For all we are choosing not to do... for all we can't do... the one thing central to this day is one thing we absolutely CAN do... Worship link: https://youtu.be/8z98llm1BWk
How do you mark the important events in your life? Post a photo on Facebook so that others can experience it with you? Maybe you like to go old school and print a photo to frame and hang in your home or office. Some take trips to memorable or exotic locations to celebrate milestone events in their lives. Some want a more permanent remembrance such as a piece of jewelry or a tattoo. In the Bible it was common for people to mark important events - especially events where they perceived God to be present and active - with a pile of stones. Stones? Really? Yes, stones. Stones speak to the permanence of God and God's love. On All Saints Sunday we remember and honor those who have been faithful examples of God's presence and love, but have now passed from this world to the next. On All Saints Sunday we remember and celebrate the living stones who have provided a lasting witness to God's goodness in a world that is uncertain and ever-changing. Worship link: Worship link: https://youtu.be/oJOzjxx4Jow
Life is complicated. Just take a look at your calendar and your to-do list. Appointments and obligations overlap each other. There aren't enough hours in a day or days in a week to accomplish even a portion of the tasks you'd like to (need to?) get done. Work requires more of you than you have to give. Spouses, children, parents and friends all want something from you. Add to everything the strain of living and working in the 'COVID Era,' and life is busy, stressful - and complicated. Your spiritual life doesn't have to be. An encouraging, life-giving, uplifting faith is really very simple. The early church gave us a simple model for a life of faith with Jesus that offers hope and power for living, even in today's complicated world. This simple life of faith includes connecting with God through worship, growing in faith through study and relationship with Jesus, and ultimately showing God's work in us through loving acts of service. It's really very simple - connect, grow, serve to discover and share a life-changing, life-giving faith. Worship link: https://youtu.be/OSk-gyBLmZo
As we have been discovering over this three-week series what a "Simple Faith" looks like, we hope you're discovering for yourself how to grow a simple, life-giving, life-changing faith... Worship Link: https://youtu.be/6i6_kzeujDg
Life is complicated. Just take a look at your calendar and your to-do list. Appointments and obligations overlap each other. There aren't enough hours in a day or days in a week to accomplish even a portion of the tasks you'd like to (need to?) get done. Work requires more of you than you have to give. Spouses, children, parents and friends all want something from you. Add to everything the strain of living and working in the 'COVID Era,' and life is busy, stressful - and complicated. Your spiritual life doesn't have to be. An encouraging, life-giving, uplifting faith is really very simple. The early church gave us a simple model for a life of faith with Jesus that offers hope and power for living, even in today's complicated world. It begins by connecting with God. And because God wants to connect with you, it's really pretty simple! Worship link: https://youtu.be/fqo1tVd4r-g
Peace is not a condition or state of circumstances; peace is a person - Jesus. Worship link: https://youtu.be/Rwlit4cCD2Q
There are few things in this life of which we can be sure. Just when we think we have things figured out, something unexpected pops up. In times like those, one can choose disappointment, anger, and despair or one can look to Jesus who is the foundation of our HOPE. Worship link: https://youtu.be/S2v3pzD6Iqo
The COVID-19 global pandemic, and all its accompanying disruptions, has challenged us in ways both foreseen and unexpected. Maybe one of the most unexpected consequences of the last six months has been the sense of grief we've experienced over losses both small and large. Some have experienced losses that are large and significant, losses like jobs and loved ones. Nearly everyone has experienced losses that are maybe less significant, but no less real.... time with friends and loved ones, milestone celebrations like graduations and weddings, and summer vacations. And then there are the less tangible losses like loss of a sense of freedom or the loss of a feeling of security. If you live your life connected with a church, you've known loss in that area of your life, too. In-person worship was absent for a long time, and a return to that practice is quite different than before. Helpful friendships and supportive relationships have been difficult to maintain. At Union Chapel Indy there has been significant construction on the building in our absence over these last months. Even the space will feel different when we experience it again. Grief is a natural response to loss, and it has its place in a healthy healing process. And we trust that God is in our grief with us. We also look to God for a way through the grief. Scripture promises, that even though "... weeping may linger for the night... joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5 NRSV) Even as we grieve the losses of recent months, God gives us the opportunity to choose another way. Though we may not feel happy, we can choose joy - with God and with confidence! Worship Link: https://youtu.be/Q2TttwIbLDo