What does it mean to truly belong?

In this episode of Behind the Scenes, host Kevin Van Hall sits down with Rev. Laura Johnson to explore her September 13, 2026, sermon, “Belong as You Are,” the first message in a new sermon series about North Raleigh United Methodist Church’s purpose: Belong as you are. Become like Jesus. Be love for God’s world.

Laura begins with a personal story about discovering a United Methodist church where people from different backgrounds, cultures, abilities, and life experiences could worship together without having to fit a particular mold. That experience helped shape her understanding of what it means to create a community where people can truly belong.

The conversation explores the difference between belonging and fitting in. Fitting in requires us to change ourselves to match the people around us. Belonging means being known and loved as we are. Laura explains why belonging comes first in NRUMC’s new purpose statement and why the church seeks to be a place where people can belong even when they have different viewpoints, backgrounds, cultures, or theologies.

At the heart of the sermon is Galatians 3:25–28, where Paul challenges the boundaries that separated people in the early Christian community. Laura examines Paul’s declaration that all are one in Christ Jesus and considers what this radical vision of belonging means for the church today. The conversation explores how Christianity began as a movement within Judaism, the conflict surrounding Gentile inclusion, and Paul’s insistence that belonging in Christ is not based on conformity to a particular set of cultural or religious requirements.

Laura also shares a childhood story about getting caught stealing cookies from the church kitchen. Instead of being shamed or excluded, she and her friend were given grace. That simple experience became a powerful example of what it means to know that you belong, even when you get things wrong.

The episode asks important questions about Christian community, church belonging, grace, inclusion, conformity, and the way we welcome others. What does it look like to create a church where people do not have to believe everything before they belong? How can we make space for people who are skeptical, questioning, different from us, or simply figuring out where they fit? And what does it mean for every person at North Raleigh United Methodist Church to help cultivate a culture of belonging?

Laura concludes by emphasizing that belonging does not happen automatically. It must be intentionally cultivated and protected by the whole church through genuine welcome, grace, care, openness, and a willingness to honor people who may see things differently.

Scripture: Galatians 3:25–28
Sermon: “Belong as You Are”
Preacher: Rev. Laura Johnson
Host: Kevin Van Hall
Church: North Raleigh United Methodist Church (NRUMC)

Behind the Scenes is a weekly podcast from North Raleigh United Methodist Church that takes listeners deeper into the week’s Scripture and sermon through conversation with our pastors and ministry leaders. These conversations offer additional context, questions, stories, and insights to help us continue thinking about faith long after worship ends.

Topics include: belonging, Christian community, church inclusion, grace, Galatians 3, Galatians 3:28, United Methodist Church, Wesleyan Christianity, Christian discipleship, church culture, faith and doubt, welcoming others, conformity vs. belonging, radical belonging, and North Raleigh United Methodist Church.

What does it mean to be the church God is calling us to be?

In this special episode of Behind the Scenes, host Kevin Van Hall sits down with North Raleigh United Methodist Church Senior Pastors Rev. Kevin Johnson and Rev. Laura Johnson to introduce NRUMC’s new purpose statement:

Belong as you are. Become like Jesus. Be love for God’s world.

Developed through a season of discernment and conversation among leaders at North Raleigh, this new purpose statement seeks to name who we are as a church and how we believe God is calling us to live out our Wesleyan Christian faith. In this conversation, Kevin and Laura explain where the purpose came from, why it matters, and how it can help guide the church’s ministry, discipleship, mission, and life together.

The conversation focuses especially on the first two parts of the purpose: Belong and Become.

What does it mean to truly belong in the church? Looking at Galatians 3:25-28, the pastors explore Paul’s powerful declaration that in Christ there are no barriers that determine who is in and who is out. Everyone belongs in Christ. They talk about the ways churches and communities can unintentionally create boundaries and consider what it means for North Raleigh to be a place where people can belong as they are because God made them and loves them.

The conversation then turns to Become and the call to become more like Jesus. Through Galatians 5:22-25 and the familiar passage about the fruit of the Spirit, Kevin and Laura explore Christian discipleship, spiritual growth, sanctification, and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Becoming like Jesus is not simply a self-improvement project or something we accomplish through our own effort. It is an ongoing journey of allowing God to shape us into the people God created us to be.

Drawing on Wesleyan Methodist theology, they talk about prevenient grace, sanctifying grace, the image of God, the fruit of the Spirit, and the idea that salvation is not simply about what happens after this life, but about being transformed here and now into a reflection of Christ.

Together, Belong, Become, and Be Love describe a movement of faith: we belong as we are welcomed by God’s grace, we become more like Jesus as we grow in faith, and we are sent into the world to be love through the way we live and serve others.

This special Behind the Scenes conversation offers a deeper look at the heart behind North Raleigh United Methodist Church’s new purpose and invites us to consider what it might mean for each of us to live into it.

