Commitment to Community

This week’s scripture follows the story of Ruth and her Mother-in-law Naomi as the latter chooses to return to Israel after she loses her sons and husband. Pastor Cara Scriven uses a powerful clip from the TV series ‘The West Wing’ to help us to get into the mind of Naomi during our story. 

This week’s scripture follows the story of Ruth and her Mother-in-law Naomi as the latter chooses to return to Israel...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, October 13, 2019

You can view the clip from West Wing below.

Holy Presence

This week, our Scripture lesson focused on the story of Mose's encounter with God in a burning bush. Their subsequent conversation calls to mind a significant truth about identity according to Pastor Cara Scriven, with an episode of the Netflix series Black Mirror helping to elucidate the point.

This week, our Scripture lesson focused on the story of Mose's encounter with God in a burning bush. Their subsequent...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, September 29, 2019

Wrestling with God

In this week’s Scripture reading (Genesis 32:[9-13] 22-30), we join the story of Jacob as he returns to meet a brother from whom he had swindled his birthright. Finding himself in a vulnerable place, Jacob encounters God, famously wrestling an angel until he receives a blessing and a new name.

In her message, Pastor Cara Scriven shares how many of us find ourselves, at one time or another, like Jacob wrestling with God. These “dark nights of the soul” demand our attention, and their conclusion is far from inevitable.

In this week’s Scripture reading (Genesis 32:[9-13] 22-30), we join the story of Jacob as he returns to meet a brother...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, September 22, 2019

Promise of Laughter

In this week’s Scripture reading (Genesis 18:1-15), we encountered Abraham and Sarah learning from angelic visitors that they would have a son. Advanced as they were in age, can we fault Sarah for laughing at the thought?

“The life of faith requires us to remain open to possibility,” says the Pastor Cara Scriven in her message. This openness is not a call to deny reality but instead a reminder that God is still at work in the world. In fact, bring that hope is for others is our calling.

In this week’s Scripture reading (Genesis 18:1-15), we encountered Abraham and Sarah learning from angelic visitors that...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, September 15, 2019

Creating Relationship

This Sunday, we returned to the story of creation (Genesis 2:4b-7, 15-24) as Pastor Cara Scriven helped us to consider the meaning this ancient story holds for us today. During the sermon, we were asked to consider the following questions:

1. Who would you say is your community?

2. How is your relationship with that community? (disconnected, involved, burned out, need to re-engage, excited, etc.)

This Sunday, we returned to the story of creation (Genesis 2:4b-7, 15-24) as Pastor Cara Scriven helped us to consider...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, September 8, 2019

The Inspiration of She Bears

In her sermon this week, Rev. Cara Scriven offers some insight into the writing process of the Bible and how we should understand a key phrase in 2 Timothy (3:14-17) often used to define understandings of Biblical inspiration. The sermon also touches on a short passage (often appreciated by those who are follicly challenged (2 Kings 2:23-24).

In her sermon this week, Rev. Cara Scriven offers some insight into the writing process of the Bible and how we should...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, September 1, 2019

The Faith We Sing

In her message this week, Pastor Cara Scriven talks about the amazing way music can help us to learn and remember. She shares with us the benefits and challenges when it comes to the faith we find embedded in our songs, linked as they can be to nostalgic memories. Pastor Cara explains how this impacts the choices of music she makes for worship each week, offering as an example on this day how overly patriotic songs (which she tends to avoid) can give license to white nationalism.

In her message this week, Pastor Cara Scriven talks about the amazing way music can help us to learn and remember. She...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, August 4, 2019

Summer Sermon Series: Lego Movie 2

This week we continue our Summer Sermon Series at the Movies with a clip from the 2018 film “Lego Movie 2” and a familiar text from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4:4-9). In her message, Pastor Cara Scriven uses the humorous clip to help us to consider how positive framing can influence how we see the world and our ministry together, potentially impacting the ways we invite others to share in that work.

Due to licensing, please view that Youtube Clip below when it occurs.

This week we continue our Summer Sermon Series at the Movies with a clip from the 2018 film “Lego Movie 2” and a...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, July 28, 2019