Every club, organization, and company has its official documents that guide its activities and operations. From charters to bylaws to mission statements to manifestos, every entity finds its direction in its core documents. The church is no different. For Christians, our book is the Bible. The 66 books that make up the Protestant Christian Bible contain code of law, poetry, wisdom literature, parables, narrative, letters and more. There is so much in the Bible that it can be overwhelming to attempt to read it, much less understand it! Got questions about the Bible? Great! Let's take a closer look at the what the Bible is and how it still speaks to us today. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZilRHPq7BY

By one count, there are more than 45,000 Christian denominations around the world today. That number represents a mind-boggling amount of diversity in theology, religious thought, and faith practice. It's no wonder that those in the church - and especially those who are not - have questions about these things! What does my tradition believe about this or that? Why does my relative/friend/co-worker understand such-and-such so differently than I do? And why are there so many ways to think about religion, faith, and the Bible... isn't there one God, one Jesus, and one Bible? I'm so glad you asked! This week as we explore questions of faith, Pastor Elizabeth responds to the question, "So what's the deal with heaven and hell?" Together we'll begin to explore what the Bible says, and what the United Methodist tradition says, about these things. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx6EIcaOOLU

Students know the power of a pop quiz to both terrify and challenge them. Even the possibility of such a test keeps a student in the books and challenges them to internalize new information and insights. Questions from teachers - and others - invite us to dig deep and pull out bits of information to apply in this current moment. Deep in the Jewish tradition (and thus Jesus' religious tradition) is the power of questions to drive spiritual growth and deepen one's understanding of the Divine. Jesus asks lots of questions in the stories we find in the Bible. But he never asks them because he needs to know the answer. Jesus used questions to draw his listeners into deeper thought, more significant reflection, a new way of seeing things, and meaningful action. Got questions? Jesus sure did! Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IxWcLezuRc

To encourage learning, dialogue, and new discoveries, many of us were taught that "there is no such thing as a dumb question." Though, few children need to be taught to ask questions. They are naturally curious and full of wonderment. But somewhere along the line many of us become uncomfortable with not knowing and go to great lengths to appear as though we know everything. By one source, in the biblical Gospels, Jesus is asked 187 questions. He answers (maybe) 8 of them. He himself asks 307. Maybe faith isn’t about certainty, but learning to ask—and sit in the complexity of—good questions. Got questions? Great! Jesus loves a good question (and doesn't think any of them are dumb!) Union Chapel Indy 2720 E. 86th Street Indianapolis, IN 46240 unionchapelindy.org #unionchapelindy #questions #questioning Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgNFnCj_Rn4

In today’s job market, you can compete with people from all over the country for just one opening. So there’s a lot of pressure to prove you’re the best candidate. You can spend hours optimizing your resume and preparing for interviews. When we go through all this work and don’t get picked, it’s easy to feel not good enough. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t ask us to meet a list of requirements before he’ll start loving us. We are already qualified. And as we walk with Jesus, he helps us grow in love, wrestle with our faith, and spread God’s message of love and grace. Today, let’s see what Jesus has to teach us about love, faith, and belief. Our Preaching Pastor this weekend is Bree Dunscombe, a member of Plainfield United Methodist Church, where she attends worship with her husband, Luke, and three children. Originally from Chicago, Bree came to Indiana to attend Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer and ended up in Indianapolis a few years after graduation. She works full-time in communications and enjoys serving PUMC as a liturgist, prayer leader, council member, and lay preacher. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6omu51AJe8