Community UMC Sermon Devotionals

    “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and
on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.’” — Matthew 28:18–20 (NIV) How to Use This Devotional Over the next six days, we will walk slowly through Matthew 28:16–20 — one of the most extraordinary passages in all of Scripture.  Known as the Great Commission, these five verses capture the final recorded words of Jesus to His disciples before His ascension.  They are words of authority, words of mission, and words of promise. Each day focuses on a single theme drawn from the passage.  You’ll find a short reflection, a prayer to close your time, and a question to carry with you into the day.  There is no rush. Read slowly. Sit with the words.  Let them wo...

    A Six-Day Devotional on John 20:19–23  When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.  Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” How to Use This Devotional Over six days, we will walk slowly through five verses—five short verses that may be among the most concentrated in the Gospels.  The risen Christ enters a locked room, speaks peace, shows his wounds, sends his friends, breathes his Spirit, and entrusts them with the ministry of f...

  A Six-Day Devotional on John 17:1–11 Day 1 — The Hour Has Come Read: John 17:1–2 "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him." Throughout John's Gospel, Jesus speaks of "the hour" as something still ahead.  At the wedding in Cana, He told His mother, "My hour has not yet come" (John 2:4).  Now, on the eve of the cross, He lifts His eyes and says, "Father, the hour has come."  The waiting is over.  The cross stands before Him, and He walks toward it not as a victim but as a Son obedient to His Father's purpose. Notice what Jesus calls "glory."  It is not relief from suffering.  It is not escape from death.  The glory He asks for runs straight through the cross.  He does not pray, "Father, spare me," but, "Father, glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you."  ...

   I Will Not Leave You A Six-Day Devotional on John 14:15–21 The Passage — John 14:15–21 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you. “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” How to Use This Devotional Set aside fifteen quiet minutes each day.  Begin with the opening prayer.  Read the day’s scripture slowly — perhaps twice.  Read the Focus. Sit with...

  Day 1 — Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." The disciples were sitting in shadow. The Passover meal was winding down. Jesus had already told them hard things — betrayal, denial, departure. The room was thick with grief and confusion. And into that silence, Jesus speaks first. He does not wait for them to collect themselves. He does not offer a plan or a timeline. He speaks directly to the condition of their hearts. Notice what he does not say. He does not say "don't feel afraid." He does not dismiss what they are feeling. He says: when you feel it, here is where to put your faith. Believe in God — and believe also in me. That small word "also" carries enormous weight. Jesus places himself alongside the Father as an equal object of trust. This is not a comforting teacher telling his students things will be fine. This is God in flesh telling his people: I am the so...