Unity Presbyterian - Denver, Nc

We made it through the holidays and into a new year! Did you experience something at the manger that made you want to do something new this year, to take your life in a new direction? We are talking about new directions this week as we embark on 2024 with all its potential ahead of us.

Are you anticipating Christmas with joy? Sometimes we don’t like waiting for things to happen, even if they will be good things. This week, Pastor David goes back 600 years before the birth of Jesus to look at a story of a promise that required a long, long wait….

Tis the season…. for choices! We choose which family we are visiting, and what presents we are taking.. but have you considered the choice that Jesus made to come to earth to be fully human? He took the mindset of a servant to show us what our choices should be. As we look toward the holidays, let us consider having this Christmas mindset.

Tis the season…. It’s time to get ready. We are decorating, baking, shopping, and getting our homes ready for the Christmas season. Are we readying our hearts? What should we be doing to prepare? Pastor David reminds us that at the heart of every season is our expression of worship, of giving glory to God. As we enter Advent and Christmas with hope and excitement, let us remember that it Tis the Season for Worship!

How do we express our gratitude to God? Our words fall short, our actions are lacking... and we often forget. What's your daily posture? How can you live so your life shows thanksgiving to God? Come to worship where we talk about this church word in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Our word of the week is Sovereign. When we say God is sovereign, it means God is in control of all things. But how can we reconcile that when there is war in the Middle East? Can God really have planned that? Pastor David digs into the plans that God has for us all, and how those plans can sometimes go wrong, even though God is good.

The Bible says “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Understanding the definition of faith and actually living by it are two separate things. Join us today as we explore how to live by faith and not by sight. 

Our series on church words continues this week with a look at grace. We are freely given grace from God, and are supposed to extend God’s grace to others. How do we live as people of grace in a world that often values so many other things? Let's talk about how we respond to God's amazing grace.

This week, we begin a new series on Church Words – those funny words you mostly only hear around the church. This week’s word is holiness and its closely related word, sanctification. What does it mean to be holy without coming across as Holier-Than-Thou? What is the process to become holy people of God? Pastor David unpacks that for us in this week’s sermon.

October is Stewardship season, which is a great time to look around and notice all the things that God has blessed us with throughout the year. It’s a great time to reflect, and in doing so, think of the ways that God has shown you grace in your life. Paul challenges us to excel in the grace of giving. How will you respond? 

Blessed are we… and we certainly will be to have the Rev. Dana Pate with us in worship this week. She is trading pulpits with Pastor David, who is traveling to Rock Hill UMC to preach in her place. If you’ve not experienced the dynamic Rev Dana, you’re in for a treat! She’s bringing blessings with her, preaching on the beatitudes and how blessed we are to be able to be a blessing to others.

This is World Communion Sunday, a time to reflect on all the ways that we are connected with one another around the table. Food brings us together in different ways in different cultures and makes us one family under our Creator. Jesus tells his disciples that whoever does the will of God is our brother and sister and mother.

Our series on The Disciples concludes this week with a look at Thomas – often called Doubting Thomas, because of his need to see the risen Jesus for himself. But how many of us want proof of Jesus’ abilities to make a difference in our own lives? Like Thomas, do we believe because others tell us about Jesus or do we want to have our own experiences?

Our series on The Disciples continues with a look at Mary Magdalene. She was a disciple from the beginning to the end and had a remarkable transformation because of her dedication and devotion to Jesus. Let’s see how our lives can mirror hers in growth as we follow Jesus, too.

This week, Pastor David continues our series on The Disciples with a look at Judas. We know Judas as the disciple who betrayed Jesus, but Judas was once a trusted disciple in the inner circle, in charge of the finances of the group. Where did he let greed get the best of him, and how can we learn from his mistakes?

This week we continue our series on The Disciples as we look at John, who describes himself as “the disciple Jesus loved.” John’s life spanned almost 90 years, and his life changed from one of misguided enthusiasm to one of patient endurance through consistent and persistent faith.

This week we continue to discover our identity as we take a look at who we are as disciples of Christ. What does it mean to be a disciple? Is it enough to say we believe in Jesus, or is more needed? Discover the three Ways of Discipleship that Jesus gave to his followers.

This week, Pastor David takes a look at who we are as a church community – as the body of Christ. This community is dependent on the diversity of our members, each contributing their unique gifts in an effort to bring the works of Jesus to the world. Where do you fit into this plan? Let’s explore this together!

Pastor David continues answering questions from the congregation with one I bet everyone has asked at some point – why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God allow babies to get cancer? Why are really good people victims of violence? And how can we explain an all-powerful God who allows these things to happen, especially to people who doubt? Let’s find out together!

Our summer series of questions continue with one I bet you have asked at one time or another – why did Jesus have to die on the cross? We’ll dig into the atonement, what it has meant over the past 2000 years, and what it means to us today.