Free Methodist Church Of Santa Barbara

This Sunday, we begin a new six-week series on the book of Ruth. We will start with an overview, so we understand the context and how this historical narrative fits in with the rest of the Bible. Then, we will look at the first few verses, which set the stage for the rest of the story. Ruth is a beautiful narrative that is rich in history and the characters are fantastic. For this week, we will be focusing in on how our life stories can end up quite differently than we think and how loss is part of all our lives. We will accompany this text with some words from the Beatitudes, specifically Matthew 5:3-9, in preparation for receiving the Lord's Supper. We continue to celebrate Easter. Jesus is Risen! As we gather for worship, may the King, the resurrected One, be honored as we sing His praise and seek Him fully.

Our text this week is the second two of three appearance stories in John 20. Jesus has risen, and in the beginning of the chapter, he appears to Mary Magdalene is the garden outside of the empty tomb, revealing himself to her, and then sending her to tell his other disciples what she has seen. Later that day, he appears to his disciples in a locked room, when they are filled with fear and wondering what is going to happen next. He reveals himself to the disciples in their fear and grants them his peace. Thomas, however, is not with them when Jesus appears, and he can't believe that Jesus has risen and appeared to them. He needs to see it for himself, just like Mary and the other disciples have. A week later, Jesus appears to the disciples again, and this time Thomas is with them. When Jesus shows up, Thomas proclaims one of the most profound expressions of faith we find in the gospels. Join us as we see how Jesus encounters his disciples where they are and invites them into something new.

John 21:1-14, Luke 24:13-35 This Sunday, we have the honor of celebrating our Risen King, Jesus Christ! What a joy to gather in His name for the most important day of the year. As is our tradition, we will meet at the beach early in the morning to watch the sun rise and join our voices with Christians everywhere as we read scripture and sing amidst God's beauty. At the Sunrise, I will be sharing thoughts on one of my favorite post-resurrection scripture where Jesus meets some of His followers on the beach as a surprise. We want to think about what this passage teaches us about the Risen Lord and also what it means for us. Bring your blanket and beach chair! I look forward to greeting you early on Easter morning. For our text Sunday morning at church, we will be looking at another of my favorite passages of scripture: the walk to Emmaus. It is a beautiful picture of Jesus talking to some of His followers on resurrection day, but they don't know it is Him. As they walk, they are distressed and perplexed at

As Jesus is ushered into Jerusalem, we are brought into the most sacred of all times in the Christian year: Holy Week. Jesus has come into the city to die. We have come to this week after many weeks of Lent, eager for what God has for us as we remember what it means that He chose to die for everyone. What does it mean that sin now can die in us? What does it mean for our own death? In the book of Luke, there is a word we want to focus in on this week, which is not found in Mark's version. When the crowds are joyfully praising Jesus, they call Him a king. Jesus is the King! Why? How can that title help us understand again who He is us as we begin the holiest of all weeks? It is a very important title and we want to worship Jesus just like those on the road into Jerusalem did that day. We take communion on Palm Sunday in order to ready our hearts for all Easter means. Praying for you on this Lenten journey. If you have not really engaged with any spiritual practices in this season, it's not too late. The boo

We come now to a familiar passage in the narrative we have been studying: Peter denying the Lord. As we have seen, relationships have come to the forefront in the arrest and trial of Jesus. Last week, we talked about how no one (especially Peter, who was there) stood up for their Master when people were lying and giving false testimony against Him. This week, we see that not only does Peter have no intention of being a witness for the defense, he will pretend to not even know Jesus. On Sunday, we want to think about why we have the capacity for denial and what this looks like in our lives. While we know Jesus gave Peter the grace he most needed later, we want to sit with the lies he utters three times and anguish that ensues for him. I encourage you to take some time with this passage, meditating in these waning days of Lent, asking God for wisdom for your life as you consider what He has to say through this passage.

Accused This Sunday we will hear from four of our pastors, engaging the scripture above with different focuses: Denzyl: We'll briefly review the history of the religious high court, and roles of the priests in the trial of Jesus. Through this trial, we'll explore how their motives against Jesus are counterintuitive to their roles, and what it means to refer to Jesus, through his death and resurrection, as our High Priest. "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." - Hebrews 4:15 Colleen: When a group of people get together and decide something is true, when it is not, then what ensues can often be a tragedy. We know this to be true in our lives and in the world at large. When it comes to Christ, what then is our role? "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." - Exodus 20:16 Jake: In our passage for Sunday, Jesus reveals to the mob the truth of who he is: the Son of God. Jesus's word

