Unity Presbyterian - Denver, NC

This week, we celebrate our fathers, and the father of us all, our Father God. The word father has different meanings for us all, depending on our own family experiences, so it is important to see what the bible has to say about God and the qualities of a good father. We will dig into Psalm 103 as we explore the themes of love and compassion. Thanks to Pastor Reed Conley of Artisan Church for being our guest pastor this week.

This week is Pentecost, the day we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit, given to us by Jesus to be our advocate, our friend, and our guide. Pentecost is a powerful reminder that God is still moving, still breathing life into weary hearts, still stirring up courage in places we least expect. The Holy Spirit wasn't a one-time gift for a group of first-century believers. That same Spirit is still given to us today. So this week we ask "Where is God showing up in our lives today?"

This week, Pastor Dana begins a short series on the Power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the mysterious part of the Trinity and doesn't get talked about as much as God the Father and Jesus Christ, probably because the early church focused more on Jesus and his divinity. But it is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of Jesus' teachings, who urges us to open our minds and hearts, who helps us pay attention to the lessons around us. The Holy Spirit completes the Trinity in a way that keeps us in touch with our spirituality on a day to day basis.

Didf you need help finding a gift for Mother's day? Let's see what David came up with as we explore the story of Moses' mother Jochebed.

Do you have any strained relationships that could use some help? Well, so did Jesus! In fact, he was on the outs with his best friend, Peter. This week in worship, we watch as they reconcile their relationship, and Jesus gives Peter a new mission. 

This week in worship, Pastor David takes a look at the authority of Jesus. Where did Jesus get the power to speak? Who gave him the leadership ability to stand up to the Pharisees? What voices speak to you the loudest in your life?   

Happy Easter! Christ has Risen! How can you understand the resurrection The journey of faith begins with one step. Keep trying to learn more. Week by week you will be amazed what God will do through these times of worship and exploration. Find time to go open your Bibles. Read the Gospels— Matthew, Mark, Luke and John— to immerse yourself in Jesus' story. Finally, go outside and look for signs of resurrection happening in our world. New leaves, blossoms, and new life all point to resurrection. 

This week in worship is the fourth week of Lent, and we journey closer to the cross. Pastor Dana looks at the Power of the Cross, and the places we turn when we don't know where to go. 

This week in worship, we celebrate Commitment Sunday for our Capital Campaign. As we reflect on 261 years of faithfulness from the people of Unity, we recognize how amazing Unity is today because of those who came before us. With gratitude, we say “Thank You” for their dedication while making our own commitments to Unity's future. As we enter the third week of Lent, let this be a time of prayer and reflection, seeking the many ways God calls you into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

In this week's worship, we talk about the future. Most of us plan for our own future, but have you thought about what you're leaving for future generations? Not only as an inheritance, but as a legacy, a continuation of what your parents and grandparents taught you. Will your children, and their children, know that God was an important part of your life? Will God be an important part of their lives? Lent gives us time to reflect on our relationship with God and how we might grow closer and help our families in their walk of faith, too.

This week's worship continues with a look at generosity. What does it mean to practice generosity? What do you have to do? What happens when you're generous to others? We're in the middle of our sermon series surrounding the capital campaign and have a lot to discuss, not just about money, but about the state of our hearts.

We kick off a new sermon series this week based on our Capital Campaign - Our Legacy, Our Future: Faithfully Together. Unity has been a faithful church for over 260 years, and that doesn't happen by accident. There are many people who have intentionally worshiped, prayed, and given throughout these years to see that what we have today exists. We will talk about their faithfulness and ours as we begin this new series.

Our last metaphor for God is wind, which happens to share a definition in Greek with Spirit. Like the wind, God is an invisible force with a very visible presence, and also a bit of mystery. We don't know where the wind comes from or often where it is going, and we certainly don't have much control over it. But it can be used to power our lives in very positive ways.

"God is a consuming fire..." This is our metaphor for the week. Most of us have never refined silver or gold, but most of us have been through tough times where God is seeking to purify us. The fire can be a metaphor for the challenges or tough circumstances of life. This is the place where we come closer to God, reaching out to Him in a way that our comfortable lives don't allow.

Why don't we offer sacrifices to God the way the Israelites did in the Old Testament? Why you don't bring a lamb to church with you? Have you ever wondered how that changed? This week in our Indescribable God series, Pastor David looks at how we are meant to be a living sacrifice for God, and what that means we should do with our lives.

