Mercy Chapel

04/20/2026

Who is leading your life?
Many of us like to think it’s us.
That we’re in control… making our own way.

But the truth is—
we all live under some kind of authority.

Something outside of us will shape our decisions.
Something we don’t fully control is already determining our direction.

And this isn’t just personal.

Our country was founded on the idea
that our rights—and our authority—
do not come from government,
or culture,
or ourselves…

but from our Creator.

So don’t be deceived by those who claim otherwise.
Because when we step away from that reality…
we don’t become free.

We just replace God’s authority with something else.
And that something else will never lead to life.

Jesus says,
“I am the gate.
If anyone enters through me, they will be saved.”

And He also says:
“Everything else… is a thief and a robber.”

That’s not harsh—
that’s reality.

There is a way that leads to life—
and there are many other ways that don’t.

They promise life…
but slowly take it from you.

So the question is simple:
Who do you trust to lead you?

The One who is the gate—
the way into life itself?

Or voices that can only imitate it?

Don't fall for the all to common misconception that says, Freedom is the absence of authority.
Freedom is only found under the right authority.

That’s true for a nation.
And it’s true for a life.

Are you willing to enter the one true gate—
the New Covenant with God through Jesus Christ?

Not having everything figured out—
but trusting Him enough to follow.

If you are… it can begin simply:

“Jesus… I’ve been going my own way.
If you are the way to life…
I’m ready to trust you and follow.”

There's a way to true freedom:
under God's authority.
There is one gate.
One authority that leads to life.
And He is still calling.

This is why the Church matters.
Not as a building—
but as people who live under the authority of Jesus Christ.

He is the authority.
The gate.
The shepherd.
The One who leads to life.

And it is His grace that calls us,
His grace that forgives us,
His grace that transforms us.

That’s covenant—
God giving Himself to us,
and us placing our lives under His authority
and walking with Him.

Holding on to the One
who gives life—
eternal and abundant.

If you are looking for something real—
you will find it in Christ.

And you are welcome here.

04/14/2026

Two men were walking home, trying to make sense of everything they had just seen—
a crucifixion that shattered their hope…
and rumors of an empty tomb they didn’t yet understand.

They had followed Jesus.
They had heard His teaching.
They had hoped He was the One.
And now… it all felt like it had fallen apart.

As they walked, a stranger came alongside them.
He listened.
He asked questions.
Then He began to explain—opening the Scriptures in a way they had never heard before.

It was compelling.
Clear.
Even powerful.
But they still didn’t know who He was.

They sat at the table.
He took the bread and broke it.
And in that moment… their eyes were opened.
And suddenly, they saw everything differently.

We live in a time where Jesus is often treated like that stranger on the road—
a voice to consider,
a teacher to learn from,
an idea to explore.

But the truth is…
you can hear His teaching and still miss Him.

Because understanding Jesus is something God reveals, and we can’t arrive at a true understanding on our own. This is why Jesus is unique among all religions. He enters where He is invited, and by His Grace (His unmerited favor for creation), we receive salvation for our souls.

So if you are still asking the question,
“Do I understand who Jesus is?”

Perhaps you are ready for the real question—
have my eyes been opened by His Grace? Or will I continue to stand over His Word as the arbitrator of what is, in my opinion, true—and therefore never receive His Grace?

Have I come to the place where I bow before Him and confess:
Jesus is Lord.

This Sunday, we’re stepping into that moment—
when confusion gives way to clarity,
when Jesus is no longer just someone we learn from…
but the One we surrender to.

If you’ve ever felt close to Him… and yet somehow still missed Him—
this is for you.
Come walk the road with us.

04/06/2026

Do you sometimes or even all the time fear God is distant? And yet something in you tells you He is near…

Are there people and things in your life telling you that you have to earn your way to Him—
through knowledge, effort, discipline, or some kind of spiritual performance?

So the faith Jesus came to freely give is feeling like something else?

Like a contest—
who knows more, who can argue better, who can prove they are right.

Or pressure—
to show something, feel something, or demonstrate that you belong.

Or a routine—
going through motions without ever encountering the living God.

If that has been your experience, you’re not alone.

And is any of all this truly why Jesus came?

