New Beginnings UMC Sermons

This week's message turns our attention the Healing that occurs when we embrace our belovedness.

Key Points

1. We are God’s beloved; that’s our truth and we cannot change that. 
2. We are called to recognize and claim our belovedness, so that we may share this with our neighbors and the world.
3. Our journey leads to healing, which leads to gratitude, which leads to praise for the God who created us and calls us beloved.

Self-Reflective Thoughts for the Week Ahead

1. You are invited to take an active role in owning your belovedenss, what is in the impact to this decision?
2. Where are you now in your journey? Do you feel more or less beloved?
3. Where do you need healing in your life to feel beloved?

Scripture: John 3: 14 - 21

When we embrace our belovedness we also need to demonstrate the same passion as Jesus did for the marginalized.

Scripture: John 2:13-22

Key Points

1. Part of being beloved is recognizing the sacred value of our bodies and honoring them as such.
2. Passion, then, must be an inherent part of belovedness since our belovedness is the expression of God’s deep love within us.
3. Recognizing God’s passion within us will allow us to live out the calling in our lives for others.

Self-Reflective Thoughts for the Week Ahead

1. Knowing your body is a temple for God, how can this shape your view of yourself?
2. How is having passion and knowing you are beloved connected in your life?
3. What would it look like if you lived your life with passion as a beloved disciple?

Listen to Him! It is a message from God that as Disciples we are called to be listeners in this world. When we listen we clearly hear are calling to love and worship God. It is also in listening that we will hear the Gospel message and go and share that message with the world.

Key Points

1. Disciples are called to listen to Jesus.
2. Listening to Jesus leads to us knowing we are beloved.
3. Listening requires being still, unplugged, patient, and giving Jesus control.

Self-Reflective Thoughts for the Week Ahead

1. When have you avoided being present to an experience by focusing on another task and staying busy?
2. How do you listen to Jesus and what makes this listening a challenge?
3. How many times does God tell you that you are beloved before you can hear this news?

Scripture: Mark 9: 2 - 9

We begin our Christian walk at Baptism when the Heavens part and God proclaims, "You are my Beloved." 

Key Points

1. God calls us to live lives that are representative of being beloved by God.

2. Knowing we are beloved does not come easy yet we must never forget we are beloved.

3. God is Love

Self-Reflective Thoughts for the Week Ahead

1. What does it mean to you that you are God’s beloved?
   
2. Who is helping you in the wilderness as you learn you are beloved?
   
3. At this point in time, where do you see yourself in the story: moment of God declaring you beloved, in the wilderness, or beginning to share the Good News?
   

Scripture: Mark 1: 11

There is no doubt that Christ left this earth with one main message: tell and teach others. Teaching and making disciples is what the Christian neighborhood watch program entails.

Key Points

1. There is no doubt that Christ left this earth with one main message: tell and teach others.
   
2. Teaching and making disciples is what the Christian neighborhood watch program entails.
   
3. It’s not about us. It’s about obeying what Christ has commissioned us to do. It’s about loving our neighbor, to whom Christ calls us.
   

Self-Reflective Thoughts for the Week Ahead

1. The Great Commission from Jesus calls us to go, are you going?
   
2. What exactly have we been commissioned to do? Is it just to spread the gospel?
   
3. It’s not about us. It’s about obeying what Christ has commissioned us to do. It’s about loving our neighbor, to whom Christ calls us.
   

Key Scripture: Matthew 28:19

The church in Acts had to completely revolutionize their way of thinking and widen the scope to allow “all” in their gospel message. Christ often works in ways we do not understand—or even agree with—but his plan is always best.

Self-Reflective Thoughts for the Week Ahead

1. When did you feel lost and who was your mentor who walked with you to bring you “home”?
   
2. Change makes anyone uncomfortable and when has God created challenges in your life to deepen your faith?
   
3. Do you know friends who are “lost” and need your help coming “home"?
   

Our neighbors are more than the people down the road. Our neighbor, according to Jesus, is anyone in need. Being neighborly means reaching beyond ourselves and into the lives of those who need help.