This Sunday we took a deeper look into Mark 14:43-52. We are going to open our hearts and minds to a story we may have heard many times. We might know the characters and the outcome. It is a story we often hear this time of year and it more or less blends in with the whole narrative of the crucifixion and the resurrection. It is a tragic story but perhaps we have become a little numb to how much it intersects with our lives. Within the passage we find different people and we see how they betrayed their relationship with Christ in significant ways. In the process we will find ourselves in the midst of these responses and lament how our own sinfulness is a part of our own betrayal of Christ. All this while remembering through Christ there will always be forgiveness, grace, mercy, resurrection and hope. Pray with me for open hearts and minds to what Christ wants to say to us. - Pastor Doug

Our text for worship this week is a difficult one to read. Jesus, full of sadness, is imploring the Father to allow the pain of the cross to pass Him by. He is in agony. Meanwhile, the disciples sleep nearby. There are many angles to look at this scripture from. Which one might we choose? While these are familiar words to us, we want to be reminded of what God has for us in this season of Lent. As a spiritual practice this week, I encourage you to sit with this scripture each day until Sunday. Just read it, and contemplate what you see and how you feel. Read it aloud. Take it to your place of prayer. Allow God to speak to you. Write down your thoughts. Jesus is about to face the greatest challenge of His earthly life. As we journey with Him to the cross, may our focus on His word give us new insight and depth of understanding. May we hear His voice speaking to us, calling us closer to Him. One of the greatest joys of my life has been going to worship God on Sundays and greeting my family in Christ. I look f

Our speaker on Sunday is Kate Wallace Nunneley, whom we invited to come preach because she is also our speaker for the Women's Retreat. We are so glad she agreed to stay an extra day! Kate is the Lead Pastor of Wellspring Free Methodist Church in Bakersfield, CA. She is also the co-founder of The Junia Project, a volunteer community which advocates for the inclusion of women in leadership in the church, as well as mutuality in marriage. She and her husband Leif have two dogs and a full life! Kate is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University and holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics. Currently, she is pursuing a Masters of Divinity from APU. For this Sunday, we will be stepping out of the book of Mark and into the book of Luke, who records an instructive account of Jesus' temptation. A helpful thing to do when we come to the end of something, is to look back to the beginning. We are now at the end of Jesus' ministry. He is coming into the time of His death. We have already begun the j

Synopsis: As Pastor Helen reminded us, we are now studying passages of the passion of Jesus. His suffering and death free us from the penalty of our sin. This portion of Mark gives us the account of how it happened and what Jesus endured. On this communion Sunday, we will be reading the most important passage for understanding the Lord's Supper in the New Testament. Jesus is having a meal with His followers to mark Passover, the most important holiday in Judaism, because it remembers the Exodus, when God delivered His people from slavery into freedom. Jesus takes this beautiful feast and adds a new element: remembering how He has saved all people. Sunday, we will be thinking about what Jesus is saying in this passage as well as the action He takes upon Himself. This is the last Sunday before we begin Lent, the 40 day journey to the cross. It is right and good that we are once again encouraged by the Lord to take in His body and blood. The sacrament brings us into the very presence of our holy God. What a m

The last five weeks Pastor Colleen has walked us through Mark 13 with her thorough and thoughtful studies. This Sunday we enter the Passion Narrative in Mark (chapters 14 and 15) with a beautiful story of an anonymous woman anointing Jesus at Bethany, bookended by Jerusalem authorities' enmity toward and Judas's betrayal of Jesus. The wasteful love shown at Bethany contrasts the hatred at Jerusalem, and simultaneously, the hatred at Jerusalem highlights the love demonstrated at Bethany to the fullest extent. Despite people's hasty criticism of her wasteful act, Jesus accepted and appreciated her unrestrained act of devotion in light of his impending death. In the action of each character--the Jerusalem hierarchy, the unnamed woman, people (disciples), and Judas--we see how each one measured Jesus' worth. Is Jesus worth our extravagant love, our everything? If Jesus is the truest and highest good in our lives, what in our lives should change?

Well, we have now come to the end of Mark 13. What a great five weeks it has been! For a piece of scripture so daunting, I think we have done very well together. Thanks for hanging in there. It is vital that we wrestle with all the passages of the Bible, so we can know what we believe, so God can teach us His truth, so we can be ready to talk about it with others. God's word is alive because the Lord Himself meets us through it. He inspired those who wrote it and He inspires us as we read it. Living God=Living Word. This Sunday, we will see that Jesus ends this teaching to Andrew, James, John, and Peter by telling them to be watchful. He goes back to what happened with the fig tree a few days earlier when they came into Jerusalem, and uses that as a launchpad to talk about His coming again. No one knows when Jesus will be back, even Him! A few weeks ago, we talked about how we always want to know WHEN as people. How do we live with the tension of the unknown? Worship is vital as God's people. In these day

