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Healing Power - August 21, 2016
When we read the scriptures, it is often important to take a look at what stories come before and after the one we are focused on. They can often give us extra insight about the current passage. That's true today. The passage right before this is about Jesus healing a leper. The man is sick and spiritually/ritually unclean. He would have been a social outcast because of his wounds. And he approached Jesus and said, "If you choose, you can make me clean." To which Jesus replies, "I do choose. Be made clean." And then Jesus told him not to tell anyone. Jesus was sort of a comedian sometimes. I mean really, you tell a man who was physically sick...has sores on his body—and is not allowed to have normal social interactions who is now healthy and allowed to be with people to not say anything about what happened. Come on. That's just not fair. People would have noticed. They would have asked him. They would have talked about him with or without information about
All You Need Is Love - August 14, 2016
In the letter to the Romans, Paul is giving instructions to the community. He has addressed their debates over who is right and who is wrong. He's leveled the field on the arguments of who's a sinner. He's shared the good news that we are saved while we are yet sinners, before we ever get it right, God intervenes on our behalf. Beyond that he tells us that our identity is both grounded in God's plan for us and centered on our calling and giftedness. Last week we heard Paul admonish the Romans, and us, that this good news needs to be shared but asked how people would ever be convinced they haven't heard the Gospel truth and how could they hear if we don't declare it. In essence, if the
Who Is Really Saved? - August 7, 2016
Romans 10:1-17 (The Message Version)
10 1-3 Believe me, friends, all I want for Israel is what's best for Israel: salvation, nothing less. I want it with all my heart and pray to God for it all the time. I readily admit that the Jews are impressively energetic regarding God—but they are doing everything exactly backward. They don't seem to realize that this comprehensive setting-things-right that is salvation is God's business, and a most flourishing business it is. Right across the street they set up their own salvation shops and noisily hawk their wares. After all these years of refusing to really deal with God on his terms, insisting
Nothing Greater - July 31, 2016
Last weeks' passage highlighted 2 pieces of the good news of the Gospel message. 1) Christ died for us while we were sinners. God chose us, saved us, and redeemed us BEFORE we get it right, which means that our salvation does not hinge upon our action, instead it hinges upon God's action. 2) Because we know that God chooses us before we get it all right, we can have strength to praise God at all times, remembering and acknowledging that God will help us out of our present circumstances. In many ways Paul seems to be building upon those truths in this week's passage. He also seems to be doing something more.
How many of us have ever struggled to understand the Bible? Maybe we read and it's too wordy, or we pick up the King James Version and we stumble through the thees and thous and thine-ests. While the Bible is meant
A Little Too Much - July 24, 2016
Throughout the summer series, we have been talking about what it means to be saved by grace through faith. We've looked at who needs saving and why, and who is there to help us. In today's message, we'll see that there are days when we are out by the sinking boat, struggling to tread water. And sometimes in life it feels like all we do is tread water and we never get to enjoy the good stuff in life. But the reality is, while treading water is part of our reality, it's not the end game. We aren't designed to tread water, we are designed to flourish and swim and play and explore. But to
get to that point of freedom, we first have to tread water. We have to build up strength and we
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Sunday morning parking at the church is available in the high school parking lot on Third Street across from the church and in the city lots west of the church. These lots are available only on Sunday mornings. A small lot for handicapped parking is available just off of Adams Street on the north side of the church, with an accessible entrance directly into the sanctuary. A lift operates between the Fellowship Hall (3rd Street level) and the Sanctuary. William Sound System Receivers and Headsets are available to assist with hearing problems.
322 East Third Street
Moscow, ID 83843
Church Mission
The First United Methodist Church of Moscow, Idaho takes as our mission to be the body of Jesus Christ, ministering to a community which draws strength from its diversity. Our mission centers on the worship of God, expressed through varied forms of prayer, preaching, music, and ritual. See more...