Whose Rule? We use the phrase “Kingdom of God” often – but where is the Kingdom? Jesus invited his followers to see the Kingdom all around them, and in themselves. Perhaps a clearer term might be “Reign of God.” Where is the Lord of Love reigning? Well, right here and right now, both within us and all around us. But…
What We Could Be It’s easy for us to imagine going back to the ‘good old days’ – a time we imagine as simpler, more faithful, and better. Followers of Jesus are susceptible to this idea – that with each passing year we stray farther from the faith and success of our ancestors. But, of course, our ideas about how good…
The Cost of Love What does it mean to be the church? Why should you give your money, your time, and your energy to the church? Psalm 146 reminds us of God’s ongoing work for justice, and the call for us to commit ourselves to this divine work. And a famous story in the Gospel of Mark about a woman…
For These Saints For All Saints Day we honor the beloved members of our congregation who have died in the last year, giving thanks for their lives and the legacy they have left. We’ll read the names of our congregation’s beloved members, and we’ll light a candle to symbolize the eternal light of God’s love. We remember and give thanks…
We Belong Together We’ll be welcoming new members into LOUMC, including a celebration of the sacrament of baptism. And in the vows we make together, we’ll remember that this community is a gift of God to us. And we’ll remember that, in Christ we belong to one another. Join us live at 10:00 on September 29 or watch the replay…
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?…
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…
Music Fest Music is the heartbeat of Christian worship – the rhythm and melody of our faith. And as Methodists, we have a rich heritage of music serving as a key part of our theological formation. This Sunday we’ll be celebrating and sharing from this deep history as we worship and sing together. Join us live at 10:00 on…
Little Things What good can we do, as small as we are in the face of the world’s problems? What can God possibly do with us? We might be tempted to think our work for justice means very little, and so is not worth what it costs us. But God is the One who loves to take small things and…
Do Less, Be More What do you think of when you hear “sabbath?” Perhaps you grew up with strict rules about what was not allowed on Sundays. Or maybe, outside of attending worship, very little was different about Sunday than the rest of the week. But why does God make the commandment to “observe the sabbath and keep it holy”…
