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Sacred Space - December 1, 2019
Matthew 3:1-3 The words John shares comes from the prophet Isaiah. Which, on the surface, probably doesn’t mean much to many of us. So, we’re going to pause for a little Israelite history here. The book of Isaiah in the Old Testament is now understood to have been written in 3 parts. Among scholars, it’s commonly referred to as I, II, and III Isaiah. Chapters 1-39 are first Isaiah and they cover the time of the Babylonian Exile. A time when the Israelites were defeated and forced from their land. In that time the words of the prophet were not comforting. They were words of indictment and condemnation. The Israelites had been selfish and self-serving. They were heartless toward people in need and
Wisdom and Joy - November 17, 2019
2 Timothy 1:6-14 This book of the Bible is a letter is to a young pastor named Timothy. It’s the second of 2 letters addressed to him. Historically, folks say Paul wrote it, but style and timeline suggest it probably was someone else. That doesn’t discredit it in any way, just clarifies that it probably wasn’t Paul who wrote Timothy. Though we don’t get much clarity on who it was. Remember, it was common at that time for folks to write and use the name of a more familiar disciple. It wasn’t seen as disingenuous, it was common and seemed to help get the word out…Whoever it was, though, still seemed to be writing as a mentor and
By Water And The Spirit- November 10, 2019
Mark 1:1-13 Where you start your story says a lot. Especially when you’re only writing 15 short chapters. This is where Mark starts—out in the wilderness at the Jordan River with John the Baptist, or maybe better stated, John the Baptizer since he was no more a Baptist than a Methodist or Presbyterian. John was a Jew, who also baptized people. He was a prophet—someone called by God to speak hard truths and hold people accountable as he invited them back to right relationship with God. By our standards, he was kind of a weird guy—camel hair clothes, living in the desert—eating locusts/grasshoppers and honey.
In the desert, John is calling people to repentance and offering to baptize them n the river. Depending on how you grew up you might think that John was actually a Baptist since that sounds like something they would do. But actually,
Spirit As Generous Giver - Novmeber 3, 2019
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 I’m assuming this passage is fairly familiar to a lot of people in the church, but I also know it’s fairly unwise to assume. So, we’re going to take a look—because even if we know it well, it never hurts to revisit a scripture and if we’re unfamiliar there are definite riches to be found here.
Let’s start with our purpose. We are specifically studying scripture about the Holy Spirit to learn about the Spirit as part of the Trinity and as part of our life of faith. The Spirit is a big deal in this passage. It’s mentioned 6 different times in just 5 verses. Let there be no doubt who is at work among the church and who
Filling The Gap - October 27, 2019
Romans 8:18-30 Sometimes we know just enough. Don’t we? We’ve seen a glimpse of something good, maybe even something amazing and we know what is possible—so we keep hoping for that, dreaming of that, even while things might not be so amazing just yet.
That’s what Paul is talking about here—liminal space—the already and not yet of being a follower of Jesus. He knows that when we encounter the risen Christ—something happens. It’s powerful, and memorable, and gives us a taste of all that could be—the sweetness of forgiveness and new beginnings, of grace and transformation, of a life transformed by God’s abundant love. Paul knows that a relationship with the living God marks us with hope and life. And, Paul
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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...