Wesley Church | Springfield, MO: Recent Episodes
Wesley Church
Wesley is a Community of Faith that accepts every person who walks through our doors just as they are. We long to be a wider family of faith, going beyond our building to be in ministry outside our doors. We live out our faithfulness to this community through participation in our four pathways of discipleship:
WORSHIP, LEARN, SERVE, and CELEBRATE.
The book of Ruth teaches us that God can use our everyday lives and decisions for His greater purpose. Our acts of kindness, loyalty, and faith can have ripple effects far beyond what we can imagine.In this first chapter of Ruth, let us be inspired by Ruth's loyalty and faith, Naomi's journey from bitterness to blessing, and the overarching theme of God's abiding presence. Here’s the beautiful thing - though we encounter a scene where things seem to be at rock bottom → the bitterness of Naomi is not the whole of the story. Ruth’s loyalty, Ruth’s love for her mother-in-law holds the promise of something more, as does the final verse of this chapter: “They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest” (1:22). Wesley United Methodist Church - Springfield, MOwww.wesleymethodist.com(CCLI streaming license 2009194)
This story of Ruth reminds us that we can never wander too far from God. The moment we stop pushing him away, we will find him waiting there, with open arms, ready to make us whole.Wesley United Methodist Church - Springfield, MOwww.wesleymethodist.com(CCLI streaming license 2009194)
Hello and welcome to Wesley Church's podcast of That's a Good Question where we invite and encourage questions that you have wanted to ask the church.
Questions? Email us at PODCAST@WESLEYMETHODIST.COM
Wouldn't it be amazing if when the world thought about the church, they wouldn't think about what we're against, but instead they'd think about what we're for?If they thought about the tangible expressions of love they have seen the church demonstrate in the world...instead of the list of things the church is AGAINST.They would think of the church that showed LOVE, GRACE and MERCY in a world full of divisions...they would see true grace-based unity - that is what Jesus is asking of His disciples, and that is what being the Church today is all about.
How can we claim to have the truth when we cannot agree with each other? We may not agree on all the minutia, but we do agree on the essentials---we agree that Jesus Christ is Lord, that Jesus died and rose again that we may have life. We can claim that we have the truth, because we do---we know the truth, because we know Jesus---and He IS the way, the truth and the life.
Hello and welcome to Wesley Church's podcast of That's a Good Question where we invite and encourage questions that you have wanted to ask the church.
Questions? Email us at PODCAST@WESLEYMETHODIST.COM
How can we be peacemakers? It all begins by having a relationship with Jesus Christ who is the Prince of Peace. Jesus has the ability to change things, including the human heart. Jesus is a peacemaker, he builds up, he never tears down. Jesus has called us to be peacemakers too. We cannot do that on our own, we are not selfless enough, strong enough---but if we surrender our need to be right, if we surrender our belief that our opinion matters more than others, if we surrender our lives to Jesus, he will change our hearts.
The Spirit of God is here, the Spirit of God is literally the single most powerful force on the face of the earth---this Holy Wild Goose wants to chase you out of your complacent Christianity and use you to change planet Earth!Let us be the church! Let us be the Body of Christ! Let us lay down our control and give it over to God! Let us be pushed where the Wild Goose would push us, sent out into all the world so that we can fulfill our purpose in life, but fulfilling the Great Commission.
Sometimes today’s church can seem pretty separated, and divided by all kinds of barriers that keep us from connecting with one another, and in some was causes us to lose sight of our mission.
But if we keep our eyes focused on our “FLAME OF CONNECTION” - if we remember that despite our differences we are united by the Holy Spirit, to God and to each other, then we can lean into God’s pursuit of us through the Holy Spirit → and we can be the church, and the people that God is calling us to be.
HELLO AND WELCOME TO WESLEY CHURCH’S PODCAST OF THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION WHERE WE INVITE AND ENCOURAGE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE WANTED TO ASK THE CHURCH.
QUESTIONS? EMAIL US AT PODCAST@WESLEYMETHODIST.COM
Jesus came into a world full of brokenness and shined the light of TRUE HOPE... and we know that Jesus is everywhere, because of that we have HOPE!
The church is meant to be a force that moves into the world, not a fortress where we come and hide from the world. We are to GO---GO!
