But Why Here? There are dozens of churches in Lake Oswego, and hundreds more within an easy driving distance. Why are we part of THIS congregation? What is it that makes LOUMC distinctive? Should we even TRY to be different? And why can’t all the churches just get together? Join us live at 9:00 on September 22 or watch…
“John Who Now?” What are United Methodists? What makes us distinct? What do we believe? And what’s all this weirdness about “going on to perfection?” Is this John Wesley guy actually helpful when it comes to being a faithful Christian? (He is.) Join us live at 9:00 on September 15 or watch the replay any time after. Download the…
What’s This All For? What is all this church stuff for? Why do we gather in worship? Why have a building? Why read and study Scripture together? Why have small groups, or ministry teams, or a staff, or ESPECIALLY why have a pastor? What does it even mean to be a church? What does it mean to be the Church?…
Dirty Words The Pharisees and Scribes confront Jesus about the disciples not properly washing their hands. Jesus turns the tables on them (of course) and challenges their understanding of sin and holiness. Jesus teaches that it is our own hearts that are the source of sin, not something outside of us that defiles us. Humans love to focus on the…
Disarmed Paul encourages the Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God – but he’s using language subversively here. The armor Paul suggests is not armor at all. Instead, it is righteousness, peace, truth, faith… Paul is perhaps suggesting that to be a follower of the Prince of Peace requires us to live differently. We may not wear armor these…
Properly Drunk In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus, he encourages them to live a life of wisdom, guided by the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. He encourages them to be filled with the Holy Spirit in the way that they might have once been filled with wine. For Paul and the early Christians, there was exuberance and joy…
Worthy of the Calling: Sharing from the Youth Mission Trip Join us in worship as we welcome back our Youth Mission Team, hear stories from their week, and celebrate all that God does in and through us. Pauls’ letter to the Church in Ephesus reminds them to employ their God-given gifts for the sake of building community, in the Church and…
More Than Leftovers The miracle of the feeding of the 5000 is a well-known story, and one of our favorites. We love a good feast! What does this miracle story have to teach us about how we serve alongside our neighbors? What does it teach us about God’s design for how our societies should work? Join us live at…
Bring Healing We know that Jesus was a healer of many – showing God’s love in making lives whole. If we are the Body of Christ, called and empowered to continue Christ’s ministry, how should we continue Jesus’ healing work? Is there such a thing as divine healing? Are we supposed to be like those icky televangelists in the 1980s?…
Out of Plumb When things seems so off kilter – when lies are proclaimed as truth, when violence is seen as the way of peace, when professed followers of Jesus act like Caesar – how do we begin to set things right? How do we even know what right is? Amos’ vision of the plumb line – showing Israel how…
When Nothing Works If Jesus himself sometimes has only limited success in ministry, what does that mean for us? If Paul finds himself struggling with a spiritual thorn in his flesh, what does that mean for us? This week’s readings challenge our notions of success and failure, and invite us to consider more deeply what it means to be faithful to…
Two Daughters In this week’s Gospel reading, Mark interposes two healing stories to highlight the breadth of God’s healing work. How does God heal today? What is the connection between being ‘healed’ and being ‘saved?’ And how does Jesus move in our midst to bring healing and wholeness to our world? Join us live at 10:00 on June 30…
