Resurrection UMC / Overflow

The Kingdom of God is like…buried treasure, priceless pearls, and sorting fish. But what does Thomsonite, a very rare and valuable Lake Superior gemstone, have to do with that?

Perhaps nothing symbolizes God's conquering of the “forces of chaos” better than when the waters of chaos become the waters of baptism and Christ's people are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life of freedom, peace, and power.

During times of chaos, believers can take comfort in the fact that God is on the lookout 24/7 to bring protection and peace in the midst of life's rough waters.

Like the “unknown soldier” commemorated on Memorial Day, there are many persons who play significant roles in the bible whose names are unknown to us. But there are no “Nobodies” (no “Unknowns”) to God. We are all God's “Somebody.”

Some think this game of chance may lead to love. Anyone who's played it knows better. Real love is best demonstrated by God in his daily love for us, courtesy of Jesus.

This game only works when played together as a group. It's no fun with just two players and almost impossible alone. So, too, the Christian faith—it is made to do together with each other and together with the risen Jesus.

This game is simple: The green light means “Go!” and the red light means “Stop!” In practical terms, move it when Jesus says “go” and stop what you're doing when he says “stop”.

Jesus' sermon on the mount (turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, love your enemy, etc.) hits us hard where it counts most: how we treat others. Be honest…do you even want to do this?

In this game, you run to try and break through the linked arms of opposing players. Jesus' resurrection broke the barrier of sin & death. For us now, nothing more to fear; in its place: peace.

To win this game, avoid the floor (hot lava) while navigating between objects above the ground. Because one slip and you fall to your destruction. Kind of like avoiding temptation, isn't it?

This game is all about giving an item to others as quickly as possible, because if you get stuck with it, you lose. For believers, the same principle holds true: it's wiser to give than to get.

This game is based upon responding to what is heard, i.e. “listen up” if you want to win. And when Jesus says “listen up” he means for us to pay attention and do what he says.

The game of Sardines is over when everyone ends up gathered together in the same place. Coincidentally, it mirrors Jesus' vision for the church: everyone together in the same place.

In this game, saying “Duck, Duck, Goose” will leave a Minnesota kid just sitting there, clueless. Only using all “Ducks” makes it work. Using the right words is important.

We're told to seek the things of God, just as a child seeks out the hidden children in “Hide and Seek.” Jesus says, “Make the things of God a priority. Seek them first.” Okay…let's go do it!

Social worker…miracle worker…magician…blasphemer…prophet…revolutionary…future king…the list kept going. So, who was/is Jesus? Perception versus reality: the real Jesus is more than meets the eye.

Worried about the future? Many do, but God's already seen it with perfect clarity and lets us know that the future will turn out well for his followers. While we can't see into the future, can we trust the one who can?

Our eyes are often blind to our true situations when we think it's “us against the world” and God is nowhere to be seen. What peace would come to us if we looked at our situation from God's perspective?

What do people see as the greatest thing they could ever have? Wealth…Wisdom…Health…Reputation…? Admirable, but nothing really that great about them contrasted with God's ultimate GOAT: Love.

Mistakes happen. But ever feel like every day seems like a clone of the one before, where you are doomed to repeat the same old mistakes? Here's some good news: The past doesn't define us in God's eyes.

We often view prayer as an impersonal, cosmic Amazon order –“Give us what we want, when we want it, with free shipping.” But the Lord's prayer is quite the opposite. It's a relationship-based talk with God. Big difference.

Our view of what's fair is often a strict “tit for tat”…an “eye for an eye” kind of justice, usually colored with a lot of self-interest. God looks at fairness through the lenses of mercy, a much healthier perspective. See why.

We often make choices based on outward appearances and superficial characteristics. God looks at the inside – at the heart –and judges by those things that really matter.

After visiting the baby Jesus, the wise men were warned to go home by another way…a new road trip. Now that we've taken the journey to Christmas, do we follow our same old pathways or listen to God for some new routes?

God works for good in all things, but that doesn't mean everything is good. For example, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, i.e. good news for mankind. But also bad news since King Herod wants him dead, no matter what the cost.