We are all invited into a conversation with Jesus → we have the opportunity to “Come and See” for ourselves and be transformed by that conversation and made new through the presence of Jesus in our lives…and it doesn’t stop there → we have the blessing to invite others to come and see as well - which has the chance to truly make a difference in the world for God’s sake! That’s the power of a conversation…that’s the power of the presence of God.
John 1:43-51 Jesus invites you to follow him. He invites you to get to know him. Eventually Jesus wants you to confess him as Lord and Son of God. But it all starts with an initial response to what he says: “Come and see.”
HELLO AND WELCOME TO WESLEY CHURCH’S PODCAST OF THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION WHERE WE INVITE AND ENCOURAGE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE WANTED TO ASK THE CHURCH.
QUESTIONS? EMAIL US AT PODCAST@WESLEYMETHODIST.COM
FOLLOWING JESUS IS WORTH IT! The Kingdom of God has/is/will break into our world and transform everything - and though it may feel at times “upside-down” → it’s a Kingdom not about earning salvation, instead it's about trusting in the free gift of grace from God. Let us truly cherish the gift of God’s love as the most precious and valuable thing in our lives…and let us not hold back as we respond to all that God has given to us through the way that we live our lives.
Jesus is clear that this life will be wrought with troubles, even persecutions. But theoffer is simply this: If you want to experience eternal life, you must come to Jesusand offer yourself without conditions, without provisos to His mission. You mustput his kingdom FIRST. Jesus said: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33)
Overheard #2
Acts 9:1-21Because of a conversation with Jesus, the forgiven person became a forgiving person, the person who sought to exclude others, gave his life to include everyone, the person who found out that he was loved fiercely became capable of loving fiercely. And when we truly come to know Jesus---so can we.
Overheard #2
Acts 9:1-21Because of a conversation with Jesus, the forgiven person became a forgiving person, the person who sought to exclude others, gave his life to include everyone, the person who found out that he was loved fiercely became capable of loving fiercely. And when we truly come to know Jesus---so can we.
Family Matters: Deuteronomy 6:4–9 - The church has a responsibility to raise the littlest of God’s disciples, beginning within the family home and spreading out into the wider body of the local church
Matthew 18:21-35 Forgiving others is not some burden we bear to be followers of Christ; rather it is an enormous healing that God offers us. We are the ones who win when we forgive others. Forgiveness is not a difficult task that Jesus gives us---it is a promise of hope! It is a promise of freedom, a promise of healing, for forgiveness is God's cure for the deformity our bitterness causes us. Forgiveness is how we discover our true selves, and every time we do it we become a little bit more alive.
Matthew 18:21-35 Forgiving others is not some burden we bear to be followers of Christ; rather it is an enormous healing that God offers us. We are the ones who win when we forgive others. Forgiveness is not a difficult task that Jesus gives us---it is a promise of hope! It is a promise of freedom, a promise of healing, for forgiveness is God's cure for the deformity our bitterness causes us. Forgiveness is how we discover our true selves, and every time we do it we become a little bit more alive.
John 8:2-11 Grace means that God’s love and forgiveness come to us free and without cost. But a gift is only a gift when it is received, and we can only receive God’s grace when we come to realize the truth, that we NEED GOD’S GRACE! We cannot earn our salvation, Christ earned it for us---but we do have to accept it. The gift of life is free, but only when we are willing to face the truth about ourselves. In order to experience the reality of God’s wonderful grace, we have to admit our need for that grace; we must confess our need for a Savior.
John 8:2-11 Grace means that God’s love and forgiveness come to us free and without cost. But a gift is only a gift when it is received, and we can only receive God’s grace when we come to realize the truth, that we NEED GOD’S GRACE! We cannot earn our salvation, Christ earned it for us---but we do have to accept it. The gift of life is free, but only when we are willing to face the truth about ourselves. In order to experience the reality of God’s wonderful grace, we have to admit our need for that grace; we must confess our need for a Savior.
Hebrews 12:1–2 Faith is like a race that requires endurance to cross the finish line. And in this case, the author states, the finish line, the goal of the race, is Jesus. It is hard to arrive at a destination if the driver isn’t paying attention to the direction they are headed. Believers need to focus on Jesus, the goal of the faith.
Hebrews 12:1–2 Faith is like a race that requires endurance to cross the finish line. And in this case, the author states, the finish line, the goal of the race, is Jesus. It is hard to arrive at a destination if the driver isn’t paying attention to the direction they are headed. Believers need to focus on Jesus, the goal of the faith.