You do not make God love you by getting your religion right.
And if you aren't sure God is near and loves you then perhaps its because we haven't been taught what faith really is?

Take a moment, here is something to consider. After the resurrection, His disciples were in a room together—
fearful, disillusioned, confused, and hiding behind locked doors.

They were not ready for what God had planned for them.

And Jesus came to them.

He stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

This is the Good News:

The peace that was broken between you and God has been restored. What once separated us is no longer a barrier.

Salvation is not us reaching up to God.
It is God coming to us in Jesus Christ.

Access to God is not earned.
It is given.

The way is already open. Your old overdrawn account has been paid and closed. A new account is ready and waiting for you!

What has often been called faith—
performance, pride, and pressure—cannot give life.

Life-giving Grace and Truth are found only in Christ.

And the truth is that most people are not angry with God.
Not opposed.
Just… unmoved.

In our times this same fear and confusion push people away…
and it’s the indifference that follows that keeps many of us away.

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever,
and He has promised He will never leave us or forsake us.

Jesus knows our fear, confusion, hiding and indifference can't be solved by simply giving us more information or rituals or even the pressure to perform for membership.
It changes when something real breaks through again.

So, if something in you is still reaching, seeking a more purposeful and meaningful life…
if you know there has to be more…

You are always welcome here. Come and hear the Good News.
Jesus is real and near to you and will meet you where you are—even behind our locked doors.

03/30/2026

03/30/2026

What happened outside Jerusalem nearly two thousand years ago stands alone. Jesus was crucified—publicly, brutally, undeniably—and buried in a sealed tomb. By every measure, it was over. And yet, on the third day, that tomb was empty, and the claim that followed has never stopped echoing: Jesus Christ is alive.

Everything that has come since—the rise of Christianity, the transformation of countless lives, the endurance of His message across cultures and centuries—rests on that single event. But over time, something has happened to it. What once shook the world has been softened. What once demanded a response to Jesus’s truth has been turned into something familiar, even manageable. We speak of Easter in ways that are safe—seasonal, symbolic, inspirational—while quietly setting aside the weight of what it declares.

And perhaps that is not accidental. Because this is true—Jesus rose—and nothing matters more. So it should not surprise us that it is so often misunderstood, reduced, or reshaped into something less than it is. Not denied outright, but diminished just enough that it no longer confronts us… just enough that it leaves us unchanged.

So we go on looking for life in the tomb—
returning to what cannot give life, searching among what is empty. But the tomb is not where life is found.

Think about it.
The stone was rolled away not because Jesus needed to be let out,
but to show us that death could not hold Him.

Life has risen… and now He lives to dwell in us.

This is not simply a miracle to be admired. It is a reality to be entered. It means death is not final, sin is not ultimate, and Jesus is not simply a figure of the past but Lord of the present. And He will come again for His own—for those who live in His life, not just those who speak of His name.

And that is why Easter cannot be reduced to a moment we revisit once a year—it is something we must answer for. The question of the resurrection is no longer whether it happened, but what it means now… and what we will do with it.

Is it your time to come?
Out of the tomb that wants to hold you in death…
and into the New Life that is already risen?
You are welcome here!

03/25/2026

First Importance

There are truths you find interesting.
And there are truths you build your life on.
Paul makes it clear. The gospel is not one truth among many. It is the truth above all.

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

The gospel is of first importance because it speaks to our greatest need. Not improvement. Not inspiration. Redemption.
We needed forgiveness. We needed restoration. We needed a way back to God that we could never create on our own. And God sent that when He sent His Son.

Our greatest need was answered by God’s greatest gift in the Gospel.

Paul gives the reminder, because even in the early church, the message was already being distorted. Other ideas began to creep in. Subtle changes. Small compromises. Before long, the truth was diluted. And a watered-down gospel is no gospel at all (see Galatians 1:6-9). It is a warning of a reality in the early church and sadly a reality in our day.

We may not think of it consciously every day. Yet it is of first importance. If you have received it, you should guard it. Guard it in your heart. Guard it in your mind. Stand on it, live by, but don’t take it for granted. Let it transform you. Invite those around you into it.

