Takin it to the streets
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
1M ago
We are saved by grace. That's the centerpiece of our faith: that God loves us so much that God chooses to save us, to redeem us, over, and over, and over again. We are grateful for that redemption. We come to church and thank God for that love that save us. Sunday mornings are a holy time, full of song, and prayer, and praise. But what about Monday mornings ..read more
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Reach out and touch someone
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
1M ago
This Sunday’s lectionary readings give us two very, very different healings from Jesus. One a Gentile, the other likely a Jew. One a woman, the other a man. One in Jesus’s own territory, one far away. One that was a remote healing, the other a very physical healing. These two stories were packaged together by the lectionary, different as they are. You gotta wonder why? What does it mean ..read more
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Mind the gap
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
2M ago
There were a lot of rules in ancient Judaism. We talk about the Ten Commandments, but there were actually 613 commandments in the Hebrew scriptures. And too often, those who were “in charge” of the faith spent too much time with their checklists keeping track of who was or was not doing what, and not enough time with their hearts, sharing compassion, and fellowship, and love. Sound familiar ..read more
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Suit up!
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
2M ago
The Apostle Paul instructs the churches in Ephesus on the proper wearing of the “full armor of God.” I don’t know about you, but these days when I think of “armor” I think of Iron Man, and that might not be the most helpful mental image when we think about God’s armor. This Sunday, we’ll talk about what it means to “suit up” in God’s armor ..read more
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Solomon’s choice
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
2M ago
We all have moments in our lives when we face a clear choice: to act wisely or to act foolishly. It’s not always an easy choice to make; it’s not always even apparent that the choice is in front of us when it is. But, if we pay attention, to our surroundings, our circumstances, and, of course, the Holy Spirit, we can trust that we’ll be able to recognize the right choice when the time comes ..read more
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How much anger is too much anger?
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
2M ago
Anger is a curious emotion. Mostly, when we feel it, even when we feel it’s justified, it doesn’t feel too good. We wish we felt otherwise. And there’s this feeling of guilt we get when our anger takes ahold of us. Some people even say anger is a sin. But it isn’t. And we have the best example of how powerfully good anger can be, because Jesus got angry. Pretty often. Let’s talk about what it means to have anger as a forging fire ..read more
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Follow me
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
3M ago
This Sunday we'll take a look at one of the little details we don't notice about the feeding of the 5000; namely that it all happened because Andrew, one of the Twelve, set things in motion. Because that's what Andrew does. Maybe we should take our cue from Andrew ..read more
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Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
3M ago
It seems our society is growing ever increasingly divided. We are divided red and blue, progressive and conservative, straight and LGBTQIA, rich and poor, native and non-native. We are divided by our gender, our gender identity, and our sexual preference. We are divided by race. We are simply divided, and it seems like it's growing worse, every day. I don't know if should comfort us, or frighten us, to know that the author of Ephesians would tell us this: the more things change, the more they stay the same ..read more
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Dance with me
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
3M ago
In this weekend's readings, we see David, the warrior and King, do something at least one person thought was unworthy of someone of his position: he danced with all his might. But what David was doing was worshipping God in the best way he knew how, and who is anyone to question that ..read more
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What’s the point?
First United Methodist Church of Pittsfield
by Pastor Steve
4M ago
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