John 16:31–33 Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in life---not might, but will. It is hard to follow Jesus, and following Jesus will lead to trying situations and even tribulation. That’s part of the journey. However, Jesus gives the disciples good news: Jesus wins. The world will give his disciples problems, but Jesus has overcome the world. The paradox of the journey metaphor is that everyone on the journey knows it has a happy ending.
John 16:31–33 Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in life---not might, but will. It is hard to follow Jesus, and following Jesus will lead to trying situations and even tribulation. That’s part of the journey. However, Jesus gives the disciples good news: Jesus wins. The world will give his disciples problems, but Jesus has overcome the world. The paradox of the journey metaphor is that everyone on the journey knows it has a happy ending.
Luke 14:25–33 Some of the first things many of us do after we make reservations for a vacation is to create a packing list and a to-do list. The lists help us focus on what needs to be done before we arrive so that we can have a successful trip. Jesus asks that we follow him with the same level of intentionality.
Luke 14:25–33 Some of the first things many of us do after we make reservations for a vacation is to create a packing list and a to-do list. The lists help us focus on what needs to be done before we arrive so that we can have a successful trip. Jesus asks that we follow him with the same level of intentionality.
Matthew 3:1-11. This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began 2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. 3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” 4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5 All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” 9 One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
Matthew 3:1-11. This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began 2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. 3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” 4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5 All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” 9 One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
(Advent Week 3) Luke 1:26-38 Mary's Call When you get right down to the brass tacks, the Gospel is simply the greatest love story ever told. One of the greatest joys of this time of the year is that Christmas reminds of this fact in a beautiful and dramatic way. When we stare with wide eyed wonder into the stable in Bethlehem, it becomes clear that God is not some stern judge waiting to condemn us, God is not some far off deity who neither knows nor cares what is happening in our lives, but God is a God of infinite love, who always and forever seeks to share this wondrous love with us, His children.
(Advent Week 3) Luke 1:26-38 Mary's Call When you get right down to the brass tacks, the Gospel is simply the greatest love story ever told. One of the greatest joys of this time of the year is that Christmas reminds of this fact in a beautiful and dramatic way. When we stare with wide eyed wonder into the stable in Bethlehem, it becomes clear that God is not some stern judge waiting to condemn us, God is not some far off deity who neither knows nor cares what is happening in our lives, but God is a God of infinite love, who always and forever seeks to share this wondrous love with us, His children.
(Advent Week 2) Jeremiah 33:14-16 Advent, and really Christianity itself is all about promises. Our faith is about the promise God made thousands of years ago to save us from sin and death and deliver us to eternal life! That is an incredible, audacious, GLORIOUS promise for each one of us, one that almost sounds too good to be true. And of course, if a human being made this promise, it WOULD be too good to be true. But the promise of Christianity is not the promise of a human being, it is the promise of God; a promise that has been fulfilled. That is what we will celebrate at Christmas---the fulfillment of the ultimate promise of God.
(Advent Week 2) Jeremiah 33:14-16 Advent, and really Christianity itself is all about promises. Our faith is about the promise God made thousands of years ago to save us from sin and death and deliver us to eternal life! That is an incredible, audacious, GLORIOUS promise for each one of us, one that almost sounds too good to be true. And of course, if a human being made this promise, it WOULD be too good to be true. But the promise of Christianity is not the promise of a human being, it is the promise of God; a promise that has been fulfilled. That is what we will celebrate at Christmas---the fulfillment of the ultimate promise of God.
(Advent Week 1) Isaiah 7:10-14 Make no mistake, God coming to be with us is not the result of a prize for our efforts; God’s coming is God’s decision, based solely upon His incredible love for us. God’s coming is bound to His promise, not to our works or virtue. God comes to us because of His powerful love for us, not because He is attracted by our beauty. God comes to us in spite of ourselves; God comes to us even in moments when we have done everything wrong.
(Advent Week 1) Isaiah 7:10-14 Make no mistake, God coming to be with us is not the result of a prize for our efforts; God’s coming is God’s decision, based solely upon His incredible love for us. God’s coming is bound to His promise, not to our works or virtue. God comes to us because of His powerful love for us, not because He is attracted by our beauty. God comes to us in spite of ourselves; God comes to us even in moments when we have done everything wrong.
"Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever." Psalm 136:1–28
Gratitude begins and ends in God’s sustaining love. One of the best ways to truly show God our gratitide is to practice specific times to thank God for small things as gifts of his love.