Sermons from 2021 (Page 3)
What’s the Household of God?
This week’s topic in our “Questions That Matter” series is inspired by the Epistle reading from our Revised Common Lectionary. Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus tells his readers that they “are fellow citizens with God’s people…” who “belong to God’s household.” If your household is like mine, sometimes there is disagreement or even argument. This seems to be the case for Paul’s readers as he invites them into reconciliation with one another as one body in God’s household.…
Is Heaven Real?
Continuing our Questions That Matter series, we turn to a question that was asked in more than one form and has thus been synthesized into this: Is Heaven real? Our concept of eternal life is deeply rooted in sacred text, and I suggest it is intended to bring hope. But sometimes it is used to exclude. In this week’s message, we will consider the idea of eternal life, heaven, and who it’s for… Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46, Ephesians 1:15-23 (CEB)
What’s So Important About Community?
This week we continue our “Questions That Matter” series with a question about community. This is deeply connected to our festivities this Sunday as we gather together to celebrate Independence Day. We will connect in an important way! I suggest that this kind of connection carries emotional and spiritual importance for us all. Scripture: Romans 12:1-8 (CEB)
Why Should I Give to the Church?
As we continue our “Questions That Matter” series, we turn to the matter of giving to the church. It seems as though there are many requests for money for worthy causes: natural disasters, public service organizations, educational institutions, and many more. Why should we give to the church too? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Mark 5:21-43 (CEB)
What Does it Mean to be CALLED by God?
Our “Questions That Matter” series continues with a question about God’s call from our own Rev. John Fanestil, who experienced his unique call nurtured in the spiritual family of La Jolla UMC! Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38 (CEB)
Why Is the Bible Like That?
Our “Questions That Matter” series continues with a question from Joey, age 8: “How many people wrote the Bible? And why are some stories repeated?” Great questions, Joey! We’ll take a crash course in why the Bible is the way it is, and how interpretation matters. We’re glad to have you with us as we attempt to answer. Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-25 (CEB)
Where do We See God?
This Sunday we begin our new series on Questions that Matter. This first week, we address a deep question that is rooted in our experience of God. As United Methodists, many of us affirm the Wesleyan Quadrilateral where we approach faith through scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. While not framed quite so succinctly, John Wesley clearly approached his own faith this way, and we can learn the importance of experiencing God. Scripture: Exodus 33:12-23, Luke 10:25-37 (CEB)
Seeking Light in the Darkness
This Sunday is Trinity Sunday and begins our regular season that follows Pentecost. This is the longest season in our Lectionary calendar, lasting all the way until we begin the church year again in Advent! We include one of the most-often-memorized scriptures. Many of us memorized John 3:16 in early Sunday School classes, and some of us even know the following verse as well. Scripture: John 3:1-17 (CEB)
Playing with Fire
This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday! In the Christian tradition, we celebrate this as the time when God’s Holy Spirit is given to the disciples who are then empowered to do some incredible things!
Forever
This is our final week for our sermon series following The Lord’s Prayer. This final week, we conclude with a section generally included by most Protestants that is commonly known as a doxology: for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13 (NRSV), 1 Chronicles 29:11 (CEB)
Deliver Us
This week, we move to our penultimate service in our sermon series following The Lord’s Prayer, seeking God’s deliverance from all that tempts us. Just as we spoke last week about how we sometimes don’t realize that we are in need of forgiveness, I suggest it may be possible that we don’t realize when we are tempted. Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13 (GNT)
As We Forgive
This week we examine the concept of forgiveness. It may be worth noting that throughout this series on The Lord’s Prayer, we’ve chosen to read the Matthew text from a different translation each week. This brings us perspective as we read this prayer throughout the series. I hope that it is also illustrative for us as we remember the many ways Christians from different denominations say this prayer! All of this leads us to ask what we are seeking forgiveness…