Sermons on Psalms
Love Rescue Me
This week’s message turns to Psalm 23 and U2’s “Love Rescue Me”—a song that holds sorrow and hope together in both tension and grace. We may walk through valleys, but we do not walk alone. Grace follows. Love finds us. Rescue is real. Scripture: Psalm 23 (NRSVue)
I’m So Lonely I Could Cry
This week’s message enters the quiet space of sacred sorrow, drawing on Psalm 22 and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” When God feels distant and words fail, even the act of crying out becomes a form of faith. Not every song resolves. Not every prayer gets the answer we might prefer. But still—we speak, we sing, and we wait patiently for grace. Scripture: Psalm 22:1-11 (NRSVue)
Perfect in Love
This week, we look at another profound aspect of God’s nature: God’s perfect love. Psalm 138 is a hymn of thanksgiving, highlighting God’s unwavering love and faithfulness. This is a love that meets us where we are, sustains us through our trials, and propels us toward a future filled with hope and purpose. Scripture: Psalm 138 (CEB)
Creative Creator
As we continue our series on Seeking God, we explore Psalm 139 which beautifully captures the omniscience and omnipresence of God, portraying a Creator who knows us intimately and is with us constantly. As we prayerfully consider these verses, we are called to recognize and celebrate the creative power of God today, in our lives and in the world around us. Scripture: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 (CEB)
Inspired: Deliverance Stories
This week we continue our new worship series “Inspired” based on the book Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans. It is surely safe to say that we all wish for deliverance from something. For some of us we may wish for deliverance small inconveniences and annoyances. Still others may wish for deliverance from major emotional upheavals and other difficult circumstances. We are reminded that God hears our cries, even our most…
We Believe: God
Our first week focuses appropriately on God, named in the Apostle’s Creed as The Father Almighty and as the creator of Heaven and Earth. In these few words, we encompass not just the Christian Almighty, but the same God of our Jewish and Muslim siblings. We remember the stories of power and might from the ancient Hebrew texts and the parental figure who gave us a humble Messiah in the New Testament. Scripture: Psalm 90:1-8, 12 (CEB)
Good Friday: Were You There?
Technical note: This service was held at Pacific Beach UMC and is reposted here for the convenience of LJUMC community members. Good Friday marks the day when hate and fear did their worst…the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. On this day of grief and sorrow, we will gather with one another, in God’s care, to remember Jesus’ death on a cross. LJUMC joins the good people at Pacific Beach UMC in their sanctuary in prayerful reflection online and in-person for Good…