Welcome To Our Church
"We are a neighborhood church that is intellectually challenging, emotionally stimulating and spiritually nourishing. We treasure children and you. We respect diversity. We encourage theological inquiry. We celebrate worship. We love to be together. We are always engaged in mission. We are biblically grounded United Methodists. We invite you to experience this community of faith for yourself." Rev. Jack Soper, Senior Pastor.
Sunday Worship: 8:30am & 11:00am
Sunday School: 9:45am-10:45am
Youth Fellowship: Sunday 4:30pm - 7:00pm
Infant and Kindergarten childcare available during worship services and all church activities. Visit our childcare page for more information.
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Epiphany
In the Greek Orthodox Church the Day of Epiphany is considered to be a day that is higher in holiness than Christmas. I think that Orthodox Christians may have their focus in the right place.
We have allowed ourselves to be distracted. We have allowed the emphasis on Christmas to consist of gift giving with all of the trimmings. Even then Christmas is wonderful, particularly when candlelight is passed from one person to another while we sing “Silent Night” on Christmas Eve. There is more to appreciate.
Advent is the season when we get ready for Christ’s birth while Epiphany allows us good time to sort out what Christ’s birth means and how brightly the sacred shines.
The word Epiphany comes from the Greek word meaning appearance, or manifestation. In the season that begins this Sunday (Jan. 4) we ask questions about how it was that Jesus of Nazareth revealed the nature and essence of God so brightly. We claim that Christ was God incarnate so through him the Divine was revealed.
We have a variety of passages from the various gospels that have to do with the revelation of the Divine through Christ. The Magi were led by a star, a cosmic event, to see Jesus as the one who revealed the illumination of the Creator. It wasn’t the star in the east that changed the course of the Magi but the baby to whom they were led.
Luke tells us that after the Easter event, Jesus was on the road to Emmaus with two disciples who didn’t recognize him until the end of their journey when he broke bread with them at supper. Through an experience reminiscent of Holy Communion the Divine was revealed.
John is clear when he tells us that whenever we witness the appearance of grace we are experiencing the presence of God. John writes, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us … full of grace and truth.”
“Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.” — Anne Dillard
The Season of Epiphany is that time when we pay careful attention. We look for those occasions when God’s grace is evident. I find the writing of Anne Dillard to be most insightful. She wrote, “Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.” I believe she’s right. I believe that God’s grace fills the atmosphere of our lives. Also, the glory of encountering sacred grace has a whole lot to do with how we position ourselves to be receptive.
If we look for it, grace and love will be found. That’s a decision, isn’t it? It’s for us to resolve that we will search for grace wherever it will be revealed. It’s God’s choice to reveal the holy while it’s our decision to pay attention. It will be found then and we will be blessed because through worship during the Season of Epiphany we will look for it and expect it.
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