Newnan Fumc

Ephesians 2:11-22 (MSG) But don't take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God's ways had no idea of any of this, didnít know the first thing about the way God works, hadn't the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God's covenants and promises in Israel, hadn't a clue about what God was doing in the world at large. Now because of Christ - dying that death, shedding that blood - you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.   The Messiah has made things up between us so that we're now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody.   Christ brought us t

Ephesians 1:15-23 (MSG) That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you - every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask - ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory - to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him - endless energy, boundless strength!   All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of al

"Love Is Stronger Than Death" - Rev. Andrew Chappell's Easter message   Mark 16:1-8

Mark 11:1-11   When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.'" They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,   "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming king

Matthew 10:16-31   16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is

John 3:14-21 | Confirmation Sunday   It’s not just about believing God is who God says God is. It’s about believing and trusting and having confidence that God can do what God says God can do.    Movie Quote Trivia. If you don’t know this about me, I’m a big movie fan. For some reason, I can remember movie lines better than a lot of other things. Often, I can remember movie lines after seeing a movie once better than I can remember what my wife just said to me ten times this morning. (Something about the trash.)    But I love movies, I love movie quotes. I love good lines. And growing up, my family loved to play movie quote trivia. And all that is, is simply, in the middle of a conversation, you could be doing anything, and something makes you think of a quote from a movie, and you just call out: Movie Quote Trivia! And then follow with the movie quote, seeing who might name the movie it comes from first. That’s it. It’s not much of a game. But for anyone who loves a game, or trivia, or sudden interruptions…i

We welcomed Reverend Karen Kagiyama to Newnan First United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 3. She preached on the Gospel of John 2:13-22. Rev. Kagiyama is the O. Wayne Rollins Director of Pastoral Care at Wesley Woods Senior Living. A graduate of Emory University and the Candler School of Theology at Emory, Karen is an ordained elder in the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church. For more than thirty years, Karen has served churches in Colorado, North Carolina and Georgia and was also the Wesley Foundation Director at The University of West Georgia. She is married to David Newton, a professor of English at The University of West Georgia, and they have two children: Kelcy, a graduate of Georgia Tech, and Caroline, a graduate of The University of Georgia. Born in Japan, with roots in Hawaii, Karen enjoys gardening, hiking, reading, and music.   John 2:13-22 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and

Today is DENSE. But it’s not my fault, it’s Paul’s fault.   Romans 4:13-25 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression. For this reason the promise depends on faith, in order that it may rest on grace, so that it may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (who is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”), in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.    Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So shall your descendants be.” He did not weake

Galatians 6:11-18 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Transfiguration Sunday | Mark 9: 2-9    Rev. Andrew Chappell asks this of his congregation: Are you prepared to allow God to change you in such important and intense ways that he might be able to use you for peace?  Are you ready to allow God to transfigure your life?  Are you ready to live a life of dynamic faith?   The Transfiguration. I’ve always viewed the transfiguration of Jesus as this weird, hard to fathom thing. When I think of the idea of transfiguration, I immediately think of the moment in Beauty and the Beast, when the beast transfigures back into a human…OR in Harry Potter’s Transfiguration class, when he transfigures animals into goblets. I have memories when I was young of asking my father (who is a pastor) what the transfiguration meant…and he didn’t say it was magic or that it involved anything to do with Disney. He just said this: “It’s a mystery. No one really knows what this scene is or what Jesus became at that moment. But we do know that it was a response to a protest and a glimpse

Mark 1:29-39  |  Dynamics of Faith: Caring Community | Rev. Jeff Rogers

Mark 1:21-28 | Dynamics of Faith: One Step At A Time | Rev. Andrew Chappell

Mark 1:14-20 | Immediately He Called Them | Rev. Connor Bell

John 1:43-51 | Dynamics of Faith: What Faith is Not | Rev. Andrew Chappell

Mark 1:4-11 | By Water and The Spirit | Rev. Connor Bell

Matthew 2:1-12 | Herod and the Magi | Rev. Connor Bell

Luke 2:1-20 | Christmas Eve | Rev. Andrew Chappell

Luke 1:26-38, 46-56 | The World is About to Turn: Mary | Rev. Connor Bell

Matthew 1:18-25 | The World is About to Turn: Joseph | Rev. Connor Bell

Luke 1:11-20 | The World is About to Turn: Zechariah | Rev. Andrew Chappell