This week at Bozeman United Methodist Church, we had the joy of welcoming Bishop Kristin Stoneking as our guest preacher during our 160th anniversary celebration. Preaching from Matthew 19:16–30, Bishop Kristin reminded us that the love of God is for everyone, and that following Jesus is a call to love deeply, give generously, and welcome widely.
Drawing from her own ministry experiences, the history of our congregation, and Amy-Jill Levine’s book Jesus for Everyone, she invited us to see Jesus not as distant or exclusive, but as the living presence of God’s love and justice for all people.
As we look back on 160 years of ministry in Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley, and forward to the future God is calling us into, this sermon is both a celebration and a challenge: to keep proclaiming with our words and our lives that Jesus is, indeed, for everyone
