Listen to the December 7, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

Luke 1:39-56

Have you ever felt like hope was out of reach? Like certain doors in your life had been shut for so long that nothing new could grow? Today’s Advent message brings us into the meeting between Elizabeth and Mary, two women who carried the start of God’s work inside them. One held the wonder of new possibility. The other held the wonder of God’s favor.

Elizabeth had lived through years of silence and disappointment. Mary was young and had no status at all. Yet God chose both of them to carry good news that would change the world. Their stories remind us that God’s compassion reaches into places we have given up on. They also show that God’s favor settles on people who never expect it.

This sermon invites you to think about the parts of your life that feel stuck and the parts where you question whether God could truly work. You will hear how Scripture ties God’s compassion to the image of a womb, a place where growth takes time and care. You will hear how Mary received God’s favor even when she had nothing to offer in return. And you will be encouraged to make space in your own life where hope can grow.

If you feel worn down, or unsure, or ready for a fresh sense of God’s presence, this message is for you. Advent is not only about waiting. It is about letting your heart open again so God can bring new life.

!https://www.zumc.org/sermons

Listen to the November 230 2025, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

Luke 1:26-38

Have you ever felt like the pace of December squeezes out the very thing your heart needs most? Mary shows us another way. When the angel came to her, she didn’t panic or brush it off. She paused. She wondered. She held space for God to do something she didn’t expect.

This message explores how wonder can shape our faith and why it matters for Advent.

You will hear:

How Mary’s response opened the door for trust

Why wonder needs time and attention

How the pace of life can push out holy moments

Simple ways to slow down and notice God

How Advent helps us see the world with fresh eyes

If you want to reclaim the heart of the season, or you feel pulled in every direction right now, this message will help you find a calmer, clearer path. It all starts with making space for wonder.

!https://www.zumc.org/sermons

Listen to the November 23, 2025, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

Matthew 13:44-46

Have you ever asked how to know what really matters in life? Jesus gives two short stories that cut right to that question. A farmer finds treasure in a field. A merchant finds a pearl worth more than everything he owns. Both choose to give up a lot to gain something far better.

This message walks through what Jesus is getting at and why these stories still speak to us.

You will hear:

Why we look for worth in the wrong places

What it means to find something that is worth the cost

How faith shapes what we treasure

Why surrender to God is risky but good

How these stories point to Jesus own gift of his life

If you have ever wondered how to tell if faith is worth it or how to name what matters most, this message will help you think it through in a steady, practical way.

!https://www.zumc.org/sermons

Listen to the November 16, 2025, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

Luke 15:8-10

Some gifts seem small until you understand their meaning. Jesus tells a simple story about a woman who loses a single silver coin. It isn’t rare. It isn’t worth much. But she searches her dark home with determination, sweeping every corner until she finds it.

Jesus says this is what God is like.

In this week’s message, we look at the lost coin through a different lens: the image stamped on it.

Just as Caesar’s image was pressed into Roman currency, God has pressed His image into us. We are meant to reflect His goodness, His creativity, and His love to the world. But sin fractures that image. We find ourselves in dark places, unsure of how to return.

And yet, God searches anyway.

We explore what it means to be found by a God who refuses to give up on us, and how Jesus—God’s perfect image—restores what has been cracked or lost.

Then we take one step further: Jesus hands His mission to us. The church becomes the lamp in dark places, the seeker of lost coins, the people who reflect God’s light for others to see.

This is why we serve.

This is why we give.

This is why we reach out in mission.

Not to feel good about ourselves, but to help others recover the image God placed in them from the beginning.

When we join God in searching for the lost, His light shines all the brighter in us.

!https://www.zumc.org/sermons

Listen to the November 9, 2025, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

Matthew 18:23-31

Debt is something most of us understand all too well. From mortgages to student loans to credit cards, it can weigh us down and shape how we live. But Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant takes debt to another level—a servant owes his king a sum so large he could never repay it.

Miraculously, the king forgives the debt. Yet the servant still ends up in prison—not for what he owed, but for what he refused to forgive.

In this week’s message, we look at the three debts that remain even after forgiveness:

A debt of honor—recognizing the value of others.

A debt of gratitude—living in thankful response to grace.

A debt of mercy—extending forgiveness as we’ve received it.

You’ll hear stories from Scripture and real life, including a reminder of what it means to show honor this Veterans Day, and how releasing old debts may be the most freeing act of all.

When we pay forward the grace we’ve received, our hearts find freedom too.

!https://www.zumc.org/sermons

Listen to the November 2, 2025, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

Mark 4:30-34

How can something as small as a mustard seed reveal the greatness of God’s kingdom?

In this week’s sermon, “The Kingdom of God and the Power of Small Things,” Pastor Dave invites us to see that God’s work in the world often starts small—through daily acts of kindness, faith, and love that may seem ordinary, but carry eternal impact.

