FaithWestwood UMC

November 29, 2020 Luke 1:5-25 Have you heard someone say, “I’ve learned to not get my hopes up; that way I’m never disappointed”? Maybe you’ve said it once or twice too. Has a string of disappointments left you jaded, hanging onto a rope of hope that’s become worn and frayed? But then out of the blue, God surprises you with a word of encouragement. Will hope pull you through?

November 22, 2020 2 Corinthians 11:21b-30; 12:1-10 As a job-seeker, your path begins with your strengths. You carefully polish your resume -- including glowing references that speak to your character and accomplishments -- before printing it on high-quality, cotton paper. But as followers of Jesus, our resume is quite different. Instead of presenting it on special paper with perfect formatting, we...

November 15, 2020 2 Corinthians 11:21b-30; 12:1-10 As a job-seeker, your path begins with your strengths. You carefully polish your resume -- including glowing references that speak to your character and accomplishments -- before printing it on high-quality, cotton paper. But as followers of Jesus, our resume is quite different. Instead of presenting it on special paper with perfect formatting, we...

November 8, 2020 2 Corinthians 10:1-5; 11:5-11 Violence is not the way of Jesus. He was bold, yes -- but with humility and gentleness. As his deep, daring, daily disciples, we fight a battle, but we do not use the weapons of this world. Our only weapon is truth, and our every thought belongs to Christ.

2 Corinthians 9:1-8 Many of you at FaithWestwood give sacrificially, but as a church, we don’t want that sacrifice to be motivated by guilt. We don’t want anyone to feel pushed or cajoled. God’s plan for us is that we would discover great satisfaction when we give – from the heart, with humility, and with joy. And we rejoice, knowing we can trust God for all our needs.

October 25, 2020 2 Corinthians 8:6-12 Money is a challenging topic, especially in church. The Apostle Paul didn’t seem all that comfortable with it either. But famine was hitting Jerusalem, and the Corinthians Christ-followers had already promised to help. Now was their opportunity, but it had to be given willingly.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21; 6:1-2 Who’s been your biggest influence in coming to faith? Think of someone who helped you know Jesus and learn what it means to belong to him. That person was an ambassador for Christ – they represented Jesus to you. How did you respond? How will you respond? Thank God for those ambassadors of Christ.

October 11, 2020 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 It’s totally human to try to impress others. We want to appear successful and beautiful and talented so we’ll get noticed. We want to be admired and respected. But there’s something refreshing – and freeing -- about being comfortable with our ordinary selves. In Christ, we can be at peace, because we’re all carrying a hidden treasure.

October 4, 2020 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 The next time you visit a new church, ask yourself some questions as you walk away. Did you come away more impressed, more in love, with Christ – or with the technology? Did the message point to the day’s speaker or to the Savior? Did the people expect their needs to be catered to -- or did they lean into their Christian role as servants of the community? It’s a...

September 27, 2020 2 Corinthians 2:14-17; 3:1-6 There’s nothing like the smell test -- that informal way we use our own perceptions to determine whether something is reliable or trustworthy. When you hang out someplace, you can quickly tell if it’s the real thing or not. What about our church family? Is it real? Is it healthy? Is it honest? Is it true to the gospel? What does this church ‘smell’ l...

September 20, 2020 2 Corinthians 2:5-11; 7:5-11 How do you deal with uncomfortable feedback? Maybe you avoid it. Perhaps you deny its usefulness or shrug it off completely. But what if you choose to learn and grow from it? Facing difficult news about ourselves and resolving to change is what the Bible calls “godly sorrow.”

September 13, 2020 When we’re hungry, we often turn to our favorite comfort foods. When we’re ready to relax, we enjoy the cozy feel of comfortable clothes. And when we’re hurting, we welcome a comforting hug. In our suffering God is ready to comfort us -- it’s a gift we then pass on to others. It starts a chain reaction of comfort during life’s most stressful times. This week read 2 Corinthians 1...

