Trinity United Presbyterian Church

On our walk of faith, there are temptations to deviate from the road. The cost of discipleship, being swayed by other’s expectations, and having divided loyalties can all play a part. Come hear how we can keep our feet steady on the path and not swerve from our devotion to Jesus.

Generosity is the outcome of an Authentically Grateful life

Paul begins by encouraging the Philippians to stand firm, not waver in their faith.  He also exhorts two women who are bickering to make up. This passage is applicable to all of us as we tend to worry and fret---God gives us a very practical prescription for the problem of worry and anxiety. Verses 8-9 I think of as a filter---that whatever consumes our mind, whatever worry and anxiety we have, we...

Our citizenship is in heaven: follow me as I follow Christ. What does it mean to have our primary identity as a citizen of heaven? What are the temptations that lure us to put other identities ahead of that? (political, national?). How does a future focus on the coming of Christ change our attitude? (this world and its attractions are temporary)

Whatever gain, I count as loss

As you shine as lights in the world. Our best witness of the work of Christ in our lives is how we…

Church unity is difficult and takes servant-hearted sacrifice. However, Christ came as a servant, giving up privilege and glory for the sake of others – and we should follow his example.

Paul encourages the Philippians to live in a manner worthy of the gospel, standing firm in unity and facing opposition with courage and faith. The key application for a Christian's life today is to embrace a mindset that values Christ above all else, persevering in faith despite challenges, and living in unity and steadfastness. We are encouraged to prioritize our relationship with Christ above wo...

How can we live an authentic Christian life – as 24-hour day Christians with integrity–? In saving us, Christ begins the good work of knitting together the parts of our life that feel divided and often broken, even feel incomplete. He will complete it by his Grace and Peace.

If there is any "Scrooge" in the New Testament, it is Herod ("the Great"). But this is more than a story of history - it describes our life today. It says: 1 -- despite what we'd like to believe, Christmas is NOT a perfect time, but instead is a real world of pain and joy. 2 -- The Herods of the world will always be outmatched and confounded by the love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Also, ther...

Simeon and Anna serve as poignant figures in the Gospel narrative, embodying faithful expectation and recognizing the fulfillment of God's promises in the infant Jesus.

Shepherds and angels remind us to applaud heaven; Mary's pondering on the story reminds us that God in heaven applauds us.

Shepherds and angels remind us to applaud heaven; Mary's pondering on the story reminds us that God in heaven applauds us.

Shepherds and angels remind us to applaud heaven; Mary's pondering on the story reminds us that God in heaven applauds us.

Joseph is engaged to a woman with an emerging ‘baby bump’ – what on earth could he do? Once people noticed, he would be considered by his people as ungodly either for sleeping with Mary before their marriage or for choosing to marry an adulteress. By all of that day’s standards of what a proper and God-fearing person should do, Joseph had to divorce Mary. But when an angel appears, Joseph’s unders...

Zechariah & Elizabeth expected their home to stay empty of children. Years of waiting and disappointment can cover a soft heart with a concrete layer of cynicism. So when the gift of God arrives, we hesitate to accept it; we (like Zechariah) skeptically ask “how can I be sure of this...?” Faith comes from desiring a relationship with God without requiring a guarantee from God.

The prophets looked to a day when God's House (the Temple) would be better than anyone could ever dream. Christmas fulfilled that promise in ways none could even imagine -- Jesus himself WAS the Temple (Jn 2:18-22). Christmas shows us that we are never truly at home until we receive Christ into our hearts.

Major themes from The Grinch include, what to do with pain from the past (bitterness, resentment vs giving it to God to heal etc., what makes our hearts grow bigger (kindness) and what’s the main thing about Christmas (for the Who’s, family and togetherness, for us, that + Jesus at the center. What does it mean to have Jesus at the center of a hectic season?

-Peter had a story to tell (Luke 22:54-62, John 21:15-18, Acts 2) -Peter shared boldly in the face of criticism and conflict (Acts 2:12-13) -Peter proclaimed the story every human heart longs to hear (Acts Acts 3:5-11, 2:37-41) Application: They responded to the gospel with their words and actions (end of Acts 2:42-47)

Brother Martin fully dedicated himself to monastic life, the effort to do good works to please God and to serve others through prayer for their souls. Yet peace with God escaped him. He devoted himself to fasts, flagellations, long hours in prayer and pilgrimages, and constant confession. But the more he tried to do for God, it seemed, the more aware he became of his sinfulness. - The demands of s...

A Pharisee wants to follow Jesus; but Nicodemus meets Jesus at night, presumably out of fear that he would be seen with Jesus. Fully aware of Nicodemus’ double-mindedness, Jesus describes unbelief as loving darkness and hating the light (John 3:19-21)! God is not done with Nicodemus.

With a question and an invitation (Jn 4:29), the woman initiates spiritual conversations with the very people who judged and rejected her. The Samaritans conversations with Jesus then allow the Samaritans to move from borrowed faith to owned faith. Opportunities for some of the deepest spiritual conversations come with those who know us (and our faults) best. Join a small group…! Share your story!

Jesus uses multiple images, questions and invitations to offer the woman a spiritual conversation. There is no ‘spiritual conversation’ formula or script (bad news for some of us!); rather, we count on love for the person to urge us and the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Spiritual conversations may begin with our thirst/need, but they end with Jesus. God has created the human heart to be thirsty for something beyond itself and beyond life. Jesus is both the gift of God and the one who gives us the Spirit (the living water). Every true spiritual conversation leads to Jesus.

Surprisingly, spiritual conversations best begin with our need, not other people’s need. For instance, Jesus was vulnerable, tired from his journey and thirsty for water. Are you and I willing to be vulnerable? And spiritual conversations only happen when we cross barriers. As a Jewish man, Jesus was not supposed to talk to women. Questions are the lifeblood of conversations, and especially spirit...