From The Pulpit Of Dumc

On Sunday we continue exploring five practices that shape and define a faithful and fruitful life. Last week we explored the practice of radical hospitality, of welcoming God’s love into our hearts and lives recognizing that the most basic truth about us is that we are first, finally, and forever loved by God – and then extending God’s love and radical welcome to every person we meet. This week we turn our attention to the practice of passionate worship. As Bishop Schnase observes, “worship involves setting aside time to focus on God and God’s will rather than our own agendas, to receive God’s word rather than merely offering our opinion. In worship we offer ourselves anew to God’s purposes rather than trying to fit God neatly into our own goals….” Worship reconfigures our interior life and aligns us with the life of Christ. It is the way we orient ourselves or are re-oriented toward God. Using Isaiah 6:1-8 we’ll consider how all of life can become an act of passionate worship.

This week we begin our church-wide study and a series of sermons focusing on Bishop Robert Schnase’s book, Five Practices of Fruitful Living. Bishop Schnase asks, “How do we cultivate lives that are abundant, fruitful, purposeful, and deep? What are the commitments…and practices that open us to God’s transforming grace, and that help us discover the difference God intends for us to make in the world? And how do we live the fruitful flourishing life of a follower of Christ?” We lean into this flourishing by an intentional commitment to five practices that are central to fruitful living - radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith-development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity. Like an artist or athlete who must practice their craft in order to develop the muscle memory that enables them to flourish, these five practices…are essential to growth in Christ and to the deepening of the spiritual life. The repetition and deepening of these practices, like Wesley’s mean

David, Kevin, and Karen give an overview of the book "Five Practices of Fruitful Living" by Robert Schnase for our upcoming church-wide book study and also discuss ways you can participate. They also have conversations about officiating weddings and parenting moments.

Christianity is an embodied faith, a way of life, a way of living and being in the world that reflects the love and mercy of God. Jesus calls us to come and follow, to live and love like him. With that in mind James reminds us that “faith without works” is dead. Now to be clear, salvation is God’s gift to us. Our works or acts of service cannot and do not earn us God’s love and acceptance. That said, it is not enough to simply confess “I love and belong to Christ” if that confession isn’t obvious in our way of life. As Eugene Peterson puts it, “God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense.”

Now that we have wrapped up our summer sermon series from the book of Ephesians, we continue journeying through our lectionary texts, with a mini- series, from the book of James. This mini-series will carry us through until we begin our Church-Wide Sermon Series on The Five Practices of Fruitful Living! This week’s message will focus on James 1: verses 2-8 and 16-18. This is a rich passage that speaks to the trials and temptations that we all experience in the Christian life that test our faith. This passage offers encouragement to persevere in light of these trails, as we seek wisdom from God. It reminds us that when we ask for God’s help, we must believe and not doubt. Instead, in light of our doubts, and in light of our fears, we should have faith, as we trust in our unchanging God.

The Lord's Prayer is the topic for today's discussion. It's a prayer the majority of us know by heart, but David, Kevin, and Karen dig deeper into where it came from, the meaning behind it, and why you should pray it every day.

This Sunday we will conclude our journey through the letter of Ephesians, focusing our attention on selected verses from chapter six. Here Paul reminds us that our struggle is not against enemies of “blood and flesh.” Contrary to the divisive and dehumanizing rhetoric and behavior that occupies too much of our common life, we’re not at war with or seeking to defeat or destroy those individuals with whom we disagree or are in conflict. Rather, our struggle is with what Paul often terms the “principalities and powers”. The powers are known by various names - racism, toxic politics, sexism, unjust economies, and more. Paul affirms that Christ has defeated and is Lord of the powers. As such we have been set free to live differently. Part of this different way of living entails putting on the armor or truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and God’s word, and naming and resisting the “rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers” that seek to dominate and control individuals, institutions, and systems. This is, in

In writing to the Church in Ephesus, Paul reminds us that our calling is not to superficial faith, casual Christianity, or cheap grace.  Our calling is to imitate God, to be holy.  What Paul hopes we’ll see is that the resurrection means that God’s new world has come, that there is a better way to be human, and that we are invited to take part in it.  As such Paul urges us to wake from our spiritual slumber and live as children of light.  In short, God wants nothing less than to make us new, set us free, and to give us life and life abundant.  Why would we ever settle for anything less?  

