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Have you ever bought a new car and suddenly started seeing that same car everywhere? You see one in the parking lot, and then another on the highway. And you think, Were there always this many of these cars? Of course there were—the world didn't suddenly fill up with that particular car. Your attention changed. Once you started looking for it, you began to notice what had been there all along. The same thing is often true with God.

Have you ever driven down the same road almost every day and then one day, suddenly see a building you've never noticed before? Or maybe you look at someone and say, “Hey—your hair looks nice! Did you get a haircut?” And they respond, “Yeah, a week and a half ago.” It’s not like the building suddenly appeared, or you hadn’t looked at that colleague or friend or spouse in a week and a half. In both instances, you were probably too preoccupied or distracted to look closely enough to see it. I have a feeling the same thing might be true with our faith. What if God is more present in our lives than we realize? What if we walk right past moments of grace because they don't look particularly spiritual? What if the problem isn't that God is absent—it’s that we haven't learned how to notice? That's what we're exploring in this short, three-week series, Hidden in Plain Sight: Learning to Notice God in the Book of Esther.

For the past several weeks, we’ve been exploring people in scripture who don’t get top billing. The people whose names don't make it into the children's Sunday school songs like Zacchaeus, or have stained glass depictions in churches. The people who are supporting characters in other people’s story. And one of the things we’ve learned throughout this series is that while these people might not be as well-known, they’re just as important as the main characters. They’re the companions, mentors, and friends whose actions make all the difference. People who opened their homes, told the truth, carried someone else’s burden, taught, served, and stepped in when someone was in trouble. And they’re each excellent examples of what faith looks like in everyday life. Today, we close out this series with someone named Onesiphorous.

We notice and remember the people who stand on the stage or have their names attached to buildings. We tell stories about the people who changed history. But Paul reminds us of another kind of greatness—the greatness of the person who simply does what needs to be done. Who carries someone else's burden because they see that it needs carrying, and who understands that making another person's life a little lighter can be a meaningful way of loving God.

There are some people in the Bible whose names are so familiar that you barely have to say anything else—Moses. Noah. Mary. Peter. Paul. Jesus. You hear the name, and immediately a story comes to mind. Then… there are Priscilla and Aquila. If I said those names and you thought, “Who?” You’re not alone. Because Priscilla and Aquila are not exactly biblical celebrities—they don’t have a book of the bible named after them; they don’t get a dramatic conversion story; they weren’t apostles or prophets. They are, for the most part, supporting characters. And yet, Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned seven times in the New Testament. So, they’re a perfect example for our “Also Starring…” series—those people who are easy to miss, but whose actions make all the difference.

By saying “yes” to Spirit’s nudging, Lydia was able to play an important part in the building of the early Christian community. Lydia's home had become a gathering place where the early Christian community could come together, find safety, and be encouraged. Lydia didn't know any of that was going to happen when she first said: "Come and stay at my home." She was just opening her door. But sometimes that's how the kingdom of God works. We don't always know what our small acts of welcome will become. We don't know what will happen because we noticed that someone was alone invited them to sit with us. We don't know what means to someone to remember their name, or say, "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing?" We just know that we open the door, and trust that God will do God’s work.

There are some stories that are so familiar that we almost don't have to hear them anymore… The Wizard of Oz, Forest Gump, The Lion King, Harry Potter, Star Wars. We know the words… the plot twists and all the things that happen to the main character… For some, John 20 might be one of those passages. Because we gather together on Easter morning, and read the story of the empty tomb, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. And as we read, Jesus is the center of the story… rightly so! Jesus is the one who was crucified and is now risen. He’s the one we proclaim on Easter morning: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Jesus is the reason we’re here. But something can happen when we read a familiar story. Sometimes we know the story so well that we stop really listening… stop noticing the details… the people in the story. And so today, I want to focus on a portion of this text—a person—who we tend to overlook. Because standing right in the middle of one of the most important stories in all of scripture is a woman named Mary Magdalene.

August 2, 2026 Sunday's Scripture: Jeremiah 38:7-13 Also Starring...Every great story has an ensemble cast. We often focus on the heroes of the Bible, but no one accomplishes God's work alone. Behind every famous name is someone who encouraged, challenged, protected, equipped, or simply showed up at the right moment. Our current worship series Also Starring... celebrates the people who remind us that the Kingdom of God has always been a community project. Every week we'll explore the question: Who helped God's work happen that doesn't usually get the credit? This week's co-star is Ebed-Melech. God often works through unexpected people who choose compassion over comfort. Today's speaker is Will Fenton-Jones, Director of Multicultural Ministries for the East and West Ohio Conferences of The UMC. He has served in youth ministry and worship leadership roles in the UMC, and in the U.S. Army as a Chaplain Assistant. He deployed twice to Afghanistan, where he worked to build relationships with Afghan religious leaders. Will holds a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and a master’s in Urban Planning, Design, and Development. He currently serves in the U.S. Army Reserves as an Engineer Officer. Will and his wife, Rev. Joy Fenton-Jones, have two sons, Xander (6) and Declan (4).

