"Transformation in Christ--Changing lives inside and out." ~Romans 12:2 United Methodist Church in Williamsport, PA dedicated to spreading the gospel through invitation, sending, teaching, and prayer.
God is awesome.Hosea 6:1-6Reverend Janet DurrwachterJune 22, 2025
Micah reminds us that we cannot come before the Lord casually on our own, but that as God provides the Way we shall be empowered to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God in order to do what is good.Micah 6:1-8Reverend Matthew LakeJune 15, 2025
God empowers all of us through the Holy Spirit to use our voices to share the good news of Jesus with everyone.Acts 2:1-4, 14-16, 37-47Reverend Matthew LakeJune 8, 2025 (Pentecost)
When we are open to the promptings of God's Holy Spirit and willing to take a posture of curiosity with others in close proximity to them, God opens up natural opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with others.
Jesus changes everything, often over food.Matthew 13:44-46Michael GlazierMay 25, 2025
Our lives naturally reflect the Good News of Jesus when we act and speak in distinct ways that are graceful and truth-filled.John 8:2-11Reverend Matthew LakeMay 18, 2025 (Graduate Recognition)
We can effectively share the good news of Jesus when we walk joyfully alongside others.Luke 24:13-35Reverend Matthew LakeMay 11, 2025 (Mother's Day)
As we consider sharing the good news of Jesus with others from a posture of compassion, we must first realize and embrace the good news of Jesus in our own lives.John 20:11-17Reverend Matthew LakeMay 4, 2025
Abiding prepares us to share the good news of Jesus and the difference that it is making today in our life.John 20:1-18Reverend Janet DurrwachterApril 27, 2025
Abiding allows us to repeatedly experience the personal reality of the Risen Christ.John 20:1-20Reverend Matthew LakeApril 20, 2025
Abiding in Christ redefines our expectations by helping us connect with Jesus rather than observing Jesus from a distance.John 12:12-16Reverend Matthew LakeApril 13, 2025
Abiding in God's word fortifies us so we can be resilient in overcoming temptation.Matthew 4:1-11Reverend Matthew LakeApril 6, 2025
Abiding requires trust that God sees us and is in control, even when we can't see God. Genesis 21:8-21Reverend Janet DurrwachterMarch 30, 2025
When we abide with God, spiritual and non-spiritual needs are met. We are reassured that God is in control, and that we are not alone in our despair.1 Kings 19:1-18Reverend Matthew LakeMarch 23, 2025
Jonah shows us the transformative power, peace, presence, and challenge that abiding in God fosters.Jonah 1:1-4, 11-12, 17; 2:1; 3:1, 7-10Reverend Matthew LakeMarch 16, 2025
Abiding in Christ necessitates us to model after Abraham; to trust God as we walk into the unknown.Genesis 12:1-4, Genesis 15:1-6Reverend Matthew LakeMarch 9, 2025
We must be aware of the desires of our heart, so our actions can honor God.Exodus 20:1-17Reverend Matthew LakeMarch 2, 2025
The truth will set you free.Exodus 20:1-16Dr. Benjamin ConradFebruary 23, 2025
God invites us to live distinctly by trusting Him to care for all our needs, thereby rejecting the impulse to steal from others.Exodus 20:1-15Reverend Matthew LakeFebruary 16, 2025
Living into a life of no adultery fosters a deeper foundation in God that allows us to experience intimate love with God and our spouses in the community of God's people called the church. Exodus 20:1-14Reverend Matthew LakeFebruary 9, 2025
The sixth commandment reminds us that giving and taking life is God's responsibility. We live distinct lives when we choose to see people as God sees them and to treat them accordingly.Exodus 20:1-13Reverend Matthew LakeFebruary 2, 2025
Our relationship with our father and mother lays a foundation that affects all our other relationships. God wants all of us to live a life of freedom, and we aren't going to be able to do that if we can't honor our parents. Exodus 20:1-12 Reverend Janet Durrwachter January 26, 2025
Sabbath rest is not an escape from reality. Sabbath rest is an incredibly significant way to fully live into God's reality as the distinct people of God. Exodus 20:1-11 Reverend Matthew Lake January 19, 2025
Honoring the name of the one, true, Triune God through obedience is a way to live into joy and embrace our identity and distinctiveness as children of God. Exodus 20:1-7 Reverend Matthew Lake January 12, 2025
The ten commandments are not simply a check list of moral rules to follow. They are commandments by which we live as the distinctive people of God. Exodus 19:3-6; Exodus 20:1-6; 1 Peter 2:9 Reverend Matthew Lake January 5, 2025
