Week 2: Not Jealous or Boastful or Proud

Scripture: Proverbs 16:5, 14:30, Philippians 2:1-5, John 3:16

Have you ever heard the phrase, “God is a jealous God”? Especially throughout the Old Testament, we hear that God is a jealous God. And yet, in 1 Corinthians 13, we hear that love is not jealous or boastful or proud. How do these two ideas reconcile with one another? God wants our undivided commitment to our relationship with God, as God is committed to us. At the same time, God’s love is humble and sacrificial. To us, jealousy sounds like: “I want what she has” “He is so much better at that than I am”. We tend to compare ourselves to others and judge our worth based on their successes. But God shows us a better way, Jesus.  God’s selfless love gives us life. How can we, as followers of Christ, put aside our comparisons and jealousy and love others humbly? What does that kind of love look like in our lives? 

Coronavirus Update  7-16-2020

Greetings Emmanuel Church Family, 

    We have had two wonderful drive-in style worship services so far for July. God is on the move! Thank you to all who have come and been a part of this new opportunity. The church council has updated the drive-in guidelines, and the downstairs restrooms will now be open for use for emergencies on Sunday mornings. We ask that you wear a mask and follow all directional signs. Please remain in your car if you do not need to use the restroom facilities. 
    We are working to reopen the church building for worship in September. More information will come to you as the church council develops this plan. 
    As we have been praying and planning, we have realized the need for a family-style worship service to care for our families with children. Starting on July 26th at 9:45am, a family service will be held at the church pavilion. Masks are required and social distancing will be practiced. This is a brand-new kind of worship service for us at Emmanuel. Families will have the opportunity to worship all together. The sermon will be an interactive family activity to help all members of the family engage in their faith. We encourage families to bring a blanket and/or camping chairs to spread out around the outside of the pavilion.  As with our drive-in service, if you are feeling ill or you have been around anyone who is ill, please stay home to keep everyone safe. Restrooms will be available for emergency use. All are welcome to join us for this family-style service. You do not have to have children to join us! 
We ask for your continued patience as we navigate these new waters together. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe joining us for worship in the parking lot or at the pavilion, that’s okay! We will continue to offer our sermons online. And, if you would like a printed copy of the sermon, please contact the church office and we will be sure that you get a copy of the message.  
    Our church office hours will remain the same, Monday and Wednesday from 9-12pm. The office and building will be closed the other days of the week. Pastor Mindi is available by appointment only at this time. Please continue to email or call in your prayer requests and our prayer team will keep covering them in prayer. Prayer requests will be received during our drive-in service via text message, and that number will be provided upon arrival to the service. 
    I know that these are not ideal times, but I thank you for your willingness to try something new and be the church in creative ways. I pray that you are finding ways to connect with others in this socially distant time, and that you are drawing closer to God every day. 
In Christ,
Pastor Mindi 

​​​WORSHIP  ​at Emmanuel

 Weekly Worship Service with a message from Pastor Mindi Gochnaur, traditional hymns, contemporary praise songs and special music by Emmanuel's Sanctuary, Hand Bell and Children's  Choir. ​​

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Week 4: Doesn’t Rejoice about Injustice

Scripture: Hebrews 12:14-15, Proverbs 14:31

Injustice is not lacking in our world: turn on the TV or look around your neighborhood. Not everyone has the same access to food, water, clothes, education, housing, etc. Not everyone is treated fairly. Not everyone is respected. People are hurting and suffering all around us and all around the world. Scripture tells us that God’s love does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices when the truth wins out. God’s love is fierce and always seeks out the truth. Which begs the question, what is the truth? What does justice look like from God’s perspective and how do we live that out in our lives as an act of love to others? 

Sundays 9:45 a.m.

August Sermon Series

Living a Loved Life:

From experiencing God's love to living it.

Love. When we think about love, we tend to think about weddings. And what scripture comes to mind? 1 Corinthians 13. The love chapter as many call it. But what if 1 Corinthians was about more than loving a spouse? What if this passage was about God’s deep love for us and how we are to exemplify that same kind of love? God has graciously and freely loved us so we can love one another in the same way. Over the next 5 weeks we are going to explore what God’s love looks like and how our lives can reflect that love. 

Week 3: Doesn’t Demand its Own Way

Scripture: Galatians 6:6-8, Romans 12:14-21

It is so easy for us to say “it’s my way or the highway”, but in reality, if we follow Jesus, it is God’s way. God’s way is the right way because it’s a way without sin, but God doesn’t demand that it be followed in one specific way or another. God leaves us a choice. Each of us has our own way of living out God’s way, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right way or the only way. Sometimes we need to try other ways that don’t perfectly match our ideals. We are called to work together and to respect each other. We need to be open and flexible to other Christians’ ways of loving and following Jesus. Type your paragraph here.

When we are molded and shaped by others, we are working together in harmony as God has called us to. There is no one single way of loving God and others. Are we open to other ways of living God’s call or holding fast to our own ways? What would it look like when we open ourselves to those traveling a different path and allowing it to change our own?

Emmanuel United Methodist Church

May 31, 2020

(Audio)

Week 5: Endures Through Every Circumstance

Scripture: James 1:2-4, Joshua 1:6-9

God never gives up on us. God has proven that through God’s relationship with the Israelites. Even though they messed up, God never left them or abandoned them. God’s love always endures. Even when we do not deserve it. And God’s relentless love for us teaches us how to endure when we face our own difficulties. We can endure because God shows us how. God’s love teaches us that we can hopeful that something better is ahead. How has God’s love helped you endure? How does the hope that God offers keep you going? 

Week 1: Love is Patient and Kind

Scripture: Galatians 6:9-10, Lamentations 3:25-32, 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

Patience and kindness are for everyone to practice, and yet many of us wish that God never spoke about them. They are difficult to put into practice. And then, on top of that, God says that love is to be patient and kind! That almost feels like an impossible task. But God doesn’t just expect us to exemplify love through patience and kindness, God first loves us in this way, patiently and kindly. How has God been patient and kind with you? What does God’s love being patient and kind look like? How can we live into this patient and kind love in our own lives?