Marysville Nazarene
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570 episodes
Celebrating baby dedications, children's quizzing, baptism, and of course--the triumphal entry of the long-awaited King!
What we "believe" is what we build our lives around--our time, our money, our priorities, our hopes. Belief is critical, for belief born out of conviction is what compels us to be different, allowing a spring of water to well up inside us and spill out. So our question today is simple... do you believe?
Many of us keep covering the things in our lives that cripple us, and until we're ready to "take up our mat"--acknowledge and address the real reasons for our brokenness--the answers we need will remain just out of reach. But Jesus knows what we need. What we are lacking. What needs fixed. We are not "in valid"--he sees us! And because the Living Water Christ offers requires something different from us, it's time to for us to "pick up our mat" and live like we've been restored.
How many oppportunities for ministry do we miss beacuse we don't recognize the strategic positioning of the Holy Spirit in our lives? How many hurting people do we walk past, not recognizing their need for grace? How many people do we fail to offer a drink of the living water we profess to have? Real, life-changing water MUST be poured back out! We are prepared to redefine who we are as a church and how we are known in our community, for we want to be a body that invites those who are thirsty to come drink from the well, to experience The Living Water.
Lent is about purifying ourselves, choosing to obediently follow God's leading, much like the jars in John 2 that were empty, waiting to be used. Once the jars were filled, Jesus transformed what was inside. He didn't just meet an immediate need, he responded in abundance! And this transformation, abundance, and the very best of the best is why Jesus came. He's offered us living water--sacred and pure.
Understanding our vision and mission is essential for us to be who God created us to be--individually, of course, but also as a church. We've already been tasked with the Great Comission--to go and make disciples, but what is a disciple? What does it mean to "make" disciples? And what might that look like in this church? As God continues to reveal what He wants us--Marysville Church of the Nazarene--to look like, the more we hunger and thirst to share the hope we find in Jesus.
This "Super Sunday," Jordan Thompson shares his story of football, faith, and family. His journey has been unique--from time in the NFL with the Detroit Lions to working on HGTV's While You Were Out--yet once you get to know him, you'll quickly realize he's not defined by a number on a jersey or seeing his name in the rolling credits of a television show. Jordan discovered his identity and purpose through the steadfast love of God, the One for whom he "plays." He now lives his life for an audience of one, using his story of perseverance to share with others about God's faithfulness.
Our community is growing and changing. We believe what we do today will prepare and position our church to impact our community tomorrow. This week, we'll discuss the next big step we're taking to help us share the hope we find in Jesus.
Jesus speaks of covenant in Luke 22 at the Last Supper, proclaiming the “new covenant” is found in him. In our final message in this series Jesus invites us to remain…to abide in him as a way of living our covenant with him.
We are Mephibosheth--despised, struggling with the gods of this word, and tempted to step out of covenant with God. But David does for Mephibosheth was Jesus does for us, making room for us to join him in covenant at a table where we are embraced, given a new home, and a never-ending feast! Healing and the King's palace is waiting for you... who are you in covenant with today?
As we grow to understand what covenant means, losing ourselves and becoming one with another, we should begin to see scripture differently. Perhaps the giants are not to be viewed as obstacles to a "better" life, but rather opportunities to show others the difference walking in the covenant can make in our lives. Just as David beat Goliath because he realized and then lived out his covenant relationship with God, we too can have the confidence to face whatever is before us. The battle is the Lord's!
We were created for one reason--that we would know God. The word "covenant" was a unique, culturally relevant, and understandable term that describes God's relationship with you and me and defines his interaction with us. Without that relationship, there would be a void in our lives, for to know Him is to love him, and to love Him is to give ourselves TO him. The covenant is about oneness with God. It's in our blood!
As the cry of a newborn baby breaks through the silence, light also breaks through the darkness. The glory of God has returned announcing the child’s birth to shepherds. This unlikely audience rushes to find this gift for all and then responds in the only way that was, and still is, appropriate. This Christmas Eve we will be reminded of the significance of how Jesus came, why he was needed, and compelled to do as the shepherds did and spread the word of all we have been told about this child!
Our fears, battles, struggles, and failures take away the peace that Jesus brings. But WE are the reason for the season--Jesus came for you and me! We are no longer Ichabod (departed glory). Tonight we celebrate the glory of the Lord that shines around us. As children of the King, we do not have to fear, for God is WITH us.
