UBC Wed For Life

                                                    Another year is coming to an end. In many ways, this year was almost as tumultuous as the last. We've all likely experienced some hardship and loss. However, no year is all bad or all good. Every year has a mix of both. As we reflect on the passing year, let's be sure to remember all the ways that God blessed us in addition to thinking back on the trials we faced and overcame. Let's thank him for all that he did for us and all that he brought us through and ask him to help us build on the good to make 2022 even better. Many people choose to bring the new year in with parties and celebrations. That is fine, but we at United pray that everyone has a safe and blessed transition into the new year. If you do choose to party, remember that even festive merriment can be used to serve and bless God. As the...

                                     Christmas is a much beloved holiday for people around the world. Even nonbelievers partake in the holiday, and, in general, whether people believe in God or not, this time of year is often associated with kindness, mercy, compassion, generosity, and a whole host of other good things of which this world needs more. Of course, for Christians, this holiday is even more meaningful. We are celebrating the birth of our Lord and savior. We believe that Jesus is the living God, meaning that he was God come to Earth in the flesh, a supreme being, living and interacting with us mere mortals. His very birth was miraculous as he was born to a virgin. That same birth was unbelievably humble given who Jesus is. He was born in a stable amongst farm animals and not with all the pomp and circumstance that you might expect to be associated with a king and a god. Jesus ...

                 Recently, Kyle Rittenhouse was found Not Guilty on all charges. Many people were upset by that decision. Those people felt he was a murderer and should have been judged as such. Others felt that at the very least, he had committed some crimes and shouldn't have been allowed to walk away without suffering any consequences. Still others, believe the verdict was correct, and that he did not break any laws. One thing is common among almost everybody, particularly in the U.S., when we feel like someone does something wrong, we expect to see them punished for it. When that doesn’t happen, it angers us. We’ve all seen examples of that anger in the form of riots and retribution in past events. When someone wrongs us or just does wrong in general, we want that person to have to suffer consequences. With that being the case, isn’t it curious how we sometimes read the Bible or hear the Word and question the punishments that God ...

                                        In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii[ e ] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ - Luke 10:30-35 The above verses are known as the Par...

  “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. - Luke 16:13-15 In the Gospel of Luke 16:13-15, the Pharisees, the religious leaders in Jerusalem, are described as lovers of money. God saw the greed of their hearts. Their service was not geared to glorify God and help their neighbors, but rather to enrich themselves. So, the Lord Jesus Christ gave the following parable in Luke 16:19–31 (broken down below). Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus: This story has many important messages—about heaven and hell, death and judgment. However, there is another aspect to this story to consider - that people should practice self-examination so that we might check the spir...

              Much of what happens in the Old Testament of the Bible involves God having to deal with the wicked. Israel and Judah were wayward children to say the least. Even some of the characters in the Bible who managed to keep God’s favor were still guilty of some pretty egregious acts. David and Solomon are good examples of that. So, characters that were inarguably good stand out. Job was one of those people. In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. - Job 1:1 Job’s goodness is one of the things that can make the Book of Job difficult to understand. As believers, we often expect to be rewarded for being good. Wiser believers understand that no matter how good a person is, he or she will face hardships. That’s part of life. Still, very few people will ever go through as much as Job did in as short a time. Chapter 1 of Job tells us that he lost all of ...

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’ grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.  If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen - 1 Peter 4:10-11 How should you serve?  Serve by showing love.  Serve by feeding the homeless  Serve by giving Serve by forgiving  Serve by getting together with family and friends and fellowshipping.  God Saved You To Serve.  Serve by praying for one another.  God Saved You To Serve.  Serve those who are sick.  Serve those who need a helping hand.  God Saved You To Serve  Serve others in different ways  Serve those who need a listening ear.  Serve those in the way the Lord puts on your heart to serve.  And they said, ...

When we think about God, it’s sometimes hard not to be awestruck. He’s the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent creator of the universe. He’s as far beyond us as we are beyond the ants we see scurrying along the ground. So when we talk about building a relationship with a being like that, it might sometimes seem to be an impossible thing. Relationships typically require some form of understanding between the parties involved. As great as he is, can any of us truly understand God? As far below him as we are, can God truly understand us? What makes things even more difficult is that we are physical beings, but we can’t really interact with God in a physical manner particularly as he appeared in the Old Testament. Just think about what God said to Moses when Moses asked to experience his presence in person.. And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have merc...

  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. - Psalm 46:1 Let me tell you about a man, a woman, a child, this could be you, we don't know.   You don't know their story but what you will see is God's glory. Let me tell you about the pain, the hurt, the abuse they received from someone they knew, a family member, a friend, maybe even you. You don't know their story, what you will see is God's glory. Let me tell you about a man whom you may have heard of who Fed five thousand people, some who were children, with five loaves of bread and two fish. Remember the person who saw you and asked you for money to get something to eat saying: "can you help me please?" You don't know their story, what you will see is God's glory. You don't know who God will use to bless you. You don't know how God will use your story of what you went through but what you will see is God's glory. Let me tell you about the heart God gave you to ca...

