Philippians 2:2-8 (from The Message)
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the … Read the rest
Prayer
Lenten Devotional: March 19, 2021
The Deep End of Faith
by Molly Stanley
Dr. Kate Bowler {Duke University professor, historian, and author} refers to Lent as the “deep end” of our faith. We celebrate Christmas, ring in a new calendar year, settle into fresh goals for the months ahead, and before we know it, we’ve been thrown into the … Read the rest
Advent Devotional: Dec. 4, 2020
by Martha Collins
“Pray without ceasing.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:17
I know the good Lord is on my side. I just know. I’m blessed. And I bless others. I don’t mess with special prayers. I just talk to God every day and every night and when I’m walking. I just talk and the good … Read the rest
August 30 Online Service
Oconee Street UMC Online Service
Aug. 30, 2020
Entire service
Prelude
Maxine Easom, piano
Welcome
Invocation
Opening Hymn
Performed by Louis Armstrong
Reading: Exodus 3:1-15
Sermon: “Praying With Our Feet”
Anthem
Song by Ken Medema
Performed by Steve Green with The National
Sermon: Praying for God’s Future
When Jesus teaches us how to pray, he gives us what is now known as The Lord’s Prayer. The prayer emphasizes three things:
- God is a member of our family.
- There are three requests we are making — bread, forgiveness and deliverance.
- We should trust that God will provide.
Most Christians are comfortable with the idea of God as family … Read the rest
Sermon: “In the Time of Trial”
Prayer is a practice with which many of us struggle.
It’s seems like such a waste of time to sit in nothingness. We begin to think, “Wouldn’t it be better to be more productive with that time?” Our anxieties begin to arise. Our deepest fears are unwrapped. Our saddest thoughts become present. These are the times in prayer when we … Read the rest
Lenten Devotional: Monday, March 25
God the Pipe Bomb
by Alys Willman
You thought God was an architect, now you know.
He’s something like a pipe bomb ready to blow
And everything you built that’s all for show goes up in flames
—Jason Isbell, “24 Frames”
You thought God was an architect. Isn’t that what most of us are taught? We bring God down to … Read the rest
Lenten Devotional: Thursday, March 7
Make Room for God
by Joe Gunby
Adapted from the “An Invitation to Lenten Practices” from the Oconee Street UMC Ash Wednesday service on March 6, 2019.
Luke 6:12 One of those days, Jesus went out to the mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
In Christian tradition there are three modes of prayer: confession, assurance and … Read the rest
Lenten Devotional: Saturday, March 31
by Carla Dennis
Matthew 6:5: And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be temped to … Read the rest
Homily: Stop Making Sense
Days before Jesus was sentenced to death, a woman busted open a jar of very expensive perfume to pour it on Jesus. While some rebuked her for “wasting” her very valuable possession which she could have instead given to the poor, Jesus praised her, saying, “She poured perfume on my body … to prepare me for my burial.”
This woman … Read the rest