Fourth Sunday of Advent - Love

In this week's Scripture reading (Luke 1:57-80) we hear again the story the birth and naming of John the Baptist. His soon-to-be father Zechariah had been struck mute for doubting the angel who told of his birth, as Zechariah and Elizabeth were very old.

Pastor Cara Scriven asks us if we, like Zechariah, doubt that God is at work in the world today. With the many difficult things we've experienced over the last year, are we struggling to believe that the light is coming?

In this week's Scripture reading (Luke 1:57-80) we hear again the story the birth and naming of John the Baptist. His...

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

Opening Ourselves to Hope

On this first Sunday of Advent, we encountered stories of hope and disrupted expectation (Jeremiah 33:14-18; Luke 1:5-20). 

In her lesson for the day, Pastor Cara Scriven draws out a helpful distinction between hope and wishing, using two stories to illustrate how our openness to hope can make space for new encounters with God.

On this first Sunday of Advent, we encountered stories of hope and disrupted expectation (Jeremiah 33:14-18; Luke...

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

Restoration

Our Scripture lesson this week came from 2 Kings 22:14-23:3 recounting the story of the young King Hosiah who instituted a significant covenantal renewal in the Kingdom of Judah known as the Deuteronomic Reform.

Pastor Cara Scriven shares how this difficult action, undertaken despite the assurance that there would be no direct positive impact for Hosiah during his lifetime, left a lasting legacy. Would we make a similar reformation of the way we live, or the way we worship, if order to benefit a future we’ll never know?

Our Scripture lesson this week came from 2 Kings 22:14-23:3 recounting the story of the young King Hosiah who instituted...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, November 24, 2019

Hope to Come

This week’s reading comes from the prophet Isaiah (5:1-7; 11:1-5) where God promises a faithful king who will judge with righteousness. For most Christians, we see this promise fulfilled in the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Reflecting on the text, Pastor Cara Scriven shares her own story of brokenness this week, and how the hope found in Isaiah and elsewhere in Scripture saved her.

This week’s reading comes from the prophet Isaiah (5:1-7; 11:1-5) where God promises a faithful king who will judge with...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Brokenness

This week’s lesson comes from the prophet Hosea (11:1-9) who delivered a difficult message for the divided Kingdom of Israel. God would not rescue the people from the consequences of their actions, even though God would not cease to love.

Reflecting on the text, Pastor Cara Scriven preaches candidly of the brokenness she has experienced in our community. She challenges us to reach outside of the comfort silos we often erect, to speak to people who see the world differently, and to forge a clearer identity so new people will know with more clarity who we are and what we believe.

This week’s lesson comes from the prophet Hosea (11:1-9) who delivered a difficult message for the divided Kingdom of...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, November 10, 2019

Faithfulness to Community

On this Sunday where we remembered the Saints who have made clear the presense of God to us, we encounter a strange story of competing sacrifices where the prophet Elijah did the miraculous (I Kings 18:22-39) to display the power of God.

In her lesson, Pastor Cara Scriven challenges us to dream together about what our church can do today to make God known, and how we will work to make it so.

On this Sunday where we remembered the Saints who have made clear the presense of God to us, we encounter a strange...

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, November 3, 2019

Wisdom of Community

This week we looked at the story of King David’s descendant Jeroboam and how a lack of wisdom exacerbated a split of the kingdom (1 Kings 12:1-17). As part of Pastor Cara Scriven’s message, we learned about the impact of service from members Sabrina Banuelos and Mary Kohli and the life wisdom it provides.

Wisdom of Community

This week we looked at the story of King David’s descendant Jeroboam and how a lack of wisdom exacerbated a split of the kingdom (1 Kings 12:1-17). As part of Pastor Cara Scriven’s message, we learned about the impact of service from members Sabrina Banuelos and Mary Kohli and the life wisdom it provides.

Posted by Puyallup United Methodist Church on Sunday, October 27, 2019

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.