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Wednesday 9am - 3pm Friday 9am - 3pm Sunday 9am - 11:30am

Cascade UMC, Deerwood, Minnesota, 22781 Black Lake, Deerwood, MN (2026)

05/09/2026

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Grace and Peace in Jesus' name be with you.

Redemption. The AI Overview in Google Chrome states, "Redemption is the act of buying back, recovering, or saving something or someone, often involving a cost, debt repayment, or spiritual deliverance. It stems from the Latin redimere ("buy back") and commonly refers to clearing financial debt, exchanging vouchers, or, in theology, salvation from sin."

As I continue with the sermon series "Love Lives", our theme for this week is "Redeemed in Love". Over the last four weeks, my theme was chosen from a word in our scripture lessons from 1 Peter. They were Hope, Trust, Chosen, and Endurance. As I look at the lessons for this and next week, I don't find the words I am using. What was I thinking five weeks ago (as I scratch my head)?
Both of our lessons this week point to redemption. The lesson in 1 Peter 3:13-22 continues Peter's encouragement to endure the suffering his churches are facing. His example is Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:18 states, "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you/us to God." This is God's act in our redemption. We are redeemed so that we may return to God.

In our Gospel lesson, John 21:15-25, Jesus is talking to Peter. In that conversation, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. Each time Peter replies that he does. Many think that Jesus was helping Peter to undo Peter's three denials, thereby allowing Peter to understand his redemption.

Do you know God's Redeeming Love? Do you feel it in your bones? Know that you are a beloved child of God.

Invite a friend, family member, coworker, or enemy to join you in church this week. I write it every week, but as a reminder, we worship at 8:30 am at Emily UMC, 10:00 am at Cascade UMC, and 1:00 pm at Pine Lake Chapel.

Pastor Gary B. Taylor

05/02/2026

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
May grace and peace be yours in abundance. (1 Peter 1:2)

I am continuing my Easter season sermon series, “Love Lives”. Each week, I am using a reading from Peter’s first letter to his churches. These churches were probably located in Asia Minor, which we now call Türkiye (formerly Turkey). I am pairing each reading with a passage from the Resurrection Stories found in the Gospels.

The past three weeks, the topics have been “Hope in Love”, “Trust in Love”, and “Chosen in Love”. This week, we will talk about “Endurance in Love”.

Our reading from 1 Peter 2 starts with a verse that the Common Lectionary omits. The Lectionary starts with, “For it is a commendable thing if, being aware of God, a person endures pain while suffering unjustly.” It makes it seem as if Peter were writing to all people who are suffering. However, that is not what he is writing about. The passage begins with, “Slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only those who are good and gentle but also those who are dishonest.” The entire passage that we will read this Sunday is about slaves.

Let’s be clear: slavery in all its forms and at all times is wrong. However, that was not how the people of Peter’s day understood it. Whatever Peter understood, we can still learn and grow from what he writes. There is still slavery in the world today, though we don’t talk about it much. There are also millions of people suffering from deprivation (lack of food, clothing, housing, etc.). For those suffering, Peter encourages them to endure the suffering while avoiding sin. He notes that Christ was abused yet remained faithful to God. Peter then quotes from Isaiah 53, part of the fourth Suffering Servant Song.

This does not mean we are absolved from our duty to relieve the suffering of others. We, as followers of Christ, can stand up to the abuse and injustice of our world. We can work to end slavery, hunger, homelessness, joblessness, and violence in our communities.

In our Gospel reading, the disciples decide to go fishing with little luck while Jesus cooks them a breakfast of fish (with eggs and veggies?).

Our readings this week are from 1 Peter 2:18-25 and John 21:1-14. Invite a friend and join us in worship at Emily UMC at 8:30 am, Cascade UMC at 10:00 am, or Pine Lake Chapel at 1:00 pm.

