July 16, 2017 11:00 “God's Call to Believers (then and now)” Chad Brown
This Sunday Lydia and I will be in Connecticut with our family for a week of summer vacation. We have two of our dedicated Lay Servants - Rodney Bussard (8:30) and Chad Brown (11:00) - preaching in my stead. We are blessed at VUMC to have so many gifted lay ministers.
In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
Exodus 3:1-12
- Jul 16, 2017God’s Call to Believers (then and now) – Chad Brown
Jul 16, 2017God’s Call to Believers (then and now) – Chad BrownBy: Chad Brown
July 16, 2017 11:00 “God's Call to Believers (then and now)” Chad Brown
This Sunday Lydia and I will be in Connecticut with our family for a week of summer vacation. We have two of our dedicated Lay Servants - Rodney Bussard (8:30) and Chad Brown (11:00) - preaching in my stead. We are blessed at VUMC to have so many gifted lay ministers.
In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
Exodus 3:1-12
- Jul 16, 2017First Love
Jul 16, 2017First LoveBy: Rodney Bussard
July 16, 2017 8:30 “First Love” Rodney Bussard
This Sunday Lydia and I will be in Connecticut with our family for a week of summer vacation. We have two of our dedicated Lay Servants - Rodney Bussard (8:30) and Chad Brown (11:00) - preaching in my stead. We are blessed at VUMC to have so many gifted lay ministers.
In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
Revelation 2:1-7
- Jul 9, 2017The Pitfalls of People Pleasing
Jul 9, 2017The Pitfalls of People PleasingBy: Rev. Bob WeeksJuly 9, 2017 The Pitfalls of People PleasingOur sermon for the morning leading up to the Olde Time Revival at 3 p.m. is a timely, crucial reminder from Scripture that just as God does not "dance to our tune" we are also called to resist the temptation to live for the praise and attention of others. Come find out what the Scriptures say about "The Pitfalls of Being a People Pleaser."
In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
- Jul 2, 2017Youth Mission Team God Sightings
Jul 2, 2017Youth Mission Team God SightingsJuly 2, 2017 Happy Independence DayAs we approach the July 4th holiday, please keep our nation and world in your prayers. Give thanks for the constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms we all benefit from. Pray for those who are traveling. And especially pray for those who serve throughout the world to protect the freedoms we celebrate.
This Sunday we will celebrate Holy Communion together, remembering the One who alone can free us from our sins. During our worship we'll hear testimonies from some of our youth now serving on a mission to Ohio. As we listen to mission testimonies this Sunday, may we recommit ourselves to be a church seeking to spread the good news of Jesus "in all the ways we can, in all the places we can."
In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
Romans 6:12-23
- Jun 25, 2017Around the World With Jesus
Jun 25, 2017Around the World With JesusBy: Rev. Bob WeeksJune 26, 2017 Vacation Bible School SundayThis Sunday is Vacation Bible School Sunday. The children will sing at both VUMC services and I'll bring a message on what it means to go into the world with Jesus as our Lord. Thank you to Amanda Hall and her loyal crew of volunteers for a great VBS!In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
Romans 6:1b-11
- Jun 18, 2017God’s Love…a Love without end
Jun 18, 2017God’s Love…a Love without endBy: Shawna HinerJune 18, 2017 God's Love... a Love without end
Shawna Hiner will be sharing our Father's Day message this Sunday while I'm away. Please come and honor our fathers and receive another excellent message from God's Word by Shawna..
In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
John 3:16, Romans 5:7-8
- Jun 11, 2017It Takes A Team
Jun 11, 2017It Takes A TeamBy: Rev. Bob WeeksOur message for the morning will focus on how the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - are a team who invite each of us to be part of the building of God's Kingdom. We'll see the ways in which Jesus chose and built his team of disciples... and how we can be a more faithful and effective part of God's team here at VUMC.
In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
Psalm 8, Matthew 28:16-20
- Jun 4, 2017Pentecost – Gifts of the Spirit
Jun 4, 2017Pentecost – Gifts of the SpiritBy: Rev. Bob WeeksJune 04, 2017
This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. Seven weeks after Easter, we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the birth of the Church. We also remind ourselves that each member of the Church has received a gift for service in the Body of Christ.
I realize that many question what their gift is, or even doubt that they have received a gift of the Holy Spirit. In part, this is due to the common misapprehension that spiritual gifts are always displayed with wind and flame and that they are possessed by only the "more spiritual" among us.
The truth is, the gifts are poured out on all who call Jesus their Lord. They are gifts of God's grace, often subtle and practical and best demonstrated with a spirit of love and servitude.
That is how I see the gifts of the Spirit most often utilized in our congregation - with humility and love - leading to an outpouring of the fruits of those gifts: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control [Paul's letter to the Galatians]."
May it always be so!
In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
I Corinthians 12:3b-13
Acts 2:1-21
- May 28, 2017Let God Rise Up
May 28, 2017Let God Rise UpBy: Rev. Bob Weeks
May 28, 2017
Memorial Day is a sacred day in our nation. For a day to be truly sacred, truly set aside for holy purposes, it must first be dedicated to the One Holy God who reigns over every man, woman, and nation.
I would ask that this Memorial Day weekend we "Let God Rise Up" in our souls and speak to us of courage and sacrifice and obligation. I would ask that we do this not merely as an act of love of country and of those who sacrificed their lives in war, but as an act of love for the God who is the Father of us all and who wept as each of his children fell.
Let God rise up in our hearts so that the world might know his Holy Way and no longer walk in the paths of war - so that the sounds of battle may be overwhelmed by an everlasting chorus of peace.In Christ's Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob
I Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
- May 21, 2017Fools for Christ
May 21, 2017Fools for ChristBy: Rev. Bob Weeks
May 21, 2017 Fools for Christ
A decade ago I stood on the Areopagus in Athens and imagined the dramatic scene described in Acts 17 when the Apostle Paul uses the idols of the city as a launching point for sharing the message of salvation. In Athens, the ancient world's center of philosophy and wisdom, he told the story of Jesus, the cross, and the resurrection.
The reaction of the crowd? Many disregarded his message as foolishness. But others saw the truth in his words. They saw the power of God in his retelling of the story of Jesus - the power of salvation in Christ that could accomplish what all the wisdom of the world could never achieve.
The world continues to trust in the ever-shifting sands of human wisdom bereft of a divine foundation. But those who trust in the Gospel message will gladly bear the title "Fools for Christ" if in doing so others come to know the wisdom of God. Because Paul had the courage to declare the "scandal" of the cross all those years ago on the Areopagus, you and I and millions of others have come to know the good news of Jesus and the salvation he alone can bring.
Christ is risen and our hopes have risen with Him. For the sake of a world drowning in sin, are we willing to share the good news of Jesus, even when others label us as fools?
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Don't forget to take time today to praise our God above, for Christ is our perfect Shepherd, risen and coming again!
- Pastor Bob Weeks
Acts 17:22-31