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Lent Week 1 - February 21, 2021
Matthew 4:23-25, 5:1-12As we get started with our series on the Sermon on the Mount, I think it’s important for us to cover a few details—these are assumptions we will work from for the series. Some of you may have read these particulars in the book we’re using by Amy Jill Levine, others of you may not be a small group and so I want to make sure we all have the same details.
If you’ve been with us for worship the last few weeks, we’ve been studying the Gospel of Matthew—the passages that deal with the early days of Jesus’ ministry and the specific passages that lead up to the sermon on the mount. While we assume some chronology of the stories based on the order they appear in the Gospel, they are not guaranteed to be in this order and Matthew offers little in terms of timeline. So, we don’t
Worship Script - February 14, 2021
Matthew 4:18-22 Last week we talked about the call of the disciples and I shared my skepticism that these 4 fishermen simply encountered Jesus as a perfect stranger, without him having an established reputation and decided to walk away from everything they knew, including how to support themselves simply because Jesus invited them to. I shared my musings that I imagined Jesus hanging out getting to know them, establishing trust, and maybe sharing some of his own stories too, and then inviting them on a new journey with him.
And I invited you to reflect on your journey with Jesus—is he some random stranger or is he a curious student? Is he trusted and known? A
Worship Script - February 7, 2021
I often wish we had the full account of these stories. What did people say? What were they thinking? What were their questions? Real people things!! Where is their humanity?!
Every pastor has a call story—(and if they don’t, they probably shouldn’t be a pastor) And any pastor in the UMC (and likely others) has probably told their call story 800 million times. Seriously. If you feel called you’ll probably talk to a pastor and tell them why you feel called. And I you pursue seminary you’ll have to write your story on your application and any grant or scholarship applications. And then when you go to seminary that’s lie the question after “Where are you from?” So you’ll tell your call story over lunch, and between classes, and in small groups.
Worship Script - January 24, 2021
Matthew 4 Before we dig into this passage, we have something we need to address. This passage clearly says the devil tempted Jesus three times. I know that for a lot of mainline folks, that’s the kind of thing that makes us just skip right over a passage. The way we’re accustomed to the devil being discussed is as a scapegoat for our own bad actions. We’re accustomed to excuses like “the devil made me do it” and we want nothing to do with that notion of a devil. Or we’re overly familiar with Hollywood versions of the red man with horns. We don’t want that devil either. So with the “devil” most common to us as an easy out or some
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Current Church News
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National Day of Prayer May 7th, 2026
Join us as we partner with the Moscow Interfaith Association for the National Day of Prayer on May 7th, 2026. We will be joined by many different faiths and traditions at the Moscow First United Methodist Church at 7pm. Everyone is welcome!
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Neighborhood Theatre Presents "Our Town"
Mark your calendars for Our Town, a benefit staged reading for Family Promise – May 3, 2pm!
Heralded as “the greatest American play ever written,” three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thornton Wilder’s Our Town shows us that even the most ordinary life, is an extraordinary thing indeed.
Synopsis: set in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners (a closeknit community much like our beloved Moscow) between 1901 and 1913, the play is divided into three acts: an ordinary day, a wedding, a death. The story follows two neighboring families, the Webbs and the Gibbs, and their children who grow up together, fall in love, and are married ‘until death do them part’ (act 3).
Please join us, The Neighborhood Theatre, for a staged reading of this thought-provoking and heartfelt classic. The production is FREE though donations are welcome with all proceeds benefiting Family Promise hosted at Moscow First United Methodist Church. Bonus: with any donation amount, folks will be entered into a raffle for a beautiful handmade quilt generously provided by local artisan Sue Anderson.
When & Where: Sunday, May 3, 2pm @ Moscow First United Methodist Church
Who’s invited: EVERYONE! ALL congregations that collaborate for Family Promise and any friends, family, neighbors, etc. are most welcome so please spread the word! This event is intended as a celebration of our work together and a show of gratitude to our Family Promise partners.
Please note… The whole event will last up to 3 hours. There will be two intermissions, including one longer break with light refreshments provided. While the script is appropriate for all ages, the length and complexity of topics (marriage; death) may be challenging for some younger viewers.
Get Directions
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...