MVP Message

Preacher: Grace Rogers

Scripture: Psalm 51:1-17

While we often pretend to have it all together, Lent calls us to name what hides behind the mask and to tell the truth about what is really happening in our hearts, minds, and lives. Our Lenten worship series, “Let’s Be Honest,” dares us to face the truths we often avoid but desperately need to admit.

We need cleaner hearts.

Temptation is real.

We are thirsty for more than this world can give.

Faith is hard when we cannot see clearly.

We long for someone to save us.

We struggle with the cross.

And we need resurrection to be real.

This journey does not demand certainty; it invites honesty.

It does not require perfection; it offers grace.

Come with your questions, your doubts, and your hope.

Let’s be honest—and trust that God is already at work in our complicated, messy, and hopeful selves.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

Who do you love?

How wide is the circle of your love?

Is your love reserved for those who love you back, or at least agree with you?

How do you respond to those who oppose you, frustrate you, or even despise you?

Most of us are good at loving the neighbors and friends we have chosen. But loving our enemies? That's a different kind of call—one we often resist and avoid. And still, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does not soften this teaching. He invites and challenges us to love anyway.

This Sunday, we conclude our series on the Sermon on the Mount by wrestling with Jesus' call to love those we would rather ignore, resist, or even hate. What might it look like to love beyond comfort, beyond preference, and beyond self-protection?

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26

Most of us assume we’re doing just fine if we haven’t broken any of the Ten Commandments. But Jesus refuses to stop with such a low bar. He instead points straight to the anger, resentment, and fractured relationships that quietly shape our lives before calling his followers to something deeper.

This week, we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount with a teaching on anger, reconciliation, and the difficult work of becoming people of peace. You're invited to come ready to reflect, be challenged, and imagine how transformed hearts can lead to a healthier, more faithful community and life.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-20

“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.”

We often hear these words from the Sermon on the Mount as suggestions, as if being salt or light is something we choose when it’s convenient or when we feel up to it. But Jesus offers no such option.

Speaking to the community formed in his name, Jesus declares what is already true: you are salt, you are light. You are a people whose very life together is meant to reveal the new world God is bringing into being through Jesus.

So the question is not whether we will make a difference, but what kind of difference we are making. Can people see Christ’s love in us? Do they encounter the urgency of his justice through our actions? Do they hear his teaching echoed in our shared life? Or has our witness lost its flavor—its bite, its brightness? Are we still a presence as unmistakable as salt on popcorn, pretzels, or potato chips? Join us this week as our journey through the Sermon on the Mount continues.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Years ago, when asked what brings him hope for the church today, theologian N.T. Wright pointed to something simple yet profound: ordinary believers living out the Sermon on the Mount in a world aching for healing. That everyday faithfulness, he said, is what first spread the gospel—and what still transforms communities today. 

This week, we will begin to dig deep into the Sermon on the Mount and ponder what it might mean for us to live it out today— bringing hope and healing to an aching world.

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard and Mary Martin Ministry Intern

Scripture: Matthew 4:12-23

Throughout the story of Christianity, ordinary people are called forward for extraordinary things. From the first disciples to the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we can attest to the power of those who step forward to walk in Jesus' way of peace and justice. Join us on Sunday as our new series begins with an exploration of the ways God is calling us to see a great light in this time and this place--just as God has done for all who have come before us. 

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor

Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9 and Matthew 3:13-17Join us this week as we hear God proclaim Jesus as God's son, the beloved, and imagine God saying the same to us before pondering how we might live if we fully embraced the gifts and expectations that come with baptism. We'll also have the opportunity to touch the waters of baptism as we remember our baptism.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12, 16-18

As the new year begins, the world can still feel shadowed by fear. On Epiphany, we follow the magi—who refuse to let fear or power have the final word—and discover a hope that leads us forward by another way. Join us for worship as we celebrate Epiphany, receive a star word for the year ahead, and gather at Christ’s table for Holy Communion. Our journey continues, and fear will not have the last word!

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Join us in worship this Christmas Eve as we meditate on how the good news of Christmas can drown out the noise of fear, in light of how God has entered our fear-filled world not from a distance, but up close: to live, to die, and to rise again, freeing us from all that holds us captive.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor

Scriptures: Matthew 1:18-25 and Isaiah 41:5-10

Join us in worship this week as we explore a theology of proximity--one that walks with people in danger, lightens loads, and plays a real role in cultivating new life.