A solemn remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion.
Watch the service replay below
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Sermons
A solemn remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion.
Watch the service replay below
Full Service Replay
Full Service Replay
Message Replay
Little did Luke know that of the many accounts of the life of Jesus, his would be one of four that survived. It’s worth asking: is Luke’s account reliable? Join us this Lent as we examine the life of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.
Christians are not expected to believe based solely on a collection of ancient manuscripts. The foundation of our faith is anchored to something far more substantial and sustainable.
Many people admire Jesus for his teachings and the selfless way he lived his life. But there is a difference between admiring Jesus and being a Jesus follower. Admirers of Jesus didn’t shape civilization. The doers did.
When it comes to our faith journeys, we all have a next step. Maybe it’s to worship regularly, join a small group, serve, share your faith or invest your resources in the Kingdom of God. Whatever your next step is, take it. You don’t know what hangs in the balance.
Many people of faith practice vertical Christianity. As long as I’m good with God it doesn’t matter how I treat other people. But that’s not what Jesus tells us. Jesus tells us that love for God is demonstrated by love for others.
It becomes very easy for religious people to look down at people who are not like them. But Jesus had a heart for non-religious people. Being right doesn’t give us the right to be self-righteous.
Many people believe in the first century person named Jesus. But Jesus didn’t ask for people to just believe in him. He invited people to follow him. So, what does it look like to be a follower and not just a believer?
Are you “over the hill”? That phrase can have different meanings, and in this message, based on Mark 9:2-9, we’ll hear how Jesus invites his disciples and us to go “Over the Hill.”
Everyone has doubts. Where is God when bad things happen? Does God hear our prayers? Does God really love me? Is there a heaven? But questions and doubt are not the enemy of faith. They’re the path to a deeper faith. Come with us as we wrestle with faith together.
For many people, seeing is believing. But if that’s your criteria for believing, it may be a stumbling block to belief in God. In week 1 of our series, we look at the question “does God exist, or is this just a myth we made up to make ourselves feel better?”
The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, composed and compiled over 2,000 years by at least 40 authors over 3 continents. John Wesley once said “the Bible contains everything necessary for salvation.” But many people wrestle with the authority and accuracy of the Bible. In week 2 of our series, we look at the question “Is the Bible true?”
Christians believe that if someone puts their faith in Jesus, they will go to heaven. We can’t do anything to earn our way to heaven, Jesus died for our sins and we only have to accept that free gift to find eternal life. But what happens to people of other faiths? Does God send them to hell? In week 3 of our series, we look at the question “Is Jesus the Only Way?”
Heartfelt prayers for getting the job of your dreams, the spouse of your dreams, the healing of a sick loved one, or the reconciliation of a broken relationship do not always get answered the way we want. Or those prayers may not get answered at all. We all have experience with unanswered prayer. In week 4 of our series, we look at the question “why do my prayers go unanswered?
People dying from natural disasters, children getting terminal illnesses, people dying of starvation, innocent people killed by gun violence or wars… there are many situations that make us wrestle with doubt when it comes to our faith. Many people wonder how a good and loving God can allow these things to happen. In week 5 of our series, we look at the question “why do the innocent suffer?”
ONE WORSHIP SERVICE @ 10 AM
Join us as we explore a covenant written by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, and renew our own vows as followers of God.
On the night of Jesus’ birth, the angels appeared to the shepherds in the field and proclaimed “Don’t be afraid, I have come to bring you good news of great joy for all the people!” So what makes the good news of great joy so good? And can it bring us joy in our world? In this series, we retell the Christmas story and rediscover for ourselves the JOY that Christ’s birth brings.
Every Christmas Eve after we share the light of Christ and sing “Silent Night,” we end our services by singing “Joy to the World.” It’s such a special moment in the service where we experience Joy. But sometimes we go through seasons of life when we don’t feel like singing “Joy to the World.” So how can we find joy in the midst of dark seasons in our lives?
Many people admire the rich and powerful in our world; and to some extent we may even long for this ourselves. But in the Christmas story, God did not choose a rich and powerful woman to be the mother of Jesus, he chose a lowly peasant girl named Mary. This week we will look at how Mary found joy in the most unusual of circumstances as we look at Mary’s Magnificat.
This week we turn our attention to Joseph. Like Joseph, we all have hopes and dreams for our future and we may believe that we can only find joy if those hopes and dreams come true. But sometimes God has other plans for us and we may have to put our own hopes and dreams on hold. However just because we can’t see the joy in this season of life doesn’t mean we won’t find it.
Charlie Brown, after being ridiculed for buying the worst Christmas tree imaginable, shouts out that famous question “doesn’t anyone know what Christmas is all about?” Today maybe you are asking the same question. Join us this Christmas Eve as we examine the true meaning of Christmas and how it can bring joy to your world.
