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The latest at Irvington United Methodist Church

Stay up to date with the happenings of Irvington United Methodist Church by visiting our blog. You'll find information such as announcements, sermon notes and thoughts from our pastor to encourage and challenge your walk with the Lord.

Ponderings: The Coming of Advent

by: Denise Robinson

11/25/2022

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"We look at this Son (Jesus Christ) and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment."  (Colossians 1:15-17). My thoughts this morning turn ...
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Ponderings: Dealing with Anxiety

by: Denise Robinson

11/23/2022

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“If the LORD had not been my help, I would soon have dwelt in [the land of] silence. If I say, 'My foot has slipped,' Your compassion and lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your comforts delight me.” Psalm 94:17-19 (AMP)The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, says that we should not be anxious about anything, that the peace of Christ will sustain us. Paul is not wrong, but his desire for us is not always a real...
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Ponderings: Thankfulness and Faith

by: Denise Robinson

11/22/2022

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"As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful....
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Ponderings: Thanksgiving Every Day

by: Denise Robinson

11/21/2022

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Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? The answer isn't as easy as you might think. In November 1621, after the pilgrims’ first successful corn harvest, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast, which included a group of the colony’s Native American allies. This is often remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving” although that term wasn't used at the time. In 1777, the Continental Congress issued the First National Thanksgiving Proclamation: "It is therefore r...
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Ponderings: Taking Advice from Others

by: Denise Robinson

11/18/2022

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Blessed is the one    who does not walk in step with the wickedor stand in the way that sinners take    or sit in the company of mockers,but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,    and who meditates on his law day and night.That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,    which yields its fruit in seasonand whose leaf does not wither—    whatever they do prospers.For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,    but the way of the wicked leads to destruc...
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Ponderings: Faith Over Fear

by: Denise Robinson

11/17/2022

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"A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he (Jesus) was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they (the disciples) woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great ...
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Ponderings: Islands

by: Denise Robinson

11/16/2022

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I had one of those days yesterday where I had a couple of meetings, ran a few errands, and then spent a few hours in a bookstore. I don't go to bookstores often, but I love the challenge of gathering a large stack of books, sitting down with a cup of coffee, and deciding which one(s) I can buy with a gift card I've been given. The "goal" is to spend as close to the gift card amount as possible. It's a challenge.We all need to create islands of time in our lives where we ca...
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Ponderings: The Time is Surely Coming

by: Denise Robinson

11/15/2022

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"The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke ... But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their...
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Ponderings: Don't be Surprised.

by: Denise Robinson

11/14/2022

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Why am I surprised when fall suddenly turns to winter and we get our first snowfall? After all, I've lived in Indiana most of my life (and for several years in Minnesota), so weather changes shouldn't be unexpected. All that being said, yesterday two thoughts came to mind. First, I need to find my winter coat, gloves, scarf, etc. because they are needed. Second, last year I broke my ice scraper and have been meaning to buy another one. Now seems to be the time. The Bible t...
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Ponderings: Jesus Understands Alone

by: Denise Robinson

11/11/2022

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"After he (Jesus) had dismissed them (his disciples), he went up to the mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone."  (Matthew 14:23).When I think about Jesus, I don't often think about him being alone. We know nothing of his teenager and young adult years, and for the last three years of his life have only overviews of teachings and healings. Then a verse like Matthew 14:23 sneaks in. Jesus was different from his family and his peers. His divin...
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Ponderings: The Beginning of Wisdom

by: Denise Robinson

11/10/2022

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These are the wise sayings of Solomon ... written down so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it’s going. A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair. To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. There’s something here also for seasoned men and women, still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate. Start with God—the first step in lea...
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Ponderings: Preparation

by: Denise Robinson

11/09/2022

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“But you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”  (Micah 5:2).“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that wh...
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Ponderings: Each Day is a Gift

by: Denise Robinson

11/08/2022

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"On a good day, enjoy yourself; on a bad day, examine your conscience. God arranges for both kinds of days so that we won’t take anything for granted."  (Ecclesiastes 7:14; The Message).Life offers choices, and freedom to choose is, in itself, a gift. We can choose to believe life is basically friendly; that joy can grow out of pain; that no matter what the situation there are always lessons to be learned; that growth is always possible. We can be fearful of the unknown an...
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Ponderings: God Rewrites the Text of Our Lives

by: Denise Robinson

11/07/2022

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"I love you, God—you make me strong.God is bedrock under my feet—the high crag    where I run for dear life,    hiding behind the boulders,    safe in the granite hideout.I sing to God and find myself safe and saved.God made my life complete    when I placed all the pieces before him.    he gave me a fresh start.I feel put back together,God rewrote the text of my life    when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.Suddenly, God, you floodlight my life;    I’m blazing wi...
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Ponderings: Ps. 1 - Happy in the Lord

by: Denise Robinson

11/04/2022

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"Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread ... but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on [it] they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. The wicked are not so but are like chaff that the wind drives away ... The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of th...
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