Jesus used the mustard seed to teach that the kingdom of God doesn’t grow through power or control, but through compassion and humility. Like a tree that grows as wide as it is tall, God’s kingdom provides shelter and belonging for all who seek rest in its shade.

Life, too, is made up of “mustard seed moments”—quiet conversations, shared meals, helping hands, and words of encouragement. These are the small things that reveal God’s presence and plant the seeds of His kingdom in our world.

!https://www.zumc.org/sermons

Listen to the October 26, 2025, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

Matthew 25:14-30

When Jesus told the Parable of the Talents, he wasn’t just talking about money — he was talking about life.

In this week’s message, “The Parable of the Talents: What God Has Entrusted to You,” Pastor Dave invites us to see stewardship as more than financial giving. It’s about what we do with everything God has placed in our hands — our words, our relationships, our time, our vocation, and even our influence.

The story challenges us to move beyond fear — the kind of fear that buries our gifts, hides our light, and keeps grace locked away. Because, as Jesus shows, the kingdom of God turns our world upside down — and if we let it, it can turn our lives right-side up.

What has the Master entrusted to your care?

And how will you use it to multiply grace in the lives of others?

!https://www.zumc.org/sermons

Listen to the October 19, 2025, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

Esther 9:24-28

Sometimes, it feels like we can’t see God at work in our lives. We long for clear signs or direct answers, but instead, we find ourselves living between the moments — in the quiet, the ordinary, the unseen.

This week’s message, “Open Our Eyes,” takes an unexpected turn, beginning with comics theory and ending with a profound truth about God’s grace. Using Scott McCloud’s idea of “the gutter” — the blank space between comic panels where the story actually unfolds — we’re reminded that God is often working in those same unseen spaces in our own lives.

Through the story of Esther — a book where God’s name is never mentioned — we see that God is still powerfully present. The coincidences, the timing, the courage — they all point to divine orchestration, even when God isn’t “on the panel.”

Drawing from our Methodist understanding of prevenient grace, we are reminded that God’s love and activity are always before us, around us, and within us — inviting us to join in his redemptive work for the good of others.

Because faith is a “silent dance of the seen and unseen.”

And sometimes, we just need to pray:

“Open our eyes, O Lord.”!https://www.zumc.org/sermons

Listen to the October 12, 2025, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

What does it really mean to be rich?

This message explores that question through both Scripture and story—connecting Paul’s words to the Corinthians with the incredible work of generosity happening right here at Zionsville UMC.

Since 2018, two things stand out about our Endowment:

1️⃣ Nearly half of the funds supported ministries beyond our church walls.

2️⃣ Nearly a quarter of the Endowment was set up as matching gifts—a beautiful invitation to multiply generosity.

Since then, our Endowment has grown from $1.1 million to $1.8 million, distributing over $400,000 to local and global ministry partners.

Today's sermon takes us through Paul’s teaching to the church in Corinth—a wealthy and diverse community of both the rich and the poor. Through their example, we see that:

God sows abundantly, scattering blessings far and wide.

Generosity doesn’t leave us with less—it enriches us in every way.

Giving opens our hearts to the true riches of God: joy, peace, compassion, and thanksgiving.

And just as one gift inspires another, ZUMC has a new opportunity: a $100,000 matching gift to the Endowment. Every individual gift (up to $5,000) will be matched, doubling its impact. It’s a chance to leave a lasting legacy for the ministries and causes closest to your heart.

Join us as we celebrate the generosity of God—the One who multiplies every gift and makes us rich in every way, so that we might abound in every good work.

!https://www.zumc.org/sermons

Listen to the October 5, 2025, 2025 Sunday worship service from Zionsville United Methodist Church in Zionsville, IN.

Mark 2:1-12

This week’s service marks our first-ever Worship in Pink Sunday—a time to honor breast cancer survivors, remember those we’ve lost, and raise awareness for continued research and care.

Throughout the past few months, we’ve focused on health in many forms—mental, emotional, and physical. From conversations about youth anxiety to a presentation on Alzheimer’s and brain health, each topic has reminded us that caring for our bodies and minds is part of caring for our souls.

Today’s message turns to one of the most prevalent health challenges in our world: breast cancer. With 317,000 new diagnoses expected in the U.S. this year, this disease touches nearly every family. And yet, there is hope—thanks to advances in treatment, early detection, and the strength of communities that rally together.

Drawing from the story of the friends who lowered a paralyzed man through the roof to reach Jesus, Pastor Dave explores three candles of healing:

Community — the people who lift us when we fall.

Determination — the will to press forward when the road is hard.

Faith — the assurance that God’s healing runs deeper than medicine.

These three—faith, hope, and love—remain the foundation of healing and wholeness in every circumstance.

As we light our candles and wear pink, we celebrate the survivors among us, remember those we’ve lost, and give thanks to a God whose love never ends.

!https://www.zumc.org/sermons