Bethany UMC

A special day at Bethany. A time of Worship our God, a time to honor the men and women who have given their lives in service to our nation and a time to celebrate our 2020 Graduates. The sermon is "Dreams and Visions".

Isaiah 1: 10-17 Here we are back at church. Outside yes, but back, gathered together and on Mother’s Day. I have wondered during this difficult time why it has all happened. Could it be God got tired of some of us playing church? Is it not time, we got back to church, the way God intended it to be?

Ian Simmons, brings the message for Bethany of Wanchese. The scripture for today's sermon is Psalm 143. David is contending for the Lord to hear his prayer. Although it sounds almost like a formal request, is he not simply begging earnestly? Is that not what we do when we really want God to hear our prayer?

Acts 4:11 and Numbers 20: 7-12 Franklin Graham’s advice for Governor Andrew Cuomo, to be careful about what you take credit for, is good for us as well. We all must be careful about taking credit for the work of God. When you'er thirsty, if you turn on the man-made faucet or go to the river, remember God still brings the water. The world may reject you for your beliefs, but it is not you they reject, it is the Jesus that lives within you. The same Jesus whom some have seen as a stumbling block is to those who know Him, the chief cornerstone of our faith. He is the only reliable foundation on which we can build our lives.

We need to just be quite and listen to the voice of Jesus. We need to be still and know that He is God. We need to listen to the voice of Jesus and follow his resurrection presence into this world. We need to listen to the voice of Jesus and act like Jesus would act in this world. We need to listen to the voice of Jesus and then be His voice to those who for whatever reason may have never heard him. John 19: 29-39

Easter Sunday Sermon, from Bethany in Wanchese. John 20: 11-18 and Genesis 32:22-31. Like Mary we must cling to Jesus, like Jacob we must hold on to God! Wrestle with God, hold on to Him and don’t let go, that He will bless us, that we may gather together once more, in His House, in His Name. Amen

Luke 22: 39-46, In the midst of His humanness we hear Jesus crying out to God “Let this cup pass from me”. But Jesus did not stop there. There was something after that. He prayed, “NEVERTHELESS”. NEVERTHELESS, is the very essence of who we are supposed to be as followers of Christ. After that nevertheless is the ultimate test of our Christian character. That is the test of our loyalty, not to man or our own desires, but to God. “Let this cup pass from me, NEVERTHELESS, not my will, but Thy will be done”. Praise God!

John 2: 13-23 Life comes when we stand on the resurrection side of the cross. He who believes has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but passes out of death into life. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life; No one comes to the father, but through me.” Find a place soon where you can kneel in prayer. Ask yourself, on which side of the cross do you stand? During this time of Lent ask yourself, who or what is your real temple or your real altar? What do you really worship? Ask Jesus to come in and cleanse your heart like He did the temple and cast out anything and everything that is not of Him

Sunday, March 22,2020, Sermon from Bethany in Wanchese, NC. While praying this week in the sanctuary I was struck by the beauty of our church and how blessed we are to be able to worship here. The video accompanying the sermon is composed of pictures taken in and around the church with my phone. We look forward to the day when we once again, worship here. “How Will You Respond?”( to the pandemic)The scripture is from Psalm 27: 1-5. Bethany UMC, PO Box 239, Wanchese, NC 27981

Matthew 4: 1-11 “The Temptation of Jesus”

Romans 8:23, 31 - 32, 35, 38 - 39 God sees the treasure in our broken lives.

Exodus 24:12 - 18 Guest Speaker, Rev. Susie Fitch-Slater, Pastor at Ocracoke UMC. Rev. Susie was rasied in Wanchese at Bethany UMC.

THE LAST WORD, John 19: 16 & 26-30 Luke: 23”: 33-34 & 39-43 & 46 (Luke 23:34). "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" Forgive them. Who are they? The wonder of this Word from the Cross is that there is forgiveness. Forgiveness for the disciples who forsook Jesus and fled in the night. Forgiveness for those who cried out for his crucifixion. Forgiveness for the soldiers who nailed him to the tree. Forgiveness for the bitter hearts of his religious enemies, the priests and teachers. Forgiveness for those who stood by and did nothing to stop it. Forgiveness for every person who has ever sinned or made a mistake.