Scripture: Galatians 3:25-28; Galatians 5:22-25
Purpose Statement: Belong as you are. Become like Jesus. Be love for God’s world.
Guests: Rev. Kevin Johnson and Rev. Laura Johnson
Host: Kevin Van Hall
Church: North Raleigh United Methodist Church, Raleigh, NC

Behind the Scenes is a weekly podcast from North Raleigh United Methodist Church exploring Scripture, sermons, Christian faith, discipleship, and what it means to follow Jesus in everyday life.

Sabbath: A Gift, Not a Burden | Rev. Kevin Johnson

What if Sabbath isn't another thing to accomplish—but a gift from God?

In this Labor Day weekend sermon, Rev. Kevin Johnson explores Jesus' teaching about the Sabbath in Mark 2:23–3:6 and invites us to reconsider what it means to truly stop, rest, and delight in God's presence. In a culture obsessed with productivity, efficiency, and “maxing out” every part of life, Sabbath offers a radically different way of living.

Kevin begins by reflecting on his own sabbatical experience and the surprising realization that he had started trying to “max” his sabbatical—creating a list of things he needed to accomplish each day in order to do rest correctly. But Sabbath isn't about accomplishing rest. It's about becoming fully present to God, creation, relationships, and the gifts already surrounding us.

The biblical word Sabbath means “to stop,” but Scripture also connects Sabbath with delight. God created a rhythm of work and rest not because God needed a break, but because we need one. Sabbath reminds us that we are more than what we produce and that the world will continue without us working every minute of every day.

Kevin explores the Sabbath commandments in Exodus and Deuteronomy, highlighting two important reasons God gives Israel this practice: God rested, and God rescued them from slavery. Sabbath becomes an act of resistance against anything that tries to make us slaves again—including consumerism, constant availability, work, technology, and the pressure to always be productive.

When Jesus' disciples are criticized for picking grain on the Sabbath, Jesus responds, “The Sabbath was made for humans, not humans for the Sabbath.” Later, when Jesus heals a man with a withered hand, he demonstrates that Sabbath is ultimately about life, wholeness, and restoration, not legalism.

This message invites us to move from being human doings to human beings and to rediscover Sabbath as a practice of experiencing God's love.

What would you do if your only directive was to enjoy and delight in God's presence and God's world?

Maybe Sabbath begins there.

📖 Scripture: Mark 2:23–3:6; Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5
🎙️ Preacher: Rev. Kevin Johnson
📅 Labor Day Weekend | September 6, 2026
⛪ North Raleigh United Methodist Church

Key themes: Sabbath, Christian rest, Sabbath practice, spiritual rest, Jesus and the Sabbath, Mark 2, Mark 3, productivity, busyness, slowing down, Christian discipleship, God's creation, delight, work and rest, spiritual disciplines, sabbatical, human being vs. human doing, United Methodist faith, and living in God's love, maxxing

In this episode of Behind the Scenes, host Kevin Van Hall sits down with Rev. Kevin Johnson to explore the Sabbath as God’s gift to us.

As we enter Labor Day weekend, Kevin and Kevin talk about why God commands us to rest and what that commandment means in a world that never seems to slow down. Looking at Deuteronomy 5:12-15 and Mark 2:23-3:6, they unpack Jesus’ reminder that “the Sabbath was created for humans” and consider how we can recover a healthy rhythm of rest, worship, connection, and renewal.

Why has Sabbath become so difficult to practice? How has technology changed our relationship with work and rest? And what might it look like to intentionally create Sabbath in our lives today?

This conversation challenges us to consider whether busyness has become a badge of success and invites us to rediscover the freedom of knowing that we are more than what we produce or accomplish. Sabbath isn't meant to be another burden or a list of rules. It is a gift from God, inviting us to stop, breathe, worship, enjoy the people and world around us, and trust that everything does not depend on us.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Mark 2:23-3:6 (CEB)
Series: The Sabbath, God’s Gift to Us
Guest: Rev. Kevin Johnson
Host: Kevin Van Hall

Subscribe to Behind the Scenes from North Raleigh United Methodist Church for weekly conversations that go deeper into Sunday's scripture and sermon, helping you connect faith with everyday life.

Here I Am | Rev. Laura Johnson | Exodus 3:1-12

What does God’s calling feel like?

In this sermon, Rev. Laura Johnson explores the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:1-12 and invites us to consider how God may be calling each of us in this season of our lives. While Moses receives an unmistakable call from God, complete with a burning bush and a voice calling his name, Laura reflects on how our own experiences of calling are often much less dramatic—and sometimes much more persistent.

Moses responds, “Here I am,” before he even knows what God is about to ask of him. But when God sends him back to Egypt to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of slavery, Moses immediately begins offering reasons why he isn't the right person for the job. His story reminds us that feeling unprepared, inadequate, or afraid doesn't mean we aren't called.

