See how United Methodists are responding and helping in California's wildfire crisis. More here.
Deeper Dive Podcast (Coming Home - Week 3)
Randy and Debbie talk about joy in the context of Advent.
Listen in your device's podcast app – Apple version here and Android version here or use the desktop-only player below.
About the Authors
Randy and Debbie Reese are Co-Directing Pastors at Calvary UMC
Teach Us To Pray (Coming Home - Week 3)
This week's "Teach Us To Pray" draws from our Advent Devotional Guide (found here):
"Today read again John 1:6-8. Make a list together of the things that bring light to our lives and make us joyful. Paint or draw a picture of something that makes you joyful."
John 1:6-8:
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. (NIV)
Sunday Worship (Coming Home - Week 3)
Our Scripture this week comes from Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 5, verses 16-24; and from Psalm 30, verses 4-5”
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Each Sunday you can find the live stream here or watch the archive here.
A Light To My Path (Coming Home - Week 3)
Our Scripture for the coming week comes from Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 5, verses 16-24; and from Psalm 30, verses 4-5”
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Question for Reflection:
What does a life of perpetual rejoicing, continual prayer, and non-circumstantial thanksgiving look like for you?
Who Is My Neighbor? (Gift Giving That Keeps Giving)
You may have already finished your Christmas shopping. If so, congratulations for your organizational skills! If not, there are ways to help others as you buy gifts for those people who have everything and really don’t want anything. My parents got to that stage of their lives and were unable to use the ever-practical restaurant gift cards. My solution? I think I bought them a goat. I can’t quite remember….maybe it was a llama. How could I forget the specifics of such a gift? They didn’t have to feed it (which made my dad happy)......I had given a goat (or llama) in their name to Heifer International to help families around the world earn a living.
This year, I shopped at Crossroads Handcrafts of the World right here in Downtown Bloomington. I chose gifts that were appropriate for the person for whom I was shopping, and also gave back to the persons who made them. I love being able to support those who are trying so hard to support themselves!
Those are just 2 examples, both offering tangible support. (I wish I would have thought to include a toy goat or llama in my gift to my parents…..that would have been a nice connecting gift.) This was given through Heifer International, which offers many more options for helping people around the world.
I’m sure the many of you get many requests in the mail, e-mail, or by phone all the time for supporting particular charities. It can get very overwhelming. I can’t answer questions about all of them, but I can give you some ideas from the ones I do know about who help others while blessing your gift receiver.
- Fair Trade stores everywhere…..even online. Just search ‘fair trade’ and you’ll see the options.
- United Methodist Committee on Relief: if you’d like to help those affected by wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes or other natural disasters, this might be of interest to you.
- Local places like The Baby Fold, Home Sweet Home Mission, or any number of other places in our community who address human need.
- United Methodist Missions: go to UMCmission.org, then ‘give to mission’, then ‘search for projects’ and you’re certain to find that special project that connects to that special person in your life.
- Have a teacher gift to find? How about purchasing a teacher or student school bag kit for the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, IL? http://midwestmissiondc.org/projects/projects
These are just a few suggestions and I know you could come up with your own list at least this long. There’s no shame in shopping the ‘usual’ places, of course. Those places also provide jobs. However, if you have parents like mine were, or teacher gifts like I struggled with, or other kinds of conundrums, maybe the above suggestions will help as we help our neighbors throughout the world.
About the Author
Debbie Reese is the Co-Directing Pastor of Calvary UMC
Love Your Neighbor (Coming Home - Week 2)
From this week's Advent Devotional (found here):
There are people in our neighborhoods, in our church, and in our community who need to know of God's love. Select someone to visit today. Visit by phone or in person. Go as a family or by yourself. It doesn't necessarily have to be a visit to a home. Maybe there is someone who waits on you at the grocery store. Stop by today and talk with that person. Tell the person you visit how you are reminded of God’s love because of what that person has said or done.
God Stories (Liberian Refugee Becomes Mayor in Helena, Montana)
United Methodist and Liberian Refugee Wilmot Collins has a wonderful story. Read more here.
Deeper Dive Podcast (Coming Home - Week 2)
Randy, Debbie, and Isaac talk about some of the origins of Advent and follow up on the background of Psalm 85.
Listen in your device's podcast app – Apple version here and Android version here or use the desktop-only player below.
About the Authors
Randy and Debbie Reese are Co-Directing Pastors at Calvary UMC
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC
Teach Us to Pray (Advent Week 2)
Spend a moment or two praying through our Psalm for the week today. Stop and ruminate on phrases that ignite your spiritual curiosity, and pray for the union of righteousness and peace.
Psalm 85, verses 1-2 and 7-13.
