Unity Presbyterian - Denver, Nc

It's so easy to get caught up worrying about just about every aspect of our lives. Our jobs, our kids, our health, our future... but time and time again the Bible tells us not to worry. How are we supposed to do that? It seems like every time we stop, something comes along to make us start right up again. Pastor Dana takes a look at this topic as we continue our Summer of Questions this week.

Our summer of questions continues as we look at life after death and the second coming of Jesus. You guys asked some tough questions! Pastor David digs into 1 Thessalonians 4 to hear some encouragement from Paul on the subject, and we might come away with more questions than answers!

This week, our questions from the congregation focus on the political polarization of the church, and how we can keep our focus on God amidst the noise around us. Pastor David will use Paul’s words from Ephesians 4 as we navigate some of the same issues that they were facing in the early church, looking for unity as they were facing a world that marginalizes people and weaponizes religion.

Why did God appear to so many people in the Old Testament but not to anyone in the last 2,000 years? Think about all who lived before biblical times, all those who have never heard the word. Why is life after death just for those lucky enough to have been exposed to Christian teachings? Pastor David explores these questions and digs into how God reveals himself to us and to the world at large.

Why do we do mission work? And if we’re not helping starving children in Africa, or doing medical missions in Vietnam, is it really missions? Pastor Dana takes a look at the different types of mission work and the purposes of each as she brings us a recap of the recent trip to the UK in worship this week.

Several months ago, Pastor David encouraged the congregation to send him questions on faith. We got over 50 questions asking all kinds of things that we will try to answer throughout the summer! The first one seems to be a hard one – “How can I hear God’s voice?” Wouldn’t it be great if it was like a phone call? This week, Pastor David looks at the different ways we might feel the urgings of God as individuals and as the body of Christ.

This week is Pentecost – the celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit! What a great reminder that we are not alone – that we have this gift of a personal advocate who can even speak for us when we do not have the words to say on our own – that we are never alone in our sorrow or grief or despair but are always in the presence of a loving and caring God.

How many times do we say we want peace, then we yell at our neighbor, or at the car in front of us, or at our spouse or child? How do we get this peace we want when it is so hard to find it within ourselves? How can we pursue peace in a world where chaos is everywhere? We might be able to find some inspiration from a story from Paul’s life in our sermon this week where our Opposite is Peace or Conflict. We also celebrate our Mothers, who we are sure would enjoy a little peace in their day, too!

We’re still looking at the opposites in the Bible this week as we take a look at Hope and Pessimism. Sometimes it's easier not to get our hopes up so that we're not disappointed. Faith in God, however, points us in a different, more hope-filled direction. How does that work out for one Old Testament mother? Let’s find out!

This week we begin a new sermon series called Opposites! The Bible often teaches through contrasting experiences of life. This series will explore these contrasts found in the Bible, beginning with Obedience Or Independence – the Story of Noah.  Noah did all that the Lord commanded him, despite having no reason to trust in what God was telling him.

Caring for God's creation is not a political thing to do, or a religious thing to do, but a human thing to do. And we all have to do our part. Hear a word from our Earth Care chair, Bee Manship, a beautiful song from the Mariners Quartet, and a prayer from Dave Fechtmeister as we celebrate Earth Day.

It's Easter, the day that darkness doesn't win. The day that Jesus rises from the grave, conquering death. We can learn that from the Bible, but how can we know that in our hearts? How can we experience that for ourselves? Pastor David turns to the Apostle Paul for help trying to understand how the impossible can be possible.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week - and Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. 

An abundant life is also an eternal life! Jesus tries to explain this to some Pharisees, and they get into a pretty heated discussion. Hear the mic-drop moments in this week’s sermon.

Abundant life sometimes requires us to experience emptiness and dissatisfaction. There are times when we question if God even exists – how can a loving God allow bad things to happen, and does God even care about us anyway? Pastor Dana explores our times of crisis and how they can lead to abundant life.

Just as a caterpillar undergoes a metamorphosis and emerges as a butterfly, so too do we go through a transformation into the people God has created us to be. But change can be scary and painful. How can we bring our broken parts to Jesus? Pastor David takes a look at the story of Legion for some answers. 

Isaiah tells us “the desert shall rejoice… it shall blossom abundantly.” How do we go about having a life that's over the top, more than expected, and full of abundance when sometimes all we are doing is marking time? Pastor David continues our Lenten series on Abundant Life by exploring these questions.

This is the first Sunday in the season of Lent, a time of reflection and spiritual growth. Lent represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness in preparation for his death and resurrection. This year we're talking about Abundant Life, the kind of life that Jesus wants us to have.

This week in worship we find King David on his deathbed. What are his final words and instructions? We’re going to find out that he has a lot of things that he can’t let go of. Aren’t we like that too, holding on to past hurts and grudges? Let’s learn together.