January’s messages for the Western Jurisdiction’s #WhereLoveLivesUMC campaign address a topic that has separated many people from one another, the subject of marriage equality. Use the resources provided to Invite your community to find the non-anxious presence of God deep in their souls as we journey together through the month.
Please use the videos, weekly prayers, and suggested materials in January. You can use the videos in worship or post the videos on your various communication channels or share the videos each Sunday on YouTube or Facebook once they are posted at 8:00 AM (MST). Click on the green button below to download the resources.
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Week of January 3
Prayer Focus
Week of January 3rd
Wondrous God, we covenant to be your people, renewed in your love. Empower us to live into the covenant of love in all we do and say.
Week of January 10
Prayer Focus
Week of January 10th
Redeeming Grace, we commit to living in the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
Week of January 17
Prayer Focus
Week of January 17th
God of Creation, in a world that seems to foster division, let us, as your followers, find ways to embrace all persons as part of the beloved community in the love of Christ.
Week of January 24
Prayer Focus
Week of January 24th
God of all Unity and Peace, while we recognize that we may not always be of one mind, we also acknowledge the reality that we are all part of one body. May we accept one another as your beloved family in faith.
Week of January 31
Prayer Focus
Week of January 31st
Healing God, in this day and in this time so many people have been told they are unacceptable for a variety of reasons. May we be a people who resist harm, and value all people as people of worth. May our witness be authentic and Christ-like.
Study Resources
Intersectionality (Key Concepts) – by Patricia Hill Collins & Sirma Bilge
The concept of intersectionality has become a hot topic in academic and activist circles alike. But what exactly does it mean, and why has it emerged as such a vital lens through which to explore how social inequalities of race, class, gender, sexuality, age, ability, and ethnicity shape one another?
God Unbound: Wisdom from Galatians for the Anxious Church – by Elaine Heath
Just as Paul led the Galatians through a radical cultural change to expand their view of God, themselves, and the church’s mission, Christians are challenged to do the same today.
Sample Introductory Email
In January, Sundays call us to consider all the ways we are part of something greater than ourselves. The messages seem to stand in stark contrast to months of social distancing, worshipping in front of our computers, and the strangeness of seeing people with face coverings and having no idea who they are. This January, Sundays will challenge us to see ourselves no longer in isolation but in community, connected to those who may not look like us or believe like us. For this reason, it is good to begin a new year remembering: “I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt…”
This month the Western Jurisdiction’s #WhereLoveLivesUMC campaign brings us right in the middle of what has separated so many people from one another, the subject of marriage equality. Find the non-anxious presence of God deep in your soul as we journey together through these next few weeks.
I pray that they inspire us to discover that as part of something greater than ourselves, our church community is #WHERELOVELIVESUMC.
