Westbrook Park United Methodist Church

The Struggle. Will the money last? New home buyer. Health insurance. For Jacob, it was about 21 years. In the time between Jacob leaving his parents and going to his uncle Laban's, he has married his wife – two wives in fact, has 12 sons along with an unknown number of daughters, has amassed quite a…

mothers Pittsburgh fans in Ohio. 2 Mothers @ Christmas. My Mom. 2 Mothers poem... 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother,…

Couldn't. Can't. Won't. 1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said…

17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” 19 And…

John 20:1–20 “1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord…

Who's your king? Rocky Bleier.Bleier retired after the 1980 season, with 3,865 rushing yards, 136 receptions for 1,294 yards, and 25 touchdowns . At the time of his retirement, he was the Steelers' fourth all-time leading rusher. After his rookie season with the Steelers, Bleier was drafted into the…

“And who was it who betrayed Jesus? It was indeed someone right there with him at the table in the Upper Room. Listen to the text that inspired the scene we just watched, because it goes just a step further in the story...” Listen to John 13:21-30 . Read John 13.21-30 .... Why Did Judas Do What He Did?…

As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit…

Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts,…

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” Pharisees warn Jesus of Herod's desire to kill him. And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.…

NEW BEGINNINGS The Triumphal Entry Lk 19:28-44 ** Dan 9:24 - Message delivered by Gabriel. Dr. David Jeremiah in his book Agents of Babylon lays out the prophesy pretty well. 70 7's, or 70 weeks of years. The word “weeks” literally means “sevens” & he's speaking about years so it obvious they are referring…

Jeremiah 17.5-10 What is permanent in power politics? Before you answer that question step away from the current contemporary situation. Look at history on a much grander scale, and take into account not just the United States or the west- look at world history. Then, you find, there is nothing permanent…

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. Opponents to the gospel lay claim not only to God, but boast of their inspiration by the “spirit'. They felt they were above, better than, more in the know……

A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. disheveled soldier… what battle? Here is a big part of your context. See 1 Samuel 4.1-11 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines.…

Romans 12.3-16 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what…

John 17.1-26 What Will Heaven Look Like? For a moment this morning, I want you to imagine what heaven will be like. What do you think heaven will look like? How will you look in heaven? Likely, you may have thought of streets of gold and other things. Good. But who will be there? Jesus?yes? Friends and…

The Great Makeover mul·li·gan /ˈmələɡ(ə)n/ noun informal•North American a stew made from odds and ends of food. (in informal golf) an extra stroke allowed after a poor shot, not counted on the scorecard. The Great Makeover The Love of Christ- His love for us. We love because he first loved us. He loved…

Intro. Advent is..... Chosen series is ending. Theme is love… light candle. The love we talk about today is horizontal love.... love for other people. The greatest vertical act of love was God, Jesus- coming to earth and dying in our place. What would be the greatest horizontal act of love we could do?…

joy We've already watched a scene from The Chosen concerning the shepherds seeing the Christ. But perhaps it will help us for today's purposes to see one more view. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born…

Peace 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring…

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen…

Can despair and trust live together. They do, with a life of deep faith. That is what this Psalm is all about. 1 How long, O Lord ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my…

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. In all the vicissitudes of the Christian life, whether in attacks from terrorists, personality clashes among believers, persecution from the world, or threat of imminent death—all of which Paul himself was experiencing at this very time—the Christian…

10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The path of least resistance is always the easiest- or so it seems. These days, it seems to me we are fixated onthe easy way out. Fast food. work from home. fast fix. new and improved is not always…

Finding Me This section has been called the “Gospel of the Outcast”. In the next 4 chapters Jesus will talk about tax collectors and sinners, Rich man and Lazarus, persistent widow, Pharisee and Tax Collector, Zaccheus. All outcasts.... These next 2 parables, the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal…

We cannot be certain what verse 1 refers to. Tensions of the day made revolution possible at any time. Pontius Pilate did not get along with the Jews- he was insensitive to their religious convictions. He brought official Roman ensigns into Jerusalem and the Jews were angry with Caesar's image in the…

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. “Then” is elsewhere translated,”at that time”. You may ask, “at what time?” . It is at the onset of the consummated Kingdom..... we have been looking at Matthew's parables, and repeatedly we have…

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. Kingdom servants serve a great king who has forgiven far more than they could ever forgvie each other.... so failure to forgive excludes one from the kingdom because this King's kingdom has…

Matthew 13.24-43 Remember that the parable of the sower revealed that the kingdom is now making its way into hearts that are hard, with pressures, failure and yet produce crops. 24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,…

Is Jesus A Lousy Farmer? To run a germination test: Count out at least 20 randomly picked seeds (50 is better, 100 is best).Spread the seeds on several layers of premoistened paper toweling and roll them up in the paper so the seeds stay separated from one another.Place the roll into a plastic bag and…

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from…

Easton- listening to the Bridge on XM. Elton John came on. Easton asked, “What's with the colored glasses?” We look at life through rose colored glasses... I recently saw a man from my hometown where my father was a police officer. He told me, my brother was brought home more than once by your dad because…

Olive Garden on Thursday Charles Templeton.- Fifty years later, Lee Strobel had an opportunity to interview Templeton, who had just a couple of more years to live. He was in his 80s and suffering from Alzheimer's, but still a clear conversation parter. In A Case for Faith , Strobel recounts the ending…

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Fear- to be afraid, scared, frightened. Hills Dept. Store- probably 4 years old. I am out of the cart, holding mymothers hand.... and I let go to look at…

Psalm 23:3 (MSG) 3 you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Psalm 23:3 (ESV) 3 He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. He puts me on a track that is right- that is His reputation.- Psalm 23.3b The Joel Version. Psalm 23:3 (ESV) He leads me in paths of righteousness…

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Restoring my soul. Restore- to bring back to its original existence, use, or position. Restored. 1939…

Leading Sheep 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. One of the clearest and yet overlooked concept of the scriptures is that sheep need a shepherd… they can't do it without them. and Biblically speaking, God's people are the sheep and He (and Jesus) are our shepherds.…

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. What does it mean that the Lord is my shepherd? If you were to take a shepherd from this time home with you today, he would have no concept of our culture or sociewty. He would not understand driving to a destination, the speed with which you drive.... grocery…

Daniel 1 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his…

You may have seen the Tom Hanks movie, “Cast Away”. The story line is that Hanks characterIs a time obsessed engineer for FedEx. He is in a long-term relationship with Kelly who he lives with in Memphis Tennessee. At a Christmas Eve party with relatives Chuck is called by FedEx to solve a problem in…