August 6, 2020 Did you know “neighbor” can be a verb? When we associate with our neighbors, we are neighboring. We can neighbor with people at work, in organizations, or at school. Because of the Holy Spirit, the life-changing gospel travels from person to person when we neighbor. But how can we neighbor during a pandemic?

August 30, 2020 Hebrews 10:19-25 In the first century, some followers decided to quit gathering with their sisters and brothers in Christ. They didn’t see the need. Sometimes, you may feel that way too. But what happened to those early solo disciples? The writer of the letter to the Hebrews says they became weak in love and action. Without others to spur them on, their encouragement tanks ran dry.

August 23, 2020 Romans 8:31-39 When we’re attacked by enemies and feeling low, does it mean that God has abandoned us? Is our suffering a sign of God’s displeasure? When someone we love dies way too young, does it mean God doesn’t care? No. No. No. These are the times when we hang on to the promise that nothing can separate us from God’s love.

August 16, 2020 Romans 8:28-30 We don’t believe that everything that happens to us is caused by God or that everything that happens to us is even God’s will. But we do believe this promise -- that God always works for good. And that promise is enough to raise us up each morning with confidence and faith in the new day to come.

August 9, 2020 When it comes to prayer, every one of us is a beginner. What a surprise, then, when we discover that God is not disappointed by our weak attempts to pray! God’s promise is that he cherishes each prayer -- even the ones where we can’t find any words at all. Verse of Promise: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spiri...

August 2, 2020 When we’re hurting, it’s no use pretending that we’re not. And it doesn’t help much to think of others who have it worse. But during hard times, one way we hang on is to keep looking forward and believing in the promise that God’s best is yet to come. We are promised that one day all our earthly pain, loss, and suffering will be like a dream from which we’ve awakened. Verse of Promi...

July 26, 2020 (Guest Pastor - Russ Tompkins) Have you ever been blessed just by someone’s smile? Maybe you were expecting their anger and instead you got a grin that said they were glad to see you. That loving welcome is exactly what we get from God. And we’re promised that the inner voice of the Holy Spirit will speak to our hearts, telling us we are God’s children.

July 19, 2020 By our sinful, rebellious actions we bring condemnation on ourselves. But our sin is no match for God’s grace, brought to us through his son Jesus. When we belong to him we receive the promise that condemnation is no more. Verse of Promise: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

July 12, 2020 As members of both a church community and the community at large, we disagree on which precautions are necessary in a pandemic. There’s no surprise there -- when have we completely agreed on anything? In the first century, Jesus’s people in Rome were advised to not quarrel over “disputable matters.” And they learned what was more important than being right.

July 5, 2020 After the fireworks have silenced and the smoke had cleared, we'll pray for this nation just as Jesus's people always have. On July 5, we'll witness an amazing conversation among a few of the FaithWestwood faithful, and we'll learn how to pray for this nation. We'll pray that God's kingdom may come and all people may prosper.

June 28, 2020 Jesus tells stories that captivate our imagination. In one verse he encapsulates an illustration of the kingdom of heaven as the yeast that permeates the dough: a small verse with a big message. That's the nature of faith; a tiny bit makes a huge impact. This parable permits us to find God working in our lives -- not relegated to mythical platitudes or a proverbial ticket to heaven,...

June 21, 2020 Fatherhood is a complicated role for any man to take on – and a complex subject to discuss too. So this Father’s Day we’ll take a look at positive and negative choices made by dads in the Bible. You might hear a few dad jokes along the way too!

June 14, 2020 f someone was looking for ammo to shoot down the Christian faith, it’s not hard for them to find. Usually, they just start with the Crusades and move on to the Spanish Inquisition. Maybe you have a friend who rants, “The Bible’s full of anti-scientific, homophobic, eccentric, idiotic nonsense for people who don’t know how to think for themselves! It only perpetuates racist, sexist op...