Matthew 18: 1-6 Luke 18: 15-17 Today we are once again celebrating our youth and time of worship with them. As we read the scriptures, I hope all of us were reminded of how Jesus responded to children. How he invited them to come to him; how he welcomed them, and took them in his arms, and prayed for them. Jesus didn’t view children as an annoyance or an interruption; he didn’t consider them unworthy of his time and attention. On the contrary, he held them up as examples of faith; as illustrations of how we must approach God if we are going to enter the kingdom of heaven.

(1 Cor 11:28-32) But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. It is rather interesting to me that in the medical profession, doctors will so frequently encourage the practice of self-examination. Self-examination does not necessarily prevent disease. It helps to find problems and to minimize the impact the disease has, and provide the swiftest, least painful cure. That is exactly the same purpose that self-examination has for the Christian. You and I are sinners. We are going to sin; if we “let it go,” it will become a habit of vice that can be very hard to break. But if we catch it early, God, the Great Physician, can deal with it gently and root it out.

Acts 17: 1-9 The Kingdom of God should turn the business of the world upside down, but sometimes it looks like the church is the one being turned upside down.

Luke 7: 1-10 WHAT A STORY OF FAITH. The Roman Centurion sent the Jewish leaders of all people to get Jesus to come to his house and heal his servant, but before Jesus can get there the Centurion sends some of his friends who tell Jesus he is not worthy for Jesus to come into his house just say the word, just speak it and my servant will be healed. THAT IS EXCEPTIONAL FAITH. That is the kind of faith that should be found everywhere, and not just then, but now as well. That should be the norm, not the exception.

Matthew 3: 13-17 This is one of our core beliefs as Christians. This is a defining moment of truth.

Epiphiany Sunday. Matthew 2:1-12

Ephesians 1: 3-14 2020 New Year Sermon. Are you ready?

Sermon for Christmas 2019 from Bethany in Wanchese. " O Holy Night"

Thanksgiving. Listen to the news, the economy of the US today is the best in the world, yet we still treat each other horably. Who or what is to blame? What can we do? Change the president, change congress, change the gun laws, change the definition of sin, change what ever you want, but until their is a change of heart, which only Jesus can do, there will be no change of real and eternal consequence. Luke 17: 11-19

Gene Garrison of the Dare/Currituck Camp gives Bethany an update on the Gideon Ministry. Psalm 119

"What Does it Take to Become a Veteran" Retired Coast Guardsman, Edward Mann brings the word on Veterans Sunday at Bethany in Wanchese. NC Scripture 2 Timothy 2:3 - 4

1 Timothy 1:12-17. Ginger Shackelford shares her testimony, on Laity Sunday at Bethany.

Matthew 11:28-30, 2 Corinthians 6: 14-17 The scriptures today use the example of a yoke to describe relationships each of us may have with other people and with God. They may be applied to many areas across our life.

Isaiah 6: 1-8 A question I have asked before and maybe you have asked yourself. Why are you here today, in this worship service? Most Christians meet on the first day of the week to celebrate Christ’s victory over sin & death. We celebrate our salvation, & the promise of everlasting life. Now that’s reason for celebration! But there are chores to be done at home, books to read, movies to see, video games to play, sports to watch, and web sites to surf. What motivates us to abandon the television and postpone a visit to the beach in order to worship?

Storms Matthew 14: 22-32 Sometimes the sea is calm and the wind blows softly. But other times the wind grows strong, the sky becomes dark, and we find ourselves in the midst of a bad storm. We know that's the way life is. Today our mind is on a natural disaster: a hurricane. It could be a typhoon, earthquake, drought, volcano, flood, tidal wave, or a tornado. Insurance companies call these “acts of God,” Often, particularly down in the islands the people who are killed are the weak, the old and the helpless. Does God set out to kill the weak and the powerless? I don’t believe that. Hurricanes are as much a part of the weather as a pleasant day in September. It is just a natural part of weather. It is a part we don’t like. These storms are destructive and they hurt and kill.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, Jeremiah 1:10, 2 Timothy 4:3, Acts 7:54-60 This is a message about strongholds. A stronghold is an argument against the knowledge of God. Strongholds are of Satan and are based on the pretense of logic. There are personal strongholds in believers and non believers. There are corporate or social – strongholds, when a business, a school system, or an entity in our society embraces ungodly world views and there are strongholds in some leaders and governments.

