Pea Ridge UMC Sermon

Today is Baptism of the Lord Sunday. This week, our sermon looks at Matthew 3:13-17. Rev. Shannon Blosser talks about how we remember our baptism by identifying ourselves with Christ daily.

Merry Christmas! Our podcast features elements from our worship on December 25, 2022. It includes our special music of "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" by Emily Cloer. Our pastor, Rev. Shannon Blosser, leads us in a reflection on John 1:1-14 by asking us to think about what narrative defines our view of Christmas. Finally, the podcast ends with a singing of "Silent Night."

Pea Ridge UMC is located in Huntington, W.Va. You can learn more by visiting pearidgeumc.org or Facebook.com/PeaRidgeUMCWV.

There is an old quote of "as soon as you know all the answers, I change all the questions." Well, that is what defines worship for us this Christmas Eve at Pea Ridge UMC. We expected to be in person for worship, yet cold temperatures and black ice spots on the parking lot forced us to be online only.

Pea Ridge UMC is located in Huntington, WV. Our hope is to be in person for worship on Christmas Day. You can find us on Facebook at PeaRidgeUMCWV or at pearidgeumc.org.

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Our sermon examines Isaiah 7:10-16. It includes a passage (Isaiah 7:14) Matthew uses to support the importance of Jesus' birth in Matthew 1:23. Rev. Shannon Blosser looks at the context of Isaiah 7:14, how fear can consume us, and how we trust that God is always with us.

This is the Third Week of Advent and a time when the church focuses on joy. Perhaps you're like Rev. Shannon Blosser this year and struggling to find joy this season. How do we experience true joy in the midst of difficulties or challenges? This week's sermon looks at how true joy is found not in external things of life, but in Christ and the promise of Emmanuel.

It is the Second Sunday of Advent. It is a week we focus on peace. The first part of our podcast includes the anthem from our chancel choir of "Away in a Manager." That is followed by this week's sermon from Isaiah 11:1-10. Rev. Shannon Blosser looks at how the Messiah came as the true Son of David guided by wisdom and righteousness, which leads to peace. As followers of Christ, he says, we are called to seek avenues of peace as we live in the time of the Second Advent awaiting Christ's return.

This week is the First Sunday of Advent, which marks the beginning of a new Christian year. It also marks the beginning of our Advent sermon series called "Anticipation." Each week, Rev. Shannon will look at what it means to live in anticipation of Christ as we prepare for both the celebration of Christmas and Christ's return.

This week's sermon takes a look at 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13. Rev. Shannon Blosser examines the issues Paul dealt with in a church where some people were not contributing to the community. In doing so, he focuses on how we have an opportunity to serve God in our community, but it comes when we stop focusing on the negative and begin to see the possibilities.

This week our sermon podcast is focused on All Saints' Sunday. First, we share our All Saints' Remembrance from worship. All Saints' Sunday is the day we remember those who have passed away during the previous year and the great cloud of witnesses who help us on our journey of faith. Following the remembrance, Rev. Shannon Blosser leads us in our sermon on Ephesians 1:15-23. He focuses on how Christ fills us with his presence as the body of Christ and how Jesus' lordship centers us in God's wisdom, insight, and hope.

We conclude our series on becoming more inclusive by looking at the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14). Rev. Shannon examines how we can be like the Pharisee and believe that we are righteous, especially when it comes to being welcoming and loving, without considering how we might need to grow. At the same time, he says the Tax Collector has the posture of someone willing to listen. He says that for the church to be more welcoming, we need to listen to people and families who feel excluded from the church.