten. Family and friends have gathered and left. Special Church services have come and gone, leaving behind an afterglow of candlelight and “heaven-on-earth” sacredness. It’s around this time every year that I find myself thinking, “now what?” The long-promised Messiah has come. Jesus, Emmanuel, li...

The best part of any day, in my opinion, is just before dawn when the light is coming. The world is still dark and quiet, nothing has happened yet, and anything is possible. No matter what yesterday held, the day ahead feels full of new hope. Watching the light slowly emerge, almost imperceptible at first, is like witnessing a fresh start. Christmas Eve holds that same kind of anticipation—a momen...

Some of us know the weight of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as winter’s light fades. The days are short, the clouds heavy, and the lack of light discourages us. But then, when the sun breaks through or a bright light shines, we feel a lift in our mood, a spring in our step, increased clarity and focus. Light encourages us. In the same way, Jesus is the light that breaks through our darkest mom...

Have you ever played flashlight tag? It’s a game of hiding in the dark, hoping to stay out of sight—until the flashlight beams across you, revealing where you are. The same is true of light in life. Light isn’t just there for its own sake; it has a purpose. It exposes what’s hidden, making it impossible to stay in the shadows. In the same way, the light of God reveals what we’d rather keep hidden—...

Some things are hard to describe, even when we know exactly what they are or what they do—like love, hurt, or hope. Light is the same way. We know it when we see it, and we know what it does: light pushes darkness away. In the same way, God’s presence dispels the darkness in our lives, bringing clarity and hope. No matter how deep our shadows, even a small light makes all the difference. God’s pro...

In the Bible, darkness is a symbol of everything that opposes goodness – chaos, hatred, despair, sin, evil. Darkness creates confusion and impedes growth. Into the darkness, God speaks – “Let there be light!” and in so doing, God brings creativity from confusion, order out of chaos, and hope out of despair. Even in moments of deep darkness, God’s light is present and creating. This Advent season,...

This week I had the privilege of leading our monthly Chapel service with the kids at OurDay preschool. We sang together about how we’re thankful for our families, our friends, our pets, our bikes, our teachers, and our stuffies. Their joy in noticing their everyday blessings was a reminder to me of the many ways that glimpses of the Kingdom of Heaven appear in everyday life. This week we celebrate...

This Sunday, we’re diving back into our 2024 periodical sermon series, The Character of God. Throughout the year, we’ve been exploring the many attributes of God revealed in Scripture, and this week, we’ll focus on a profound and beautiful truth: God is slow to anger. We’ll reflect on how this characteristic is revealed in the book of Exodus, reminding us of God’s patience, mercy, and steadfast lo...

This Sunday, we’re gathering for the third and final message in our series, “Do Unto Others,” where we’ll dive into the theme of Pride and Humility, drawing from Micah 6:6-8. It’s been a powerful journey reflecting on how Jesus calls us to live with kindness and compassion toward one another. Earlier this week, Pastor Pete, Pastor Sharon, and I sent a Special eMessenger following the conclusion of...

Each day we are reminded that our bodies need nourishment. Usually it is because we get hungry. We are also encouraged to exercise, sleep and eat healthy foods. But what about our minds and our spirits? What reminds us to nourish them? And what about all of the ideas and concepts which we take in without really thinking about it through listening to podcasts, watching TV, reading social media? Aga...

“How do I want to be treated?” When opinions clash and tensions rise, it’s tough to step back and ask yourself this question, to remember the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Yet this universal rule, if we live by it, has the power to transform the world. It has the power to bring people together, and foster kindness, respect, compassion, humility, and love betwee...

This week in worship we’ll finish our Core Values series with a conversation about how we are Unified Through Difference. We all come from different backgrounds, have different opinions, have different strengths and skills, and different lives. With all our uniqueness, we are called to be God’s people together – to be one in Christ. This call to be a community of faithful people is often challengi...

This Sunday, Pastor Katy will continue our sermon series, The Core: Values That Connect Us. Purpose That Moves Us. This week, we’ll dive into the core value of being "Other-Focused"—a timely reflection given the events of these past weeks. Our key scriptures will be John 13:31-35 and Philippians 2:3-4, where we’re reminded of the call to love and serve others as Jesus has loved us.

Be patient with me, the t-shirt reads, God isn’t finished with me yet. We are always becoming. Becoming stronger. Becoming informed. Becoming refreshed. Becoming new. Becoming who God would have us to be. We never finish our Spirit-fueled process of growing. One of our Core Values at Church of the Messiah is to be Continuously Growing. We aspire to acknowledge that we are unfinished. We are intent...

This Sunday, we’re continuing our current sermon series, "The Core: Values That Connect Us. Purpose That Moves Us." In this series, we are taking a closer look at the core values that guide us at Church of the Messiah. This week, we’ll explore the value of “Community Impacting.” Together, we’ll reflect on how we actively love our community and work to build God’s dream of peace. Our key scriptures...

s we continue our fall journey through Messiah’s core values, this week we’re focusing on something foundational to our life together: joy. Joy isn’t just a fleeting emotion—it’s rooted in the deep assurance that we are known and loved by Jesus. No matter the circumstances, this joy fills us because we trust in His promises. This Sunday, we’ll discuss what it means to be “Joy-Filled” as a church....

This Sunday, we continue our sermon series, "The Core: Values that Connect Us. Purpose that Moves Us." We’ve all had moments when someone asks us, “Tell me about yourself,” and we talk about our job, relationships, or hobbies. But deep down, we know there’s more to us than just what we do. Who are you at your core? This week’s message will focus on being centered and focused on Jesus, drawn from M...

If someone has ever said to you, “Tell me about yourself,” you've likely responded by sharing about what you do, your relationships, your hobbies, your team affiliations, your hometown ... You’re likely aware, though, that you’re more than your relationships, hobbies, work, loyalties, and location. Who are you at your core? At Messiah, we’ve been reviewing and re-visioning our core values – those...

Do you ever wonder why are things such a mess? Shouldn’t someone DO something? It’s not a new question. In 1789, in a sermon titled “Causes of the Inefficacy of Christianity,” John Wesley posed the question: “Why has Christianity done so little good?” The question amounts to: do we practice what we preach? As United Methodists, we agree with James when he writes: “What good is it, my brothers and...

“Who’s in charge here?” It’s the question we ask when we have comments to offer or complaints to register. It’s the question we ask when we want to know why things work the way they do. It’s the question we ask when we want to talk with someone about how to improve something. This week, as we continue to explore our Methodist Roots, the legacy that undergirds and informs our identity and practice...