In 2 Corinthians 8:1-7, we learn about a contrast between the church in Corinth and the Macedonian church. Corinth was known for its wealth and its excess, while the church in Macedonia was undergoing "a severe ordeal of affliction ... and extreme poverty." And yet, it was the Macedonian church that was generous when they heard there was a famine i…

In Romans 12, Paul reminds us that the Christian life is not a solo sport. In the wake of the 2024 election, we need to remember that we are one body made up of many different parts. We can't amputate the members of the body who voted differently from us. We are all in this together. Scripture reading by Bill Eddy. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For mor…

On the first Sunday in November we celebrate All Saints and All Souls Sunday. We remember and celebrate all Christian saints throughout history AND we specifically remember those loved ones in our congregation who we lost this year. As we do that, it’s right and fitting that we peak ahead to the end so today's scripture text is Revelation 21:1-6a. …

In Acts 8, God sends Philip the Evangelist down a wilderness road where he met a man some would have said was excluded from the Kingdom of God. God revealed to Philip--and to us--that God desires profound inclusivity. Humans divide and God loves across those divides. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.org…

As we abide in Christ, God prunes away the things that hinder us so we can grow into people who embody love, grace, and justice. Through daily practices of prayer, scripture, and love, we stay rooted in Jesus, allowing God's grace to transform us and make us fruitful for the world. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.…

10/13/2024 Worship at Gray Memorial UMC in Tallahassee, FL Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

God is prodigal, wasteful, extravagant, with grace, mercy, and love. And God invites us to live with those same values. God is standing with arms wide open, waiting for us to run into the divine embrace and to bring our friends with us. God says, “Free Hugs, Come on in Y’all!” Methodists embrace widely. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more informatio…

As we move through the Gospels as part of The Bible Year, we're looking at what it means to be "Wesleyan Rooted." In this sermon, Pastor Beth explores what it means to Love Actively in light of what Jesus says in Mark 12 are the greatest commandments. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.org…

From the earliest days of Methodism, serving others has been part of our ecclesiastical DNA. Matthew 25:31-46 Scripture read by Todd Clark. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Randy Clay, the Lay Leader for the Northwest District of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, offers a message about growing in God’s grace and love from a Wesleyan perspective. Ephesians 3:14-20 emphasizes that life in Christ involves being rooted in God’s agape love and being transformed by grace. The Christian journey involves …

September 8th Worship at Gray Memorial UMC Special Guest, Starr Clay speaks about the Wesleyan idea of Christian Perfection. While we are not perfect now and won't be perfect next week, we experience moments where the Holy Spirit works through us, allowing God’s perfection to reach out and minister to others through us. We grow in love and holiness…

Rev. Beth Demme explores the profound transition from the Old Testament to the New, highlighting how the birth of Jesus fulfills ancient promises and calls us into a life of radical love and grace. Through the lens of John Wesley's three simple rules—do no harm, do all the good you can, and stay in love with God—Pastor Beth invites us to turn the p…

August 25 Worship at Gray Memorial UMC Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

August 18 Worship at Gray Memorial UMC Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Daniel's enemies thought his integrity and faithfulness made him vulnerable, but it turned out those were his superpowers. In a world filled with challenges, we can choose to live life with integrity and faithfulness. It's just about the only thing in our control. Daniel's story points us forward to the cross and the story of Jesus, the ultimate ex…

Ezekiel is often called the weird prophet because of the weird things God makes Ezekiel do and the weird things God makes Ezekiel see. In Ezekiel 1, the prophet has a vision of God on the move. What might that mean for us today? Scripture is read by Kim Maxwell Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.org…

In Jeremiah 31, God speaks of a new covenant--one that will be written on our hearts and evident in our transformation. This covenant is mediated by Jesus Christ. This covenant frees us from circumstantial faith; we can look beyond our circumstances to see the masterpiece God is making. Scripture reading by Todd Clark. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For…

Sing it with us, "Jeremiah was a proph-et." Prophets spoke truth to, and about, power. Can we do the same? Scripture read by Todd Clark. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

In the midst of hard times, we can harvest the hope God has planted and nurtured in our lives. Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7 (read by Todd Clark) Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Focal text: Isaiah 6:1-13 Guest preacher: Rev. David Gill Scripture read by Susan Hutchison The prophet Isaiah's ministry revolved around themes of judgment, purification, and the importance of holiness. Isaiah's mission is still relevant today. We still have a need for justice, mercy, and truthful living in accordance with God's call to love our n…

Ecclesiastes 3 was the inspiration for the song, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" written by Pete Seeger and made popular by The Byrds. We can always turn, turn, turn to God. Scripture reading by Bill Eddy. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Proverbs 22:1 says: "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches." Do we Christians give God a good name? What would it take? Scripture reading by Bill Eddy. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Pastor Beth highlights the wisdom found in Proverbs 12:13-28, focusing on the power of words and their potential to heal or harm. Just as clean water is vital for life, so are wise, kind words vital for nurturing relationships and community well-being. The sermon concludes with a call to guard our hearts through spiritual disciplines, ensuring that…

