Tenth Street United Methodist Church

10/25/2026

Religious leaders of Jesus’ time believed “love your neighbors” only applied to those who looked, acted and believed like them. Jesus had a much broader interpretation of loving your neighbors.

The Pharisees saw the Ten Commandments as the basis of their religion but had added over 600 other rules. When they asked Jesus about the greatest commandment Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, with all your being and with all your mind. He went on to tell them that the second greatest commandment is that you must love your neighbor as you love yourself. Jesus said you can’t truly love God unless you also love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:34-46)

Jesus is always there to lift us up and he calls on us to be there to lift up others. He challenges us to be open to opportunities to reach out to others and share God’s love

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Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574
https://youtu.be/mqpfy_pV_tU

Religious leaders of Jesus’ time believed “love your neighbors” onl...

10/18/2026

an people see your kinship with God? Can they see it by the way you act, by the way you talk, by the things you do?

That question is akin to the question raised in today’s scripture. (Matthew 22:15-22) This is the scripture passage that the Founding Fathers are thought to have had in mind when they crafted the passage mandating separation of church and state.

How do we reflect giving our life to God? For most of us giving ourselves fully to God isn’t one big spectacular act, it is a series of little acts of love we perform throughout our lives.

Can people see the image of God in the way we live our lives day by day?

It can be very easy to lose sight of whose image we were made in. Jesus reminds us we were made in God’s image. Let’s try to live lives that reflect Jesus’s love every day.

To support the work of the church: https://square.link/u/0iCUXWVO
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Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574

https://youtu.be/lBnRkYF0qAM

Can people see your kinship with God? Can they see it by the way yo...

10/11/2026

It’s a sad thing to give a party and have no one show up. In the scripture Jesus tells a parable about a king inviting guests to a wedding banquet and no one shows up. The king represents God, those who didn’t show up were the religious leaders of the time. Those who were invited in their place were the gentiles, the outcasts and others who were not considered desirable. (Matthew 22:1-14)

There is a comment at the end of this scripture passage that often leaves people puzzled. A man was thrown out for not wearing a wedding robe. The man is actually rejected because he wants to enjoy the benefits without fully participating. God wants us to be full participants in his kingdom. God invites us to the party just as we are but he wants to transform us to become all that we can be.

To support the work of the church: https://square.link/u/0iCUXWVO
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Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574

https://youtu.be/39ksB4gpems

It’s a sad thing to give a party and have no one show up. In today'...

10/04/2026

There is a legend about an older angel taking a freshman angel around the cosmos. He told him the story of God sending His only son to Earth to guide people back to God and their rejection of Him.

We sometimes become so set in our ways that we reject anything that goes against what we are accustomed to. That is what is happening in today’s scripture. The Pharisees and Sadducees went to the Temple to see if Jesus would violate the law by healing a man on the Sabbath. They were so blinded by their rigid adherence to the law, by the way that things had always been that they could not see the miracle before them. (Mark 3:1-6)

The heart of the law for Jesus was mercy. He knew that real religion was not following a set of laws but caring for one another.

We need laws and obedience to the law but there comes a time when human life takes priority over obedience to the law. The Pharisees could not see that.

Sometimes we have done things the same way for so long, we forget the reason we are doing them. That was the problem with the Pharisees.

Sometimes people feel so trapped that they think they just have to sit and accept things as they are. Jesus wants us to be open to the new things God is doing in our lives every day.

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Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574

https://youtu.be/QgJJDBttBfA

There is a legend about an older angel taking a freshman angel arou...

09/27/2026

Many seminars and books offer steps to success, whether in making money or having a happy marriage but success isn’t always a step-by-step process.

Success often doesn’t come in a form we recognize or expect. Paul was talking about Jesus’ view of success in today’s scripture. Jesus said success comes not from getting but from giving. (Philippians 2:1-13)

Success often comes in a circuitous path. Warren Buffet said “When you’re nearing the end of your life, the only measure of success is who loves you.” The paradox about love is that the more love you give away, the more love you have to give.

Let’s live our lives based on Jesus’ teachings and know that will bring true success.

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Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574

Many seminars and books offer steps to success, whether in making m...

09/21/2026

Children tend to be suspicious of food they don’t recognize. Even though we didn’t recognize it, it still nourished us.

That is essentially what the Israelites are asking in today’s scripture lesson. The bread God provided was not anything the Israelites recognized. (Exodus 16:2-15)

Scholars are still trying to determine what the manna was that God provided. God provided it faithfully for 40 years and it kept them alive.

The point is God will provide even though at times we sometimes don’t recognize it. At different stages in our lives God’s provision comes to us faithfully but sometimes in ways we don’t recognize. God has always worked in our lives, often in unexpected ways.

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Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574

Children tend to be suspicious of food they don’t recognize. Even t...

09/13/2026

Pope John Paul II went to a prison to visit the man who had tried to kill him and tell him he forgave him. The Pope was sending a message that in a world filled with hate and anger we can still show Christian forgiveness.

In today’s scripture lesson Jesus told Peter that he should forgive as many times as necessary. (Matthew 18:21-35)

Forgiveness is not the same as forgetting. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you have to let the person who hurt you back into your life. Forgiveness is letting go and letting God. Letting go of that anger, hatred, and desire for revenge frees you from the control of the person who hurt you.

Think of what a better place the world could be if world leaders could get together and forgive one another. Jesus would tell them that is the only way to find peace.

Jesus calls each of us to be ambassadors for peace.

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Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574

09/06/2026

The things we wear tells others something about our identity. Our clothing says something about who we are and what we do.

In the scripture Paul tells us to “put on Jesus Christ” each day. Paul is telling us that just as our clothes proclaim our identity, as Christians our beliefs shape our character and identity. (Romans 13:8-14)

Our faith is revealed in the little things we do each day. When we walk with Jesus daily we have a purpose. Some people move through life with no sense of direction, no purpose. Followers of Jesus know that life has a destination. We as Christians are on a journey heading toward the light.

As Christians we are called to follow Christ and to share Christ’s love with others.

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Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574

The things we wear tells others something about our identity. Our c...

08/16/2026

In the scripture Paul is talking about Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. The early followers of Jesus were all Jews as was Jesus himself. He said if God continues to love Israel despite their rejection of His son, then He will always love us. (Romans 11:1-2, 29-32)

God lets us have free will even if that means we move away from Him sometimes. There are consequences for our actions but even so God’s love is always there for us.

We sometimes put up barriers where barriers do not need to exist. If we let those barriers down we often find love on the other side. God is in the business of breaking down barriers.

God never stops loving us. God always leaves the light on for us. Let’s move toward that light.

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Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574

In the scripture Paul is talking about Israel’s rejection of Jesus ...

08/09/2026

Whenever someone in the Bible encounters God they always ask two questions: Who are you? What do you want me to do now?

Saul, a Pharisee, had a personal mission to stamp out the rising Christian group which he saw as a threat to the established order. On his route to arrest Christian followers in Damascus he encountered Jesus. (Acts 9:1-9)

Because of that encounter Saul became Paul the greatest disciple to the gentile world. His whole life was a celebration of what Jesus can do.

Like Paul, God wants us to celebrate the life of Jesus Christ and the difference he made in the world. God also wants us to celebrate the gift of Christian friendship. In the church we form special friendships and we support each other during difficult times.

To support the work of the church: https:/checkout.square.site/merchant/GC5JQMH6X94DN/checkout/E4A23KYU3L4PIVSRU43IKKDQ
Or send to:
Tenth Street United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 851, Taylor, Texas 76574

Whenever someone in the Bible encounters God they always ask two qu...