A Life That Matters Archives — Good Shepherd United Methodist Church

Everyone Who Belongs

Good Shepherd United Methodist Church — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 15:08:00 +0000

Reign of Christ Sunday is a marker for the end of the liturgical year. It is a way of saying we wrap up a year’s worth of worship by claiming again whose we are. We reiterate our mission – to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The emphasis this week is in the middle – “of Jesus Christ.” That is the kind of disciple that we are. We aren’t disciples of our own wisdom; we aren’t disciples following the winds of this world. We are disciples of Jesus Christ.

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Not One Stone

Good Shepherd United Methodist Church — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 15:01:00 +0000

Taking the long view. Foresight? Perspective? It’s hard to find a word that can sum up the attribute Mark 13:1-8 invites us to consider. In the story, the disciples are wowed by the seeming permanence and strength of the temple building. But Jesus says it won’t last. He is asking us to look beyond the moment toward a future realization of the kin-dom that is coming. Note that he isn’t asking us to ignore the moment, to be blind to the realities of the world as it is right now. But he is asking us to not put all our hope in what we see and to work for what is coming but is not yet here.

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Everything She Had

Good Shepherd United Methodist Church — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 14:52:00 +0000

The first attribute of a Life that Matters that we will examine is generosity. Maybe this is an opportunity to refresh our call to stewardship. Stewardship isn’t something that should be heard only once a year and then when we are asking for a commitment to give. Generosity, as reflected in our gospel text this week, is about how we hold the stuff of this life lightly, even as we hold people and Christ tightly.

But on the one hand, we have “beware the scribes . . . devouring the widows’ houses,” and on the other, we have “she has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” There is something of a contrast here, maybe some redefining of the kind of life we are called to live. So what do we need to redefine in our own lives? Join us as we begin A Life that Matters with Mark 12:38-44 and Everything She Had.

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