Hiawassee United Methodist Church

08/29/2026

Your friends and family desperately need to know about the love of Jesus. Don’t let the good news be kept a secret!

08/28/2026

Volunteering isn't about checking off the boxes of what needs to get done on a Sunday morning. It's about coming together as the Body of Christ and glorifying Him together.

08/27/2026

Love is a powerful force.

08/26/2026

Happy Women's Equality Day!

08/25/2026

08/25/2026

When strength runs out, when words fail, when the path ahead feels uncertain...He’s there.

08/24/2026

There’s a battle waged every day for room in our hearts. Will you give room to the enemy, or guard it for God to take residence?

08/24/2026

This week’s devotional invites you to stand on the ground of belovedness—what God calls true about you—and let that identity reshape what you see in others. As we move through Exodus and Jesus’ question, we’ll practice widening our vision of grace so our confession becomes embodied in compassion, courage, and life-giving action.

Read Matthew 16:15-16

Reflect: Jesus’ question is personal and unavoidable: “Who do you say that I am?” The sermon reminds us that the answer we give is not only doctrinal—it shapes our imagination. If we believe Jesus is the Son of the Living God, then we are confessing a God whose mercy moves toward people, whose love refuses to be contained by boundaries, and whose presence reorders what we call valuable.

Belovedness is the ground beneath your feet, not a prize you earn. When that truth sinks in, it loosens the need to perform, prove, or protect yourself through comparison. It also challenges the ways fear can narrow your vision—turning neighbors into threats and differences into dangers—because the Living God reveals a different way of seeing.

Today, consider that Jesus’ question is also an invitation: to name what kind of God you trust, and to notice how that trust is shaping your everyday responses. Your beliefs are always becoming practices; your confession is always becoming a way of life.

Ponder:
- In your own words, who do you say Jesus is—and what in your life suggests you truly believe that?
- Where are you tempted to treat belovedness as something you must earn rather than something you receive?
- What fear most often narrows your vision of other people (fear of scarcity, rejection, loss of control, being misunderstood)?

Prayer Prompts:
- Name one person you’ve been viewing through suspicion or irritation. What might change if you intentionally viewed them as beloved?
- Choose one simple practice today that aligns with your confession (a prayer for an enemy, a generous act, a patient response, a truthful apology).

08/23/2026

Message by Rev. Mychal Ellis
"Who Do You Say I Am?"