Looking Toward Sunday

August Sermon Series

"The Four Things That Matter Most"

“Please forgive me.”

“I forgive you.”

“Thank you.”

“I love you.”

These are four simple statements with enormous power.  In many ways, they are the most powerful words in our language.  In his book The Four Things That Matter Most, Dr. Ira Byock (an international leader in palliative care) takes the experiences of people who were forced by serious illness to face the impending end of their relationships and distills those experiences into practical wisdom that can help any person at any time say and do the things that really matter most in their own life. 

Join us during the month of August as we focus on the “four things” and how practicing those life-affirming words of forgiveness, gratitude and love can mend, tend and nurture relationships.  

See you on Sunday!

Looking Toward Sunday

"Our True Identity"

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

July 12, 2015

Names are important. The names that we’re given and the names we take for ourselves define us. They form our identities and shape our actions. Some names we choose; others have been given to us (or forced on us). Some names build us up, others hold us down. Our labels become the lens through which we view ourselves and are viewed by others.

What is the name that most identifies you?

In the scripture reading we'll be using this Sunday (you can read it here), Paul reminds us of our real name, our real identity. No matter how powerful our earthly names may be, this is the name that ultimately defines us. This is the name given to us by God: "Beloved". 

What might be the impact if we were to truly claim that name? How might our lives be different if we embraced our primary identity as God's beloved child? How might it change how we see others if we were to acknowledge that their primary identity is also God's beloved child? Join us as we reflect on the power of names and the "love that makes us whole and holy".

See you on Sunday!

"Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, 

had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love."

Ephesians 1:4 (The Message)