Journey to Easter: Betrayed by a Kiss

March 20, 2022 by Rev. Fred Steinberg

Have you ever suffered a betrayal? Typically, we experience betrayal by someone close to us. Maybe it’s a business partner. Perhaps it’s a friend, or it might even be a family member. It is somebody who knows us well, so it hurts deeply. Judas betrayed Jesus. Later Judas agonized over his betrayal. The agony was so great he took his own life. What might’ve happened to Judas if he had waited two days? What might’ve happened if he saw Jesus raised from the dead? We will explore this thought and others in this message.

Journey to Easter: 200 lbs

March 13, 2022 by Rev. Fred Steinberg

Sometimes during the season of Lent, people will give up something. They might give up chocolate, caffeine, foul language, bad feelings, or something else that seems to be holding them back from spiritual growth. Sometimes these items are minor, and sometimes they are enormous sacrifices. In John 10:17-22, Jesus asked a man to give up something sacrificial. The man walks away, knowing he cannot do what Jesus requests. In some ways, we might feel sorry for the man. A lot has been asked of him. But if we are focusing on the sacrifice, maybe we have missed the offered opportunity.

Journey to Easter: A Meal in the Midst of Uncertainty

March 6, 2022 by Rev. Fred Steinberg

We don’t know what’s going to happen next. At times the world seems crazy, and it looks like the wheels have come off, and life seems so uncertain. We may have uncertainty about our marriage, our family, our economy, our nation, our world, and our health. Uncertainty causes fear, a sense of powerlessness, or confusion about what to do next. So how do we live with uncertainty? In a message titled “A Meal in the Midst of Uncertainty,” we will look at how communion can help us understand how God strengthens us amid uncertainty.

Praying with a Sideways Glance

February 27, 2022 by Rev. Fred Steinberg

There is a big difference between works and grace. The difference is life-changing. But, it’s easy to miss. Fortunately, Jesus tells a parable of a tax collector and Pharisee, which brings the issue starkly into the light.

How God Helps Us Through Our Fears

February 20, 2022 by Youth

The youth of Gold Canyon U.M.C. speak about facing fears. This creative worship service lifts up the story of David and Goliath as an example of courage amid fear.

Giving from the Heart: Paradox of Sacrifice

February 13, 2022 by Rev. Fred Steinberg

In the New Testament, we read how Christians were routinely persecuted. They were harassed, beaten, flogged, thrown in prison, or killed. Yet the Apostles suffering caused the leaders of the early church to rejoice. This is the paradox of sacrifice. We will focus on this paradox in a message titled, “Giving from the Heart: Paradox of Sacrifice.”

Giving from the Heart: Definition of Success

February 6, 2022 by Rev. Fred Steinberg

How do we measure success? Often we think the attainment of fame, wealth, and power is a success. Yet King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes proclaims he obtained all these and found them to be meaningless and a chasing after the wind. Then where do we truly find success?

A Lifeline

January 30, 2022 by Rev. Fred Steinberg

Hope can make all the difference in our lives. Hope is the energy that powers us forward and helps us accomplish something that others think is impossible. On the other hand, some of us might be experiencing hopelessness. We might feel let down and drained of all energy. We know we have lost hope. In the message this week, Pastor Fred will help us find the lifeline of hope that God extends to us.

Forgiveness: A Choice

January 23, 2022 by Rev. Fred Steinberg

There are more nut-cake families and fruit-cake families than angel-food-cake families in the Bible. Do you think you have a dysfunctional family? Imagine being a member of the Adam-Eve family or the Isaac-Rebekah family. Then there is Joseph, who received special treatment from his dad Jacob. The anger and hatred grew among his siblings until they decided to murder him. Fortunately, they settled on selling him into slavery instead. The day of reckoning came when the brothers needed Joseph’s help to survive.

Forgiveness: How Many Times?

January 16, 2022 by Rev. Fred Steinberg

When someone hurts us, we want to get even. But that can turn into an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The remedy is forgiveness. Forgiveness is not easy. It is difficult and painful. We wonder if there are limits on who we must forgive and how many times we forgive them. The apostle Peter thought he was bighearted when he said we must forgive seven times, but he found out that Jesus had different expectations about forgiveness.