Lafayette United Methodist Church

05/29/2026

Trinity Sunday celebrates the triune nature of God; “Holy, holy, holy.” Somehow, by divine mystery, we have 3 in 1: the grace of God the Father, self-giving love of our Savior the Son, and renewing fire of the Holy Spirit. We do not worship three separate Gods. And we do not worship one God with merely three “faces.” We worship one God. Yet we receive God as the Father, as the Son, and as the Holy Spirit.

When Isaiah encountered the divine trinity, he too felt fear, overwhelm, and confusion. But he moved in faith, saying “HERE AM I; SEND ME.”

This Trinity Sunday, we are reminded that the ways in which God operates are not a puzzle for us to have to figure out. We are a community of love which moves in faith toward a mission of God. A mission of love and beauty. A mission of hope.

05/25/2026

Amen.

On this Memorial Day, we pause to affirm the sanctity of life and remember those whose lives have been lost—in war, in the ravages of conflict, or in the carnage of injustice. We honor their memory with a renewed commitment to peace, righteousness, justice, and love.

We also remember the grief carried by families and communities, trusting in the promise that “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). May God’s comfort surround all who mourn, and may His justice awaken in us a deeper resolve to work for a world where peace prevails.

Let us hear the call of the prophet in Isaiah 2:4 anew. Until that day comes, may we be faithful stewards of remembrance, living in ways that honor life by seeking reconciliation, pursuing justice, and walking humbly with our God.

05/23/2026

No, we are not drunk, for it is only 9 in the morning.

We are simply full of hope. Hope for the day that will come where the way our society works is completely uprooted. For the people who are crushed underfoot by the structure of our “civilization” to be given the highest honor in God’s kingdom. For those who do the “crushing”--- those willingly oppressing their neighbor— to be faced with the reality of their actions, or lack thereof. To shed tears no more. To no longer bear the BURDEN of a deep-rooted anger which permeates our soul, a feeling we all know far too well. To no longer worry about the rat race that is staying alive, and trying to be SOMEWHAT happy in the midst of all that that takes. To no longer feel ashamed that no matter what we do, we seem to be participating in systems that hurt other people. For many to no longer wonder whether there’s anything to believe in.

The Good News IS the good news because it gives us hope that the way our society— ANY worldly society in fact— will not get the final say in how our stories end. From the Old Testament to the New, life for God’s people has never been easy. It is full of sin, grief, injustice, and death. But how can we have hope when we are starving? Beaten? Working overtime to make ends meet? Battling addiction?

Pentecost marks the day that God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit— just as God had promised God would— to ALL. Even those on the bottom of society— “slaves, both men and women (Acts 2:18).” When we cannot see the eternity that’s in store for us, the Holy Spirit is there to remind us. To give us hope. To, with our cooperation, help guide us towards goodness, and refocus our eyes on the final destiny of the world. To help us through those times we feel we just can’t do it anymore.

The day we meet God, we have the opportunity to accept His love. To decry the way our world, and we, ourselves, have harmed others. To fully embrace our neighbor in love. To tell God we tried our best with what we had had. To embrace God and God’s unending love as the only one fit to “judge” our neighbor— not a politician, not a celebrity, and certainly not ourselves. If we do not want to love and be good to all, or we demand for someone else in God’s place, then God will not force us to accept God’s gift. From the beginning of the human story in Genesis, God gave us autonomy. But should we choose to receive this gift, we get to spend an eternity with God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit— an eternity filled with life, joy, and community.

If you find it in your heart (and schedule) to join us this Pentecost Sunday at 10:30 a.m., we are excited to see you there! 🙂

This week’s Scripture is Acts 2:1-21 (NRSVUE):

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs— in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ‘Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness,
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

05/21/2026

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”

- Proverbs 31:8-9

On May 30, 2026, 3-5pm, please join Butler County Immigrant Justice, the Task Force on United Methodist Immigration Ministries of Ohio, The Interfaith Center at Miami University, Ignite Peace, the Amos Project’s Black Women’s Health Initiative, the Coalition for Concerned Citizens, and the Miami Valley Immigration Coalition for a peaceful, interfaith prayer vigil on the sidewalk and public space outside the Butler County Jail (705 Hanover St., Hamilton, OH 45011).

