FaithWestwood UMC

December 29, 2019 - Angie Washington Hopelessness is an awful feeling. And in the midst of the pain, it can fell like hopelessness is all there is -- that everything is frozen in place and will be that way forever. But God tells us that feelings like hopelessness are transitions -- Hope itself is eternal. Like Faith, and like Love, Hope transcends our current circumstances and points us to a truth...

Christmas Eve 2019 - December 24, 2019 What are we waiting for? We wait for the day when the proud will no longer trample the humble, when the rich will no longer exploit the poor, when people will be finally and fully free. We wait for the day when God will make this dangerous world safe. Christmas tells us that all this waiting will one day end -- because God keeps his promises.

December 22, 2019 How will you prepare to meet Jesus? A person's life can be defined by who or what they point to. Do you point to yourself, seeking your own attention and glory? Do you point to something else: a cause, an idea, a group? John the Baptist knew his role. His life was defined by pointing people to Jesus. Who or what do you point to?

December 15, 2019 Back to the Manger -- Christmas Pageant 2019

December 8, 2019 How will you prepare to meet Jesus? You might grieve over your sins and even confess them. But God wants more for us. It's time to take action. People asked John the Baptist what they should do, and he was ready with specific answers. He got them ready for Jesus.

December 1, 2019 How will you prepare to meet Jesus? Most of us don't think sin is a big deal -- at least ours aren't. We shrug them off and say, "Hey, nobody's perfect." How rarely do we seriously own up to our offenses! God called a prophet named John to get people ready for Jesus. He said, "Prepare the way for the Lord." They confessed their sins and were baptized.

November 27, 2019 Message from the 2019 Thanksgiving Eve service by FaithWestwood member Brian Havens

November 24, 2019 Every day, you and God are writing the story of your life. What’s your story? What’s the latest episode? There are two powerful reasons you need to be aware of your own unique story. You’ll be blessed by sharing it. Someone else will be blessed by hearing it. That’s how good news spreads – from one BLESS friend to another.

November 17, 2019 The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). And make no mistake -- giving is an act of faith. Here's where God calls us to take a new step into deep, daring, daily faith. And when we give joyfully and gratefully to bless his kingdom, God is pleased.

November 10, 2019 Every high-achieving team gets buy-in. The players buy in to the coaches and their vision. They buy in to their identity as a team. Every practice, every game, they sacrifice for one another, laying it all on the line. That's when the team moves steadily forward. FaithWestwood is God's team. Buy-in means coming together in giving and receiving, laying it all on the line for the t...

November 3, 2019 Have you ever read the first couple chapters of a book and then flipped to the last chapter to see how it would end? Maybe not. But it's okay to read the Bible that way. Even before the Bible's last chapter, we are given glimpses of how it will end -- not a full picture but enough to give us hope.

October 27, 2019 Have you ever seen a reenactment? We hear about clubs that conduct Civil War reenactments, staging battles wearing replicas of Union and Confederate uniforms. We hear about reenactments of the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. For Christians, the sacraments of baptism and holy communion are reenactments of important moments in Jesus’s life. Through the sac...

October 20, 2019 It’s easy to go through the entire day and not think about electricity. But when you lose power at work for the rest of the day, what can you do? You might as well go home. We depend on electrical power to give us light and make our machines work. In the same way, we rely on the Holy Spirit to empower us to follow Jesus.

October 13, 2019 You are God’s work of art. Day by day he lovingly helps you cast off remnants of rebellion so that layers of inner beauty and outer character can be added. Our part is to cooperate with God as we continue to “work out” our salvation.

October 6, 2019 It’s obvious that we humans need help. Look at our world! We sure haven’t been able to save ourselves. Our rebelliousness has led to all kinds of disrupted relationships and death. But Jesus came to reconcile and rescue us. That’s salvation. It’s a gift we receive by faith.

September 29, 2019 What would motivate the eternal Divine Son to take on human flesh? It had to be more than casual curiosity or the thrill of adventure – and it was. The arrival of Jesus was a gift of love, so we who are lost could be family again.

September 22, 2019 The conundrum for every believer is this. If God is so good, why is there so much bad in the world? Where did all this evil come from? The Bible’s answer is that we chose it – and we still chose it today. God didn’t make us programmed puppets. He gave us free will and plenty of room to use it. It was a dangerous gift, but God figured it was worth giving.

September 15, 2019 Who is God? It’s the biggest question of all time, isn’t it? What is God like? Even if you say God is perfect, you still have to ask, perfectly what? Some people reject God, but the god they reject is very imperfect. The Christian answer is that God is like Jesus. He’s what perfect looks like.

September 8, 2019 Sometimes we struggle to know what God's saying to us through the Bible. What parts are we expected to obey? Have some parts been phased out for Christians? Is there a consensus view of how we're supposed to read the Bible?

Aren't The Bible Manuscripts Full Of Copy Errors? - September 1, 2019 by FaithWestwood UMC

August 25, 2019 This Sunday we're going to look at the Bible's account of creation and see how it compares to science's explanation of the big bang and evolution. Are they irreparably opposed to each other or merely looking at different things? Come find out for yourself.

August 11, 2019 When you're starting a new friendship, it's great to be helpful. But you give even greater honor to someone by letting them help you. That's how Jesus started a friendship in Samaria. He asked the woman he met at the well for a drink of water. By the end of the day, she was telling her neighbors about him. It's amazing what God can do when you're willing to serve and be served.

Teammates For The Cause - August 4, 2019 by FaithWestwood UMC

July 28, 2019 Giving your life to Jesus is kind of rebellious. You become a non-conformist, because you’d rather please God than follow the ways of the world. Daniel prayed to God, well aware that it could cost him his life. But he knew that denying his God was worse than death. So he prayed.

Guard Your Godly Reputation - July 21, 2019 by FaithWestwood UMC