Arnolia UMC
Sermons from Arnolia UMC, in Parkville, MD. To learn more about us you can find us at arnolia.org
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Sermons from Arnolia UMC, in Parkville, MD. To learn more about us you can find us at arnolia.org
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Just as we are accountable to Christ and one another, we are called to nurture others so that they understand these accountable relationships. We belong to one another. Bold love is committed to nurturing that sense of belonging. This Sundays service continued our series exploring baptismal vows, focusing on how we, as a community, embody Christ's light and resist oppressive forces. We examined Ephesians, highlighting the importance of recognizing the "light" within ourselves and others, rejecting societal norms that foster division, and striving to be a countercultural community that reflects
We are called to submit ourselves to the Lordship of Christ, trusting that the grace given to us really does render us loved and lovable no matter what. Serving Jesus as Lord calls us into a bold and loving relationship with ALL of Gods beloved children. This weeks service continued our series exploring our baptismal vows, focusing on Ephesians 4 and emphasizing the importance of resisting worldly influences and embracing a "God-fashioned life" renewed from within. We discussed how confessing Jesus as Lord means rejecting other powers and committing to serve in unity with the universal church,
This Sundays message explored Ephesians chapter four, focusing on the five vital roles within the church dream awakeners, heart revealers, storytellers, soul healers, and light givers all essential for building a healthy body of Christ. We emphasized the importance of speaking truth with love, resisting evil and injustice, and fostering healing and restoration within our community and beyond. Ultimately, we are called to embody Gods love and grace, transforming ourselves and the world around us through connection and courageous conversations. Reflection Questions for this Week: Considering the
We are called to repentance as both an individual and a communal act. In the process, we must acknowledge our brokenness and be willing to be transformed into something new. It is Gods bold love that transforms us and roots us in love so that we can also love boldly. Reflection Questions: 1. What is one way you will seek to become better rooted in Christ this week? 2. How would you like to reconnect with your baptismal vow by letting go of the things that are getting in the way of your relationship with God, with one another, and with God's creation?Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp
God's response to Job at the end of the book of Job, we find a God who delights in creation and laments injustice with us. Reflection questions As we wrap up our series on wisdom, what pieces of the wisdom literature stand out to you the most? When you think about your relationship to Nature and God's creation? How were you raised? And what does that relationship look like now? What's one thing you can do this week to try to reconnect with one small part of nature around you, so you can delight in the things in which God Delights? Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3qRPivIX44 File Down
This week, we explored the embodied teachings of Song of Songs for both our intimacy with the Divine and our intimacy with one another in our relationships. Reflection questions: What is one thing the Holy Spirit through the Song of Songs is inviting you to try with your relationship with the Divine? One thing with your relationships with others? and one thing with your relationship with creation? In their sermon, Rev. Yost pointed out the lyrical differences between different versions of "How He Loves." Listen to a few of the versions below and reflect on which lyrical choice best represents
Throughout this service we acknowledged Gods presence in both joy and sorrow, reflecting on the exhaustion and despair felt in witnessing widespread violence and suffering. Drawing from the wisdom tradition of Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), we encouraged finding joy in shared meals and connections while cautioning against seeking meaning in a chaotic world, especially amid the divisiveness of constant news consumption. Reflection Questions: How can you intentionally cultivate joy and connection in your life this week, especially through shared meals or acts of hospitality? Where do you find comfort
This week, we explored the Feminine Wisdom of God as represented in Proverbs 8 and many other places throughout the bible. We worked through ways we can seek the feminine side of God and how that might affect how we see God and seek God's wisdom for our world. Reflection Questions: How does it feel to address God with feminine language? Has your language for God been predominantly masculine over your lifetime? What does it mean to embody the feminine wisdom of God in your life right now? How is Woman Wisdom leading you, our congregation, our community, and our world? Watch at: https://www.yout