Pastor Gary

04/17/2026

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! It is still Easter season or Eastertide. The great 50 days celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I am continuing my Easter Sermon Series, "Love Lives". (Try saying that 5 times as fast as possible.) We are using the First Letter of Peter along with resurrection stories from the Gospels. This week's theme is "Trust in Love".

Our Gospel lesson is Luke 24:13-35. The story happens on the same day after the women discovered the empty tomb and encountered Jesus. The story is familiar because the Lectionary assigns it every year on the 3rd Sunday of Easter. Two disappointed disciples, Cleopas and an unnamed disciple, were headed to Emmaus. (Could the unnamed disciple be another Mary, wife of Clopas, mentioned in John 19:25?) Jesus joins them, but they don't recognize him. They tell their story. Jesus teaches them. They invite him into their home for dinner. When Jesus breaks the bread, they recognize him. He then vanishes. They run back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples.

Our Epistle lesson is 1 Peter 1:17-25. In this section of his letter, Peter encourages his church and its people to live holy, faithful lives. There are some interesting phrases that catch my attention: "If you invoke as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person's work"; "you were ransomed . . . with the precious blood of Christ"; "He [Christ] was destined before the foundation of the world"; "through Him you have come to trust in God." The Greek word for "trust" can also be translated as "faith".

In our mixed-up world, where do we place our trust? Is it the talking heads on our screens, the politicians seeking our money and votes, or the billionaires also after our money? Or is it the One who brings true life? If it is the One who brings true life, how does that change your life? "You have been born anew through the living and enduring Word of God. . . . That Word is the good news (Gospel) that was announced to you." (1 Peter 23, 25)

Join us as we worship our Living Lord and Savior this Sunday morning at 8:30 am at Emily UMC, 10:00 am at Cascade UMC, and 1:00 pm at Pine Lake Chapel.

Pastor Gary B. Taylor
Cascade United Methodist Church,
Emily UMC, Pine Lake Chapel UMC

04/10/2026

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ is risen, indeed. Happy Eastertide!

"Eastertide" - an old/new word for many. It means "the time of Easter" or "the season of Easter". For churches that follow the Church Calendar, Easter is more than one day. It is a season that lasts until the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost happens on the 50th day following Easter. Welcome to Eastertide.

This week I am beginning an Eastertide sermon series using the Lectionary Epistle texts from 1 Peter. The series is titled "Love Lives". We will also read the various stories in the Gospels about Jesus' resurrection appearances.

This week's theme is "Hope in Love". Peter proclaims to his congregations that with Jesus' resurrection we have be born anew into a living hope. In our Gospel reading, Jesus reassures his disciples that they have nothing to be afraid of and then sends them into the world with the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we live with hope (a gift of the Spirit), we know that God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is with us. We can then confidently proclaim the hope that lives in us: a Risen Savior!

Our lessons this week are 1 Peter 1:1-9 and John 20:19-29. We worship at 8:30 am at Emily UMC, 10:00 am at Cascade UMC, and 1:00 pm at Pine Lake Chapel. Bring a family member, neighbor, friend, or enemy with you. God is with you always.

Pastor Gary B. Taylor

04/03/2026

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On Sunday, we will all be shouting "Christ Is Risen! He Is Risen, Indeed!" However, before that glorious day, we need to hear the story of Christ's death, his crucifixion!

Today is Good Friday. We will gather at 6 pm at Cascade UMC to hear the story of Christ's death. There will be three segments to the service: a responsive reading of Psalm 22, Christ's Lament Against His Faithless Church, and the reading of Christ's Passion as recorded in The Gospel of Matthew 26:47-27:61.

Sunday is Resurrection Sunday, aka Easter. We will gather in our various churches to celebrate Christ's Resurrection. We will read God's promise of restoration in Jeremiah 31:1-6 and the account of the empty tomb in Matthew 28:1-10.

On Sunday, we will celebrate Christ's Resurrection at 8:30 am at Emily UMC, 10:00 am at Cascade UMC, and 1:00 pm at Pine Lake Chapel UMC.

