United Methodist Church

Thursday Discipleship Journal Genesis 49:29-30 Then he [Jacob] charged them, saying to them, ‘I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestorsin the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.’ Jacob [israel] charges his descendants to bury him with his ancestors in the cave at Mamre. Jacob is the grandson of Abraham and Sarah. Jacob died in Egypt, where his family lived during the great famine. The family honored Jacob's request for burial with his ancestors.

Wednesday Discipleship Journal Genesis 23:13 He said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, If you only will listen to me! I will give the price of the field; accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there. Abraham offers to buy land in Canaan for the burial of Sarah, his wife. Ephron, the Hittite, offers to give the land to Abraham. Eventually, Abraham prevails in buying the burial site for an extremely generous sum of money, making the deal official. Sarah was buried in the cave facing Mamre at Hebron.

Tuesday Discipleship Journal Genesis 23:6 The Hittites answered Abraham, Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will withhold from you any burial ground for burying your dead. Note the hospitality of the Hittites and their opinion of Abraham. Hospitality in this time was vital to the welfare of strangers who traveled. Abraham was at the mercy of the people who lived where Sarah had died. Travel was slow; their home country was far away, and there were no family members to lend them aid. The Hittites showed great hospitality in providing not only a place for burial but a choice place.

Monday Discipleship Journal Genesis 23:1-3, 4 A condensed version of the verse: Sarah and Abraham were in the land of Canaan, and Sarah died. Abraham goes to the Hittites who were the people of the land and makes a request. I am a stranger and an alien residing among you; give me property among you for a burying place, so that I may bury my dead out of my sight. The Hittites were descendants of Ham who had been cursed by his father Noah. Abraham was an alien (foreigner) to Canaan. However, when God called Abram to follow, God promised the land of Canaan to Abram’s descendants. Many things would occur in history before that fulfillment of the promise.

Discipleship Focus of the Week: The Patriarchs and Matriarchs

Good Afternoon! In person worship is set to begin on Sunday, March 7 at 10:00 AM. All are welcome, don't forget to wear your mask. In Christ’s Service,... Pastor Sharon Andrea Gregory See more

Tuesday Discipleship Journal 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed Voice of the Martyrs stories help me to appreciate my religious freedom, while reminding me of how others around the world suffer for the sake of the gospel. Recently an article spoke of the four-year anniversary of the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh in Malaysia. The pastor’s wife, Susan, and three adult children wonder every day what happened to him. Susan said that God has remained faithful, empowering them to forgive the men who took her husband. Today, let us pray for the Koh family to be reunited, and for the captors to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Monday Discipleship Journal Mark 1:14-15 What is the gospel? Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news. The word gospel simply means good news; referring to a good announcement. The gospel of God to the world is Jesus, the incarnate Son of God this is the gospel truth. When Jesus proclaimed the good news of God it was for every generation it is the eternal gospel truth. Consider the Love of God in the gift of the Gospel and give thanks.

Discipleship Focus this Week: The Gospel

February 21 Worship Service

January 3, 2021 - A Word for the New Year

Sunday Discipleship Journal Deuteronomy 32:4 Just The Rock, his work is perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God, without deceit, just and upright is he. Look at all the names and characteristics of God! Let’s examine the two phrases all his ways are just and just and upright is he. All his ways are just, means that everything said and done, is without fault or incongruent with who God is and has always been. Just and upright is he means that there is no accuser who can bring a charge against God and prove that God is not just, not perfect, without deceit or unfaithful. God has and always will be Just. Bonus: The fact that God is just is a troublesome matter which vexes Satan greatly.

Wednesday Discipleship Journal Luke 1:15 Zechariah received the angel’s message that God had heard his and Elizabeth’s prayer -- they would have a son, and he is to be named John. As if this was not exciting news in itself, the angel continues this message for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we pray for the blessing of God in the gift of a child, do we p...ray for the child to be a blessing to God? Most likely we pray the latter at the time of baptism or confirmation. In this case Gabriel was giving advanced notice that this unborn child is filled with the Holy Spirit before his birth -- this part of the message deserves a lengthy discussion at another time. Again, we see God preparing the way for Messiah’s entrance through John, the forerunner of Jesus and the importance of parenting in cooperation with God’s plan. How does God use Christians to be forerunners for others to hear the gospel? See more

