Sermon Podcasts & Videos for 2022
Bad news is everywhere. It’s not just in the news. It is in our homes, in our families, in our neighborhoods, at our jobs, in our favorite places to hang out, under bridges, in shelters, on our streets, at the gas tank, in our grocery stores, in our hospitals, in our backyards, and even in our churches. People are losing HOPE for a better tomorrow. Yet, “Jesus is our reason for HOPE, and we know that whatever state our lives may be in at the moment, we can live, and we can have hope.” This Advent season, we will explore the lessons in Hope: an Advent Journey by UMC Pastor Rev. Olu Brown, who was our guest preacher on Sunday, December 11. Together, let’s draw closer to Jesus, our reason for HOPE!
What if you were born to be generous in all areas of your life? What if God knit you in your mother’s womb for the purpose of living a life of generosity? What if generosity is more important than success, money, power, and all the others things we crave in this world? What if generosity is the key to wholeness in our lives? This series explores God’s expectation of generosity through our lives. Join in worshipand small groups – in person and online – November 6, 13, and 20 as we discover the answers to these questions and see how the Holy Spirit works in our lives through God’s generosity to you and me. See you there as we take The Generosity Challenge… I dare you!
The Generosity Challenge Daily Challenges: This booklet contains challenges for 28 days that will help you to see how generous you are, and just how generous God wants you to be. Due to copyright restrictions, we cannot publicly publish the Daily Challenges booklet here on our website. The link to the booklet is published on our Online Campus Facebook page. If you are not a member of the Online Campus, you can still receive the link to download the Daily Challenges booklet by e-mailing jay@atlantafirstumc.org.
This year Atlanta First United Methodist Church celebrates its 175th anniversary! Founded in 1847, the church has a long history of service to God and the community, nurturing the spiritual lives of many of Atlanta’s notable and philanthropic leaders. Standing on their shoulders, we now look FORWARD IN FAITH. We look forward to worship that offers renewed vision for the future, forward to Christian education that fosters radical faith formation, and forward to one-of-kind affordable housing and justice ministries that change lives.
During the Anniversary Celebration, which runs from August 28 thru the end of October, we will feature a different preacher delivering the Good Word from the pulpit each Sunday morning. Please visit our 175th Anniversary page to see the full list and biographies of our scheduled preachers.
Seriously!? They did what!? Why!? …Have you found yourself reading or watching the news lately and asking yourself how we got to this point? How our world got so polarized and people so vengeful? If so, you’re not alone. We are living in challenging and unstable times. However, the good news is, God’s people have been here before. They have thrown up their hands and asked, “What do we do now!?” And God has answered: Be serious about doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).
The first three Sundays in August we will examine the call of the Prophet Micah to follow God and what exactly it takes, in the words of Jesus, to do what is fair and just for our neighbors, be compassionate and loyal in our love, and to not take ourselves as seriously. Worship with Atlanta First UMC, in-person or online, Sundays at 10 a.m.
We continue Summer in the City in our series for July, The Gospel in Ted Lasso. Ted Lasso is an Apple-TV sports comedy/drama series about the eponymous American college football coach who is hired to lead an English football team (soccer to us yanks). We’ll look what we can learn from Ted’s optimism and upbeat attitude, and how he cares more about the people in his team than about winning.
It’s time once again for our annual Summer in the City worship! During the summer months we like to take a less formal and more relaxed approach to worship, and see what spiritual lessons we can learn from fun movie and tv-shows that the whole family can enjoy together. This year, to help beat the heat, Sunday worship will begin at 10 a.m. during June and July. So set your alarm clocks an hour early on Sundays, and join us for Summer in the City!
Join us in June as we take an in-depth look at the hit 2021 Disney movie Encanto in our worship series The Gospel in Disney’s Encanto. We will explore what spiritual lessons we can learn from the Family Madrigal, such as how we all have our own unique gifts from God, and that by working together as a family we can overcome the greatest of obstacles and fears!
The New Testament book of Revelation, or more formally, “The Revelation to John,” continues to intrigue and mystify Christians everywhere. This book of prophecy and expectation is rich in imagery and mystery. It is also full of instruction and promise! It reminds us: “Do not be afraid…” and “listen to what the Spirit is saying…” It gives us vision for a new heaven and a new earth! During the month of May, we’ll decode Revelation together. Let’s discover what God has for us to learn, to look forward to, and to listen to along the way. What A Revelation is a series for us all!
Enough Already!?!? Have you ever raised your hands in exasperation or expectation and thought, “I’ve had enough already! I can’t take anymore!” or “Is it enough already?! I don’t have any more to give!” Many of us have been there. Some of us are there now. Many have also wondered when “enough is enough!” And others wonder, “Am I enough?” This Lenten Season, we will explore what it means to live in a place of “Enough Already?!” and how the Lenten journey to the cross calls us to a place of “More Than Enough!” We can’t wait to worship together during this intentional season of worship and drawing near to God and each other.
Join in as we embark upon Part II of our Training Season Series! We’ve discovered what it takes to move FORWARD in starting a new training regimen to get Faith Fit! Now, what will God require of us to grow STRONGER in our faith fitness? We will investigate what it takes to trust God and stay the course; the discipline required of those who follow Jesus; and the supplements that will sustain us on the journey. Don’t worry if you missed January. NOW is the perfect time to jump back into worship!
The New Year often means renewed commitments to family, work, and friends and an increased focus on health and fitness. But what about our spiritual health? Join in, either in-person or online, for the January worship Series as we enter a Training Season – a season moving FORWARD with determination to get “faith healthy.”
Click Here to view our sermon videos and podcasts from 2021.