Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - January 24, 2025
January 24, 2025
Dear Resurrection Family,
A quick reminder up front: we will not hold our Sunday 5 pm evening service at Leawood this weekend. We surveyed the congregation last Sunday night to find out how many would join us for worship given the Chiefs were playing in the AFC Championship game at 5:30 pm. Only eight people indicated they would attend Sunday night worship this weekend, the rest planned to attend in the morning. Please join us on Sunday morning at, both 9 am in the sanctuary and 11 am in the Foundry are modern, and 11 am in the sanctuary is traditional. Online 5 pm will continue to broadcast as regularly scheduled. It’s going to be a powerful weekend in worship!
THIS WEEKEND: THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
One of the most moving stories in all the gospels is found in John 4. Having sent his disciples into town to buy food, Jesus sits alone at a well outside of the town of Sychar (modern-day Nablus in the West Bank). He is waiting, waiting for a woman to show up to draw water. She will be the first person in John’s gospel to whom he reveals he is the Messiah. He will offer her “living water” and send her to be the first person to proclaim that he is the Christ. This woman has been rejected by others, again, and again, and again. Yet Jesus chose her.
This weekend I’ll teach you a little about John’s gospel, a bit of geography and history, I’ll take you to Jacob’s Well in Nablus sharing a video we filmed the last time I was there. And we’ll see several clips from one of the most loved episodes of The Chosen which focuses on this story.
With the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game (for those who aren’t football fans, if they win, they go to the Super Bowl, and if they win this, it will be the first time in history a team has won three Super Bowls in a row!), if you are a fan, wear your Chiefs gear. And if you are a Buffalo Bills fan, wear your Bills gear! I’m hoping we have some visitors with us from Buffalo – be sure to give them a warm welcome.
1,286 Serve on MLK Day; $2,093,971 Donated Christmas Eve
This last weekend, Saturday and Monday was our biggest serve weekend I can remember, with 1,286 people serving our community at 38 different locations in honor of Martin Luther King Day, and in pursuit of Dr. King’s dream. Thank you to each of you who participated. I’m so proud of you. And, we announced last weekend in worship that on Christmas Eve you donated $2,093,971 in our Christmas Eve offering to benefit low-income children and their families. Half of this will be used in Kansas City with our mission partners and half in some of the lowest income communities in the world. You continue to amaze me, Resurrection. Your generosity of time and talent is a reflection of your faith in Christ and your desire to not only pray, but to work to see his “kingdom come” and his “will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS: THE CHOSEN BIBLE STUDY
Join us this Wednesday evening for a fun and engaging study as we watch together the entire episode of The Chosen I’m highlighting in this weekend’s sermon – episode 8 of season one – one of the most loved episodes in season one! Join us for a light supper from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, $7 but free if you are tight on cash. At 6:30 pm we’ll gather in the Foundry Hall around tables, and I’ll introduce the episode and highlight things to look for. Then we’ll watch it, and afterward I’ll lead you in discussion around your tables. In addition to Leawood and online, several of our other locations are also doing this Wednesday night study. Clickhere for more details and to register for supper.
“COFFEE WITH THE PASTORS” BECOMES “EXPLORE RESURRECTION”
Have you wondered about or are you ready to take the next step to become a member of Resurrection? Membership represents a commitment to follow Jesus, love God and love our neighbors. Becoming a member is like joining a team of diverse individuals, united in our commitments to live into our purpose, grow in our faith, support and encourage one another, and serve together in the community and world.
Resurrection has a casual membership gathering that we’ve called Coffee with the Pastors that is getting a new name in 2025. It will now be called Explore Resurrection – same program, just a new, more descriptive name. At this gathering, I will share my story, some history of our church, what it means to be United Methodist and our membership expectations. You will also have the opportunity to meet and visit with many of our pastors. Then, after a short break, you will have the opportunity to become a member if you are ready for the next step. We have two Coffee with the Pastors/Explore Resurrection gatherings coming up in February. Click on the location below to register for the gathering you want to attend. Watch your location pastor’s email on Tuesdays for future gatherings at other locations.
• Sunday, Feb. 2, at 2 pm – Resurrection Leawood and Online
• Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 pm – Resurrection Brookside
IF YOU MISSED LAST NIGHT’S CONVERSATION WITH BOBBI JO REED…
We had a full house at Resurrection Recovery last night – both in person and online for my conversation with Bobbi Jo Reed, the founder of Healing House. In case you weren’t able to attend or had some trouble finding the streaming link, we’ve uploaded the program to YouTube, and you can click here to view it and to share it with your friends.
ALL CHURCH CONFERENCE FEB. 4
Plan to join me for our annual church conference from 7 – 8:30 pm on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the Foundry (Building B) of the Leawood location. This is the church’s annual business meeting, and we will be approving elected leaders for governance committees, evaluating candidates for ministry, discussing the 2025 budget and receiving important reports. We receive a report on current clergy salary, but our staff salaries are set in the spring for a July 1 update, so we have another church conference for the clergy compensation vote in the spring. Everyone is welcome to attend this event, but voting in the United Methodist Church is restricted to church members present either in person or via Zoom. Registration is not required, and you can use this Zoom link.
