Lead Courageously – We continue our walk through the New Testament and, currently, through the writings of the apostle Paul, with today’s reading from Colossians 1.  The United Methodist Council of Bishops’ created a new vision statement in May of 2025 (appearing on today’s bulletin cover), and in three Sundays we have been exploring the three features of the United Methodist Church’s Vision Statement, today focusing on “Lead Courageously.” Carol begins by recalling memories of Davis Kidd Bookstore in Nashville where one could explore books for sale that were on shelves by topic, one of which was a section on leadership.  Most of them concerned corporate leadership and such, but in Paul’s writing and in the words of the United Methodist vision statement, the concept of leadership pulls normal people (disciples) to emulate Jesus.  Carol then talks about her recent trip to Ireland and cites many things about the historic war in Northern Ireland, reminding us of that conflict, but also citing specific individuals and groups who worked as Jesus would have done to plant the seeds of peace, all evidence that God can use ordinary people like us to lead courageously as we build peace and reconciliation by following Jesus. 

(NOTE:  Emphasizing the importance of the Word, the video begins with the scripture reading, but if you want, you can scroll back to the beginning of the service in the video – the entire service is available.)