St. John's United Methodist Church | Baton Rouge

Author: Mari Walker

  • Faith Stories: Peace at Christmas

    Faith Stories: Peace at Christmas

    For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. –Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

    What is peace to you? If you look it up in the dictionary you get many definitions. It can be inner peace or it can be peace in the environment. If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, is that peace within your soul or peace in the world? Maybe it is both.

    When our son was younger than 17 he had a dream to become a Marine and he was going to serve for at least 20 years. He asked us to sign for him to become a Poolee in the Marine Corps when he became 17. This meant he was going to join as soon as he graduated from high school. He would train with Marines before leaving for boot camp.

    People asked me how could we sign for him to join. It is an honorable profession. But he might get killed. Well, he might walk across a street and get hit by a bus, too. I just do not see how you can do that. … I felt at peace signing for him to join.

    The day he left for boot camp, Rev. Donald Avery had a blessing ceremony to send our son off. It was a beautiful service with family and friends present. I felt peace after such a gorgeous blessing. I felt like things would be okay.

    During MOS school, our son had duty on Christmas. Christmas was a family celebration. He was glad to be a Marine but sad that we could not worship or be together. We flew to Camp LeJeune and spent a wonderful, peaceful Christmas seeing him when he was not on duty. We had a non-traditional Christmas on the beach. There was a small artificial tree that is still used at his house every Christmas.

    The next Christmas was at Camp Pendleton. Again, our son had duty on Christmas. We were able to attend church services on Christmas Eve, however. During that stay the power went out, and we had so much fun all piled into the double bed and playing games. I was at peace.

    In 2003 while we were at Boy Scout camp our son called us. He had gotten the notice that day that he would be shipping out for Iraq the next day. We told him he was a well-loved child of God and that we loved him and were very proud of him. I was at peace. Fortunately, he did not have to go that time.

    In 2004 the orders to Iraq were carried out. I had time to go to California to bid the troops farewell. It was February in California and everything was brown. As we were driving to the other side of the base, I saw a green plant on the side of the road. To me that was the sign from God that things were going to be okay. This gave me much peace about the situation.

    My son saw many things and experienced horrible things while in Iraq. He never lost his faith, and it became even stronger. He came home not the same but still a fine young man. Even though he is not what we might have expected him to be at this age, we know God is with him, and we can release our cares to God. We have the peace of God that exceeds all understanding.

    My peace is within me. The world has not yet found peace, but the Prince of Peace is still at work in all of us.

    Daphne G. Grady

  • Be Not Afraid – Advent Week 4

    Be Not Afraid – Advent Week 4

    Be Not Afraid

    Scene: Luke 2:8-10
    Biblical Character: The Shepherds
    Christmas Movie: Home Alone

    “Ok Kevin we’ve passed the Halloween decorations. You don’t have to be afraid because mommy won’t let anything bad happen to you.” One fall when he was little, I said these words to my son Kevin as I pushed my shopping cart as fast as I could go. Fast forward about ten years and I have Devin in the shopping cart and we come upon the Halloween decorations. 

    “Ok Devin, don’t be afraid,” I said.

    “No faid! Punny punny!” Devin replied 

    “You’re right about that! There’s no need to be afraid!” I smile.

    I wish I could say that about everything. We all have fear of some sort. This holiday season, let’s remember that we don’t have to be afraid because God has everything in control. We must put our faith and trust in him.

    In the movie, Home Alone, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister didn’t let the criminal duo called the Wet Bandits frighten him when he was left home alone by accident during Christmas. This crafty kid outsmarted two adult men and defended his home. Meanwhile, his mother raced across the continent to get back home to him. This kid had every right to be afraid but he overcame his fear.

    On that first Christmas shepherds were watching over their flock when an angel appeared and they were afraid. Unlike Kevin they had no reason to be afraid because God was sending them a message of good news. Jesus Christ was born! Be not afraid, my friends, for Christ our savior is coming.

    Emmanuel – God is with us.

    Darlene Dickson

    More About Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

  • A Blessed & Wonderful Life – Advent Week 3

    A Blessed & Wonderful Life – Advent Week 3

    A Blessed & Wonderful Life

    Scene: Luke 1:39-55
    Biblical Character: Mary
    Christmas Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life

    Holidays can be hard for a lot of people and for so many different reasons. My stepdaughter Rachel has been through a lot in her life. She wasn’t supposed to live long after she was born. She has a shunt in her head. She had juvenile diabetes that caused liver damage as well as loss of vision. Yet with all those challenges she’s still smiling. She received a liver and kidney transplant about a year ago. She still has had recent challenges with her shunt malfunctioning as well as a tumor on her ovaries. Rachel is a miracle baby and she has a blessed life. It is indeed a wonderful life.

    In the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey thought everyone would be better off if he had not been born. God sent him a wingless angel Clarence to show him how his life touched so many other people’s lives. In the end, George Bailey discovered he had a blessed life. A wonderful life!

    Mary, the mother of our Lord and savior Jesus, came to the realization that she was the most blessed woman on earth when she visited Elizabeth. What an honor it was to be chosen by our Father in heaven to birth the savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Oh Mary, because of your obedience, we all have a blessed life. It’s a wonderful life!