Saturday Discipleship Journal 2 Samuel 22:3 Shield This Godhis way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him. We have previously covered the perfection, promise and truth aspects of God, so let’s look at the shield portion of the verse. What is the purpose of a shield? If we look at an example of the superhero, a shield protects those under it from all sorts of injury, it deflects the incoming danger and sends it ba...ck in the direction from which it came, it has an emblem, it is made out of some otherworld matter giving it supernatural strength and it can be depended upon when all else fails to protect. The Lord is my Shield and not from this world, the Lord is my strength, all who shelter in the Lord are protected from the enemy, the emblem of the Shield is Love, and our Shield created the World on which we live. The Lord is the true super hero! See more

Tuesday Discipleship Journal Luke 1:11 Then there appeared to him [Zechariah] an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. Zechariah was part of the priesthood who served in the sanctuary. He was a man of prayer and holy living. He and his wife Elizabeth were righteous before the Lord. One of the duties of priests was to enter the holy sanctuary of the Lord with offerings. On this particular occasion, Zechariah brought an incense offering to the Lord as the whole assembly of people were praying outside. As he stood at the altar of incense the angel Gabriel appeared to him. In our time of offering and prayer do we expect to hear a message from God? In every interaction with the Holy, expect the unexpected.

Monday Discipleship Journal Psalm 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. A few important lessons are found in this verse. First prayer is to the Lord not some object or idol. Secondly, prayer requests an answer to our concerns. We can’t rush or press God for an immediate response. The psalmist writes at an acceptable time answer Waiting is difficult. Waiting teaches us patience. Waiting may be God’s answer. While we wait, God may answer in a way we had not imagined. In the stillness of waiting, we learn to rely on God’s abundant and steadfast love to provide comfort and peace. This is the story of Christmas. After years of prayer, in God’s acceptable time, the abundance of God’s love the Messiah, was sent into the world.

Tuesday Discipleship Journal 1 Samuel 9:15-17 the Lord had revealed to Samuel: ‘Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen the suffering of my people, because their outcry has come to me.’ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, ‘Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. He it is who shall rule over my people....’ Samuel conveyed the Lord’s warning about kings (1 Sam. 8:10-22) but, the people refused to listen. The Lord would give them what they thought they wanted, but the Lord would choose the king. Even when rejected, the Lord did not abandon Israel. The revealed nature of the Lord in this example, is patience and long-suffering. As Christ followers we are a work in progress. How patient are we when we are rejected by people? What is a good take away from this reading? See more

Discipleship Journal - Focus of the Week Second Week of Advent - Prayer

Monday Discipleship Journal 1 Samuel 8:6-7 ’Give us a king to govern us.’ Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.’ Israel had forgotten the Lord God who had saved them from Egyptian captivity. The tender mercies of the liberating God had protected and preserved the people from kings of the earth. Digressing, the people turned to serve other gods and wanted a ruler so they could be like other nations. The desire for an earthly king was an outright rejection of God. Let us examine ourselves to discover places in our life where we have rejected God and settled for our own inferior kingship.

December 6 - A Tale of Two Families

Discipleship Journal Focus for this Week: About the Kings.....

"Tidings of Great Joy"

Sunday Discipleship Journal Luke 2:1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. Joseph and Mary were required to participate in the most famous census known to us. This was not the first census of the great societies, however, this one coincided with the birth of Jesus. The census was decreed by the ruling Roman civil government with data used for the purpose of taxation and allocation of public services. Comparing the two census examples used this week the first example could be compared to the church each member serving in some capacity for the worship and furthering of God’s work. The second example is similar to our 2020 US census. Each has its purpose. The Church has a place for all to serve. What is my place? What is your place?

Saturday Discipleship Journal Numbers 1:32-33 This was the enrollment of the Israelites by their ancestral houses; the total enrollment in the camps by their companies was six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty. Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, the Levites were not enrolled. Finally registered and assembled by tribe, Israel was assigned a location for encampment and marching (Ex 2). They would go forward as an organized nation with specific duties as they headed toward Canaan. Each quadrant or company would occupy the perimeter on all sides. The Levitical tribe was to occupy the center, protected on all sides. For a warring nation to take the sacred instruments of the Lord, it would first need to defeat the protecting tribes. How do we protect the sacred place in our heart which God occupies?