WE CAN HELP SACK HUNGER!
This weekend begins Sack Hunger, one of our biggest hunger drives of the year and tied into the Super Bowl. With increasing food costs and growing food insecurity, we are looking to make a big difference here in Kansas City. In worship at our locations this weekend, you’ll receive a handout that lists the ways you can help: collect and donate non-perishable food items over the next two weeks; make a monetary donation that will help us provide fresh meat, dairy, and produce; or volunteer your time with our hunger ministries. This information is also on our website here. For those of you who worship with us online outside the Kansas City area, I encourage you to find a way to help sack hunger by donating to food drives in your community.
BELOVED WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
Resurrection is hosting the Beloved Women’s Conference in just two weeks, and there’s still time for you to register here. We have three remarkable speakers: Liz Bohannon, a Forbes Top 20 speaker, and founder of Sseko Designs, and Chief Growth Officer at Noonday; Dr. Nicole Price, an accomplished author, and CEO of Lively Paradox, and NYT bestselling author Dana Trent, whose five books have touched countless lives through her powerful storytelling. But part of the blessing of these conferences is simply connecting with other women. This conference is for women of all ages and life stages to grow in faith and in friendship and ultimately beloved community!
Resurrection Men, your opportunity is coming. The Determined Men’s Conference is coming Feb. 28 – March 1. I’ll share more about this next week, and you can also check it out at on the website.
5TH GRADE RETREAT AND SERVE SUNDAY
At Resurrection, we have important faith development milestones for our children that we support as a church. For example, our kindergartners learn to pray the Lord’s Prayer, 3rd graders receive Bibles, and for our 5th graders we focus on serving both in the church and in the community. All 5th graders (and an accompanying grown-up) are invited to the Milestone Serve Retreat on Saturday, Feb. 15, from noon – 2 pm in The Foundry (Building B) at Resurrection Leawood. This will be a special day just for 5th graders (and their grown-ups) to share lunch, play some fun games together, and participate in an important serve project to help those affected by the California fires. We are partnering with Heart to Heart International to assemble hundreds of personal hygiene kits to send to our neighbors in California. The cost is $25 per household, which includes a meal and a t-shirt for your 5th grader. Then on Sunday, March 2, we will celebrate our 5th graders as they serve in worship. There are opportunities to serve at all locations as ushers, greeters, etc. alongside their grown-up. If you have a 5th grader, register now, and plan to join us for these special milestone events.
THIS WEEK’S PODCAST: MESSAGE TO THE PRESIDENT
She made the news for her direct plea to the president for mercy on behalf of the children of immigrants who fear their parents will be taken away, “the vast majority of whom are not criminals.” And, she appealed for mercy on behalf of children of Democrats, Republicans and Independents who are part of LGBTQ community “some of who fear for their lives.”
Her plea at the end of her sermon created quite a stir. She became a hero to some and a villain to others. I watched her sermon, and on my Facebook page, when I posted about my podcast, I mentioned what I called her powerful message. That stirred up quite a few posts, some of whom agreed, some of whom disagreed. Most were gracious, but I’m told some were not. I did not read the comments. It’s been a busy week with deaths, multiple meetings and late nights working, and I did not have the energy or time to read them and respond.
Here’s what I can tell you about my friend, Bishop Budde. She is a smart, humble, kind, gentle, compassionate and caring person who deeply loves Jesus, who wants people to know Christ. She cares about the vulnerable and marginalized people in our society. She’s not part of some “radical woke left.” She’s a genuinely good person, a devout follower of Jesus, and the kind of person you would want as your friend even if you didn’t always agree with her.
She didn’t question the President’s political agenda, she simply asked the leader of the free world to have mercy – to have compassion – for people who are anxious and afraid right now. I might have said it differently, or maybe not, but I thought it was remarkable to see my friend, without speaking a harsh word, without condemning the president, simply asking for compassion-mercy for scared people in our country right now.
But I also appreciate that some of you felt differently, and I think it’s okay to think differently. This last fall we spoke of the importance of Jesus’ Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The campaign was focused on how we treat people whose politics are different from our own – it was a call to mercy, kindness and compassion towards each other; a call to listen and to understand and to avoid name-calling, or assuming the worst of the other; a call to “let no evil talk come out of your mouth (or keyboard) but only what is useful for building others up as there is need, that your words may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). Over the next four years, which promise to be a bumpy ride, we’ll need to remember this. It doesn’t mean we don’t speak up in the face of wrong or stand for our position. It doesn’t mean we won’t disagree, sometimes vehemently, as Americans, but it does mean that we lead with kindness and curiosity.
With love,
Adam
Adam Hamilton
Resurrection Senior Pastor
Reverend Adam Hamilton is the senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection and the author of 22 books. He has been married to LaVon since 1982, and she has been a critical partner in every dimension of Adam’s work. They have two daughters and one granddaughter.
Adam’s writings are known for helping readers make sense of challenging theological questions, exploring the significance of the biblical stories, and equipping Christian leaders to be more effective in their work. He earned his MDiv from Perkins School of Theology and graduated with honors from Oral Roberts University with a degree in Pastoral Ministry.