The Gospel that was prophesied before Jesus came is the same Gospel that has been passed on in the Scriptures. We cannot deny any part of it.

Our greatest need, forgiveness for sin and reconciliation with God.
God’s gift of grace, the Gospel is the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

On this we have believed. On this we live. On this is true salvation.
Christ died.
Christ died for our sins.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (see Isaiah 52-53 for example).
Christ was buried.
Christ was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Others, many others were witnesses to this. It is true. The reality of the message is to be of first importance. A message of first importance is worth sharing. So invite others into this salvation.

Any message that removes the cross, ignores its purpose, minimizes the burial, or denies the resurrection is not the Gospel. It may sound appealing. It may feel comfortable. But it cannot save.
The real gospel does more than inform. It transforms.

Live the Gospel. Love the Gospel. Find joy in the Gospel. Let it transform you into the likeness of the One Who is the Gospel. Jesus.

As we rush toward the resurrection, let us not forget that our greatest need was nailed to the cross.
It is finished. The victory is ours if we hold firmly to it.

Our greatest need was answered by God’s greatest gift in the Gospel.

In Christ,
Rev. Kari Howard
Interim Conference Superintendent

03/24/2026

Easter is coming.
But the story doesn’t begin at the empty tomb.

It begins in Jerusalem—with a question:

“Who is this?”

And the answer came back:

“This is Jesus… a prophet.”

That answer sounded right.
But it was wrong.

Because what was happening that week
was not just a moment in history.

It was the turning point in a war that began in heaven.

A rebellion.
A fall.
A wicked and devious deception that reached all the way into human life.

What God had given to us—life with Him, authority, dominion—was lost for you and me—and there was no way back on our own..

And we feel it.

We know what is right… but don’t live it.
We try to change… but something holds us.
We long for peace… but struggle within.

This is not just weakness.
This is the reality of a battle we cannot win on our own.

And that is why Jesus came.

Not just as a prophet.
Not just as a teacher.

But as a Savior.

To enter the fight for us.
To face sin.
To face death.
To break the power that holds us.

And He did it through the cross.

And He did it for one reason:

“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.” (John 15:9)

This is not distant love.
This is love that steps into the battle—
and goes all the way to the cross to win.

But if we misunderstand who He is,
we will misunderstand everything.

And we will walk away
from the very One who came to save us.

So the question still stands:

Who is this?

A prophet?
Or the Savior who has come to restore what was lost?

Because that answer changes everything.

Don’t walk away from the cross
without understanding what it means for you.

Don’t settle for a version of Jesus you can admire.

Come and see who He really is—
and what that means for your life.

03/16/2026

Many churches today offer advice.
How to improve your life.
How to manage your stress.
How to become a better version of yourself.

But Christianity did not begin as advice.

It began as good news.

Good news that God Himself came to meet us where we are.

This season of Lent is not about religious performance. It is about preparing our hearts to see who Jesus truly is and what He has come to do for us.

The Gospel readings that lead us toward Easter tell a remarkable story.

First, we see Jesus on the mountain in the Transfiguration. For a moment His glory shines through His human nature like sunlight through a window. It is a glimpse of what humanity was meant to be when God’s life fills us with light and love.

Then we meet Nicodemus, a religious leader who has done everything right and yet still senses something missing. Jesus tells him that what humanity needs is not improvement but new birth. We must be born from above. Forgiveness and new life come from God, not from our own effort.

Then we meet a Samaritan woman at a well. Her life is complicated, messy, and weighed down with the baggage of the past. Yet Jesus does not turn away from her. Instead He offers her living water — a life that will never run dry. God meets us not when we are clean, but while we are still thirsty.

Then we encounter a man born blind. Jesus heals him and restores his sight. It reminds us that the deepest problem of the human heart is not simply wrongdoing but spiritual blindness. Christ comes to open our eyes and carry the burdens we cannot carry ourselves.

And then we arrive at the tomb of Lazarus.

There, something unexpected happens.

Jesus weeps.

The Son of God stands before the grave and feels the full weight of the curse that has fallen upon creation — grief, loss, and death itself. But He does not leave it there. He calls into the darkness:

“Lazarus, come out.”