After a short summer break from recording, David, Kevin, and Karen are back together again and recap what has been happening lately. Kevin and Karen give David a special mug to add to his collection. Recapping the Youth Choir trip that happened this summer creates a conversation about keeping people engaged and connected at church and why it's important to be together in-person.

This week as we continue to reflect on the book of Ephesians, we will reflect on how this Scripture relates to our calling to go and be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. The Scripture says, “let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors” (4:25). What does speaking the truth to our neighbors mean when we respond to our faith and participate in mission work in our community? We will also reflect on speaking the truth to our neighbors as it relates to disaster response.

As we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, this Sunday we will look at Ephesians 4: 1-16, where we are encouraged to “bear with one another in love and make every effort to maintain unity….” Unity in our world and country, and especially in our churches, must surely be one of the most difficult challenges we face as a people. We might even ask: Is it possible to hold on to our truths while seeking unity among those with whom we disagree? The early churches, such as the one in Ephesus, struggled with many of the same challenges we face today. Perhaps these words from Ephesians can help us navigate our current world a little better, and bring more unity among us. We hope you will join us for worship on Sunday.

In this week’s reading from Ephesians (3:1-13) Paul points to the great mystery of Christ, that “…people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of God all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.” (Eph. 3:6, The Message) Too often we view God’s love and mercy as scarce resources which must be protected and rationed so the deserving few will get their fair share. Paul and others understand that God’s mercy and love are abundant, limitless, and are offered to all. Likewise, none of us deserve the love and mercy of God, rather, it is all gift, a windfall. As such, our faithful response should involve gratitude and a desire to share the gift with others.

In this week’s reading from Ephesians (2:11-22), Paul invites us to think about the walls we build - the dividing wall of our sin that separates us from the God, the walls we erect that divide us from one another, and the walls that barricade our hearts, keeping us from our true and best self. Walls have their place, they support the roofs of our offices, schools, and homes, but then they also can do great harm. So, to a people who have a tendency to build walls, Paul proclaims that in Jesus, God is about the business of tearing down the walls of hostility and division and overcoming any distance, any separation, that undermines the coming of God’s Kingdom.

It is easy to be overwhelmed and disheartened by the challenges facing the church and our world. We may even feel ill-equipped or powerless to make much of difference. The earliest Christians surely knew what this was like. This week we begin a seven-week series focusing on Paul’s letter to the first Christians living in Ephesus. Ephesians is a wonderful letter in which Paul encourages the early church to not lose heart, to remain focused on Christ, and to lean into their giftedness as the body of Christ. In this week’s reading Paul prays for the Church, reminding us that the power of God that raised Christ from the dead is working among us. Knowing that gives us hope to face the future with hope and confidence.

David, Kevin, and Karen recap their Fourth of July weekends, talk about space travel, and then discuss some of the differences and similarities between Methodists and other religions. These are the books that Kevin and David referenced during the conversation; Living as United Methodist Christians, by Andy and Sally Langford Being United Methodist in the Bible Belt, by F. Belton Joyner Why I Am a United Methodist, by William Willimon

Sunday is Independence Day, a day we celebrate freedom. As we gather for worship we will encounter a section from Paul’s magnum opus, the Epistle to the Romans. There Paul acknowledges our lack of freedom and how at times we seem prone to do the very things we know we shouldn’t, and incapable of doing the things we know we should. He then points to Christ as the source of perfect freedom. As we celebrate Independence Day we will reflect on how we at times settle for the smaller “freedom” which is little more than the tyranny of our own desires, and miss out on the larger freedom offered to us in Christ. Paradoxically, this larger freedom comes only when we let go of our lives and cling to Christ. Paul wants us to see that serving Christ, and not ourselves, is the way to perfect freedom.

Last week's theme with David and animals continues as he shares another interesting tidbit. June 28 is John Wesley's birthdate and David, Kevin, and Karen discuss the foundation of Methodism and what it means to be a disciple. Kevin also explains tying in discipleship through music and hymns.

This Sunday, June 20, is Father’s Day. This is a holiday that often gets overlooked in our Christian calendar. In honor of this day, we will be exploring a scripture passage from Deuteronomy 6:4-9, known as The Shema. This scripture passage calls us to hear anew the great commandments and to make living them and sharing them a part of our daily lives. This invitation highlights for us the importance of leaving a legacy of faith, through our example, our witness, and our ministry to others. This is a ministry that extends not just to our immediate family- but to the whole family of God!