Gather Church

09/06/2026

9-5-2026 Service

09/04/2026

Devotion - Faith

In scripture, people show very degrees of faith. In some of Jesus’ healings, he commends people for their faith, and even says that their faith has healed them.

One example would be the woman with the issue of blood who believes that if she touches the hem of Jesus cloak, something will happen. She takes the risk to work her way through the crowd, and she comes up behind Jesus, touches the hem of his garment, and is healed. Jesus feels power go out of him, and he stops to ask who touched him. She comes forward and explains her situation and that she has been healed. In front of the crowd, Jesus commends her faith and tells her that it is her faith that has healed her.

Every day, we exercise faith. We have faith that the sun will rise and it will get light. We have faith that the food we eat won’t make us sick. We have faith that our car will start so we can get to work or school. We have faith that we will make it to our destination without getting into a car accident. And those are just examples of the faith we exercise before we get to work. Think of how many more times we have faith throughout the day.

We know how to exercise faith, but we don’t always exercise that faith in God. We have faith in science as we get vaccines to protect us from particular diseases and as we go to the doctor to get medicine when we are sick. We have faith in government regulations as we buy, prepare, and eat food. We have faith in ourselves and our own abilities as we drive our cars or work at our jobs. It is easy to have faith in things that have proven trustworthy over time or that are within our own control.

The problem with our faith in God often comes when it is really faith in ourselves. When we are up against the situation that is beyond us, we often come up with a plan for God. We present our plan to him in the form of prayer, believing he can execute our plan. Many times, something happens that wasn’t part of our plan, and we feel that we have lost faith in God. Our faith was not based on God in the first place, but on our own thoughts about how the problem should be solved. Our expectations get in the way of our faith.

It is difficult to have faith without expectations, but when we are talking about faith in God, it is absolutely necessary. This doesn’t mean we come to God without any expectations. We should expect that God hears our prayers, because he does. We should expect that God knows our situations, because he does. We should expect that God loves us, because he does. We should not, however, expect that we can dictate how God acts. We should also not expect God to always act as we want him to, because his ways are higher than our ways and he sees a much bigger picture than we ever could.

Is there a place in your life where you have lost your faith in God? Give it to God without any expectation of how he will act in that situation. Let God be God, and even if he doesn’t work the way you want him to, pray that you can see his work and trust that he is working for your good. This is how to increase your faith.

Prayer - God, I confess that I often come to you with my plans and expect you to carry them out. I get angry when things don’t go the way I expect them to and I often blame you. Forgive me. I know that you see more than I could ever see and I trust that you are both faithful and just. Have mercy on me when I turn away in anger like a spoiled child who hasn’t gotten their way. Continue to open my eyes to your work in my world and in the world at large. Increase my faith. Amen.

09/01/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to the Overdose Awareness Day event. It was a beautiful day! 

09/01/2026

Devotion – Stigma

Yesterday was International Overdose Awareness and Remembrance Day, and there were events in many communities around the world. One of the primary purposes of the event is to remember those who have lost their lives to overdose. Another purpose is to encourage those who are still struggling with substance use, and those who are in recovery. One topic that is often highlighted at these events is stigma. Stigma comes from judgment, and brings shame, which leads people to make poor choices. Anyone can be stigmatized because anyone can judge.

There are several kinds of stigma that people face. Some stigma comes from institutions. For example, people who struggle with substances or mental health issues often find traditional medical clinics to be a place of stigma, not a place of healing. Those who struggle to fit the norms of society often find themselves excluded by those who judge them unfit.

Some stigma comes from other people. People judge those who “sin differently” and decide that they are less worthy of love or compassion or care or understanding. Many people who judge do so in very public ways, such as by name-calling or encouraging other people to exclude the stigmatized individual. Some people make it a point to say how much better they are than “those people”.

External stigma often turns to internal stigma. People who have been called names long enough or loud enough begin to believe those things to be true about themselves. When we are told repeatedly that we are worthless, we begin to believe that we are worthless and we act accordingly. When we believe we can do nothing right, we act as if we can do nothing right. At some point, stigma leads to shame and hopelessness, and people who are hopeless act differently from those who have hope.

One activity from yesterday‘s event highlighted the power of stigma, and the power of hope. On one side of a piece of paper, many brave individuals wrote the labels that had been put on them and/or the labels they have believed about themselves. On the other side, they wrote who they really are. The differences were striking and beautiful. As each person came up and showed their labels, someone wrote them down on a piece of butcher paper. Some of the labels were vulgar and all of them were negative. Once every person had turned their paper around and shown who they really are, the butcher paper was crumpled up and thrown into the trash. Those labels are not who those people are. They never have been, and they never will be.

Have you ever faced stigma? What are the things you believe about yourself that you know are not true, but they have become part of your own identity?

In case you have forgotten who you are, here is a reminder: worthy, cherished, unique, and loved. Never forget who you truly are.

Prayer - God, I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, but so often the voices of the world tell me otherwise. Forgive me when I believe those voices over yours. Remind me who I am when I forget and help me to remind others that they are also worthy, cherished, unique, and loved. Amen.

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

BBQ and Baptisms

08/28/2026

Devotion - Be

Be still, and know that I am God.

Be still, and know that I AM.

Be still, and know.

Be still.

Be.

08/28/2026

08/25/2026

Gather's annual Baptisms and BBQ is this Saturday 8/29 at 5:30 at Shaefer Park.

Bring a side dish if you like but the only requirement is you!

See you Saturday!