“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) Luke is the only writer in the Bible to use the word manger in the New Testament. And what he does with this one word — what God does with this one feeding trough — is enough to make us leap for joy.

Manger comes from the Latin word for chew or eat. It refers to a trough where horses and donkeys and cattle ate. God wanted the world to know the nature of Jesus’ mission from the beginning. The manger was a harbinger of Christ’s entire ministry. It spoke volumes about the way the Sovereign Ruler of the universe intended to win back his lost children—not by overwhelming us with might but winning us with love.

With one word, God could have overwhelmed this world with his omnipotent power setting all things right. But he chose a much different approach—a sleepy quiet approach in a barn and a manger. Join us this Sunday at Sedona United Methodist Church as Rev. Fred Mast delivers an Advent message entitled “No Crib for Our King”.

Sunday mornings we enter the spirit of worship at 9:30am featuring meaningful and uplifting music, special times of prayer and passionate life changing messages designed to move you closer in your relationship with Jesus Christ and others. We look forward to seeing you!

As we strive to keep our congregation and community safe and healthy, we will observe physical distancing and limited seating worship so visit our website or call our church office to reserve your seat for worship. We will continue to also offer an amazing Spirit Filled On-Line Worship experience each week—You are invited to access worship or information through our website (www.sedonaumc.org) or by calling the church office (928-282-1780).

Visit our beautiful nativity exhibit in our front parking lot beginning December 11th thru January 1st—our theme is “Lord, Hear Our Prayers” an interactive display providing the community the opportunity to submit their Christmas prayers which will be prayed over by our prayer ministry. Come and bring your heartfelt prayers to the manger.

We offer so many great missions, ministries and study opportunities at Sedona UMC—Visit our website at us on www.sedonaumc.org  and “Like” us on Facebook. We would love to pray for you! —Prayer requests may be submitted online or by calling us at 928-282-1780.  We are conveniently located at 110 Indian Cliffs Road off the Back O’Beyond roundabout on Route 179 in Sedona. All are welcome at Sedona UMC—We look forward to seeing you!—Come and grow with us!