Sermons by Bob Rhodes (Page 5)
Scoffers on a Hill
What does it mean to speak of the Christ who reigns, or Christ the king? The one who reigns over us is the one who was tried as a criminal, who was punished by oppressive authorities and crucified. This is the one to whom we pledge our faith and devotion. As we worship in praise and in singing, let us also worship by living lives that have been changed by God’s love. Scripture: Luke 23:33-43 (NRSV)
Open-Mouthed Tourists
This week’s reading may be familiar as a group of religious leaders come to Jesus with a question about resurrection. This feels like an adversarial conversation; at least from one side of it. But perhaps one side’s adversarial approach doesn’t require an adversarial response. Scripture: Luke 21:5-19 (CEB)
Band of Puzzlers
This week’s reading may be familiar as a group of religious leaders come to Jesus with a question about resurrection. This feels like an adversarial conversation; at least from one side of it. But perhaps one side’s adversarial approach doesn’t require an adversarial response. Scripture: Luke 20:27-38 (CEB)
PlusOne: Witness
Each year, we consider the overarching stewardship of this church and this faith community. We begin with prayer because there can be no Stewardship without first being in conversation with God. Prayer can be daunting as we try to figure out the best way to say what we want to say or to quiet ourselves to hear. Thankfully, we have some guidance. Scripture: Acts 22:12-16 (CEB)
PlusOne: Service
Each year, we consider the overarching stewardship of this church and this faith community. We begin with prayer because there can be no Stewardship without first being in conversation with God. Prayer can be daunting as we try to figure out the best way to say what we want to say or to quiet ourselves to hear. Thankfully, we have some guidance. Scripture: 2 Kings 4:38-44; Matthew 14:13-21 (CEB)
PlusOne: Gifts
Each year, we consider the overarching stewardship of this church and this faith community. We begin with prayer because there can be no Stewardship without first being in conversation with God. Prayer can be daunting as we try to figure out the best way to say what we want to say or to quiet ourselves to hear. Thankfully, we have some guidance. Scripture: Luke 12:13-21 (CEB)
PlusOne: Presence
Each year, we consider the overarching stewardship of this church and this faith community. We begin with prayer because there can be no Stewardship without first being in conversation with God. Prayer can be daunting as we try to figure out the best way to say what we want to say or to quiet ourselves to hear. Thankfully, we have some guidance. Scripture: Acts 2:42-47 (CEB)
PlusOne: Prayers
Each year, we consider the overarching stewardship of this church and this faith community. We begin with prayer because there can be no Stewardship without first being in conversation with God. Prayer can be daunting as we try to figure out the best way to say what we want to say or to quiet ourselves to hear. Thankfully, we have some guidance. Scripture: Luke 11:1-13 (CEB)
Inspired: Church Stories
This week we conclude our worship series “Inspired” based on the book Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans. This week we explore the letters from the Apostle Paul, our earliest glimpses into the early Christian church. These letters–epistles–highlight the struggles and gifts of these communities. As churches struggle today, we may find comfort in knowing we don’t struggle alone and we may find new ways of learning from these ancient letters.…
Inspired: Fish Stories
This week we near the end of our worship series “Inspired” based on the book Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans. Some of the loudest critiques from our non-theist friends about sacred Christian texts have to do with the more extraordinary and even super-natural stories. Did those things happen or were they written as allegory and an exaggeration? As Wesleyans, we understand the value of reason in our spiritual life—but this…
Inspired: Gospel Stories
This week we continue our worship series “Inspired” based on the book Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans. As United Methodists and Christians, I think it’s a safe assumption that the Gospel stories hold particular significance for us. This is the Gospel, the Good News! In these stories are the proclamations that we are no longer slaves to sin and death, that we are not alone, that God has walked with…
Inspired: Wisdom Stories
This week we continue our new worship series “Inspired” based on the book Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans. As humans working in and through all that their is in this world to work in and through, we seek guidance and wisdom and inspiration. This week we look at where we might find such wisdom in our sacred text. Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (CEB)