Sermons from 2022 (Page 4)
Good Friday: Were You There?
Technical note: This service was held at Pacific Beach UMC and is reposted here for the convenience of LJUMC community members. Good Friday marks the day when hate and fear did their worst…the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. On this day of grief and sorrow, we will gather with one another, in God’s care, to remember Jesus’ death on a cross. LJUMC joins the good people at Pacific Beach UMC in their sanctuary in prayerful reflection online and in-person for Good…
Maundy Thursday
The Maundy Thursday celebration is traditionally an honoring of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. Told in all four of the Gospels, this tradition celebrates the institution of Holy Communion. In addition, the Gospel of John tells of a new commandment to love one another. The word “maundy” is from the same Latin root of the word commandment. We join together with the people of Pacific Beach UMC for an in-person and online service to confess and be pardoned, to…
Giving Up Popularity
Technical Note: We apologize. Once again, the embedded video has no sound, this time until the 32:55 marker. This Sunday is the traditional celebration of Palm Sunday, and is a peak of celebration in Jesus’ ministry that leads to the valley of death on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Ultimately, we arrive at an even higher peak on Easter Sunday! And we must acknowledge the fullness of this journey—a very real journey for Jesus and those in first-century Jerusalem, and…
Giving Up Being Right
Technical Note: We apologize. The first 10 minutes of the embedded video has no sound. We are blessed with leadership from Rev. Mark Wiley, who has served around the Southern California region including in Santee. Pastor Mark continues our Lenten series with a poignant reminder that we’re not always right–and that’s ok! Scripture: Isaiah 43:16-21 (NRSV); John 12:1-8 (CEB)
Giving Up Judgment
A few months ago, we focused our Worship on this same text; and instead of a traditional didactic message, we heard the story through song. For the most part, congregation members were supportive. I confess that I worried it was too out-of-the-box. I worried about judgment. It occurs to me that this is similar to the worry that the prodigal son faced as he wrestled with going back home to his family. I wonder if the father experienced some worry…
Giving Up Expectations
I’ve often found wonderful humor in this familiar phrase: “If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans.” In our lives, we sometimes have a tendency to build up our expectations on how things are going to turn out with every circumstance. Even so, I find from time to time that God draws something unexpected—and sometimes incredible—out of whatever meager imaginings I may have had. Perhaps you have too… Scripture: Luke 13:1-9 (CEB)
Giving Up Fear
We live in a world that often feels like it’s ruled by fear. There are so many of us fearful of disease and illness, of being judged, of losing abilities or freedoms. Yet so often our scriptures remind us not to be afraid! Scripture: Genesis 15:1-12,17-18; Luke 13:31-35 (CEB)
Giving Up Control
This week we begin our Lenten Worship series entitled I Give Up that explores what we might give up during this season of introspection and preparation. In the Gospel text, Jesus is drawn into the wilderness for forty days and endures hardship and temptation. Understanding where this lies in the context of the Gospel of Luke, we may understand this in part as Jesus’ preparation for ministry. It is a time—remembering the mystery of trinity as both togetherness and separateness—that…
Seeing & Re-Seeing
As we have continued to Worship in various ways including online, we regularly claim that the act of Worship changes us and that we are called to respond to the change that takes place. Perhaps we might consider that this change is not only an inward spiritual change, but that this inspires an outward and visible change—perhaps even a change that shifts our perspective to see more clearly. Scripture: Luke 9:28-36 (CEB)
Raised in Glory
This Sunday we continue our series called The Body of Christ: Learning & Re-Learning How to Be a Christian. Indeed, we are nearing the end of this series as we get closer to the season of Lent! We began with the Spirit’s presence in baptism and Paul’s assertion that we are united in the Spirit. And as we followed Paul’s argument, we were (hopefully) compelled by his illustrations of the diversity of the body. We were reminded of our physical…
The First
In this week’s text, Paul returns to one of the central disagreements present for the Corinthian community. He does so building on last week’s reminder about going back to the basics. He does so by starting with Jesus. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 (CEB)
Hold On!
This week, the text invites us to go back to the very beginning of our spiritual lives. Do you remember when you first heard the amazing, “good news,” heard it in a way that changed your life? Hold on to that moment, Paul says. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (CEB)