From The Pulpit Of Dumc

The second chapter of Luke’s gospel reports the angel’s joyful announcement to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid…to you is born this day…a Savior.” Working our way through Diana Butler Bass’s Freeing Jesus, we’ve considered what it means to experience and know Jesus as Friend and Teacher – as one who both invites us into loving union with God and who teaches us how to become all that God created us to be. This week we come to perhaps the most common, familiar, and often misunderstood name for Jesus – Savior. Likely, we’ve all seen the signs and bumper stickers – Jesus Saves - or the billboards that invite us to ask Jesus to be our Savior today. Western, and Protestant Christians in particular, give a lot of airtime to Jesus as Savior. So, what does it mean, to say that Jesus saves or that Jesus is our Savior? Bass hopes we’ll come to see that it is about far more than avoiding and “getting our ticket punched for heaven”. The salvation Jesus brings is personal and social and involves the transformation

Wesley envisioned and organized Methodism to be a school for holiness, that is, a community of prayer, study, worship, service, and accountability through which we learn how to love God and love neighbor. Discipleship then, is a way of life, it is about how we learn from Jesus to be human the way God intends for us to be human. In this week’s reading from John (13:12-17), Jesus teaches us that if we are to be counted among his friends then we must follow his example of downward mobility. “You are my friends, when you do what I command you to do. Love one another as I have loved you, and give your life away for others.” (John 15) Jesus, our Teacher, who is the divine Word of God, emptied himself and became a servant, both to wash the sin and brokenness from our lives, and to teach us, to give us an example of what it means to be fully human. Learning from him, we experience freedom, joy, and abundant life.

There is a sense in which we cannot ever really know Jesus apart from a willingness and commitment, however imperfect, to follow him. This is because Jesus is not an idea to be debated. Jesus is a person, alive and among us, who wants to be known, who loves us and wants to be in relationship. And like all relationships, our friendship with Jesus takes time, and effort, and attention. This week we begin our church-wide book study and sermon series on Diana Butler Bass’ Freeing Jesus. Bass invites us to consider what it might mean for us to “free” Jesus from all the institutional and religious stuff we place upon Jesus, so that we might experience him in relationship, fully and freely, for who he is. When we do, we encounter one who is our friend, and whose friendship defines our relationship with God and with one another.

This week we find ourselves by the river Jordan where John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming an opportunity to experience forgiveness, reconciliation, and renewal. People came to John from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, they were baptized and immersed into a new life. We also meet Jesus there, with John by the river, as he also comes to be baptized by John in the Jordan. Matthew tells us that the moment Jesus emerged from the water he heard the voice of God: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love." Here at the beginning of his ministry we are granted a glimpse of Jesus’ identity. Jesus is the beloved one, God’s only Son, the first fruits of God’s new creation. In and through baptism we receive our identity, are caught up in the life of Christ, and share in Christ’s belovedness. On Sunday we will remember, or anticipate, our baptism, and reaffirm our commitment to walk in the way of Jesus who is our light and life.

This Sunday is Epiphany Sunday. We will read the story of King Herod and the wise men from the East. We will explore more of the Christmas story and hear about what the wise men did and where they traveled. The scripture this week says that "they left for their own country by another road" (Matthew 2:12). As we begin a new year we will reflect on the roads that we may be traveling this year, so as you prepare for worship, we invite you to reflect on the roads you have taken last year and the roads ahead for 2023.

In Sunday’s reading from Matthew 1:18-25 we meet Joseph, Mary’s husband, and watch as Joseph is confronted by the news that Mary will have a son. It’s hard to imagine how frightened, disappointed, and even angry Joseph must have been. And yet, anxious and upset as he was, Joseph says “yes” to Mary, to Jesus, and to God. Joseph is able to say yes because of love. In some way, it seems that Joseph grasped, or perhaps he had been grasped by, this strange new thing God was doing. The good news of Christmas had taken hold of his life, the reality that it was nothing less than the very love of God taking on flesh in Mary had so captured his heart and mind that Joseph himself is moved to respond in love. Now this is not love as we have come to know it, not love as an emotion or feeling, but love as a lived-out commitment, a long obedience that seeks the good of the other. What Joseph discovered is that loving God and others in this way is the foundation and source of all true joy.

The Christmas gospel, the message that God has come among us, has invaded our world to reclaim it and make it new is to some a threat and to others a welcome promise. It is to all a message about how God has turned the world upside down, has upset both the power structures of this world, and the assumption of how things ought to be. It is the story, the announcement about how God in Christ is dramatically and radically reworking, reclaiming God’s creation. We’ve done a pretty good job of sanitizing and domesticating the gospel, of trying to make the message a bit easier to swallow and to make God manageable and useful for our agendas. But, John the Baptizer, this strange character we encounter in this week’s reading from Matthew (3:1-12), will not let that be. Our religious institutions and traditions cannot and must not be used as a defense mechanism to protect ourselves from the purging fire of God’s love. No, this strange holy man boldly proclaims that God is coming, like an earthmover, leveling moun

The word advent means “coming” or “to come” and Advent is that season of the Christian year when we prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate Christ’s coming at Christmas and Christ’s coming again in glory.  We acknowledge that in some sense we are living in between those two appearances of Christ.  We are waiting – celebrating and giving thanks for what God has already done in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and anxiously awaiting what God will do when Christ’s Kingdom comes in its fullness.  As we seek to be the Church, the body of Christ, in this liminal space we are called to wait expectantly, to be prepared, in order that we might receive Christ whenever and however he comes to us.  The prophet Isaiah reminds us that we wait in hope because the day is coming when swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.  In the birth of Jesus that new day has begun and that changes everything.

