First UMC of Torrington: Recent Episodes
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This podcast begins with sermons from Advent of 2019 and will be updated for the duration of the year. Pastor Ximena Diaz from the First United Methodist Church of Torrington will be providing the sermons as we go along.
It is easier for us to get distracted by the circumstances of others. We assume a wide range of things. We want to have something or someone to blame for what is happening... Instead, Jesus reminds us that God’s grace and love go beyond the circumstances. We are called to be healers, no questions asked. We are called to share the Light for all those who are blind.
God creates life from death, nothingness, and hopelessness. The Bible is full of such paradoxes, as Jesus tells us that those who try to keep their lives will die, but those who give up their lives for others will live. We are used to thinking of life in terms of fixed beginnings and ends, but the story of Jesus calls us to throw away our old categories and embrace God's larger vision of eternal life that begins here and now.
Jesus broke all kinds of social conventions by speaking to a woman in public, a Samaritan no less, whose own life was such a mess that it could have really messed up Jesus' reputation as a holy man. But Jesus brought his message of grace and freedom to the woman, knowing that in her humility, she would actually hear and respond, while the religious people were too busy and self-important to hear. God doesn't care about any of the artificial lines we draw to make ourselves feel superior to others. If we let go of our status symbols and judgmental attitudes, we too can hear Jesus’ call more clearly and respond more faithfully. Broadcasted live through Facebook.
“God’s Mission Has a Church” Guest Preachers: Rev. Tom & Rev. Wendy Vancuss
International Women's Day. Girl Scout Sunday.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God, thinking that they knew better than him, with disastrous consequences. While being tempted in the wilderness, Jesus denied his own impulses and followed God's will. In the modern world, where we are used to having control over so many things, we often fail to seek God's will for our lives and try to call all the shots ourselves. God wants us to deny ourselves and give him the final say when we are charting out the course of our lives.
We have walked in the light, we have heard the assurance of belovedness, and we have named and claimed our place in the world, our passion, our vocation, our mission. Now it is time to proclaim to the world from the mountaintop that transformation is possible. How have you changed in the last 8 weeks? This Sunday will include testimonies and answers to the question, “Who Are You?” Transfiguration Sunday.
Something with “integrity” is stable–all the parts are supporting the whole. We are invited to examine all the parts of our lives to see if they point toward the fulfillment of our identity, vocation and call. When all things work together for good, the parched places in our lives become watered and our saltiness never loses its taste. Are you a self-divided?
Who we are cannot be fulfilled in isolation. We were made for relationship and for passing on the life and love given to us by God. We’ve all experienced the pain of broken relationships and the joy of restored ones. How does our relationship to others define us? How does living in right relationship with friend and stranger send reverberations into the world and into the future?
Two of the most powerful and poetic lessons for life appear in the scripture readings this Sunday. The definition of beatitude is “supreme blessedness and happiness.” In our search for happiness among the “stuff” of life, have we missed the point? What difference would it make to embody a love for justice and kindness in our everyday lives?
We continue this Sunday with the idea that God has called us, not just by name, but to a special purpose. When we find and claim our own vocation–that which fulfills us and creates good in the world–we are freed from the bonds of what others may expect of us or claim for us. Discipleship comes in many, and sometimes unlikely, forms.
The question of “who are you” often starts with a name. In the scriptures, people begin to describe Jesus by many names–Rabbi, Messiah, Lamb of God–as they tried to understand who this special person was. What descriptors do you want to be known by? Who has God called you to be? Human Relations Sunday.
Can you imagine what relationships could be like without the human fear of rejection? This
Sunday we remember our baptism and the voice of God which proclaims to all of us, “You are
my beloved.” Let’s live in the abundance of grace and acceptance and just see what happens
when we offer that to others! Baptism of the Lord.
The Wise Ones found what they were looking for by following the lighted path. When we trust
the “star” that God hung out for us, we move toward life in its fullest and discover joy beyond
imagining. What paths is God shining light upon for you? We will take the next 8 weeks to
implement movement toward a brighter future than we can imagine. Epiphany Sunday.
The post-holiday blues hit hard sometimes. It was a frenetic journey to the celebration of
Christmas, but now the lights don’t seem so bright and colorful, and the music grates on our ears.
Or worse, things have fallen apart, and the family closeness lasted only a minute or two before
the rivalries and resentments returned.
What a glorious night, what a precious moment, when we gather as a family in the darkness of
the world to sing and to remember and hold our candles up into the night as we celebrate the
light. Whatever else happens on Christmas Eve, whatever traditions or re-enactments or
performances or liturgy, at some point, usually a climactic and final one, we raise our lights into
the darkness to proclaim our belief in the way of Christ.
The third week of Advent is a time of joy, a time of being thankful for all that has been
given—the promise of the Savior who has come, who is present, and who promises a return. The
third Sunday of Advent is a day for celebration. Peel away the penitential mood that Advent
brings, and rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, “Rejoice!”
Perhaps you, too, have become suspicious of your GPS. You’re following the directions to a
destination where you have never been. Then you’re directed to make a turn that doesn’t feel
right. You’re in an area of the city that doesn’t look right. The directions keep coming, but they
don’t seem to be on the right path. It is hard to keep trusting the disembodied voice telling you
how to get to your destination. We might want to give up. Or turn it off and “use the force,
Luke,” which often means just do what feels right. And that is a recipe for disaster more times
than we’d like to admit.
In any journey of length, there will come times when questions arise. A question such as, “Are
we there yet?” is only one possibility. Other questions such as, “Should we turn around?” or “Do
we really want to make this journey?” or even “Are we making progress?” may occur. Questions
about who made the decision, why we are going, and what’s this all about anyway are all a part
of the journey—the desert part, the questioning part, the part where people wonder if there is a
point to continuing. Maybe we have lost sight of the destination, or maybe we have gotten lost in
the unfamiliar world through which we travel, and our sense of security is telling us to go back to
what we know rather than ahead to what might be.
Journeys begin with a choice. Shall I go or not? Shall I stay and embrace the known and the
comfortable, or shall I go and maybe find something wonderful, or maybe be unsettled, upset,
uncertain? If you are a backseat person, you may not feel like you had a choice; you were
dragged along by those in charge of you. But even there, you have a choice. Are you going to
enter into the spirit of the journey, or sit with arms folded and head down, grumpy face on? Your
choice is whether you are going to add to the joy of the journey or make it miserable for
everyone, yourself included. Journeys begin with a choice.