Enews: Sunday,
Dear Friend, It is Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday. We do well to remember not only Dr. King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech, but also his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” and countless other letters and sermons. Like Jesus in Luke 4, often “some” Christians want to hear what Dr. King had […]
Enews: Sunday, January 10, 2021
Dear Friend, Repentance simply means “to return.” To return to God, to turn back to God’s ways. This was the simple message of John the Baptizer, who probably came from the Essenes and took their particular understanding of the mikveh, the ritual cleansing bath practiced by many Jewish people, and used it as a […]
Enews: Sunday, January 3, 2021
Dear Friend, Epiphany can be thought of as embodying two journeys. The first is the new vision that the Gospels present of God’s grace and love being extended to all people, and not just those descended from Abraham. This inclusivity is radical, scandalous, and exciting, and offers a wonderful opportunity for celebration and welcome […]
Enews: Sunday, December 27, 2020
Dear Friend, Our Scripture passages show us that God’s promises can be trusted, even though we are still waiting for the fulfillment of all things. Our role is to continue revealing Christ to the world, continue to share the Good News of the promise of redemption and the hope of salvation through Jesus the […]
Enews – Christmas Eve 2020
Dear Friend, The nativity is an unexpected event. No matter how much one prepares for the birth of a child, one cannot predict what will happen or when exactly the baby will come. Mary and Joseph knew that the child they would have was holy, but they did not expect strangers to come in […]
Enews: Sunday, December 20, 2020
Dear Friend, God is the fulfiller of promises-the promises of old, and the promises to us. God’s promises are not often fulfilled how we would expect, or when we would expect-but God remains faithful. For the early Christians, they saw the fulfillment of God’s promises to David and his kingdom through Jesus, reigning of […]
Enews, Sunday, December 13, 2020
Dear Friend, We draw on our past experiences to help guide our steps into the future. As people of faith, we look to the stories of our ancestors and how God was faithful to remind us to keep faith in these trying times. In Advent, as we watch and actively wait for signs of […]
Enews: Sunday December 6, 2020
Dear Friend, On this second Sunday of Advent, we know that God’s ways are not our own. God works by evening out-the mountains are brought down and the valleys are brought up. In many ways, Isaiah’s words echo the song of Mary-the powerful are brought down from their thrones, and the lowly are lifted […]
Enews: Sunday, November 29, 2020
Dear Friend, Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas, but it is an active watching and waiting for the arrival of Christ in our world and in our lives in a new way. We read these passages pointing to the day of judgment and Christ’s return to remind us that we are still […]
Enews: Sunday, November 22, 2020
———- Forwarded message ——— From: First United Methodist Church <jennifer@firstumclombard.org> Date: Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 11:19 AM Subject: ENews 11.22 To: <mediarelations@firstumclombard.org> Dear Friend, Reign of Christ Sunday/Thanksgiving Sunday God’s love endures forever. On this Reign of Christ Sunday, we remember God’s intention for us was to love one another as God loved us. We were […]
