Churches in Humboldt

“Friends, as we prepare to leave this place, we do so remembering that we were not called to stay here with our mouths hanging open, staring up at the heaven. But we were called to go, to do the work, to be a witness to the love of God in this world. We are sent as disciples who've been filled with the holy spirit and are called to go out into our daily lives to love boldly, and serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Let us go forth in the name and spirit of Christ. Amen.”

“Because you understand all that joy, all that formation, all that love that you're pouring out amongst each other, it's not meant to stay in these walls. It was always meant to spill out. That's what it means to be church. That's what it means to be United Methodist, a connectional people. Because we're not just connected to each other in this room, not even just in this congregation or even in the three worship centers that make up Faith UMC. You're connected to your district. You're connected to the conference. You're connected to the worldwide United Methodist Church and to millions of disciples who've all been blessed and sent just like those first disciples.”

“To serve joyfully means we we journey alongside the most vulnerable, not reluctantly, not because we have to, but with the heart of Christ. There's there's freedom in that kind of service. As Nehemiah once wrote, a joy that becomes our strength. And there are people in this county who are struggling, struggling to to find food, to make ends meet, people who are isolated, people who are grieving. They're your neighbors. They're your mission fields. And we get to serve them not as a burden, but as a gift.”

“Well, this language of of going up or ascending is really the language of enthronement. In the ascension of Jesus, he rises not simply from the grave, but he he rises to his full authority. Jesus no longer walks and talks among us. He's now seated at the right hand of the father. He's not just some carpenter from Galilee. He is risen to his full stature as as king of kings and lord of lords. The ascension is the completion of the resurrection, and that is a good and awesome and holy thing.”