First Church Williamsport

God’s pursuing kindness and love provide a jubilee rest that is both comforting and challenging in life’s good and dark times.  Psalm 23 Reverend Matt Lake October 20, 2024

Jubilee restoration is discovered through the surprising practice of lament. Psalm 80 Reverend Matt Lake October 13, 2024

We experience the liberation found in Jubilee when we remember. Psalm 103 Reverend Matt Lake October 6, 2024

The Psalms teach us to pray through our negative emotions which builds our trust in God and allows us to live as a Jubilee people. Psalm 3 Reverend Janet Durrwachter September 29, 2024

Meditating on God's Word allows us to experience the Kingdom of God amidst life's highs and lows. Psalm 1 Reverend Dr. Matt Lake September 22, 2024

The Kingship of Christ is experienced when we realize that the Lord is the author of glory, that we struggle to find glory in our own strength, and that Christ alone creates a way to His glory. When the reality of this “song” fills our souls we become equipped to share God’s glory through Jubilee.

Psalms form us into a Jubilee people by changing our perspective to focus on praising God. Psalm 146 Reverend Janet Durrwachter September 8, 2024

The Beatitudes show us that offering peace and enduring persecution are ultimately good news that strengthen us to make God's Kingdom available to everyone. Matthew 5:1-12 Reverend Matt Lake September 1, 2024

In proclaiming the Beatitudes, Jesus showed that no human condition excludes God’s blessing; the Kingdom of God is available to everyone. Matthew 5:1-12 Reverend Matt Lake August 25, 2024

The good life is found in ways and places we do not expect, like in mourning and in meekness. Matthew 5:1-12 Reverend Matt Lake August 18, 2024

When Jesus teaches “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,” He intends for this to be a way of life to be experienced now. The Beatitudes are not meant to be aspirational or theoretical, but rather they are meant to define the reality we live into today in the Kingdom of God. Matthew 5:1-12 Reverend Matt Lake August 11, 2024

You are invited to not just learn about the Kingdom of God, but to step into that Kingdom and receive the unconditional, scandalous, and incomprehensible love of God. Luke 15:11-32 (NLT) Reverend Janet Durrwachter August 4, 2024

The kingdom of God is where we receive the Father’s scandalous love.   Luke 15:11-32 Reverend Matt Lake July 28, 2024

The kingdom of God is where we receive the Father’s unconditional love. Luke 15:11-32 Reverend Matt Lake July 21, 2024

The parable of the Good Samaritan is not just an “example story” about the importance of showing humanitarian compassion to all people by being like the Samaritan traveler. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God no people are considered to be “others.” Luke 10:25-37 Reverend Janet Durrwachter July 14, 2024

God challenges us to rejoice in the inclusion of others into His Kingdom, not to compare or grumble about His generosity. Matthew 20:1-16 Caroline Glazier (Youth Minister) July 7, 2024

The kingdom of God grows among ordinary people in imperfect conditions—but is unstoppable. Mark 4:30-34 Reverend Janet Durrwachter June 30, 2024

This parable is an example of one that has a variety of legitimate interpretations, one of which is that those who enter the kingdom of God are those who joyfully, heartily and gratefully serve God. Matthew 25:14-30 Reverend Janet Durrwachter June 23, 2024

1. Those who are a part of the kingdom of God have words and actions that are aligned. 2. This parable is about authority. Does Jesus have authority over our lives such that we don’t just give him lip service, but we change the way we live and do as he asks. Matthew 21:28-32 Reverend Janet Durrwachter June 16, 2024

The parable of the Binding is an enigmatic testimony explaining that Christ’s work in the world furthers God’s mission of rescuing His people to draw near to them. It is a message of hope to all those who desire to live in freedom. Mark 3:20-30 (CSB) Dr. Ben Conrad (Director of Connections) June 9, 2024

No one knows when the kingdom of God will come in fullness, so we must be ready at all times.  Matthew 25:1-13 Reverend Janet Durrwachter June 2, 2024

The kingdom of God requires us to live differently from how we’ve always done things. Luke 5:27-39 Reverend Janet Durrwachter May 26, 2024

Jesus makes it clear that embracing our transformation in Christ will lead to rejection, just as He was rejected; however, if we don’t shine our light, our neighbors will forever sit in darkness. 

God radically and extravagantly cares about individuals. Who’s your one?

Those who have ears to hear are able to understand the point of this parable and thus are “good soil” that bears fruit for the kingdom of God.