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Peace in Christ
Pastor Gary Taylor

03/27/2026

Sisters and Brothers, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1:2)

This Sunday is the 6th and last Sunday in Lent. For centuries, it was also known as Palm Sunday. In the last 50 or 60 years, it became known as Passion/Palm Sunday starting in the Catholic Church. The reason for the change was fewer and fewer people were attending Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. If you only attended Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, you would only get the triumph without the tragedy. Thus, the Good Friday Passion narrative is now routinely read on Palm Sunday.

This year, I am going back to the old tradition, trusting that you, good friends, will either attend a Good Friday service somewhere or read one or all of the Passion narratives. Each of the Gospels has a slightly different take on Jesus' Passion, but they are remarkably similar. Since we are in the A Cycle of the Lectionary, I will focus on Matthew's account.

This Sunday, Palm Sunday, we will read of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on the Sunday before Passover, riding on a donkey and a c**t at the same time. (Matthew probably misread our other reading. Mark and Luke have Jesus riding a c**t, while John has a donkey.) Our Gospel reading is Matthew 21:1-12. Matthew quotes our Old Testament reading, Zechariah 9:9-12.

Here is a summary of Jesus' final week:
Sunday - He goes to the temple and drives out the buyers and sellers (21:12-17)

Monday to Wednesday - He comes to town and curses a fig tree (21:18-22). He goes to the temple where his authority is questioned (21:23-27). He tells three parables: two sons, wicked tenants, and the wedding banquet (21:28-22:14). He is questioned about taxes, the resurrection, the great commandment, and David's son (22:15-46). He denounces the Scribes and Pharisees, and laments over Jerusalem (23:1-39). Upon leaving the Temple, he predicts its destruction (24:1-44), and tells four more parables: the faithful or unfaithful slave, the ten bridesmaids, the talents, and the judgement of the nations (24:45-25:46). Following all of this, the chief priests and elders plot to have Jesus killed (26:1-5).

On Wednesday evening, Jesus is staying at the house of Simon the l***r where an unnamed woman anoints Jesus' head with expensive oils (26:6-13). Judas then makes arrangements to betray Jesus (26:14-16).

On Thursday, Jesus celebrates Passover meal with his disciples and gives them a new ritual to remember him and what will soon happen. He also states that one will betray him and that Peter will deny him (26:17-35).

After the meal, Jesus goes out to Gethsemane to pray and where Judas betrays him. This is a good place to start reading the Passion Narrative. If you are not able to attend a Good Friday Service, I urge and trust you to read the narrative. In Matthew, please read from Chapter 26, Verse 36 to Chapter 27, Verse 66.

The story this week ends on a down note, but the story is not over. Remember that every Good Friday is followed by the eruption of life on Resurrection (Easter) Sunday.

Sunday worship is at 8:30 am at Emily UMC, 10:00 am at Cascade UMC, and 1:00 pm at Pine Lake Chapel where Cheryl will be leading worship this week. Maundy Thursday worship and a simple meal will be at Emily UMC at 5:00 pm. Good Friday worship will be at Cascade UMC at 6:00 pm.

Pastor Gary B. Taylor

03/14/2026

Watch us at 10 am on https://www.youtube.com/

03/13/2026

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

What an end to the week. A little snow on Wednesday night, a lot more snow on Thursday night, and more snow on the way.

If the winter storm predicted for this weekend is severe, the Emily church will still be open on Sunday, even if I don't make it. If I am not there, I suggest that you have a hymn sing interspersed with the two scriptures listed below, prayer, and, of course, offering. I ask everyone to use your best judgement in travelling to and from church.

As for Cascade, if church is cancelled, we will send out email notices, posted it on our page, and use our "all call" system to let you know. IF that happens, Cheryl and I plan on having a live-stream service on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/ beginning at 10:00 am.