Scripture: Luke 10: 25 - 37

Self-Reflective Thoughts for the Week Ahead

1. We are called by Jesus to be welcoming to our neighbors, who is the neighbor (s) that you are called to help?

2. Do ever feel inadequate to help your neighbors?

3. When you are in need, do you feel comfortable reaching out to neighbor (s) for help?

Key Points

1. Our neighbors are more than the people next door or down the road.

2. Our neighbor according to Jesus is anyone in need.

3. Being neighborly means reaching beyond ourselves and into the lives of those who need help.

From the creation of humankind, God established a precedent for the dignity and value of all people: it is found in humanity’s unique connection to God. Humankind’s value and dignity is not based upon ability, age, or perceived value, but rather given to each person by God.

God has sent Jesus as his messenger to reveal God’s great salvation for his people once and for all. We must trust in Jesus to save us from our guilt and to purify us from our sin.

God loves his covenant with his people, and believers are called to reflect this in the world.
We must remain faithful to our covenants and to God as a testimony to the truth about our great God.

God desires for his people to express their adoration and devotion to him in the appropriate and fitting ways that he has prescribed. We must approach God with appropriate reverence and adoration; this befits him and provides great comfort and joy for us.

God loves his people with a fierce and jealous love that requires them to respond with fidelity and trust. We must recognize the love, mercy, and goodness of God toward his people, and respond appropriately to his love.

God’s mercy is cause for thanksgiving; when we cry out to him, he can restore us, even when our troubles are the result of our own sin. When we are exhausted from the hard circumstances of life, we must depend on God and not our own strength.

In an always-connected world, we needn’t sugarcoat it: disconnecting and finding solitude is hard. But it is also necessary. Through the additional spiritual practices of journaling, sharing meals, and observing communion, we can experience rest and life with God.

God calls us to come to him and find refreshment by creating times of sabbath within our lives and families. As disciples of Jesus, we need to develop the practice of sabbath by disconnecting from our work, phones, and busyness to enter intentional times of rest with God, family, and friends.

In the midst of the challenges of ministry and a demanding schedule, Jesus would withdraw to solitary places to pray. We can follow Jesus’s example by practices such as entering into the quiet place to meet with God, observing fixed hours of prayer, and prayer walking.

Jesus modeled a life of regularly withdrawing into places of silence and solitude for prayer and refreshment.
As disciples of Jesus, we need to follow Jesus by entering into times of solitude and silence, intentionally setting aside time to withdraw from our busy, distracting world.

Jesus’ resurrection is the firstfruits of our resurrection—if we trust in Him.

Jesus shows His divinity through His intimate relationship with the Father. Because of Jesus’s finished work, we can have an intimate relationship with God through Him.

We can trust Jesus with our future because He sees what lies ahead.

We should keep discovering God’s character and heart through an ever-increasing knowledge of Him—no matter where we are in our faith journey.

No matter how “good” we think we are, we’re still in need of a loving Savior.

Jesus isn’t just a good teacher we should listen to every occasionally; He is God and He deserves our entire devotion.

Suffering doesn’t always make sense to us, but sometimes suffering can serve a purpose. The world we live in is broken and full of hurt and pain. Evil desires for us to give into that pain, brokenness and yet we have a choice to make. We may follow into that brokenness allowing that to overcome us, or we may choose to remain steadfast in our faith. 

This six-week series serves as a snapshot of the book of Job, providing comfort and encouragement to those experiencing a difficult circumstance. Have you ever felt broken? Have you ever wondered why? Job’s story is often our story. Yet, even in the midst of pain and suffering, we can trust in the power of our creator. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and good people don’t understand why.

The Gospels are meant to showcase the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and the reason for his coming.

In the Prophets, God relays his message through inspired men in order to grab the attention of his people and call them to repentance. 

God shows his faithfulness to his word given to Israel by blessing and judging them based on their loyalty to or rebellion from him.
We can use the Historical Books of the Old Testament to understand God’s faithfulness, his loving discipline, and how our obedience to him can draw others to faith. 

In response to God’s holiness, faithfulness to his people, and his work as Creator, we should offer him our complete and undivided love. 

Our faith is something we should never hide. We hear today about two of Jesus followers and their struggle to share their faith opening and freely. 

There is a constant struggle between the world in which we live and our relationship with God. The world wants to pull us aware from God. Will you let it? 

God's love for us shall never fail or end. 

Are you holding God's truth in your heart?