We stand in solidarity with people held in ICE detention in the Butler County Jail and throughout the United States, and we call for:
- In-person/contact visitation for clergy seeking to care for ICE detainees in the Butler County Jail
- An end to ICE detention
- Transparency on detention facility funding
- An end to INA § 287(g) agreements

Learn more and sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepshkcVdY9G1RBl37_k6EK3Eiue7sn9jVEz8ej-3--kqHqfg/viewform.

05/18/2026

A long overdue post, but almost a year ago now, a new member of our church showed up at our doorstep around 10 pm, VERY UPSET that our Sunday service did not accommodate his late night worship schedule… and I think about him every day.

Had it not been for him worshipping the Lord (screaming at the top of his lungs), I would have never noticed him. Upon approaching the young gentleman, he seemed friendly. He had more ticks and scabs than I could count. I know that this is a man in need of the love of the Church, the Body of Christ— so I call my husband, Pastor Jackson.

It is now 10:30 at night and the Lord (and my antics) are testing Jackson. After I explain the crisis, he says the young man is welcome to stay in our garage for the night while we find him a place to stay.

Now many times the things God asks us to do, even things for our own wellbeing, are hard. This young man, while delivered from his life on the street, now had to endure the greatest hardship of all— getting bathed in a lukewarm cooler. While he cried out, he showed the self sacrificial love of Jesus by not fighting back. Amazed by his patience, I held him in my arms for hours afterwards, assuring him that he is worthy of being loved and that the Lord will take care of him.

The next day, my husband and I called shelter after shelter after shelter, with no luck. They are full, don’t have funding, or have shut down.

Finally, we found one willing to take him in— Homeless to Home Animal Rescue & Cat Sanctuary in Marion, OH. I brought him in tears, alongside a carrier, a litter box, kibble, and other supplies I’d purchased for him the night before. Believing in the worth, dignity, and wellbeing of every kitty, Homeless to Home Cat Sanctuary refuses to turn kitties in need away. My donation seemed pitiful in the face of the insurmountable work they have set out to accomplish.

While I do not know this young man’s name, I call him Orange Friend— the video of our encounter is in the comments.

When I think of Orange Friend and the sanctuary, I also think about the insurmountable amount of work WE have set out to do, as Christians. Just like there’s too many cats for them to all ever have homes: what about the homeless population? What about those who do not have access to clean water or food? What about the children and families in various war-torn countries? There is simply too much to do.

But in the eyes of God, no kitty is too pitiful to be turned away. In turn, NO DONATION IS TOO PITIFUL in the eyes of God to not be worth DONATING. Every $20 we give off our paycheck, every can of food, every mitten and hat— they are all worthy of being given.

Sometimes, the people who want to contribute the most feel like they have the least to give— so they feel guilty about their “small” contributions, or may give nothing at all out of fear/shame. But He sees our every act, big or small. And God will use our every kindness, small as it may be, to build his Kingdom of love and justice to the underserved on Earth. We, ourselves, will never be enough. But we, the church community, in collaboration WITH God, will work towards building pieces of Heaven on Earth.

So I ask you in this moment to commit to doing something this week that is hard— something that feels like an uphill battle— in faith that every bit counts, both to the world around us and to God.

Perhaps it is to give $5.
Perhaps it is to check on someone who seems left out by society.
Perhaps it is to offer to provide the homeless person on the street corner a sandwich.

If it is on your heart to donate, I recommend donating to the sanctuary that believes the same as we do— that NO CREATURE deserves to be turned away from help. $5 provides one cat food for a day. $10 provides litter for several days, or flea prevention treatment for one cat. None of these “small” donations are small in the lives of God’s creatures. Below are some photos, which includes a FENCED IN OUTDOOR AREA for the kitties! Here is the link to donate:

https://www.homelesstohome.com/donate

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.” - Proverbs 19:17

P.S. Somewhere in these photos is OUR kitty. Can you guess which one?

