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Not a Transaction, Mechanism, or Formula

I’m looking at Why Did Jesus Have to Die? by Adam Hamilton for a future book study. He makes a critical point I want to share here.

“Jesus’ death is not primarily a transaction, mechanism, or formula—it is not a divine quid pro quo where one thing automatically results in another (Jesus’ death procures our forgiveness, for instance). Instead, the Crucifixion is first and foremost a Word or message from God. This Word has the power to save, to deliver, to rescue, to redeem, to forgive, to heal, to inspire, and to love. It is intended to move us, to change us, to open our eyes and our hearts, to transform us, and to heal us and the world.” [1]

Adam Hamilton. Why Did Jesus Have to Die?: The Meaning of the Crucifixion ( Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, 2025), Kindle, 7.

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Worship — Sunday, January 25, 2025

Worship Service Video

Bulletin and Newletter

I had requests for Psalms I named in this video. The Psalms I most often use in my devotions are Psalm 124, Isaiah 43:1-3a, Psalm 46, and Psalm 121. I also had requests for the Bibles and commentaries I named, but that’s going to have to be another post at a later date.

Looking for a previous service? Here’s the College Avenue United Methodist Church YouTube page: www.youtube.com/c/caumcMHK.

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Question and Answer Sunday

Due to the weather, I’ll be live-streaming from home tomorrow. Because it’s hard to preach to an empty room and you don’t want to hear me sing all the hymns solo, I’ll take your questions and do my best to provide answers. I’m open to questions about God, the church, and humanity. You can send them via email or text anytime between now and the end of the livestream tomorrow. (The livestream will start at 10:30 and run until I’m out of questions.) I’ll also offer a prayer and a scripture reading to wrap up.

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Online Only Tomorrow

Due to the weather, we’ll be online only tomorrow (January 24, 2026). You can find a link to the service on the front page of our website at www.caumc.church. The Church Council meeting will be held online using Google Meet (a link has been sent out to Church Council members). As far as I know all other activities have been cancelled.

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The Weather Outside is Frightful

The weather outside is frightful and getting worse by the minute. I don’t know what we’ll do about Sunday, January 25, 2026. I’m hesitant to cancel services, but I have no hesitation about telling you all to stay safe, stay home, and watch the livestream if you have any concerns at all about your safety. You can find a link at www.caumc.church.

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Love Not Fear

I’m behind on posting this, but it’s still worth sharing. The article by the conservative columnist David French is from The New York Times. I’m sharing it as a gift article so you can read it even if you don’t have a subscription. College Avenue UMC is a church that doesn’t fear the world, but instead loves its neighbors. That’s important to me.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/opinion/easter-christianity-jesus-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GVA.mKSn.jL3JkmLuH91-&smid=url-share

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Online Lenten Bible Study

I plan to offer an Online Lenten Bible Study on the Gospel of Matthew this year. We’ll be using Lent for Everyone: Matthew, Year A: A Daily Devotional by N. T. Wright. This book is structured on a set of daily readings from Ash Wednesday (February 18, 2026) to the Wednesday after Easter Day (March 8, 2026). This means we’ll be meeting online every Wednesday evening from February 25 to April 8 at 7:30 pm. The daily readings, each for a specific day in Lent, mean that we should finish on schedule.

Free copies of the book will be available. To get an accurate count of the number of books needed, I’m asking people to sign up now at the link below.

Sign-Up Here