It was baby-birthing time as Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem. No cushy room was to be had, though; instead, a lowly manger. And the Savior of the world was born. When there is no room, God finds a way.

The plain, ordinary town of Nazareth. We trek here and take note of the surprising places and people God uses to bring about the miracle of Christmas.

God is on the move as joy breaks in at a place not mentioned in the Bible to accompany our long, wayward journey to Christmas and the birth of Jesus.

Part of living is to trust that God is at work, even in the waiting, and that, when we might least expect it, God shows up in our lives.

Our Advent message series covers the strange journey to Bethlehem via an unexpected route. In the end, it all worked out, because it's where Christmas began. But it started in Rome. Find out why God chose places we'd never dream of to bring about the miracle of Jesus.

We wrap up our “Predicting A Winner” message series with the final key for living a victorious life: Creating “practices” of goodness. Make hospitality (and the other keys from this series) your default setting.

There are two keys to living a victorious life that don't need any lengthy theological interpretation. They just need to be put into practice.

What's the encouraging word for the believer who feels despair? We're not talking about election results here. No  just day-to-day living. (Guest speaker, Bill Robertson.)

Want to get even with someone who's wronged you? It's easy: Forgive them and let God merit out justice. Yeah, so “easy”…

We all have some gifts from Christ to be used for the common good. So use what you got in order to experience a winning life in Christ.

Think there's a typo in the title? Nope. But it's got you wondering. This message is about dealing with life's realities and possibilities, seeking truth, taking Godly action, and trusting the Lord with the outcomes. Guest speaker: Duane Sarazin

Ever try to make someone love you or make someone kind and considerate who isn't? Doesn't happen, because on our own we can't actually make peace happen. But, you can be a peacemaker.

The fourth key to a victorious life is to really love others and not fake it—where you don't have to hide your true self because you truly do love others, showing devotion and honor. It's a life free of hypocrisy.

The third key to a victorious life is to maintain your enthusiasm, energy, and passion for Christ. It's a combination of hope, patience, and faith that are all needed in the quest to emerge as a winner.

The second key to a victorious life in Christ is to take a clear, honest look at ourselves. Reality check: The world doesn't revolve around us and we are not nearly as important as we may/usually think we are.

We're not here to predict the outcome of the U.S. presidential race. But we are here to win the race of life. There are 10 keys that not only predict the likelihood of having a victorious life, they practically guarantee it. Here's the first key to winning the race.

What better way to wrap up a message series than with an all-time favorite dessert, apple pie. But there's more to the apple in the bible than meets the eye.

(Translation: Dandelion Leaves in Oil.) While dandelions are a tasty weed, oil is the duct tape of the bible– with a plethora of uses–including anointing with oil. Later, God uses the Holy Spirit in its place to anoint Jesus. And the rest is (our) history.

The fig tree is referred to often in the bible, usually as a sign of blessing and goodness. But fig trees that don't produce fruit get the ax. And Jesus applies this illustration to our present lives. The good news on is it's not over until it's over!

It's written that Jesus is referred to as the “lamb of God.” Well, if Jesus is the lamb of God, why in the world is Pastor Mark giving us a recipe for roast lamb?! It's time to explore this entrée mystery.

Ever seen grapes grow without being attached to a vine? Doubt it. Same goes for Christians, i.e. the only chance of having a fruitful life is by staying connected to Jesus.

Think God doesn't understand “dysfunctional family”? Look no further than the messed up home of twin brothers Jacob and Esau, where mere food was considered more important than a birthright.

We take a short break from our summer message series, Heaven's Kitchen, and instead feast on the Good News (a meal unto itself, specially prepared by the head chef, God), with a message from guest speaker and new Hastings resident, Pastor Bill Robertson.

Pastor Mark explains why God used milk & honey to describe prime real estate as part of our summer message series, Heaven's Kitchen.

Bible people ate more fish than meat. Not for heart health, weight loss, or because it was so tasty (it is), but because it was cheap and available. And Jesus chose fish because he knows us and speaks our language.

Imagine going back to slavery just to get veggies. The Israelites were leaning that way. And we're already making similar trade-offs.