July 26, 2026 Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:23-33 (NLT) Also Starring...Every great story has an ensemble cast. We often focus on the heroes of the Bible, but no one accomplishes God's work alone. Behind every famous name is someone who encouraged, challenged, protected, equipped, or simply showed up at the right moment. Our current worship series Also Starring... celebrates the people who remind us that the Kingdom of God has always been a community project. Every week we'll explore the question: Who helped God's work happen that doesn't usually get the credit? This week's co-star is Abigail. Peacemakers often shape history more than warriors. Brecksville United Methodist Church is an inclusive church. Our mission is to create safe spaces to grow with God and one another. Our vision is to saturate our community with connection and belonging on the Square and everywhere. We are so glad that you found us! If you are in the area, join on Sunday mornings in person or online for our services at 8:30 am, which is outside, or at 10:30 am in our sanctuary. We are located by the town square in Brecksville, Ohio. Learn more at BrecksvilleUMC.com

There is a phrase that’s often used when talking about movies or television shows. After naming the star, they say, "Also starring..." and then there’s a list of supporting actors. Because you can have a great hero, but every hero needs companions, mentors, friends, and people standing beside them. Sometimes those supporting actors are the ones who make the whole story work. So for the next several weeks, we're going to spend some time with those "also starring" in scripture—the ones who only appear briefly—whose names are easy to miss, but whose faithfulness change the story. Because God's story has never been carried by one person alone—Noah had his family. Ruth had Naomi. Even Jesus had disciples. Again and again, scripture shows us that God works through communities, and partnerships, and ordinary people whose names may not make the headlines, but whose actions make all the difference. And today, we meet one of those people: Hur.

Today we are in the final week of our series—Strength for the Climb. This series is based on scriptures our children explored at this year’s Vacation Bible School. Each day of VBS, the kids looked at a story from scripture that amplified the theme verse for the week: Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Often it seems we think of that verse as a kind of spiritual superpower—as if “I can do everything!” “Nothing is hard with Jesus!” But when Paul wrote those words while sitting in prison, he didn’t mean to ignore the difficult, but rather, he meant to assure those reading this letter that God will give us the strength to persevere through anything. Today, we see this illustrated in the story of Peter and John healing someone who was unable to walk.

Today we are in the fourth week of our series—Strength for the Climb. This series is based on scriptures our children will explore at this year’s Vacation Bible School. Each day of VBS, the kids will look at a story from scripture that amplifies the theme verse for the week: Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Now, many of us learned that verse as a kind of spiritual superpower—as if “I can do everything!” “Nothing is hard with Jesus!” But it’s important to remember that Paul wrote those words while sitting in prison—so his intention wasn’t about telling his audience to ignore the difficult, but rather to assure those reading this letter that God will give us the strength to persevere through anything. So far, we’ve seen this in the story of Joseph interpreting dreams for Pharaoh, the story of Esther, and in the widow giving her offering to God. Today, we have an example from Jesus himself, as he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Today we continue our series—Strength for the Climb. This series is based on scriptures our children will explore at this year’s Vacation Bible School. Each day of VBS, the kids will look at a story from scripture that amplifies the theme verse for the week: Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Now, many of us learned that verse as a kind of spiritual superpower—as if “I can do everything!” “Nothing is hard with Jesus!” But it’s important to remember that Paul wrote those words while sitting in prison—so he knew hardship. When Paul wrote these words, what he intended was for the people of Philippi, and us, to be assured that God will give us the strength to persevere through anything. And because God is God, God can use those hardships and challenges to help us become more of who God created us to be. So far, we’ve seen this in the story of Joseph interpreting dreams for Pharaoh, and in the story of Esther. Today, we see it in a woman giving her offering to God.

Today we continue our series—Strength for the Climb. This series is based on scriptures our children will explore at this year’s Vacation Bible School. Each day of VBS, the kids will look at a story from scripture that amplifies the theme verse for the week: Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Now, many of us learned that verse as a kind of spiritual superpower—as if “I can do everything!” “Nothing is hard with Jesus!” But it’s important to remember that Paul wrote those words while sitting in prison—so he knew hardship. When Paul wrote these words, what he intended was for the people of Philippi, and us, to be assured that God will give us the strength to persevere through anything. And because God is God, God can use those hardships and challenges to help us become more of who God created us to be. Last week we saw this in the story of Joseph interpreting dreams for Pharaoh, and today we see it in the story of Esther.

Today we begin a new series—Strength for the Climb. It’s based on the scriptures our children will explore at this year’s Vacation Bible School in just a few weeks. Each day of VBS, the kids will explore stories from scripture that illustrate how God is with us through every season of life, and we don’t have to do hard things on our own. The theme verse for both VBS is Philippians 4:13: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." When Paul wrote those words, he wasn't standing on the winner's podium—he was sitting in prison. Right before that verse, he says, "I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation..." Then comes the famous line: "I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." The strength Paul is talking about isn't the strength to avoid hardship—life is going to have difficult moments. Paul reminds us that with God, we have the strength to persevere through anything—not only to endure it, but because God is God, God can use those hardships and challenges to help us become more of who God created us to be. And that's exactly what we see in Joseph.