Another way we try to understand our indescribable God is by equating God to a loving parent. A nurturing mother. A loving father. A mentor we can follow. Someone who wants the best for us, who guides us and has our best interests in mind. We will look at this metaphor of God as our parent this week in worship as we continue our Indescribable God series.

We try to describe an immense God by giving him certain attributes and using similes and metaphors. In the second week of our series "Indescribable God," Pastor David takes a look at God as the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd watches over his flock, caring for them and making sure their needs are met and that predators are kept away.

How do you describe the indescribable? Throughout the Bible, the authors use metaphors to try to give us ideas about God - God is like a rock, or a loving father, or a lamb, or the wind. These give us a picture of a specific attribute of God. This week, Pastor David looks at God as our foundation, a steadfast rock on which we can always rely.

It's the third week of Advent and our characters this week are the Shepherds. These were outcasts, the poorest on the fringe of society, yet they were the first to hear of the birth of the Christ Child. Why were they chosen? What do we learn about how to treat others by looking at the shepherds? Who around us needs to be seen and needs the kindness of Christmas?

As we continue to look at the Characters of Christmas, Pastor Dana takes a look at Mary and Joseph. What trust did they have to have in the angels and in the promises of God? Do we put our trust in God or are we so skeptical that we miss the miracles God has planned for us?

The season of Advent begins this week, where we will take a look at the Characters of Christmas. We begin with the prophets, and their promise of the coming Messiah. 

This week in worship, we finish the story of Joseph as he comes face to face with his brothers after 20 years. How does he respond? Will he repay them for their evil toward him? Or will he find a way to reconciliation? And what about us? When evil is done to us, do we respond by putting out more evil in the world or can we find a way to bless our enemies? 

This week in worship we continue our series on Joseph as we find Joseph in prison on a false charge. But God is still working for good in his life, and his fortune is about to change. How does Joseph go from prison to the #2 guy in charge of the whole country? Join us and find out!

What does it mean to live a life of integrity? It means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. This week, we continue the story of Joseph and learn that the actions you take today have an effect on the future.

This Sunday we begin a new series on the life of Joseph, the dreamer. He came from a very dysfunctional family where his father played favorites, his brothers tried to kill him, and yet God still used the poor choices of those around him to work for good in his life. What is your family like? Are they on your last nerve sometimes? Remember, families are a gift from God.

It's Reformation Sunday! Although that probably doesn't mean much to you, it is our chance to talk about how we should always be looking to examine ourselves as a church and as an individual. We should remember our roots, honestly look at our sins, and humbly repent. Reformation Sunday challenges us to do better.

Everything we do is for the glory of God. What does it mean to accomplish God's purposes in the world? Our answer comes in the giving that we do, our response to disasters, and to illnesses, and to the offerings of the church. This is Visioning Sunday when we begin to look ahead to what God might have in mind for 2025.

Do unto others as you wish they would do unto you. This includes everyone - even the vile and evil. Can you offer that kind of forgiveness? What does it look like to turn the other cheek when someone hasn't apologized? What about for your worst enemy? Pastor Dana takes a look at Jesus' instructions to his disciples on the way to treat everyone.

Do you sacrifice justice for peace? How can we have both? Jesus holds the tension between these two values as we explore how we might live lives of wholeness and healing.

What is the truth? In a world where so much information comes at you, how do you know what to believe? Those around Jesus had these issues, too, and Jesus had a lesson for them about truth. Let's listen to the words of Jesus to find what is true and right. 

What do you value? Consider how you might answer the question, “What are your core values?” Or “What do you value the most?” As Christians, we want to make sure our values match with Jesus' values. Over the next five weeks, we will study the values of Jesus, beginning with the value of seeing the “other” as a neighbor. 

The Church is ekklesia, a group of people, a community, a gathering. It is all of us working together. One of us couldn't do it alone. We need each other. That not only applies to the Church of Unity but also to the greater Church around the world. We need all Christians working together to make the world a better place. What are you doing? Where do you fit in? What is your role?

This week in worship, we are talking about the church as a family. What is your family like? How do you fit in? What roles do you play in your different family systems? What are we called to do as a church family to be good family members?  Let's look at what Jesus and Paul have to say about the church as a family as we explore this metaphor. 

This week we begin a new series, taking a look at the metaphors of the church. This week, The Church is A... Body, specifically, the body of Christ. Take time to explore your own role in this church. Where is God seeking to use your gifts? Where can you deepen your involvement in God's work?