We continue our sojourn through Mark 13, but it is not really a walk in the park. This is a serious trek uphill for us, and each of us brings baggage to the climb which may or may not be helpful for the hike. Some of us have been training for the time the Lord is coming back. We have read apocalyptic literature, tried to figure out Revelation, devoured the Left Behind series, and immersed ourselves in the Old Testament writings of Daniel and Joel. Some of us have tried to pinpoint certain events happening in the world overlaid with scripture, knowing there are similarities and no coincidences. We have looked for signs of when God will come again. Others of us have mostly avoided all those things, preferring to focus in on the person and teachings of Jesus and the exhortations for the church today found in the epistles. However you come to Mark 13, know that the words of Jesus here are for all of us. They are not meant to inspire intense fear nor should we turn away and not look at them. They are given to us

As we continue exploring the themes of Mark 13 this Sunday, we will be thinking about false teachers who come as leaders for God, but who have quite a different agenda than His will. They look and sound so much like people who should be followed, yet they actually only want to promote themselves or exploit others for their advantage. Jesus' words are ones we need to hear, both for our own past experiences but also as we exercise wisdom as the church today. This is a passage we will use for communion, as we draw near to the Lord in remembrance of His death on our behalf. Let us be in prayer this week for all God would say to us through His word as we gather to worship Him. Let us keep the practice of gathering weekly to seek the Lord.

We continue to study the themes of Mark 13 this week. In this dialogue spoken outside the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus is giving His followers instruction for what is to come in the future. The theme of the verses I will preach Sunday are about the opposition they personally will experience as people of the faith. They have no idea what will transpire in their lives. We wonder if, as Jesus is talking to them, they are alarmed or curious as to what His teaching is all about. Mark does not give us any clue as to what the disciples are thinking or feeling. He simply reports the Lord's words. As we read them, we will consider how they came true in various ways to many believers through the years. We will talk about the nature of persecution overall and how Jesus' words have been essential for generations of believers. While these words are not entirely uplifting and happy, Jesus is giving the disciples something to hold on to for when He leaves.

Mark 13:1-8 The scripture we study this week begins with Jesus and His disciples leaving the temple. As they do, they begin a conversation in which Jesus imparts knowledge about what is to come and what the disciples are to watch for as time unfolds. All of chapter 13 is Jesus telling them what will happen while also encouraging them in what they should do. This may be a challenging piece of scripture for us in some ways. We may scratch our heads in some places and be utterly dismayed in others. What we always want to focus in on is our Lord, whose presence is forever with us and whose words are given to encourage and help. May we give great thanks to the Savior of our world, who continues to walk with us and show us the way forward.

In this sermon, we delve back into the gospel of Mark. Remember before Advent, we were in the thick of Jesus being questioned about many issues by leaders who seemed to be trying to discredit Him, while hoping He would stumble over His theology. In the last verses of Mark 12, we will be looking at only what Jesus thinks. On this day, He has truths to convey to the people and to the disciples. A truth about the Messiah. A truth about hypocrisy. A truth about giving. We will be looking at His thoughts, while also considering His context and ours. Our Lord always has much to say to us. Let us listen well each day and when we are in His house. It is a new year! May we be resolved to worship the Lord with all we are: our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. I pray He finds us faithful as we live in these days.

Have you ever considered what it was that made the wise men leave their homes to go and seek the newborn king? They were looking to the eastern sky and saw a star come up. This became a sign to them that a king had entered the world. Clearly, the Holy Spirit was at work...God was showing these men of learning and means that this was an opportunity for them to come and see His Son. Yet, what was it that compelled them to actually go? This was a big decision to leave their homes and work, so they must have been convinced it was going to bring meaning to them. They just had to see what this star was about. This Sunday, we are going to be contemplating this story and taking communion. It seems fitting for us to come and worship Jesus the King, remembering the life He gives us. Let's start the New Year off with a commitment to honor God before anything else. My prayers are for all of us to know the Lord more in 2019.

Over the last four weeks, we have been waiting in expectation for the birth of Christ. This Sunday falls during the twelve days of the Christmas season in the church calendar, and we have the opportunity to consider not just Christ's first coming but also his return. This child, born for us, changes everything as Immanuel, God with us. In his life, Christ revealed to us the kingdom of God and invited us to participate in that kingdom. Now, we live with a foretaste of what it will be like to live in the fullness of God's kingdom, and we wait with eager anticipation for Christ's return in glory and the fulfillment of his kingdom. We look forward to exploring the hope of Christ's return together.

Belief sometimes gets a bad rap. We have all experienced how easy it can be to believe in something yet not give it much worth. James 2:19 reminds us even the demons believe in God. We allow the word "believe" to sound surface level. We might say "It is not enough to just believe . . . " John chapter 1 brings fresh life and depth to the act and reward of "believing." On this Sunday before Christmas we will celebrate the Christ who came to break through all that would keep us in darkness and doubt. Just as He surprised the shepherds in the fields He enters our world and calls us to believe. Like them may we be willing to leave our comfort, search for and worship the God who came in the form of a baby to dwell among us.