05/09/2026

A little girl, only a few years old, took a break from “helping” her grandmother paint the porch a seasick color green (by helping, I mean flicking paint onto her). On her way inside, the little girl paused. She thought of her birth mother, whom she had no memory of— but who she knew existed.

“Nana?” The little girl said, turning to face her grandmother. “What do I call you?”

“What do you mean?” Her grandmother said. “You call me whatever you want to call me.”

The little girl looked down at her yellow “Boots” bandaid, thinking of how she’d fallen off her tricycle earlier that day, and how her grandmother had held her and wiped her tears.

“I think I’ll call you Mom,” the girl said. “Because mommies love their children, and take care of them. And you love and take care of me.”

This was my second memory.

From the beginning, God was involved in my life. That little girl, both beauty and imperfections, were carefully crafted by the God who loves me so.

The (sometimes hard) truth is: the mom who birthed me is no less my mom than the one who took care of me. My birth mother loved me in the only way she could. God and my birth mother worked together to knit me in my mother’s womb. Her pain and hard work does not go unnoticed— God sees and is present with her, too.

And the baby boy, lost to my mother before he had a chance at life? He was also known and loved by God.

And the women who mentored me, taking me in as their own, even when I had no relation? Their hard work does not go unappreciated, either.

Today we thank all of these women— those who have birthed, fostered, adopted, and/or mentored— who have done such incredible work. You are beloved by God— on the good days, and *especially* on the bad.

We encourage you to show your appreciation by sharing your favorite photo of your own mother, in celebration of Mother’s Day tomorrow. We’ll go first. 👏🏼 Happy Mother’s Day!

05/08/2026

In light of rising prices (and the amount of berries and snap peas my husband, Pastor Jackson, eats), I’ve decided to try my hand at gardening. Unfortunately, I have no idea what it takes to bear good produce.

As my snap peas began to grow, I realized the tiny, long stems were not able to support their own weight. To grow to their fullest potential, my peas need some sort of outside structure to guide and support them.

When someday I finally (hopefully 🙏) begin to see my garden bear fruit and veggies, I will see that some branches bear fruit while others do not. Some branches may even shrivel up and die. In interest of saving the rest of the plant, and helping it bear more produce, I will remove the ineffective branches and return them to the Earth (by throwing them in my backyard).

John 15 uses this same logic, but applied to ourselves. Some parts of ourselves are full of life, and bear fruit— the parts of ourselves that love and care for our neighbor and “enemy” alike; the parts of ourselves that stand up for those who are oppressed; and the parts of ourselves who seek to grow in character and faith.

Other parts of ourselves may be unable to bear the fruit of the Kingdom of God— the parts of ourselves that refuse to see our “enemy” as a beloved child of God; the parts of ourselves that remain silent when we see those with power crushing those without; and the parts of ourselves that believe we have already perfected ourselves in character and faith.

But hold on; that all sounds fine and dandy, but how am I supposed to love my enemy? How am I supposed to be kind to those who refuse to be kind to me? How do I have faith in someone and something I cannot see? How do I try to become a better person without crumbling to pieces, devastated that I am never enough— that I can never achieve such things?

Much like snap peas, we do not do this alone. We have structure to rely on. We have Scripture. We have prayer. We have Church. We have our relationship with Jesus Christ, who we can talk to any time, like a dear old friend. None of these things will come easy. They will take time. But the more we remain in connection with Jesus Christ, the more He will help us to reach our fullest potential for goodness. With our cooperation, God will prune us over a lifetime to become more and more like our compassionate Savior.

Thank you Jesus, for I could never do this alone.

- Sincerely, Liana Moody

P.S. We *are* accepting prayers for our garden.

This week’s Scripture is John 15:1-8:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

05/01/2026

The idea of coming to church can be intimidating even for Christians— but things are even scarier when no one can tell you what on Earth is going on, and what “eating crackers and grape juice” really means. Even many Christians find themselves forgetting why we partake in communion.

Here at Lafayette UMC, we want to welcome all of the members of our community with open arms, and we believe a big part of that means making our message clear and simple.

So here it is:

Eat. Drink. All are welcome.