Our last Symbol of Faith is the offering box. Giving is a spiritual discipline that reflects the state of your heart. Are you quick to give to others, or do you hold on to what you have? If it is "more blessed to give than to receive" how are you being blessed? This doesn't have to be just in terms of money, but can also be in our time and the use of our God-given talents.

This week's symbol is baptism. Do you ever think about the promises that were made for you at your baptism? Or dwell on those you made if you can remember them? Baptism is full of grace, and Pastor Dana explores the deeper symbolism of the water as it washes us clean.

This week's symbol is The Lord's Prayer. This is the example of how to pray that Jesus gave his disciples. What do the different sentences tell us about how we should pray? Do prayers even work? What do we do when they don't give us the results we want? Listen as Pastor Dana digs into this ancient text.

This week in worship, we continue to talk about the Symbols of our Faith with a look at the Apostles' Creed. Do you know why we say we believe in the holy catholic church or the communion of saints? Pastor David digs into this ancient profession of belief and why we still use it today. 

When you take communion, give offerings, or recite the Lord's Prayer or Apostles' Creed, do you know why? Do you understand what you're doing or saying or do you just go through the motions? Let's dig into these ancient practices and what they mean for us as Christians today

This week in worship, Obadiah is asked to risk his life to obey God. What risks do we take? Do we rise to the occasion or take the easy way out? Do we give God the opportunity to prove God's faithfulness? We see the amazing results of Obadiah's faithfulness and explore the possibilities for our lives, too.

Are you in your own way? Do your own actions sabotage what you're trying to do? We all do to a certain degree. We don't eat healthy, or exercise enough. Maybe it is the negative self-talk in our head. This week in worship, Pastor Dana takes a look at one man who had a Divine Distraction by a pool as he meets Jesus, and decides for himself that he does want to be healed. 

What does it feel like to be lost and then found? This week, Jesus reaches out to a man who is a despised tax collector, even though the crowd tries to shut him out. Whenever we try to exclude people, Jesus has a way of bringing them back into His presence. Even if they're not worthy. Even if WE are not worthy.

Have you had an experience where you can't imagine what comes next? Maybe your boss retires, and you can't imagine what the new boss will be like. Or you are facing a divorce and the future seems very uncertain. We are looking at that Divine Disruption this week as Joshua takes over leadership after the death of Moses. He is filled with self-doubt, but God reminds him that he isn't doing this alone. Do we need that reminder, too?

When life is disrupted by an illness, or a pandemic, or the loss of a loved one, what do you do? Do you stop and ask “what is God trying to show me” or do you go to bed and try to sleep off the misery? These divine disruptions can be painful, but can also be just the reset that you needed to send your life in a better direction. Pastor Dana takes a look at how we might remove the blinders from our eyes and use these moments as a catalyst for a brighter future. 

What advice did you get from your parents? Did it stay with you? We turn to the wisdom of Proverbs to hear what Solomon wanted his children to make sure to take with them - Godly wisdom that should be written on their hearts. 

The practice of Jubilee was already out of favor in the days of Jesus, but one of his first acts was to declare freedom in the name of the Lord. What does that look like for us in 2024? What does a Great Jubilee mean to us who are broken, held captive by our addictions, and self-doubts, and fears?

The idea of Jubilee meant freedom - land sold to pay debts was returned to the original owners, those sold into slavery were set free, and loans were forgiven. This was designed to create a society where people were openhanded and generous, knowing that all they owned was temporary and ultimately belonged to God. When we give generously, we tell others that they are valuable to God despite whatever hardships they face. This is a description of the type of Christian community God still wants us to create today. 

If you lived in ancient Israel, every 50 years a trumpet sound would mark the beginning of something new. A fresh start. A new opportunity. The Year of Jubilee. It was The Great Reset. We don't celebrate years like this anymore, but can we apply some of the principles of Jubilee to our world today? Can we dedicate this next year to God as our own form of Jubilee?

He is Risen! It is still Easter, and Jesus is still alive! Easter isn't just one Sunday, but we continue to celebrate our risen Savior for the gift of eternal life. How does the power of the resurrection affect you? What does this mean to you, and how do you share that with other people?

Jesus did something! And he told Martha about it before it happened. Try explaining the resurrection now, and it is hard to believe. Eternal life? Death that cannot keep its grip on life? The hope of Easter is found in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ - do you believe? 

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week with sounds of "Hosanna! Hosanna!" We celebrate with Jesus and his disciples, but quickly turn toward the cross and reflect on the sacrifice of the cross.