The Gift of Being Present: Being Present with Hope (12.3.23 Message from Shawnee Community)

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The Gift of Being Present: Being Present with Hope (1 Corinthians 1:4-7, Psalm 80:1-2)

We spend quite a bit of time in our lives waiting, and with waiting often comes difficulty. Waiting for restored relationships, for healing, for financial stability, for peace in conflict…it can seem a long wait for hope. Like our early spiritual ancestors who cried out to God for help, we too need God’s help in our times of distress. Just like the early Christian community, we have times of waiting, watching for God’s presence, and anticipating a restoration to freedom. All of this points to the presence of hope, essential to survival in difficult times. Let us all be present with hope to all those who need it most.

11.26.23 Message from Shawnee Community

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11.12.23 Message: Because of You

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Because of You, Our Church Changes Lives

What happens to our faith when we’re in the middle of a long, weary, and difficult wait for something better? It’s hard to wait…and it’s especially hard to wait when we pray and prepare and then end up waiting some more…all along not knowing when our wait will end.

How do we get ready? What do we do in the meantime? How do we respond to the people and world around us?

Waiting in the middle of uncertainty is hard work…and keeping our faith is essential to the task. What actions can we take that show the generous love, mercy, and compassion of God that continues all throughout whatever waiting we find ourselves in?

10.22.23 Message: Because of You Our Church Changes Lives

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Because of You Our Church Changes Lives (Exodus 1:15-22)

God called two women, Shiphrah and Puah, to be midwives in ancient Egypt. They were blessed by God because they faithfully used what they had, their skill as midwives, to protect and serve God’s people in unimaginable difficulty. Through this partnership with God, these women helped and supported an entire community.

How are we supporting and helping our community? Are we partnering with God to create space where the entire community is welcome, loved, and respected? Are we sharing in ways that folks who need are able to hear it?

10.15.23 Message

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Because of You, Our Church Changes Lives (Genesis 2:15-17, 3: 1-7)

From the very beginning of creation, God intended humanity to be in a partnership with God. This partnership helps us care for the Earth, all the creatures within it, and one another. It’s a partnership that asks us to SEE and KNOW one another fully so we can be in a healthy relationship with one another. It’s a relationship that relies on building trust and letting go of the anxiety we have about ‘having enough.’

What is God asking us to SEE and KNOW about one another, the Earth, other Creatures, and God? How does this help us restore relationships with all of those things when they have been broken? Can a restoration of trust help us discover we already have enough of what we need?

10.1.23 Message-Come to the Table: The Table of Joy

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Come to the Table: The Table of Joy

We celebrate our common communion table with people all over the world. Through Jesus, we are brought together and no matter how we got there, believing in the host of this Table makes our joy complete! Let us share our stories, our compassion, and our sympathy as part of one human family that shares the love of Christ in the breaking of the bread.

9.24.23 Message – Come to the Table: The Table of Grace

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“Come to the Table: The Table of Grace”

Philippians 1: 21-30

God’s table is one of plenty—where grace is found in abundance! More grace than we can ever imagine; more grace than we expect. God even gives more than we would give ourselves. In the face of such abundance, we are called to be generous as God is generous. Indeed, at God’s pot-luck of grace, even the last in line have more than enough to eat!