Church of the Messiah UMC

Last week, Pastor Katy invited us to think about a person in our lives who provided encouragement, guidance, or even challenge to help us grow. Maybe you thought of more than one person who has helped you become who you are today. How have you encouraged, guided, or challenged others? Has your transformation allowed you to be part of some other person’s transformation in some large or small way? W...

We all need someone who shows up for us and nurtures us in faith. Who is your person? This Sunday, we'll explore the story of Philip (the one who shows up) and the Ethiopian eunuch (the one he shows up for). And we'll explore the call that God, through the Holy Spirit, gives each of us to show up for one another, especially those who have been left out or left behind.

It’s Pentecost! This week in worship we’ll begin a summer-long journey through the story of the early church in the Book of Acts. We’ll explore how God began the movement of people known as his church. When we know what God intended the church for, how it was born, and how it grew (despite serious opposition), we’ll gain inspiration for how God is calling us to be gathered and sent as a church com...

And they all lived “happily ever after.” It’s a phrase we hear often at the end of fairy tales. We learn from an early age that “afterwards” everything will go right. In our friendships, our marriages, as parents, as children - everything in our relationships will be shiny, happy, and bright. No surprises, no changes, no disappointments … Relationships aren’t always like that, though. They’re cons...

This week we continue our conversations about relationships with Peter’s question: “how many times should I forgive someone?” and Jesus’ answer: seventy-seven times (or, in some translations, seventy TIMES seven times!) Either way, Jesus’ challenge is to forgive an uncountable number of offenses. How do we navigate this way of forgiving those who aren’t ready to change? Are we ready to forgive? Wo...

Every relationship is bound to experience conflict from time to time. While conflict is inevitable, its outcomes are not. We'll learn together the whys and hows of navigating conflict faithfully, in ways that impact our relationships and hopefully, our world.

We’ve all know someone who it’s difficult to like – a difficult family member, an obnoxious co-worker, a toxic Facebook friend. They’re difficult to like, so what do we do with Jesus’ call to love them? Like it or not, we’ve got to. How?! Let’s explore and discuss this Sunday.

It’s true: we are people in relationships with other people – with friends, co-workers, parents, spouses, siblings, children, neighbors, church … It’s true: relationship is who God is, and God’s design for our life. It’s true: our relationships can be complicated. Jesus teaches us how (and why) to navigate life’s relationships following God’s lead. Together, we’ll explore what the Bible has to say...

Throughout our lives, we are sure to make mistakes, to do things we regret and to regret not doing other things. The good news of the Gospel is not only that Jesus died so that we might be forgiven, but that he has been raised from the dead! In him, we too are raised from being dead in our old ways, so that we can have new life, full of hope and promise.

As the end of Jesus’ earthly life drew near, he gathered his disciples around him and fed them – not just physically, but also spiritually. We’re invited to this special meal too, a meal where Jesus himself meets us and reminds us that because of him, we are forgiven and are always welcome at God’s family dinner.

Being part of a crowd can be a powerful experience. The crowds in Jerusalem moved from the joy of Palm Sunday’s “Hosannas” to the jeers of Good Friday’s “Crucify Him!” On this Palm and Passion Sunday, let’s explore how we too can get caught up in the crowd, and ways that we can fix our eyes on Jesus. Group think can distract us from the “more”. There are two different crowds – which crowd will we...

There are times when we allow something in our lives – a person, a place, an idea, a possession – to become more important to us than God. That change in importance can distance, and even come between us and God. Those “somethings” are the gods we make, and they distract us from our “more.” This Sunday, let’s explore the gods we’ve made, and be reminded of God’s faithfulness, even when we are not.

We each handle tough situations differently. When life gets tough, it’s tempting to hang on to easy habits that comfort us in the moment but destroy us long-term. Jesus shows us that habits can bring life. This Sunday, let’s ask ourselves; what habits in my life are handling me, instead of the other way around? And let’s celebrate that bit by bit, as we trust Jesus, we press on, until we live full...

Labels. They’re on our clothes, our cars, our food – and our hearts. Maybe we’ve given them to ourselves. Maybe others have given them to us. It’s easy to believe that what we’ve done is who we are – especially when we’ve messed up, fallen short, or done the “wrong” things. God doesn’t label us by what we’ve done. This Sunday, let’s discover together: what labels live in my heart? And let’s thank...

To find true healing, we must face some hard truths. Renovations begin with taking things apart. To make a new road, we first dig up the old one. To refinish furniture, we first strip off the old finish. Part of the healing process is realizing that something is broken. This brokenness is the darkness that overshadows our lives. The first step toward restoration is noticing AND admitting that we a...

We are made for abundant life – but it’s not a life full of fancy cars, superb health, pockets full of money, and constant vacations. Abundance isn’t an easy, comfortable life, or even an especially long one. It’s a life of contentment, found in Jesus. This Sunday, let’s explore - which kind of abundance are our lives oriented towards? The abundant “more” for which God has made us? Or the “more” t...

Ash Wednesday begins the Christian season of Lent. We will spend the coming days journeying with Jesus toward the cross, toward the death that ultimately brings resurrection life. Many of us will spend these coming days practicing a new spiritual discipline or giving up something that seems to be getting in the way of the life we long to live. And tonight, we come together to mark the beginning of...

Nobody likes discomfort, but daily, there’s something to be uncomfortable about. We spend a lot of time every day avoiding people, situations, ideas, and places which cause us discomfort. It can be easy to get stuck in our comfort. But our comfort isn’t Jesus’ primary goal for us. Our growth is. What if we adopted Jesus’ growth mindset, and explored what could come from our willingness to confront...

Fear happens when we face a threat (big or small) we cannot conquer. Fear happens to us every day in our relationships, in our health, in our schools, when we read the news, at work. Yet it need not define our everyday lives. What if, instead of living in fear, we speak a word of courage and hope to whatever it is we’re facing, courage we borrow from God’s promises?