It's possible that our familiarity with the Christmas story hinders our ability to see the absurdity of it--and it's within that absurdity that we find a nugget of Good News! An angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and said, "Fear not! I bring you good news that will cause great joy for ALL people." And who did the angel deliver this message to? Those that would easily qualify as the least likely to have God's favor on them. The insignificant. And yet, the absurdity of the Christmas story--that the lowest of the low were the first to know about the Christ child--reveals the character of God. He steps into our insignificance...and redeems it. Video/Song Clip Credit: Tyler Childers https://youtu.be/Lt4Vl4pKDsQ?si=YybQaKI8-AJgwL8l
Obsessing about what people think about us is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about us. But obsessing about what God thinks about us is the quickest way to forget what people think about us. If we're not ready to be criticized for our obedience to God, then we're not ready to be used by Him. There's no telling what God might do through just one simple act of obedience!
God's purpose for us is often different from our plans, and what we might call a confusing or disturbing interruption could be God's divine invitation! Thankfully, we don't have to understand God's plan to trust that he has a purpose. Obedience is our responsibility--the outcome is God's.
Throughout the Word of God, we see the story of redemption that finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ. God's plans are beyond our comprehension, for He works in ways that the world doesn't expect or understand... yet He understands us on a very deep, very personal level. In the broad scope of God's eternal story, we need to look beyond the Christmas season to find our ultimate hope. He is the Prince of Peace.
We tend to think of "blessing" in tangible, measurable ways, but God thinks much deeper. Blessings speak to our relationship with God through Jesus, and are intended to pull us into relationship where we realize how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ... that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Therefore, thankFULLness is not a time to relax and "loosen our belts"--we are filled for a reason! And blessed people bless people.
If we define stewardship by giving, then we significantly misunderstand the heart of God. Fullness is not found in the things of this world, but as Paul communicates in Ephesians, the fullness of God is found when we immerse ourselves in the love of Christ. God doesn't need what's in our wallet. He desires what's in our heart. As a holy offering to God, our attitude reflects how we embrace the role of stewardship, and we bring our tithe and offerings to Him in worship.
Gratitude, or thankfulness, is considered by many as the "forgotten" virtue. Our understanding of gratitude is reflected in what, when, and how much we give to God and to others. Whether we are MORE thankful or LESS thankful depends on our view of ownership, our response to God's blessings, and is evidenced in our expressions of worship. Join us during this season of thanksgiving as we strive to be ThankFULL in all we do.
New Life Sunday is a celebration of membership and baptism, as we come together for a time of worship as the family of God.
Special guest Dwayne Mills, Executive Director of Appalachia Reach Out (ARO) shares a message for Faith Promise.
When we truly embrace God's grace, it does something within us. And that grace that's within us has to come out! If it doesn't, then it's not grace. This creates a little tension between our actions and our words, because what's in us is always what comes out. Are you prepared to acknowledge what you know and let the Holy Spirit fill in the blanks?
In continuing our previous conversation about "Dirty Work," the analogy remains: We are not the sower. We're not even the seed. We... are the dirt. But don't automatically assume that you're good soil. A Kingdom harvest must be predicated by people "in the Spirit!" So prepare to get uncomfortable. As Dr. Jerry Porter once said, "Our passion to be Christlike--and to make Christlike disciples who mkae Christlike disciples--is not a program or a curriculum, it is a way of life. It is an intentionaly, relational, mutually empowering, lifelong Jesus pilgrimage."
It took a moment of wrestling with God for Jacob to discover God as his own, for his faith to become real. Because it's not about what God does FOR us, or THROUGH us, but what God does IN us. It's not WHO we are, but WHOSE we are. God wants to be known, and He wants us to love Him. That is where true blessing is found.
We often carry baggage as a consequence of our own actions, but sometimes we have baggage thanks to the actions of others. The gap between the best of what we want for ourselves and our everyday reality creates a burden we're not meant to carry. When we look for things or for people to fulfill our lives, we're bound to wake up next to Leah--in desperate need of a savior. If you're still searching for something, remember that our journeys all lead to the same place: Redemption. Grace. The Lion of Judah, the Child of Promise from the line of Leah. So keep loosening that grip on your baggage and lift up your hands in praise.