*PLEASE NOTE: There will be no morning worship services on December 24. Please join us for Christmas Eve worship at 1 PM, 3 PM, 7 PM, or 9 PM.
As the Christmas season begins, we will take a look at the classic Christmas movie “Miracle on 34th Street.” The movie examines the commercialization of Christmas, the intersection of faith and doubt, and the question of how does Santa work? In this message we will see how these three themes of the movie point us toward the real Christmas story.
Being grateful for someone is an emotion we can all relate to. But gratitude is not just an attitude, it’s something that needs to be expressed.
Christians should be the most generous people on the planet because of God’s generosity toward us. We need to show our communities that our faith is more than just sermons and songs. In this series, we will explore the importance of giving, serving and loving in building the Kingdom of God.
Jesus didn’t command us to agree with one another. We can disagree and love unconditionally. During Be Rich, our month-long generosity campaign, we remind our communities that everybody matters to God. Join us as we partner with some fabulous nonprofit organizations to meet critical needs in our communities.
Planned giving enables mission. Mission enable lives to be changed and communities to be transformed. This week, get a glimpse into what your life could be like and what church could be like if we established a giving plan. What if money finally stopped being an obstacle and became the ultimate opportunity?
In early November, Pastor Eric challenged every Asbury attendee to serve for one hour at some point during the month – either in the community or at Asbury – with a goal of collectively serving 800 hours. On December 10, Pastor Eric announced that goal was more than doubled, with a total of of 2582 hours served! Thank you for your heart for service! The video below is a brief celebration sharing some the ways people served.
Based around 2 Corinthians 3:1-6, “Living Letters” will help us to remember those Asbury members who died in the last year who have been “living letters,” communicating their message of faith and love. As they made a difference in our lives, we carry on their witness as Christ’s “living letters” today.
Nearly everyone has heard of the Ten Commandments – the list of “thou-shalt-nots” found in the Bible. Jesus saw these commandments not as onerous burdens, but as guardrails to help us experience a good and beautiful life. Every “thou-shalt-not” points to a life-giving “thou shalt.” These ancient words were given by a loving God who longs to protect us from harm while pointing toward a deeply meaningful and joyful life.
In the 21st century, a god is anything that is the central focus in our lives. Many of our false gods are gifts from God that get misused – like money, sex, and power. Putting God first in our lives and allowing everything else to be subordinate to that puts everything right in our lives. So, what’s at the center of your life? What drives you? If it is not God, we need to refocus.
For as long as human beings have been around, we have longed to see God. We want to see, feel and touch our gods. The ancient Egyptians made idols that not only came to represent their gods, but they believe they were the essence of their gods. The second Commandment, given to the Israelites during this time, forbids the creation of idols or images to represent God.
Our personal names are important. They go hand in hand with our integrity and character. No one wants someone to steal their identity and tarnish their reputation. God feels the same way about his name. So the 3rd commandment says “Do not misuse the name of Yahweh your God.” Some of us were taught that this commandment is about profanity. But the primary lesson this commandment was teaching was about promise keeping and truth telling.
Setting a day aside each week for rest and renewal is essential to our well-being and helps us be intentional about how we use our time to live the balanced life God intends.
Even if you did not grow up in the church, you have probably heard the fifth commandment to “honor your father and your mother.” Maybe your parents referenced this commandment when you did not obey them. Although this commandment is familiar, what does it look like to honor your parents?
The sixth commandment, “do not murder,” seems straightforward at first. However, Jesus came along and broadened the meaning of this commandment; and we find that his words have implications far beyond the taking of another human life. So what does this commandment mean for us today?
In ancient Israel, the seventh commandment – “do not commit adultery”- was framed as a sin against a married man committed by his wife and another man. However, Jesus came along and broadened the meaning of this commandment and we find that it means more than sleeping with someone who is not your spouse. So what does this commandment mean for us today?
The eighth commandment, like several of the other commandments, might seem so irrelevant to us. Most of us would agree that stealing is wrong and we would never do it. But most of our images of stealing are related to shoplifting or somehow taking someone’s material possessions. But when properly understood, we have all violated the eighth commandment; and God is calling us to stop stealing.
The ninth commandment was about not bearing false witness in the courts of ancient Israel. The people of Israel were prohibited from making false accusations against one of their neighbors and fellow Israelites. Most of us reading this devotional would not go to court and make false accusations… so how does this commandment apply to us?
The tenth commandment warns us not to covet. Coveting in the Hebrew Scriptures is defined as strongly desiring something; and in the New Testament as the desire to have more constantly. We all struggle with coveting in our lives. We all want the latest stuff and what our neighbors have that we don’t have. We convince ourselves that if we just had more stuff our lives would be better. However, Jesus tells us our lives do not consist in an abundance of possessions.