When you find yourself in a season of disorientation and life is all wild and waste, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Psalm 139 We can't hide from God, but that's okay because we don't need to hide from God. No matter what darkness we experience in this life, God is there with us. No matter what darkness exists in us, God is there, at work to redeem and heal it. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.org…

Trinity Sunday, 05/26/2024 Special guest: Rev. Bill Bess Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Are you carrying the burden of a family secret? Are there parts of your self or your life that you are trying to keep hidden? Psalm 51 pushes us to unburden ourselves with the God who loves us so that we can step into the freedom of a clean slate, described by the Psalmist as a clean heart and a new and right spirit. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For m…

The author of Psalm 23 had a gift for painting a picture with words--green pastures, still waters, dark valleys, and more. Seeing that our life is stretched before us like a blank canvas, we can become co-creators with God. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Job asked "why?" and God responded with "who!" Pastor Beth offers a personal testimony about how the UMC General Conference of 2019 left her asking "why" and how God answered her prayers in a powerful way. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Esther shows us what can happen when just one person has courage. When we look at our world today, we know we can't fix every problem, but that's no excuse to not fix what we can. We pray "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," and God answers that prayer one courageous person at a time. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more…

Nehemiah 8:1-12 Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

King Josiah instituted renewal during his time as one of the few good kings of Judah. (Pastor Beth explains why he was the king of Judah and not the king of Israel.) Like Josiah, John Wesley understood the importance of covenant renewal. We use his covenant prayer to help us understand what covenant promises are all about. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme…

In 1 Chronicles 29, King David models a robust theology of giving. It is based in the idea that everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God. If you think about it, it's the opposite of what we learn in the game of Monopoly, but in this sermon Pastor Beth shares that it's exactly what was originally intended by the game's inventor, L…

The idea that God would become human and experience death so that humanity would know nothing separates us from God--not even death, is so wonderful it can seem too good to be true. But it really is true. Pastor Beth uses the story of Naaman from 2 Kings 5 to help us see that God works in ways that can seem too good to be true, but we can trust God…

Palm Sunday, our annual celebration of the day Jesus entered Jerusalem to the cries of "Hosanna! Hosanna!" The people were sending out an SOS, asking God to save them. That was exactly was God was doing. It was the very reason Jesus had come to Jerusalem. But it didn't turn out the way anyone expected. What do we mean when we send out our SOS? Do w…

In 1 Samuel 25 we meet a fool named Nabal and a peacemaker named Nabal. Abigail teaches us about how God wants the world to work and God wants us to work in the world. We may live in a world full of Nabals, but we can choose to be Abigails. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.org…

Ruth is from Moab, a place where the people have loops in their family trees. In other words, Ruth is no one from nowhere. And yet, God brings her from loss to legacy. Her decision to be faithful and loyal is a decision that changes the world. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.org…

Judges 4 tells us that God empowered and called Deborah, Barak, and Jael to end the oppressive ways of Sisera and his king, Jabin. God empowers and call us to end oppression in our own time and place. How can you be a torch-bearer for the light of the world? Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.org…

The book of Joshua is filled with conquest and victory ... and genocide. Pastor Beth explores how we can temper the message of Joshua (be strong and courageous because God is with you) with the words of Jesus and make it even stronger. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.org…

In Numbers, Moses asks, rhetorically, "What does the Lord require?" We need to treat people the way God treats us--with mercy, compassion, loving kindness, and humility. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

The Israelites faced a roadblock in Numbers 13 when the scouts came back and reported that the Promised Land was filled with dangerous giants. Only two scouts had enough faith to believe that God would make a way for them--as God had done day in and day out for more than a year. We all face roadblocks in life. How can we build our faith so that we …

We continue our one-year journey through the Bible. This is the start of a 4-week sermon series called "Road Rules." We're looking at the rules of the road the Israelites learned as they moved through the wilderness in Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. Today's road rule is: Give God Your Best. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more informati…

Exodus 20:1-21 Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme. God gives us principles for living in community with each other and God. We make a mistake if we replace God with the rules or use the rules as excuse for indifference. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Exodus 14:13-31 Sometimes we want to stand still when God is actually telling us to keep moving. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Genesis 32:22-32 In this message, Rev. Beth Demme looks at the story of Jacob wrestling with God and becoming Israel and how it teaches us that even when life is hard, God's blessing is present. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Pastor Beth Demme begins our year-long journey through the Bible using The Bible Year by Magrey DeVega. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

They say it is better to give than to receive, but on Christmas we recognize ourselves as the ultimate recipients. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Advent 4 (RCL Year B) Why did God choose Mary? What if God chose Mary because she was Ordinary Mary? How does God work through ordinary people like us? What is God inviting us to birth this Advent? When God works through us, how does that show in our lives? Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.org…

Advent 3 (RCL Year B) John the Baptist is also John the Witness. He testifies to who, and what, he knows. He is a voice in the wilderness. We also have a story to tell. We, too, can testify. Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church

Advent 1 (RCL Year B) Advent is a reminder that we live in the already-but-not-yet. Jesus has come but the kingdom of God is not yet fully realized. How can we have HOPE in the meanwhile? Sermon by Rev. Beth Demme For more information, visit www.graymumc.orgAf Gray Memorial United Methodist Church