This week's service explored bits from Chapters 1 and 3 of the Book of Proverbs and its profound wisdom, emphasizing that true wisdom isn't about rigid rules but about cultivating a right relationship with God experiencing His immense love even when it feels overwhelming. We discussed how "the fear of the Lord" represents an awareness of God's vastness and power, prompting us to examine our priorities and identify what we truly value above all else. Ultimately, we're encouraged to lean into community and discernment as we navigate lifes complexities and seek a deeper understanding of God's wil
This week, we discussed God's mandate of the Sabbath Year and Jubilee Year as gifts of Rest. How God desires all of creation to have access to rest in a way that radically looks different from our own world. Reflection questions: How do we model the gift of rest, renewal, and equity within our own community? How do we extend these gifts of restoration to a broader community? What is one action step we might take to ensure the kin-dom of God in this place is rooted and grounded in Gods gift of rest? Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjWcfKix7FU File Downloads: https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.clou
The Science of Rest - This week, we explored the true meaning of rest it's not about self-care purchases but finding stillness and connection with ourselves, each other, and God. We discussed how prioritizing rest is actually an act of resistance against a culture that demands constant productivity and honoring the rhythms God established in creation. Ultimately, we were challenged to consider what rest looks like personally and as a community, so we can live more fully into our baptismal vows. Reflection Questions for the week: What could rest look like for you right here, right now? What wou
This weeks service reflected on the sacredness of rest, drawing wisdom from nature, scripture, and our own experiences. We explored how our bodies, communities, and even institutions benefit when we pause to breathewhether its through the rhythms of trees or the intentional shift in our communitys schedule, like moving away from the chaotic flea market to more sustainable gatherings. The service challenged us to notice Gods presence in every season, inviting us to journal and reflect on how this awareness can shape our future actions/ Reflection activities: Take some time this week to reflect
Today's message, brought to us by Rev. Dr. Brent Laytham, centered on Elijahs encounter with God after feeling overwhelmed and wanting to give up a moment where God challenged him with the simple yet profound question, "What are you doing here?" We explored how that question speaks to our own availability, identity, and service to God, reminding us of God's boundless grace and strength even when we feel depleted. Ultimately, this Communion Sunday was an invitation to reconnect with God's purpose for our lives and receive the sustenance needed for the journey ahead. Reflection Questions for the
Including liturgy and the sermon from 2026 Baltimore Washington Conference Opening Worship - This week's worship includes liturgy, prayers, songs, and the sermon from the 2026 gathering of the Baltimore-Washington annual conference. Bishop Latrelle Miller Easterling's sermon speaks prophetically into our world and challenges us to reflect on how we love boldly in the name of Christ every single day. Reflection Question: What would it look like for you to love more boldly? How would the world change? What would your neighborhood look like if we all began to love more boldly as Christ calls us t
Today's service celebrated Pentecost (the birth of the Church), reflecting on how the Holy Spirit unites people across cultures and languages, affirms their humanity, and empowers them with God's love. We explored the theme of finding joy amid suffering, drawing inspiration from Paul's words during his imprisonment and from the robins that greet the dawn, symbolizing hope and light. As we navigate our own journeys, may we be guided by the Holy Spirit to see the goodness that is to come, even when surrounded by darkness. Reflection Questions: How have you experienced the Holy Spirit's presence
This Sunday, we welcomed Reverend Susan Balinger, the executive director of ACTC, to share a message with us. This ties directly to our message for all ages about the Christ Hymn, which Paul shares in Philippians 2. So this week for the podcast, we've included both parts of our worship service. Reflection Questions: How do you feel about being invited to be Christ for others this week and to embody the Christ Hymn, as Paul invited the Philippians to be like Christ in the world? How do you see the Christ hymn embodied in ACTC's work in our surrounding communities? What do you dream for the chur
