Unexpected: A Christmas Like None Other

This is likely to be a different kind of Christmas this year.  Are COVID restrictions causing you to expect this year to be just depressing?  Well, consider this:  Jesus was not what most folks expected - he was even better!  Even the wisest had to adjust their expectations, but when they did, they were awed.  Maybe this Christmas is a chance for us to be awed anew also.  Join us on an unexpected journey to the back streets of Bethlehem; join us for a Christmas like none other.  

Remember Who You Are

As we journey into the unknown future, let us carry forward with us the meaningful parts of our past.  Each week, we will be remembering the stories of our Judeo-Christian faith, of our United Methodist heritage, and of our own local church so as to enable us to articulate those critical strengths that will sustain and guide us.  The work of remembering is inherently sacred work.  Let us remember together who we are so we can continue to move forward with confidence and faith!  

I Will Rise Again

Have you been broken piece by piece till your faith is all but gone?  Have you been knocked down so far that you can’t get up?  Even when your face is in the dirt, there is a voice of love saying, “Do not fear, you won’t be here for long.  I will rise again.  Believe in a brand new day and you will rise again too.”  This summer, turn your eyes upon the one who rose again from the worst that humanity could suffer, and watch how God moves you from death to life again too!  Most lessons will introduce us to characters and stories from John.  

Uniquely John

John is unique among the Gospels.  John’s Gospel, more than any of the other three, is something of a spiritual commentary of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.   In John, the details are historically-based but they are intended to be far more than a mere biographer’s account of Jesus’ travels and words.  John writes to tell us the meaning and spiritual significance of it all.  Come walk John’s path and discover what Jesus’ words and actions can mean for your life as well.

Good News from the Good Doctor

This summertime series will engage both the whimsical child and the deep thinking spiritualist in each of us!  Dr. Seuss’ characters have the ability to reveal the lessons of our Christian faith with freshness and joy. From our not so commendable sides of humanity, through acts which transform us, to the admirable qualities we’d all strive to emulate, Seuss’ menagerie of tales speaks to the depths of who we are and who God intends for us to become.  At Bethel, the Good News of Christ comes alive through Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Horton, and Sam-I-Am!

Our World Anew

The coronavirus pandemic, aka Covid-19, has disrupted life on planet Earth like never before, and perhaps like never again.  We are enduring giant shock waves and setbacks in our lifestyles as the race for preventive or restorative measures are developed.  What does all this mean for us personally, communally, nationally, and globally?  What do we need to learn in order to emerge better from all of this?  Now is the time to rewrite our story, to choose a better story, to become a little more like the image of God in which we were made!  

Can I Come Home?

Are you exhausted from long travels?  Filled with regrets from past mistakes?  Looking again for a home where you can feel safe?  Our lessons this Lenten season dive deeply into the story of a father who had two sons, and the home he longed to create for all of them.  But this is not just their story; this is our story as well.  Come join us on the journey home to the grace of God offered by Jesus. 

Nobodies Matter

Jesus went out of his way to embrace the unloved and unworthy.  He sought out the folks who did not matter at all to the rest of society, to prove that even “nobodies” matter infinitely to God.  Jesus proved in-person that God loves people, not as a race or a species, but as individuals. This Epiphany we will lift the voices that often go unheard in order to allow their perspectives on the Biblical stories to enrich our faith as well.  We all matter to God!