Have you ever felt as if you’re on the sidelines in life? Do we notice others who are? The experience of Bartimaeus in Mark’s Gospel gives insight into our experiences and faith in Pastor Evelyn’s message this Sunday “On the Sidelines”.
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We all want to be known for something. What we really need is to be known by someone. A large church like Asbury is not going to be like ‘Cheers,’ where everyone knows your name. But it is a place where someone should know your name.
“At the Movies” is a fun summer series where we show movie clips from popular films along with a message that connects those popular movies with scripture. You probably don’t usually look to movies for life lessons, but take our word for it: sit back, relax, and hear a different perspective on how films can point us toward the gospel.
The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama. After its release in theaters, the critical response to the film was mixed, but it was a major commercial success, becoming the number one box office film after four weeks, and the highest-grossing film of 1965. It’s the story of a young woman named Maria, who is studying to be a nun but is sent to be a governess to seven children for a retired naval officer and widower. So where does this film point us toward scripture?
Chariots of Fire is a true story of two British athletes, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, who participate in the 1924 Olympics. Eric is a devoted Christian who runs for God’s glory. Harold is Jewish and he runs for acceptance in a culture that was prejudice toward people of his faith. The contrast in motives between Harold and Eric is very noticeable but you can sympathize with both men. So where does the movie point us toward scripture?
Forrest Gump is a 1994 movie based on the 1986 novel of the same name written by Winston Groom. The movie tells the story of Forrest Gump, a very kindhearted man with a low IQ. The film follows several decades of his experiences in 20th century America. So where does the movie point us toward scripture?
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 animated Disney movie based on a 1740 French fairy tale of the same name. The movie focuses on the relationship between the Beast, a prince who is magically transformed into a monster and his servants into household objects as punishment for his arrogance, and Belle, a young woman who lives in a small French village. So where does this movie point us toward scripture?
When we go through a difficult season of life it can shake our faith, causing us to cry out to God. What are we to make of bad things happening to good people? In this three-week series we will explore the book of Job. When he is plunged into agony, Job, like us, is confused and angry, crying out to God in prayer. Two recurring things come out in Job’s story: Job says, “I don’t want to suffer without explanation, and I don’t want to suffer without vindication.” Join us as we learn a path through suffering from the book of Job.
No book in all of literature addresses the questions of suffering and evil with the spiritual wisdom of the book of Job. In this sermon, we will look at how the Christian approach to suffering differs from both cynical and moralistic viewpoints. Christians are called to hold onto the mystery and stay in a relationship with a God we cannot control – but whose goodness we cannot doubt when we truly grasp the Gospel.
How do you bear suffering? How do you get through the inevitable suffering that will come to you? The answer to that is comfort. In the book of Job, Job has three friends who show up and do an absolutely terrible job of comforting. Yet, even by looking at their terrible comfort, we’re going to learn something about the sources of comfort.
Job is a man who is plunged into agony, and for chapter after chapter, Job is confused and angry, crying out to God in prayer. He longs to meet with God and prays that God would show up. And God does. This is the climax of the whole book. There are three things we’re going to learn about this final climactic appearance of God before Job – the argument of God, the silences of God, and God’s wonderful, terrible storm.
Join us as we welcome Rev. Dr. Bill Lentz in worship. Rev. Dr. Lentz served 36 years of ordained ministry in small, medium, and large church settings, including 17 years at Wesley UMC in Bethlehem. His ministry has focused on preaching, teaching, and entrepreneurial leadership; skills that he’s continued to employ following his retirement from the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2022.
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There is a famous adage that says “nothing lasts forever.” For the most part that is true, and if you have been on this earth long enough, you can give a number of examples. But there is one thing that will last forever – the Church. Just as Jesus predicted over 2000 years ago the church is still around today. But what does it mean to become part of the church?
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On the day of Pentecost, the Jesus followers in Jerusalem were filled with the Holy Spirit and they poured into the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. Sometimes this seems like an ancient story that doesn’t have any relevance for 21st century believers. Just like Jesus’ first century followers, we all need help, and there is a way to get access to the same helper Jesus relied on.
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The Rev. Dr. Becky Beckwith is the Pastor Emerita of St. John’s UCC, Fullerton. She has recently completed her ministry as the PNEC, United Church of Christ Sabbatical Conference Minister. She also enjoys serving as the Intentional Interim Pastor, or Church Consultant/Coach for churches in discernment. Becky and Bob Beckwith just celebrated 50 years of marriage! They are the parents of Brad (Alyssa) and Jill (George Williams). Becky is proudly known as Nona to her grandchildren, Maya, Aubrey, and Lucas.
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