Community Brookside

Heard, Remembered, and Rescued
Have you ever felt like your cries were going unheard? Like you were stuck in a season that seemed to have no end, and no one was paying attention to your pain? The Israelites knew that feeling deeply. For generations, they labored under brutal oppression, and yet Scripture tells us something remarkable happened. God heard them. That is not a small thing. In the middle of their suffering, God did not look away. He remembered His covenant, and He moved. He raised up a deliverer. Not because the Israelites had it all together, but because He is a God who keeps His promises. This is the foundation of everything we will explore this week. Before we talk about Moses, before we talk about burning bushes or parted seas, we need to sit with this truth: God hears you. He sees the places in your life where you are groaning for something to change. He has not forgotten you, and He has not forgotten His promises to you. Your situation may feel impossible. Your season may feel endless. But the same God who heard the cries of an enslaved people is listening to you right now. He is not distant. He is not indifferent. He is actively at work, even when you cannot see it yet. Take a moment today to bring your honest cries to God. He can handle them. He always has.

Bible Verse
"God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them." - Exodus 2:24-25 (New International Version (NIV))

Reflection Question
Is there an area of your life where you have been waiting for God to show up, and what might it look like to trust that He has already heard you?

Sermon Quote
"God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham and with Isaac and with Jacob."

Prayer
Lord, thank You for being a God who hears and remembers. Help me to trust that You are at work in the places where I feel most stuck and give me the courage to keep crying out to You. Amen.

We can’t wait!

Taste of Brookside is coming!!!!

You better run to Youth Services of Tulsa website to purchase your tickets before they run out.

You do not want to miss this great event that both gets you the ability to taste all of Brookside's best restaurants and bars, and also helps Tulsa area teens!

Join us for this incredible event happening October 8th.

You are welcome here. You are wanted here. We can't wait to see you!

The Table Sends Us Out

The Last Supper was not the end of the story. It was the beginning of something far greater. After Jesus broke the bread and shared the cup, He and His disciples sang a hymn and went out. The table was not a destination. It was a launching point. Every time we gather for communion, the same thing is true for us. We come to the table broken, tired, and in need of grace. And Jesus meets us there, fully and freely. But we are not meant to stay seated forever. We are meant to rise, go out, and carry what we have received into the world. This is the heartbeat of Methodist faith. John Wesley believed that grace was not just something to be received privately. It was something to be lived out publicly, in service to others, in acts of mercy, in bold and sacrificial love. The table renews us so that we can give ourselves away. The world around you is full of people who are hungry, not just physically, but spiritually. They are searching for belonging, for grace, for someone to sit with them in their mess. You have been equipped for exactly that kind of ministry. Every week at the table, Jesus is still doing what He did that first night. He is loving you fully, feeding you freely, and sending you out to live for Him. Go boldly. The world needs what you have been given.

Reflection Question
If the communion table is meant to send you out rather than simply comfort you, what specific person or place is God calling you to bring His grace to this week?

Quote
"Every time we come to this table, Jesus is still doing what Jesus did that first night. He is loving us fully. He's feeding us freely. And he's sending us out to live for Him."

Prayer
Jesus, thank You for feeding me with Your grace at the table. Give me the courage to carry that grace boldly into the world, so that others may know Your love through me. Amen.

Come see us at Community Brookside.

Everyone Has a Seat

If you were hosting a dinner and you knew one guest was going to embarrass you, would you still invite them? Most of us would quietly leave them off the list. It is only human to want to protect ourselves from that kind of pain. But Jesus did not operate that way. Matthew's account of the Last Supper makes something beautifully clear. They all ate. They all drank. The faithful and the flawed, the bold and the broken, all of them received the same bread and the same cup from the same hands of Jesus. Jesus did not use the table as a tool to separate the worthy from the unworthy. He used it as a place to love people in the middle of their brokenness. That is the Spirit that is meant to define the church today. As United Methodists, we practice open communion, welcoming all who seek Christ to the table. This is not a casual tradition. It is a deeply theological statement about the nature of God's grace. Grace is not earned. It is given. And it is given to everyone. This should shape how we see the people around us, in our churches, our neighborhoods, and our communities. Every person carries a story. Every person carries a need. And every person has a seat at the table of Jesus. Who might you be overlooking today?

Bible Verse
Matthew 26:26-28 - "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.' - Matthew 26:26-28 (New International Version (NIV))"

Reflection Question
Is there someone in your life or community who might feel like they do not belong at the table, and what is one practical way you could help them feel welcomed and seen?

Sermon Quote
"Jesus doesn't use the table as a weapon. He doesn't separate the faithful from the flawed. He feeds them together."

Prayer
Lord, give me eyes to see the people who feel left out or overlooked. Help me to reflect Your open and generous grace to everyone I encounter today. Amen.