Love God and love thy neighbor, with all your heart, and all your soul.

Remember not only Jesus’ death, but remember also that he was resurrected and given new life.

Look forward to the day we receive the new life as well, as God has promised.

See the new life that is already around us— among all the sin and death, there is goodness.

And lastly, know we are far from perfect, but that God will never give up on us.

God will continue to form us, piece by piece, into a People who will bring a small piece of God’s Kingdom on Earth, by learning how to do these two things:

Love God.

Love thy neighbor.

Amen!

04/17/2026

The people of Judah claimed to love God while oppressing the poor and powerless in their midst through systemic injustice, greed, and violence—forgetting that love of God necessitates love of neighbor.

God sends prophets (messengers of God’s word and advocates for the oppressed) to warn Judah that their inhumanity would bring judgment, but the people ignore these warnings.

Babylon then conquers Judah and deports many of Judah’s people, including Ezekiel—a priest in the Temple of God. Ten years later Babylon later tears Jerusalem and the Temple of God to the ground.

In Ezekiel 37, the Spirit of God leads Ezekiel into a valley of “dry bones”— picked clean by wild animals and left unburied. In biblical times, the lack of a proper burial was associated with societal dishonor and divine retribution. A valley of dry bones signifies utter destruction and shame.

Yet the Spirit of God tells Ezekiel to do the impossible, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them. . . I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.” The bones are then revived into bodies with new life, restored by the Spirit of God. Where there was only death and societal “dishonor,” God has brought new life.

God then tells Ezekiel that what God has done in the valley of dry bones, God will also do for the people of Judah and the rest of Israel. The people who have had their home destroyed, been deported from their land, watched their loved ones be killed or tortured, and who now believe God has abandoned or given up on them—these people will be given new life.

Yet God bringing new life does not erase the suffering that the people of God have endured—even Jesus is raised with his scars. Resurrection is not cheap: Christianity is not a blind optimism that believes God will never let anything horrible happen to the people of God.

No. Hope in resurrection is costly. It is a choice to believe that the God who does not always protect us or our neighbor from the cataclysms of life will, in the end, set the world’s story right with vindicating new life.

Hope is the belief that—just as Jesus’ story does not end when he cries on the cross, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”—our story does not end when we and our world experience the self-destructive cruelty of human violence.

We live in anticipation of the day in which we will meet God face to face, who will hold as close, wipe our every tear, and breathe into us the new life that Jesus has promised.

Our prayer this Sunday is that in a world full of inhumanity, the Spirit of God will empower us to step up against the oppression of our neighbor and become prisoners of hope as we await the day when all things are made new. Amen.

We’d be happy for you to join us this Sunday, April 19th at 10:30 am for service. This week’s Scripture is Ezekiel 37:1-14:

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you and will cause flesh to come upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied as I had been commanded, and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”

04/10/2026

1 Corinthians is Paul the Apostle’s letter addressing the Corinthian church. Paul argues that if only the spirit is important to God, then Christ has not been raised from the dead. For when Christ was resurrected, He appeared in physical form to Mary and Mary Magdalene. Jesus showed the scars on his hands— marks remaining from when He was crucified. For followers of Christ to proclaim that there is no physical resurrection is for them to deny the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God does not only care about our spiritual wellbeing. In resurrecting our bodies, God heals our spirit *as well as* our body. Yet somehow, the “scars”— the parts of us that tell of our story, suffering and all— remain. God wipes every tear, but God does not erase the significance of who we truly are and the experiences we have had.

We pray that we all are brought closer to knowing God as our greatest Comforter. Life is full of suffering, sin, and death. But Jesus, in death and resurrection, shows us that there is new hope after death. In resurrection, there is no part of us (spiritual or physical) that God will not heal— without erasing who we truly are.

If you find the time to join us this Sunday April 12 at 10:30 am, know that you are welcome with open arms.

Our Scripture this week is 1 Corinthians 15:12-26 (NRSVUE):

“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ— whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human, for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in its own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

This is the Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

01/24/2026

Due to the expected winter storm, we will not be having service tomorrow morning.