Laura shares from her own journey of calling to ministry, including the “burning” she first felt as a young teenager and the years it took before she could confidently say, “Here I am, Lord.” She reminds us that calling isn't only for pastors or church leaders. Every one of us is called to use our unique gifts, experiences, and passions in service to God and others.

The sermon invites us to pay attention to the “burning bushes” around us—the people, opportunities, passions, and persistent nudges that may be pointing us toward where God is calling us next. Sometimes discerning a call means stepping outside our comfort zones, trying something new, and trusting God one step at a time.

Most importantly, Moses' story reminds us that God doesn't call the equipped; God equips the called.

As you listen, consider the question Laura poses: What does God's calling feel like today?

📖 Scripture: Exodus 3:1-12
🎙️ Preacher: Rev. Laura Johnson
⛪ North Raleigh United Methodist Church

Key themes: calling, vocation, Moses and the burning bush, Exodus 3, discerning God's call, faith, courage, spiritual gifts, serving God, Christian discipleship, prevenient grace, finding your purpose, stepping outside your comfort zone, and trusting God.

Behind the Scenes: Here I Am | Exodus 3:1-12

What does it mean to answer when God calls?

In this week’s Behind the Scenes podcast, host Kevin Van Hall sits down with Pastor Laura Johnson to explore the familiar story of Moses and the burning bush. But this conversation looks beyond the burning bush itself to consider Moses’ response: “Here I am.”

Together, Kevin and Laura discuss Moses’ unlikely calling, his many reasons for believing he wasn’t the right person for the job, and God’s powerful response: “I’ll be with you.” They explore what the burning bush might represent, why God calls ordinary and imperfect people, and how Moses’ story can help us recognize God’s calling in our own lives.

How do you know what God is calling you to do? And what do you do when you feel unprepared, uncertain, or afraid?

The conversation reminds us that God doesn’t necessarily call the equipped—God equips the called. Sometimes discerning our calling begins with a small tug, a persistent passion, or simply the courage to take the next step and try something new.

Join Kevin and Laura as they explore Exodus 3 and ask: What might God be calling you to do—and are you ready to say, “Here I am”?

📖 Scripture: Exodus 3:1-12
🎙️ Host: Kevin Van Hall
🎙️ Guest: Pastor Laura Johnson

Big Answers Are Found in Small Questions | Rev. Kevin Johnson

What can one small question reveal about faith? In this sermon, Rev. Kevin Johnson explores one of the most important questions Jesus ever asked: “Who do you say that I am?”

In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus first asks his disciples what others are saying about him. Then he makes the question personal. Peter responds with a bold confession: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” But this question isn't just for Peter. At some point in every faith journey, we are invited to wrestle with it for ourselves.

Rev. Johnson reflects on why we don't have to have all the answers before coming to Jesus. God is already at work in our lives, drawing us closer through what United Methodists call prevenient grace—God's grace that reaches for us before we even know how to reach back.

This message also explores what it means to confess Jesus as more than a source of comfort or a casual part of our lives. If Jesus is truly Lord, that confession shapes how we live. And Jesus doesn't simply ask us to say the right words; he calls the church to become his body in the world, showing others what God's kingdom looks like through the way we live together.

Through Peter's confession, the power of the church, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, this sermon invites us into a deeper question: Who do you say Jesus is—and how does your life answer that question?

📖 Scripture: Psalm 124; Matthew 16:13-20
🎙️ Preacher: Rev. Kevin Johnson

Key themes: questions and faith, who do you say I am, Peter's confession, Jesus the Messiah, Matthew 16, Christian discipleship, prevenient grace, United Methodist faith, the church, Holy Spirit, spiritual growth, following Jesus, Christian community, and living out your faith.

Behind the Scenes: Big Power Lives in Small Words

What can our words reveal about the state of our hearts? In this week’s Behind the Scenes podcast, host Kevin Van Hall sits down with Pastor Laura Johnson to explore Matthew 15:10-20 and Jesus’ challenging teaching about what truly makes us “clean” or “unclean.”

Kevin and Laura unpack Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees, the tension between religious tradition and the heart of God, and why Jesus shifts the focus from outward rules to what is happening within us. They also talk about the surprising power of our words—how something that seems small can have a profound impact on others and reveal what’s happening in our own hearts.

As part of our Small Things, Big Impact series, this conversation asks an important question: What do the words we speak tell us about the state of our hearts?

Listen in as Kevin and Laura dig deeper into the Scripture behind this week’s sermon and consider what it means to live a life shaped not by rules and restrictions, but by love, service, kindness, generosity, and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 15:10-20; Ephesians 4:29–5:2
🎙️ Host: Kevin Van Hall
🎙️ Guest: Pastor Laura Johnson