Rev. Andrew's Adventures

Community UMC, Quincy “Rise Up: God Is Speaking” Pastor Andrew Davis January 7, 2018 Isaiah 60: 1-4 Mark 1: 4-11         Happy New Year!!  Here we are in the first Sunday of 2018 and the new year has definitely gotten off to a running start as we got back into the normal groove of things and had a beautiful and moving celebration of life for Brooks Mabry yesterday.  Even amidst a running start to the new year, I do have to say that we had an awesome Advent and Christmas season as the choir, bell choir, Sunday School children, and extra readers all did a fantastic job throughout the entire Advent and Christmas season.  And even though the stores have since switched over to the Valentine’s Day stuff, I still feel the light and the afterglow of Christmas as yesterday officially marked the end of the Christmas cycle, as January 6 marks the Epiphany, or the moment when the Magi, or wise men followed the star to find the toddle...

Adventures…January 2018 I am about to do a new thing;      now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness      and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43: 19, NRSV) Happy New Year and Welcome to 2018!!! To be totally honest, after the year we had in 2017, I am ready for a clean slate and fresh beginning.  As with each new year, all of us have an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and experience a new beginning.  I always come into each new year with a sense of hope and optimism, although I am aware that we don’t always know what to expect what will happen in each new year.  I do my best to trust God and follow God’s lead, even though it may involve going outside my comfort zone or into places I don’t necessarily want to go.  However, I know that if I’m going to grow as a person and a follower of Christ, I ultimately must go into those places and even through the deepest valleys at ti...

Community UMC, Quincy “All I Want for Christmas: The Gift of a New Style of Living” Pastor Andrew Davis December 24, 2017, 10:00am Service Philippians 2: 1-11 Matthew 23: 23-26             I’m not sure about you, but last week’s Christmas pageant, “The Christmas Gift” has left me with that warm, fuzzy feeling this whole week!!!  I’m still saying WOW from the wonder the kids had when Charlotte told them the Christmas story, some maybe hearing it for the very first time right down to how they shared the story in worship last Sunday.               Now this morning may feel a little unusual since we’re worshiping on the morning of Christmas Eve.  However, this is also the preacher’s dilemma whenever Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fall on a Sunday.  Some churches have cancelled morning services in favor of the evening services, but this morning, ...

Community UMC, Quincy “All I Want for Christmas: The Gift of a New Understanding” Pastor Andrew Davis December 10, 2017 Luke 1: 39-56             If it sounds like a broken record of what a week it’s been these days, that’s because it seems like each week has something exciting that’s taken place.  This last week, we had a couple great sections of Advent small group on Monday and Wednesday, then on Tuesday and Thursday, had the joy of welcoming many of our children here for Christmas pageant rehearsals, which will take place this next week as well on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for next Sunday’s pageant.  I am always amazed at the level of energy kids bring, although I also tend to forget how much energy kids have.  Helps keep us on the young side too!!              As I think about the kids and the adults here in the church, this is a wonde...

Community UMC, Quincy “All I Want for Christmas: The Gift of Good News” December 3, 2017 Pastor Andrew Davis Isaiah 52: 1-12 Matthew 1: 18-25 What do You want for Christmas?  Whenever I am asked, I admit that it’s a tough question for me to answer, although ask any of the kids out here and we could get quite a list going.  As I get older, I realize that my wants and desires for Christmas become simpler: peace in our world; living in a world where truth and justice prevail; clean water, food for the hungry, homes for the homeless, services for mental health.  Okay, maybe not as simple as first thought, then again we can always have a grown-up Christmas list.  On the other hand, our wants can also be on the silly side, such as “all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth,” or “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas…” It seems appropriate to ask what do you want for Christmas, as we begin the season of Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas....