Mesena United Methodist Church

06/17/2021

Working on a project- please send me your favorite line from a book, song, or movie. Here's one: "You're killing me, Smalls"

05/21/2021

04/30/2021

Service Time Change!
Sunday School resumes this week, May 2nd at 10:00am. Worship service starts at 11:00am.
See you there!

04/05/2021

Easter at Mesena 2021

04/04/2021

"Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome came to the tomb. They were saying to each other, 'Who's going to roll the stone away from the entrance for us?' When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. (And it was a very large stone!) Going into the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right side; and they were startled. But he said to them, 'Don't be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised. He isn't here. Look, here's the place where they laid him. Go, tell his disciples, especially Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.'" (Mark 16:2-7)

The women arrived at the tomb expecting an ending, but instead they were confronted with a beginning. From the darkness of the tomb came unexpected life. The Lenten journey is about the path to the cross; we know that life comes after the death of the cross and that God was and is truly in all parts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In this Easter season, may you open yourself to how God has offered you mercy and nudged you from an end to a beginning.

Taken from "The Sanctuary for Lent 2021" by April Casperson

04/03/2021

"When he learned from the centurion that Jesus was dead, Pilate gave the dead body to Joseph. He bought a linen cloth, took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped him in the cloth, and laid him in a tomb that had been carved out of rock. He rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was buried." (Mark 44-47)

Funerals and burial rituals are ways for us to find closure. Sometimes when we are facing an ending, we are watching what is happening in someone else's life and are unable to intercede. The death and burial of Jesus remind us that even when we are facing the end, there is always a divine Observer.

Taken from "The Sanctuary for Lent 2021" by April Casperson

04/02/2021

"The curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who stood facing Jesus, saw how he died, he said, 'This man was certainly God's Son.'
Some women were watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James (the younger one) and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women had followed and supported him, along with many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him." (Mark 15:38-41)

When we come to the end of Christ's death on the cross, it is important to note that there were people who truly saw Jesus for what he was, who were there with him, including the centurion and the women mentioned in this passage.
When we are facing an end - whether it is the end of a season, the end of a loved one's life, or the end of our own time on earth - we should be reminded that there are those who are with us, even if we are not aware of them. The centurion and the women are examples of the Holy Spirit observing, naming, and claiming where God is at work, even when we don't see or feel God's presence.

Taken from "The Sanctuary for Lent 2021" by April Casperson

04/01/2021

"They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means Skull Place. They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he didn't take it. They crucified him. They divided up his clothes, drawing lots for them to determine who would take what. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The notice of the formal charge against him was written, 'The king of the Jews.' They crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left." (Mark 15:22-27)

Christ chose the end so that we could live. While we know what comes after the cross, it would do us well to remember how final Christ's decision was to die for all of humanity. Choosing the cross meant becoming as low as a common criminal, a spectacle to the masses who were hungry for entertainment and punishment. Choosing this kind of ending goes against every worldly understanding of what power is supposed to do for us. Perhaps we need to consider how we cling to power in our own lives and what we need to end.

Taken from "The Sanctuary for Lent 2021" by April Casperson

03/31/2021

"The chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead. Pilate replied, 'Then what do you want me to do with the one you call king of the Jews?'
They shouted back, 'Crucify him!'
Pilate said to them, 'Why? What wrong has he done?'
They shouted even louder, 'Crucify him!'
Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, so he released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus whipped, then handed him over to be crucified." (Mark 15:11-15)

Sometimes choosing the right thing to do opens us up to disgrace, mockery, and derision. Choosing to end something can be the right thing to do, but it is not easy. Christ was following the path laid out for him, and he knew that there would be brokenness, no matter what.

Taken from "The Sanctuary for Lent 2021) by April Casperson

03/30/2021

"Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus: Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings. Therefore, God highly honored him and gave him a name above all names, so that at the name of Jesus everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)

Holding on to power is a very human tendency. This passage illustrates that Jesus CHOSE an ending - one that would lead to his horrific death - in order to save the world. What would it mean for you to "adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus?"

Taken from "The Sanctuary for Lent 2021" by April Casperson

03/29/2021

"But me? I trust you, Lord! I affirm, 'You are my God.' My future is in your hands. Don't hand me over to my enemies, to all who are out to get me! Shine your face on your servant; save me by your faithful love!" (Psalm 31:14-16)

Holy Week takes us through the journey to the end- an ending that centers on the cross. While we know what comes after the cross, it is a good spiritual discipline to be reminded of what it feels like when an ending is inevitable. In today's scripture, the psalmist writes of trusting God and placing one's future in God's hands. May we all be reminded to place our trust in God.

Taken from "The Sanctuary for Lent 2021" by April Casperson

03/27/2021

Free grocery giveaway happening now at Mesena UMC!!