Current/upcoming sermon series

Current Sermon Series

Love Your Neighbor: Here’s How

Jan. 10 – Feb. 14, 2021

Back in November, we talked about what it would look like to build a bigger table at our church – to take God’s love outside our walls and to invite those who aren’t here to join us at our table. In December, we began to dream – dream with God of a just, peaceful and loving world. Now we are entering the new year, and it’s time to get to work.

Everything Jesus taught was about love. He told us the greatest commandment is to love God and neighbor. So, how do we do that here in 2021? “Love Your Neighbor: Here’s How” is the first sermon series of the new year. After a very difficult 2020, the new year gives us a fresh chance to practice loving Jesus’ way. Following Jesus’ teachings in the Beatitudes, we’ll look how we can start anew with loving our neighbors – all of them. We’ll hear from several different preachers, including our own Bishop David Bard, about how we, the Church, can help lead the way toward healing and wholeness in 2021.

Jan. 10: Rev. Nancy Lynn – Series Intro/Healing

Rev. Nancy Lynn will start the series this week by talking about healing. What did Jesus teach us about how healing happens? What needs healing in our own lives and in our country? How can we be active participants in healing? Join us as we explore the first of the Beatitudes, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”,  and begin learning what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Jan. 17: Rev. Tim Kobler – From Dream to Reality

There’s a deep sense of urgency in Jesus’ teachings about what it means to love one’s neighbor. Discipleship, for Jesus, is more than just an internalized faith. Discipleship sets God’s people into motion to meet the hunger and thirst of those who are most marginalized. In fact, most of the biblical narrative is about God’s desire for people to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. Rev. Tim Kobler’s sermon this week will explore Jesus’ blessing on those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 

Jan. 24: Shonagh Taruza – Blessed are the Peacemakers

What can we learn from peacemaking from the example of Jesus? The account of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, knocking over tables as he cleanses the tables seems like an unlikely place to start, but it can give us insight into the heart and mind of Jesus. Shonagh Taruza will help us explore this further in her message, “Blessed are the Peacemakers.”

Jan. 31: Rev. Nick Berlanga – Authority and Earth Care

Feb. 7: Bishop David A. Bard (Presiding Bishop, Michigan Conference United Methodist Church) – Grieving

Feb. 14: Rev. Nancy Lynn – Forgiveness and Mercy