Today's service explored Paul's letter to the Philippians, written from prison, where he expressed gratitude for their faithfulness and urged them to live in unity and love. We reflected on how figures like Paul, Martin Luther King Jr., and Kim Dae-jung used their imprisonment as opportunities to witness to God's love and justice, inspiring us to do the same in our own contexts. The service challenged us to embody God's unbounded love (agape) in our daily lives, especially through our interactions with neighbors and those around us, calling us to be a community of courage and hospitality. Refl
Guest Preacher: Rev. Dr. Eliezer Valentín-Castañón - In our study of the Book of Acts, we explored Pauls journey to Athens, where he encountered a deeply religious community that worshipped a vast pantheon of gods to avoid divine anger. I shared how Paul introduced them to the "Unknown God"not a deity who demands to be appeased with gifts, but a God of grace who has already provided everything we need through Jesus Christ. Ultimately, we are called to follow Pauls example by sharing this message of unconditional love and relationship with a world that often still seeks to blame or appease rath
This weeks service reflected on the Holy Spirits guidance as we navigate pain and suffering, inviting us to embrace transformation and Gods love for all. We also explored the complexities of Pauls journey, grappling with his actions and their consequences as a mirror for our own faith. Finally, we were challenged to name evil in our world while seeking justice, bold love, and joyful service. Reflection Questions: Where have you seen or experienced Gods transformative work in your life or community? How does this shape your understanding of belovedness? Pauls story reveals both his strengths an
Our service today was about the transformative story of Saul, also known as Paul. We explored how even someone steeped in violence and persecution can be radically changed by encountering Gods grace, mirroring Jesus' own message of extending love and redemption to all, even those we consider our enemies. Ultimately, this passage challenges us to embrace a spirit of reconciliation and hospitality, like Ananias, who believed in the potential for change in every individual. Weekly Reflection Questions: Where in your own life might you be holding onto "junk" that needs upcycling areas where Gods g
This weeks message centered around the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus to his disciples, highlighting his unwavering love and presence even in their fear and grief. We explored how Jesus meets us exactly where we are, offering redemption and empowerment through the Holy Spirit, regardless of our scars or past experiences. Ultimately, we were reminded that Gods grace extends to all, calling us to extend bold love and courageous service into the world. Reflection Questions for This Week: Where in your life do you feel "locked away" what fears or anxieties are keeping you from fully engagi
This audio upload is the entire Good Friday Tenebrae Service.Watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGVk6jVOHM8 File Downloads: https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2026/04/05/20/00/30/9a03fc5e-9083-47e8-9fb4-42bdce81c7bd/2025-26%20Program%202%20GSOS-0015.pdf
In our gathering, we explored the "triumphal entry" not merely as a parade, but as a political protest of life-bringing abundance against the death-dealing systems of empire. We drew strength from the "joy of resistance" found in the history of the Black church and the rhythms of nature, where seeds must die to the old to bear new fruit. Ultimately, we were invited to use this Holy Week to identify the burdens and traumas we need to leave at the cross so we may more fully embody Gods radiant love. Reflection Questions What are you carrying? Like trying to open a door with too many packages in
It was a heavy but important service today as we continued our journey toward the cross. We explored Pilates interrogation of Jesus and how his power ultimately stems from God's allowance of free will, highlighting Jesus profound silence and truth-speaking in the face of oppressive authority. Ultimately, we considered how the suffering of Christ connects to historical injustices like lynching and calls us to embody prophetic interruption speaking out against violence and proclaiming a better way rooted in love and faith. Here are three reflection questions for you to consider this week: Where
Today's service reflected on the passion of Jesus, particularly his trial before Pilate, where we are confronted with the choice between violence and love. We explored how Jesus' kingdom, rooted in love and non-violence, challenges the systems of our world that perpetuate suffering and oppression. Through the story of Sister Felicitee during the Rwandan genocide, we were reminded that even small acts of courage and love can interrupt cycles of violence and offer hope. Reflection Questions: How does the choice between Jesus and Barabbas challenge us to examine our own participation in systems o