2 Kings 5: 1-19 Naaman was the commander. He had many victories to his credit. He had a certain perception of himself as a result of his success as a warrior. I think we can tell this by how he expected to be treated and how he reacted when Isaiah did not come to him personally, but sent someone else to talk with him. We may not perceive ourselves to be a great warrior, but we all have some perception, some image in our minds of who we are

Ezekeil 37: 1-10 GOD USES A MAN to speak. You don’t have to be a preacher or a bible study teacher. You just need to be who you are, who God made you and be obedient to His call. You don’t have to worry about what you are going to say. He has given us the message. “JESUS SAVES”. We pray GOD SEND REVIVAL and God says I SEND YOU. Who will be His voice?

Mark 6:30-32 and Matthew 8: 23-27. It is summer and many folks go on vacation, but we can't take a vacation from God. Also, Pastor Ken shares about his recent heart attack and the peace that passes all understanding, when we rest in God.

Psalm 100 and John 14:15 - 31 . Former Pastor, Rev. Dr. Jerry Jackson returns to Bethany on this Sunday to deliver a sermon inspired by The Holy Spirit.

Jesus heals the woman on the Sabbath. A spirit had bent her back. The Synagogue official had a spirit of legalism, which was bending his soul. Jesus had a spirit of compassion and the people had a spirit of joy when they saw what Jesus had done. What spirit do people, bent with the weight of the world on their shoulders, find when they come to your church? Luke 13:10-17

Deuteronomy 8: 7-14 & 19 "Watch out! Don't forget God" A celebration of the Declaration of Independence for our nation and our Deceleration of Dependence on God.

In our desires to see our pews filled and all saved, do we compromise the word of God to the point everyone feels comfortable in church and even in their sins? Genesis 21:8-14 and Proverbs 14:12 There is a way, that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.

Not a sermon on the mount, but a sermon on the amount, 10% that is from Malachi 3:8-12

A Christmas message on Father's Day. What we can learn from Joseph. Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 22: 15-22. Confirmation Sunday. God or Caesar?

Acts 17:22-31 God knows the unknown soldiers buried at Arlington Cemetery and he knows you.

A beautiful decoy starts as a block of wood, cut from a tree. Try to imagine when we are saved, we are given a block of wood called religion. It has to be chiseled, carved and sanded to reveal the beauty of Faith. In Luke 17: 1-10 Jesus outline three steps on this journey of faith.

Mother's Day Sermon, 2019. Testimonies from the congregation were omitted from this recording.

John 20:1-9 When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus, it was still dark. The world was a dark place before Easter and today many are still in the dark, as to the meaning of Easter and the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from dead.

Journey through the scriptures with Jesus to Calvary

Forest Davis shares the message at Bethany in Wanchese. On this Sunday we celebrated the preschool. Forest attended the preschool and grew up in the church, accepting Christ as his savior while at Bethany. He speaks from Matthew 6:19-21. It always a blessing to hear our young adults share the word of God.

From the Book of Job. We don't always get the answer, when we ask the question why, but God provides a way through and calls on us to come along side others and help during their time of suffering.

Matthew 25: 14-30 When the master returned, he praised the first two men for they had doubled his money and he put them in charge of even more things. But the third servant, blamed the master for him, not doing anything with the talent, in a way he accused the master of demanding more than was reasonable, out of proportion to what he had given him. He even went so far as to say he was afraid. I would say he was worried about what he perceived as his own inability to do what he was called to do. When God speaks to you, when He calls you, you can’t respond based on your education, your knowledge, or your own understanding. Your ability to respond in spiritual things, is measured by the promises of God. If you try to answer God’s call with your own ability, before long you will fail and worry will set in and you will find yourself like the servant blaming God. “God you expect more of me than you give me power to do.” “You demand too much of me” “I can not do what you ask of me because of where you, God, have placed me”

(Exodus 19:4-6). “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites”. With a contract, negotiations come before delivery. In A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP, GOD DOES SOMETHING FIRST

Joel 2:1-11 "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires of you.

Philippians 4: 1-9 Verse 4 does not say “WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT, REJOICE IN THE LORD”, or “WHEN EVERYTHING IS GOING YOUR WAY REJOICE IN THE LORD.” it clearly and plainly states REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, AGAIN I WILL SAY REJOICE.

The Lord's Supper is the most important part of our worship service. 1 Peter 1: 17-25. We may forget the words to the songs, or the words spoken during the sermon, but we can never forget what Jesus did for us on Calvary.