    Darlene Dickson

    More About Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

  • A Heart That Grows Three Sizes – Advent Week 2

    A Heart That Grows Three Sizes – Advent Week 2

    A Heart That Grows Three Sizes

    Scene: Luke 1:8-20, 57-64
    Biblical Character: Zechariah
    Christmas Movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

    “Have you ever loved somebody…the way that Jesus loves you?”1 As I listened to the words to this song, I reminisced about the first time I held my son Kevin. I never planned on having children; it just wasn’t in my plans. Throughout my pregnancy I asked God, “How on earth did You choose me to be somebody’s mother?” I’m selfish! Yes, I love kids, and what I love most about kids is the fact that I can give them back to their parents. Then it happened. The nurse placed that tiny little being in my arms, and I felt my heart grow. It grew so big that I thought it would pop out my chest. I looked at my sweet baby boy and said, “I love you so much it hurts.” God knew what I didn’t know: that I could love unselfishly.

    In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch thought he could stop Christmas from coming if he stole all the material things associated with the holiday. Yet, what he didn’t realize was that the Whos didn’t need any of those things to celebrate Christmas because Christmas was in their hearts. When he finally realized that Christmas is so much more than things, his tiny heart grew three sizes bigger that day.

    Zechariah didn’t believe the angel Gabriel when he told him that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son in their old age. He was unable to speak until the child was born. I could only imagine how Zechariah’s heart grew when baby John was born. During this Christmas season, let’s allow God’s love to fill our hearts to maximum capacity.

    Darlene Dickson

    1 Real Love by Kirk Franklin, from Kirk Franklin and the Family album

    More About Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

  • Poinsettias 2022

  • Hope When the Bottom Falls Out – Advent Week 1

    Hope When the Bottom Falls Out – Advent Week 1

    Hope When the Bottom Falls Out

    Scene: Mathew 1:18-25
    Biblical Character: Joseph
    Christmas Movie: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

    I love Christmas!!! It’s my favorite holiday. I begin watching Christmas movies in October because I want my Christmas season to last longer. Although, I must admit that I’ve had some difficult Christmases. One in particular was the first Christmas without my grandmother. She is the person that instilled in me the joy of Christmas. I remember saying to God, “Lord, how can I celebrate Christmas without the only other person in my life who loves Christmas just as much as I do?”

    Oh, but God with his love and mercy restored my hope and joy by giving me the words “It’s still a merry Christmas.” I wrote a song with that title and the chorus says this: “It’s still a merry Christmas because Jesus came to save us.” Those words alone gave me the right reason to celebrate Christmas. 

    In the movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold thought he was going to get a big bonus from his boss so they could pay for a swimming pool as well as have a big family Christmas, instead, he received “Jelly of the Month Club membership.” Even after all the mishaps and disasters he and his family faced, Clark Griswold found a reason and the ability to still celebrate Christmas.

    Although very different from mine and the Griswold clan, Joseph had plans that first Christmas. He planned to put Mary away quietly and go on about his business. However, we all know how that story goes – God intervened, and the rest is history! This holiday season, don’t forget Jesus because he is truly the reason for the season. 

    Darlene Dickson

    More About Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

  • Scenes of the Season

    Scenes of the Season

    The Advent season is upon us, a time when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. This special season is full of familiar stories – from the family anecdotes that get told over and over again, to the holiday movie classics we watch year after year, to the well-known stories of scripture repeated each Advent. The four main characters in the Advent story, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, each had their own unique way of preparing for the first Christmas. This Advent, we will focus on the scenes in scripture that tell their story, revealing to us how we, too, are invited into the narrative and become a part of the Christmas scene. Invite a friend to join us for worship as we experience the joy and excitement that Christ brings to us through the Scenes of the Season.

    To accompany our Advent journey, we have created a daily calendar with simple reflections and activities as well as a weekly devotional booklet. The booklet includes weekly candle lightings if you are setting up an Advent wreath at home, as well as devotions written by St. John’s member, Darlene Dickson, which connect our scenes from scripture with some of the Christmas movies we all love to watch this time of year. Copies are available at the church.

    Download our 2022 Advent weekly devotional booklet.

    Download our 2022 Advent daily reflection calendar.

  • Holy Carbs

    Holy Carbs

    November 6, 13 and 20, 2022

    As we get closer to the holidays, we are reminded how central food is to our lives. During the three Sundays prior to Thanksgiving, we will revisit some of grandest food stories found in scripture with our “Holy Carb” worship series. With God, food isn’t just important – it is Holy! Through this series, we will get to know more about God and how God wants to be in relationship with us. The series begins on November 6, All Saints Day, when we will gather around Christ’s table to remember and honor those who came before us and together, we will be fed spiritually and physically from this time of Holy Communion.

  • Financial Peace University 2023

    Financial Peace University 2023


  • Pledge 2023

    Pledge 2023

    Unsure how much to pledge?
    Consider giving based on a percentage of your income. 

    The chart below shows how to offer a specific portion of your income as your pledge.

    Pledges made during this campaign will be active during the 2023 calendar year. If you have any questions about making a pledge, please contact LeAnn Davis, our Manager of Finance and Facilities.

    Looking to make a one-time gift instead of a pledge? You can do that here.