With those words, Jesus reveals that He has come not only to forgive sin, not only to comfort broken hearts, but to confront the very power of death itself.

This is where Lent leads us.

Step by step we discover who Jesus is:

Our Savior.
Our living water.
Our healer.
Our comforter.
Our strength.
Our hope in the face of death.

And all of it leads to Easter morning, when the One who called Lazarus from the tomb will Himself walk out of the grave.

If you have ever felt weary, burdened, uncertain, or searching for something deeper than what this world can offer, this season is an invitation.

Come and see Christ.

Come and hear the story again.

Come and discover the One who brings light into darkness, life into weary hearts, and hope into places where we thought hope had died.

Join us this Sunday as we continue the journey toward Easter.

You are welcome here.

03/11/2026

Most days begin the same way.

You wake up.
You start moving through the routine.
You carry what needs carried.

Most people who pass you during the day have no idea what might be sitting quietly on your heart.

Worries about family.
Questions about the future.
Regrets from the past.
Burdens that no one else can see.

And for many people, it feels like those burdens are growing heavier every day. The world feels tense. Uncertain. Sometimes it feels like there is a struggle happening beneath the surface — a battle we cannot fully see, but we feel the weight of it.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus once passed a man who had been blind since birth. To everyone else, he was just part of the scenery — someone people had walked past his whole life.

But Jesus stopped.

And what happened next wasn’t just about restoring sight. It was about revealing that God sees what others overlook — even the burdens carried deep in the human heart.

The good news is that we don’t have to carry those burdens forever.

Scripture says “Now is the day of salvation.” Today can be the day we turn to Christ and begin to lay down what we’ve been carrying.

This Sunday we’ll explore a message called “The Burdens of Your Heart.”

If you’ve been carrying something heavy…
if your heart has been searching for peace…

Come join us and discover the hope that comes when we trust Jesus and place the burdens of our hearts in His hands.

You’re always welcome here.

03/04/2026

Sadly, we live in a dark world. The first four verses of the Bible remind us of both the reality of darkness and the promise of light:

Genesis 1:1–4 (NIV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

In verse 1, we read that God is the author of creation. In verse 2, the Spirit of God hovers over the waters while darkness covers the deep. In verse 3, God declares, “Let there be light.” From the Gospel of John, we know that Jesus is the Light of the world. In these opening verses of Genesis, we see the presence of the Holy Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

In verse 4, it is God who separates the light from the darkness...

Read more from Conference Superintendent, Rev. Todd Chancey: https://midsouthgmc.org/a-dark-world/

03/02/2026

Most of us don’t wake up thinking,
“Today I need a spiritual breakthrough.”

We wake up thinking:
What needs done?
Who needs me?
How do I keep everything moving?

In the Bible, there’s a story about a woman who went out one day just to handle her routine — and ended up having the most important conversation of her life.

She thought she was just going about her day.
She had a past.
She had baggage.
She had learned how to survive.

But God met her anyway.

The truth is, this isn’t just her story.
We’re all more alike than we think.

All of us carrying something.
All of us learning how to cope.
All of us adjusting to a world that can feel smaller and darker than it should.

Sometimes we get so used to looking straight ahead — just managing what’s in front of us — that we forget to look up at all.

Jesus isn’t asking for perfect performance.
We’re not finished products.
But we are invited to become more.

If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s more to life than just “getting through”… come join us.

You’re welcome here.

02/27/2026

BLESSED, BUT…
We are blessed to live in a place where we are free to worship. That is a gift — one handed down through generations who carried the Light before us.

But freedom to gather is not the same as freedom of the soul.

We are living in a time when identity confusion is growing — when many are asking, Who am I? Where do I belong? What defines me?

In John 3, Nicodemus had knowledge, position, and religion — yet Jesus told him something unexpected:

“You must be born from above.”

Faith is not about performing for God.
It’s not about striving harder or proving ourselves.
It is about identity — receiving new life that only the Spirit can give.

What does it profit a person to gain the world — and lose the soul?

This Sunday we’ll talk about true freedom, true blessing, and the relationship with God that is not earned but given.

Join us as we ask the deeper question:
Are we living a Christian life through performance… or from new birth?

Sunday at 10 am