Lord, you’ve been kind to your land;
you’ve changed Jacob’s circumstances for the better.
You’ve forgiven your people’s wrongdoing;
you’ve covered all their sins.
Show us your faithful love, Lord!
Give us your salvation!
Let me hear what the Lord God says,
because he speaks peace to his people and to his faithful ones.
Don’t let them return to foolish ways.
God’s salvation is very close to those who honor him
so that his glory can live in our land.
Faithful love and truth have met;
righteousness and peace have kissed.
Truth springs up from the ground;
righteousness gazes down from heaven.
Yes, the Lord gives what is good,
and our land yields its produce.
Righteousness walks before God,
making a road for his steps.
Sunday Worship (Advent - Week 2)
This week we'll be exploring Psalm 85, verses 1-2 and 7-13.
Lord, you’ve been kind to your land;
you’ve changed Jacob’s circumstances for the better.
You’ve forgiven your people’s wrongdoing;
you’ve covered all their sins.
Show us your faithful love, Lord!
Give us your salvation!
Let me hear what the Lord God says,
because he speaks peace to his people and to his faithful ones.
Don’t let them return to foolish ways.
God’s salvation is very close to those who honor him
so that his glory can live in our land.
Faithful love and truth have met;
righteousness and peace have kissed.
Truth springs up from the ground;
righteousness gazes down from heaven.
Yes, the Lord gives what is good,
and our land yields its produce.
Righteousness walks before God,
making a road for his steps.
Each Sunday you can find the live stream here or watch the archive here.
A Light To My Path (Advent - Week 2)
This week we'll be exploring Psalm 85, verses 1-2 and 7-13.
Lord, you’ve been kind to your land;
you’ve changed Jacob’s circumstances for the better.
You’ve forgiven your people’s wrongdoing;
you’ve covered all their sins.
Show us your faithful love, Lord!
Give us your salvation!
Let me hear what the Lord God says,
because he speaks peace to his people and to his faithful ones.
Don’t let them return to foolish ways.
God’s salvation is very close to those who honor him
so that his glory can live in our land.
Faithful love and truth have met;
righteousness and peace have kissed.
Truth springs up from the ground;
righteousness gazes down from heaven.
Yes, the Lord gives what is good,
and our land yields its produce.
Righteousness walks before God,
making a road for his steps.
Question for Reflection:
One of the most poetic lines in the Psalms comes from this Psalm: "Faithful love and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed." What does the embrace of righteousness and peace look like in your life?
Who Is My Neighbor? (Redbird Mission)
Calvary’s Outreach Team has a practice of supporting local, national, and international ministries. You’ve heard a lot about local and international ministries, but maybe not as much about our focus on our national focus on Redbird Mission. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, The needs are great in these isolated areas and we want to be a part of meeting the needs.
Redbird Mission tells their story better than I could, so check out the ways in which God is working through them by going to this site: http://rbmission.org/about-us/
About the Author
Debbie Reese is the Co-Directing Pastor of Calvary UMC
Love Your Neighbor (Advent Week 1)
Often, loving your neighbor requires preparation. Today's prayer action from this year's Advent Devotional is a great way to do that (see the whole devotional here):
"As we get ready to celebrate again the birth of Jesus, we sometimes get very busy. Today, take a ten-minute break. Sit quietly. If it helps you to concentrate, look at your Advent wreath. Pray, asking God's help to bring quiet and calm to a busy world."
God Stories (UMC and Migration)
See how God is working through the ministry of UMC Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño.
Deeper Dive Podcast (Coming Home - Week 1)
Debbie, Randy, and Isaac talk about the historical background of Isaiah 64 and its significance for understanding Isaiah in general and this chapter in specific.
Listen in your device's podcast app – Apple version here and Android version here or use the desktop-only player below.
About the Authors
Randy and Debbie Reese are Co-Directing Pastors at Calvary UMC
Isaac Gaff is the Managing Director of Worship and Creative Arts at Calvary UMC
Teach Us To Pray (Advent Week 1)
If you haven't yet explored the 2017 Advent Home Worship devotion guide, please head over there and prepare for the coming of Jesus. Remember, the dates will be one week off (the guides will show one week later than our worship services).
Sunday Worship (An Invitation to Come Home)
This week we'll be exploring Isaiah 64:1-9.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you!
For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have given us over to our sins.
Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
for we are all your people.
Each Sunday you can find the live stream here or watch the archive here.
A Light To My Path (Isaiah 64:1-9)
Our text for the coming week is Isaiah 64:1-9:
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you!
For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have given us over to our sins.
Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
for we are all your people.
Question for Reflection:
How does the phrase "Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." change the way you look at yourself and those around you?