Pine Lake Chapel people, look for an email from Angie and a posting on our page about any cancellation.

Isaiah 50:4-9a - I am continuing in Isaiah with the third Suffering Servant Song. With this one, we begin to read how the servant suffers. He/she/they are being tormented and physically hurt. Yet, the servant trusts in the Lord who will provide help.

Matthew 19:23-30 - In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus states three times the necessity of him going Jerusalem, where he will be betrayed, arrested, beaten, tried, convicted, crucified, die, and rise on the third day. The last two weeks we read the first two predictions. I will use the third prediction next week. This week, we are reading the disciples' response when a rich, young man chose not to follow Jesus because he could not give away all his stuff. They are worried, but Jesus reassures them that "with God, all things are possible."

IF church services are not called off, we worship at 8:30 am at Emily UMC, 10:00 am at Cascade UMC, and 1:00 pm at Pine Lake Chapel, where Susan Clark Harris will be filling in for me.
Peace in Christ

Pastor Gary Taylor

03/06/2026

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, grace be with you on this foggy, misty day.

Last week, I began another sermon series using Isaiah. If you recall, we began the liturgical (church) year with "Isaiah's Advent". We continued it with "Isaiah's Christmas", and concluded with "Isaiah's Epiphany" on Epiphany Sunday. We went back to the lectionary readings for the remainder of Epiphany, but have now returned to Isaiah for Lent. We are exploring what are know as the "Suffering Servant Songs".

Our second of these songs is in the voice of that servant. "The Lord called me before I was born." "He said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel.'" Again, is the servant one person, a group of people, or the nation of Israel". The answer is ambiguous.

The servant complains that the work he has been doing has been done in vain. However, the Lord replies that work the servant thought he had, that is, to return Israel and Judah to the Lord, is too small a task. God says that the servant is to be a light to the nations; something we heard last week.

The suffering part comes in the last verse. When the kings of all the nations see the faithfulness of the one who is despised and suffers abuse, they will bow down because they will know that this servant is chosen by the Lord.

I am pairing that with Jesus' second prediction of his suffering, death and resurrection. It feels like an offhand remark following the healing of a boy with a demon (which the disciples could not cast out). When the disciples heard it, they were "greatly distressed".

Our readings are Isaiah 49:1-7 and Matthew 17: 14-23. Please join us in worship at 8:30 am at Emily UMC, 10:00 am at Cascade UMC, or 1:00 pm at Pine Lake Chapel. Bring a friend. I would love to meet them.

Pastor Gary

02/28/2026

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May God's grace and peace be with you through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Last week, we explored Christ's temptations as reported in Matthew's Gospel. The Lectionary now turns to four (l o n g) readings in John's Gospel. Each reading is Jesus' encounter with someone in need of physical, social, and spiritual healing. These people are Nicodemus (John 3), an unnamed Samaritan woman (John 4), an unnamed man who was blind from birth (John 9), and a dead friend, Lazarus (John 11). I have chosen to skip these readings over the next four weeks, but I encourage you to read them.

I have chosen to focus on the four Servant Songs in Isaiah. And, yes, I am back to Isaiah! I have paired them with Jesus' three predictions of his death and one other encounter while on his way to Jerusalem as found in Matthew.

First up is Isaiah 42:1-9 and Matthew 16:13-23. The Gospel lesson is about Peter's confession of Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus's first prediction of his death, and Peter trying to dissuade him (another temptation?).

Please join us in worship at 8:30 am at Emily UMC, 10:00 am at Cascade UMC, or 1:00 pm at Pine Lake Chapel. Invite and bring a friend to worship with you. I'll see you on Sunday!

Peace in Christ
Pastor Gary Taylor

Cascade UMC, Deerwood, Minnesota

05/09/2026

05/02/2026

04/17/2026

04/10/2026

04/03/2026

03/27/2026

03/14/2026

03/13/2026

03/06/2026

02/28/2026

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