                               What is a man? That question has taken on a significance in today’s world that many would have never expected. However, even without considering the added complexities introduced by the modern world, the question of what makes a man can still be a difficult one to answer. Different societies and cultures ascribe different responsibilities and traits to men and manhood, but there are some qualities that seem to be universal. Strength, leadership, willingness to sacrifice - no matter where you go on earth, men are usually expected to exhibit those traits. They certainly are important traits for individuals to have, but they don’t just benefit the people that hold them. They are important for families and society as a whole. If all men exhibited those traits and many of the other qualities expected of men, the world would likely be a much better place. Unfortunately, not al...

At some point in your life, you’ve probably heard America referred to as a Christian nation. That’s become less prevalent in modern times because, as the data shows,* America is growing more secular. However, in the past, it was a far more common sentiment particularly when Christians were trying to resist some national change that they felt was in opposition to Christian belief. Was the sentiment ever true? In my opinion, no, not really. It’s true that most of the early settlers and founders of the nation were Christian, but the nation was never a theocracy. It was not created to subscribe to any particular faith. That’s why the term “separation of church and state exists.” It’s also part of the reason why our constitution has the First Amendment, which guarantees everyone the right to practice whatever religion they want without fear of state sponsored persecution. The U.S. is supposed to be a nation that is not beholden to any one faith, but is instead tolerant of whatever f...

A previous blog entry put the spotlight on Elijah. Elijah was a special prophet. He along with Enoch had the distinction of being the only people that didn’t die. Elijah was instead carried up straight to Heaven. He was such a significant figure that his name was thrown out when people questioned who Jesus was. Following after a person like that has to be a difficult task, and it was the very thing that Elisha had to do. Elisha understood the difficulties that lay ahead of him. That’s why he made a very special request of Elijah before the latter was spirited away. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “Yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise, it will not.” – 2 Kings 2:9-10 That was a bold request from Elisha, but one he must have known he needed granted to do the wor...

If you’ve watched the news lately, you’ve no doubt heard some story or another about conflict and unrest in various parts of the world. The U.S. is certainly no exception as there is no shortage of fights (figuratively and sometimes literally) between people with differing opinions and ideologies. Concepts like equality and equity are often at the heart of many of these conflicts. Most of us believe that in a society like the U.S., everyone should be treated fairly. The problem is that we can’t always define what we think is fair. It’s fine to say that everyone should get the same pay for the same work, however, in practice, it is rare that everyone with a certain job performs that job exactly the same and with the same quality. Some believe that all children should be given the same opportunities and shots at success. Others would argue that parents who work harder for their children’s benefit should see a result of better opportunities for those children. To them, that’s compl...

It’s been said several times on this blog that being a Christian can be hard. In most cases that comment was made with regard to the need to uphold God’s laws or live up to the principles laid out by Jesus. However, those are not the only aspects of being a Christian that can be difficult for believers. Faith is one of the most important concepts in Christianity. Belief in God is part of having faith, but we can't just say we believe. We have to show it, and that means trusting him with our everyday lives. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; - Proverbs 3:5 Putting trust in God for everything we encounter is an active demonstration of faith, and it is important. In fact, Jesus made it clear that we are not to fret over even the basic needs of our daily lives. We should understand that God knows what we need and will provide. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you ...

The UBC Sunday Encounters continue to explore the concept of belonging. The previous entry focused on trust and the part it plays in making people feel like they belong within groups, most notably church families. The previously referenced sermons focused on how we can build trust with the people around us. However, trust is a two-way street. It is one thing for us to be trusted by others, but for people to feel like they belong, they often have to feel like they are also trusted. Pastor Pope addressed this in a sermon that posed the question “Who Is Going With You?” He used a story from chapter 15 of the Book of Acts that involved two great figures in early Christianity, Paul and Barnabus. The two had somewhat of a dispute over Mark. On a past occasion, Mark had proven himself to be less than reliable. As a result, as Paul pushed forward on his mission to spread the Gospel, he did not want to take Mark with him. Barnabus, on the other hand, insisted that Mark be brought along...

As stated in the previous entry, a sense of belonging is important to most people in today’s world, and it is particularly important that the church be able to instill a sense of belonging in the people that visit it. For this reason, Pastor Pope and the other ministers at United have continued delivering sermons that tackle the issue of belonging. A few of the Sermons use acronyms and acrostics to illustrate concepts that feed into the concept of belonging. For example, Pastor Pope introduced BRAVING, which breaks down into B oundaries R eliability A ccountability V ault I ntegrity N on-judging G race Each of these concepts feeds into belonging in that all address things that must be in place or must be demonstrated by the members of a group for each of the members to feel like they can trust each other. Pastor Pope defined trust as being the willingness to take something that is sacred or important to oneself and make it vulnerable to the actions of someone else. Trust is vital f...