Who Is My Neighbor? (30 Hour Famine: Part 2)
Last week you read about Calvary’s amazing youth who gave of their time, money, and desire to eat for 30 hours!! Every year, hundreds of thousands of students throughout the world go without food for 30 hours in order to help those who are hungry. Organized by World Vision, students not only go without food for 30 hours and raise money for hunger relief, but they also learn a lot about the devastating reality of world hunger, malnutrition, and food scarcity.
This year, Calvary’s Junior High Youth raised $3,672 for Hunger Relief!
Calvary’s youth were given a reflection sheet on which they shared the answer to 4 questions based upon their lessons throughout the event:
1-What was the most impactful part of your 30 hours?
2-How did God help you with your fear?
3-What are you hungry for spiritually?
4-Do you have any new thoughts about children in the developing world?
Some of the answers were given in last week’s Who Is My Neighbor article. I know you’ll be blessed as you read those as well as this week’s. God is so good!
How did God help you with your fear?
When I went to the nursing home. I talked to a woman who was really open and she was sitting right there in the sitting room. I think God put her there to make me know that I can do this. It’s not scary.
There was not a specific fear that God helped me with but he helped me feel more comfortable serving others in Jesus’ name.
He helped me to get through it, he showed me that my fear would help me to get farther, then it’s not as much of a fear anymore.
He helped me see how lucky I am to have clean water and food. He made me less scared of the hunger by helping others at the food pantry.
God helped me by overcoming my fears and worries. Everything that I thought would make this experience terrible, didn’t come true. He sent a kind of peace over me after talking about my fears and worries.
Gave me so many other great things to focus on that got my mind off the hunger.
He led me through the past 30 hours and told me I was going to be ok and he told me that I should stay happy and thankful.
He provided me with amazing caregivers that reminded me that it really isn’t that hard and to just keep drinking.
God helped me by distracting me and making sure I knew I wasn’t alone.
I didn’t think that I could survive the whole 30 hours.
God helped me by reminding myself I could do it and by not giving up I would learn a lot.
My friends that helped me through.
He let me know that everything is okay and he would take care of me.
What are you hungry for spiritually?
I am hungry for a relationship with Christ. An everyday thing. Not something where I feel him on weekends like this but so I can feel him every day.
Spiritually, I am hungry for the ability to serve. I always WANT to serve, but I never think of it. I want God to help me actually follow through with my serving.
I think I always want to feel appreciated and to belong. I have also been straying from him and don’t feel as close to him, but I know it won’t matter to him and people have it was worse than me.
A strong relationship with God and I would like to get more involved in public service, it really impacted me in such a positive way and will also impact others positively as well.
Spiritually, I’m hungry to know God better. I know who he is and how he works, but I want a better relationship with him.
Peace of mind and knowing and COMPLETELY TRUSTING GOD with his plan with all of this.
I am spiritually hungry for acceptance. I want to be accepted for who I am.
Consistency. My faith seems to strengthen in bursts, when I wish to be more consistent with it.
I’m spiritually hungry for God. I desperately want to know I’m loved by God. I want to feel him.
For a message from God.
I want God to tell me something I should do to help someone else.
Courage to share His word.
A stronger relationship with God.
Do you have any new thoughts about children in the developing world?
I knew that we had it good and that they had it bad. But I didn’t realize that 30 million children under 5th grade can’t go to school. And that 5,000 children die every day from dirty water. Wow, what can I do to help them?
Yes! I feel more drawn to try to help them now, and now I think more of them now than I did before. Now, I have a better idea of how little they have in their lives.
I realize that what they have to deal with is extreme, and we are SO blessed. I feel for them a lot and want to help.
How their way of life is different and tough. I would like to do something to help those children in need.
I always knew that life was hard for children in the world and how lucky I am. Now I know how much more extreme it is. Everything is so hard for them, I wouldn’t be able to imagine it.
I want to help so much more than I already did before this and I want to know everything I can do.
I feel how they are now. I feel terrible about it. I feel as though it is unfair that I get to live my life while they live theirs.
I never realized how bad it truly is for them. If I could, I would do something to help them, but there’s so many, I can’t help them all.
My new thoughts are that they suffer a lot more than I assumed. They could die from starvation but I feel they handle it so well.
Yes, I now understand how hard it is for them.
Yes, I have a new respect for what they deal with and are happy but I complain all the time and I have everything.
I need to help them. I have so much and they have so little. Even the little things I need to learn to give.
They have it hard, while we have it easy as can be. They have to work for what they want, we don’t.
About the Author
Debbie Reese is the Co-Directing Pastor of Calvary UMC