Jesus, born in the flesh as the Son of God, is an unexpected event for which words are not fully adequate. The birth of Christ deserves pondering in our heart and celebration with our whole being. Luke 2:1-20 Reverend Matthew Lake December 24, 2024
In Joseph, we understand that we are called to act in accordance with what God wants: quietly, obediently, whether we fully understand or not, and whether we were expecting it or not. Matthew 1:18-25 Reverend Matthew Lake December 22, 2024
Luke 1:39-55 Caroline Glazier December 15, 2024 (Advent: Joy)
Through the vulnerable vessel of a child, God will bring forth peace in such a way that all of Creation and all of humanity will rejoice and learn to live without fear in the incredible beauty of that peace. Isaiah 35 Reverend Matthew Lake December 8, 2024 (Advent: Peace)
Prepare for Christmas by repenting so that you can experience the hope that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Matthew 3:1-12 Reverend Janet Durrwachter December 1, 2024
By keeping our eyes fixed on the Sovereign Lord, we realize we are part of something greater than ourselves where God can do more than we ask or imagine throughout the generations. Psalm 141:8, Ephesians 5:25-27, and Ephesians 2:19-22 Reverend Matt Lake November 24, 2024
Sharing the faith from one generation may be the most significant thing a Christian can do. We can invest in future generations today by partnering in the Jubilee Vision campaign which seeks to lay a foundation of faith, establish a bedrock of well-being, and offer liberation from debt. Leviticus 25:10, 12a and 2 Timothy 1:3-8 Reverend Matthew Lake November 17, 2024
The church, as God's people, choose to invest in the community in which they find themselves so that they and the entire community may prosper. Leviticus 25:10, 12a and Jeremiah 29:4-7 Reverend Matthew Lke November 10, 2024
God calls us to love our children by welcoming them and training them up in the ways of the Lord. In the spirit of Jubilee, the people of First Church seek to lay a strong faith foundation for our kids today and tomorrow through their prayers, time, and financial resources. Matthew 18:1-5, James 3:5b, and Leviticus 25:10, 12a Reverend Matthew Lake November 3, 2024 (All Saints Day)
We experience praise as a way of life when we live into the reality of Jubilee. Psalm 150 Pastor Matthew Lake October 27, 2024
God's pursuing kindness and love provide a jubilee rest that is both comforting and challenging in life's good and dark times. Psalm 23 Reverend Matt Lake October 20, 2024
Jubilee restoration is discovered through the surprising practice of lament. Psalm 80 Reverend Matt Lake October 13, 2024
We experience the liberation found in Jubilee when we remember. Psalm 103 Reverend Matt Lake October 6, 2024
The Psalms teach us to pray through our negative emotions which builds our trust in God and allows us to live as a Jubilee people. Psalm 3 Reverend Janet Durrwachter September 29, 2024
Meditating on God's Word allows us to experience the Kingdom of God amidst life's highs and lows. Psalm 1 Reverend Dr. Matt Lake September 22, 2024
The Kingship of Christ is experienced when we realize that the Lord is the author of glory, that we struggle to find glory in our own strength, and that Christ alone creates a way to His glory. When the reality of this “song” fills our souls we become equipped to share God's glory through Jubilee.
Psalms form us into a Jubilee people by changing our perspective to focus on praising God.
The Beatitudes show us that offering peace and enduring persecution are ultimately good news that strengthen us to make God's Kingdom available to everyone.
In proclaiming the Beatitudes, Jesus showed that no human condition excludes God's blessing; the Kingdom of God is available to everyone.
The good life is found in ways and places we do not expect, like in mourning and in meekness.
When Jesus teaches “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,” He intends for this to be a way of life to be experienced now. The Beatitudes are not meant to be aspirational or theoretical, but rather they are meant to define the reality we live into today in the Kingdom of God.
You are invited to not just learn about the Kingdom of God, but to step into that Kingdom and receive the unconditional, scandalous, and incomprehensible love of God.
The kingdom of God is where we receive the Father's scandalous love.
The kingdom of God is where we receive the Father's unconditional love.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is not just an “example story” about the importance of showing humanitarian compassion to all people by being like the Samaritan traveler. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God no people are considered to be “others.”
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