The Christians in Smyrna are facing a crisis that can cost them their lives. There seems to be trouble on all sides. They have been ostracized by their pagan neighbors, for not sacrificing to the Roman Emperor and for not worshipping his statue. Christians, were seen as a Jewish sect by Rome,
We went to see the movie “The Sheep Detectives.” It’s a mystery/comedy movie about a flock of sheep who solve the murder of their shepherd. It was poignant to watch as the sheep had to come to terms with their grief and their own fear and mortality, while learning
Today’s scripture reading immediately reminded me of our Soul Soup ministry. Our volunteers make soup from our church garden veggies and donations of meats, herbs, beans, pasta and broth. We send the soup to a partner church where they feed and donate soup to people who can’t afford nutritious food.
Poor Jeremiah, he tries to tell God that he is too young and inexperienced to be called by God to be a prophet. “Ah, Lord God,” he says, “I don’t know how to speak, because I am only a child.” But God is not having any of his excuses.
The early church is dealing with a crisis. The resurrected Jesus has appeared several times to his followers, given them instructions to “Go and make disciples,” and tells them to go to Jerusalem and wait for “the coming of the Holy Spirit.” This group of followers has been rocked by the betrayal
Our world values success, wealth and power as the pinnacle of achievement. We look up to billionaires, follow movie stars and influencers and aspire to be on the side of those with political power. And it’s easy to see why people are attracted to the allure of this type of life.
I wonder if King David could have imagined, all these centuries later, that this psalm he wrote about his relationship with God, would touch so many lives. Psalm 23 is one of the most popular and well known psalms. It has been set to music, read at celebrations, presidential inaugurations,
The author of First Peter wrote, “You must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who has called you is holy.” Today as we read this verse, it seems to most of us that this an impossible task. Only God is Holy, not us.
Everything about the Resurrection story in Matthew is earth-shattering. There’s a violent earthquake shaking creation, as if announcing the Kin-dom has come. There is a divine messenger proclaiming the impossible, that Jesus has risen from the dead. There are guards, sent by Pilate to secure the tomb, who are terrified
Trusting each other seems to be almost impossible anymore. We have become convinced we can’t trust our leaders, our government, our neighbors-we’ve come to believe that there’s really no one we can trust. And without trust in the present, we feel there’s no hope for the future. In short, we’re all left feeling hopeless.
We thought we were prepared to handle twins on our own. Then our twins were born two months early. It was overwhelming, but then an army of people assembled to help us. I needed to go to the hospital everyday, and someone would show up to drop me off
My study Bible calls this section of Isaiah from chapters 40-66, “The Book of Comfort.” You can feel that coming through these words that God is speaking to God’s people. The exiles of Israel in Babylonian captivity needed encouragement, they needed hope. They longed for the
restoration of God’s kingdom
Together we can turn the nation’s largest weekend of football into the largest weekend of giving. Youth group members will be collecting monetary donations at each service this Sunday and will then send the donation to the Turning Point United Methodist Food Pantry in Trenton. Your generosity will be very much appreciated. The link below will take you to our PushPay system. You can select “Give One Time” then use the Fund Selector to choose “Souper Bowl of Caring.”
PEDAL for PROMISE – SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2019: Medford United Methodist is fielding a team for the Urban Promise fundraiser “Pedal for Promise.” This year the ride begins and ends at Valenzano Winery in Shamong. You can register to ride, make a donation to the team or register as a spectator to enjoy the party and cheer on our team.
Go to urbanpromiseusa.org/pedal for more information about the event, to donate, or to register as an individual. OR you can go directly to the TEAM MEDFORD UMC page at www.crowdrise.com/team-medford-umc.
Questions or need help? Speak with Pastor Kathleen, Wayne Richards, or Heidi and Mike Polhemus
