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Showing posts from January, 2025

Sunday, January 26th: "Gifts: The Gift of Purpose"

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  Watch the Sermon here The First United Presbyterian Church “Gifts: The Gift of Purpose” Rev. Amy Morgan January 26, 2025 Luke 4:14-21 14 Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding region. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,     because he has anointed me         to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives     and recovery of sight to the blind,         to set free those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it b...

Sunday, January 19th, 2025: "Gifts: The Gifts of the Spirit"

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Watch the Sermon here The First United Presbyterian Church “Gifts: The Gifts of the Spirit” Rev. Amy Morgan January 19, 2025 I Corinthians 12:1-11 12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were gentiles you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, 5 and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healin...

Sunday, January 12th, 2025: "Gifts: The Gift of Baptism"

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Watch the Sermon here The First United Presbyterian Church “Gifts: The Gift of Baptism” Rev. Amy Morgan January 12, 2025 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 21 Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Baptism is a sacrament saturated with meaning (pun intended). The Presb...