The Christian year revolves around the life of Jesus, beginning with his promised coming and birth in the seasons of Advent and Christmas, moving toward his passion, death, and resurrection marked by the seasons of Lent and Easter, turning towards the birth of the Church at Pentecost, and then to a long reflection on the life and witness of his followers in the months following Pentecost, throughout the summer and Fall.  The journey culminates this week with what is known as Christ the King Sunday or the Reign of Christ Sunday, where we focus on the Lordship or reign of Christ.  Using the crucifixion narrative from the gospel of Luke (23:33-43) and Paul’s letter to the Philippians (2:1-11), we’ll see how Christ’s power is markedly different from the rulers of this world.  In Christ we encounter a kingdom where power is expressed in humility and love, and that makes all the difference for those who follow Christ as Savior and Lord.  

Bishop Kenneth H. Carter, Jr. will be at Davidson UMC on Sunday, November 13 for all three services. His sermon, The Peaceable Kingdom will be the text from Isaiah. Bishop Carter is the resident bishop of the Western North Carolina Conference. He earned degrees from Columbus College, Duke Divinity School, the University of Virginia, and Princeton Theological Seminary. He has served as president of the Council of Bishops, a  moderator of the Commission on a Way Forward, the chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry and the Committee on Episcopacy, and as a conference delegate. He is the author of 18 books. He was a local church pastor for 28 years and has preached in 20 countries on 4 continents. Bishop Carter’s hope for the church is that she will rediscover an orthodox Christian faith that offers the radically inclusive grace of God to all people and that calls every follower of Jesus to inner holiness, missional compassion, justice rooted in the gospel, and a hopeful story of transformation.  

Last Sunday, we heard a story about gratitude. A story about how the world, the landscape of our lives is changed when Jesus and the Kingdom draw near. The story of the 10 lepers points to the transformation and renewal that Christ brings, and how the corresponding awareness that all of life is a windfall should move us to a life of joy and thanksgiving This week that theme continues as we hear the story of Jesus’ encounter with a tax collector named Zacchaeus.(Luke 19:1-10) Christ’s table fellowship with Zacchaeus, who the good religious folk were sure was beyond the love and welcome of God, points to God’s strange Kingdom where forgiveness, love, welcome, and grace are offered to all. God, in Christ redefines who’s “deserving” of a seat at the table and that changes how we relate to our neighbors and our possessions.

Henri Nouwen wrote, “Gratitude… claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.” Luke’s telling of the story of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19) points us in the direction of Nouwen’s observation. Ten are healed, one returns. It’s likely that all are grateful, but one seems to understand that all of life is a windfall, and that understanding changes everything.

This week we conclude our study of Mike Slaughter’s Dare to Dream, by reflecting upon what Slaughter calls, “a no-quit perseverance.” He suggests that the way we persevere in pursuing God’s dream for our lives is not by mustering up some superhuman strength, it is by maintaining our focus on the mission. This is what Jesus means when he says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how terrible that darkness will be! No one can serve two masters.”(Matthew 6:22-24) Jesus is speaking here about the importance of maintaining clarity and focus on that which is most important – the dream of God’s Kingdom. Our eyesight, our vision has to have clear focus on God’s mission. We can’t serve competing visions for our lives and if we lose sight of the vision we are likely to perish, that is, we will miss out on living a life that really is life

As we continue our study this week of Mike Slaughter's Dare to Dream, we are encouraged to see our lives not simply with our own eyes, but with God's vision for us. What are the gifts of my head and my hands, and what is the passion of my heart? These are questions we should ask ourselves as we try to determine God's purpose for our lives. We continue this Sunday to look at the life of Moses and how he might be a model for us all. Read Exodus 4: 1-5 to prepare for Sunday.

This week, we continue in our Church-Wide Study of the book Dare to Dream written by Mike Slaughter. We'll be looking at Chapter four, which discusses the barriers to discerning and answering God’s call. We'll continue examining Exodus 3- the Story of Moses' calling, as we look at the excuses he makes, as he questions God's call to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. God reminds him in this passage of who He is and that He will go with Him in this mission. Join us today as we consider what stands in the way of our discerning and answering God's call for our lives. We'll look at what barriers compromise our confidence in ourselves and our confidence in our God.

One of the most gripping stories in all of scripture comes from Exodus 3, when Moses encounters a bush on Mt. Horeb. The bush is ablaze, but not consumed by the fire. When Moses sees this odd occurrence, he draws near to hear God speak, giving him a commission to deliver the Israelite people from their oppression in Egypt. Over the centuries, we have come to speak of "burning bush experiences" to refer to those moments when we have felt especially close to God, and perhaps even heard God speaking to us in some way. As we continue our study of Mike Slaughter's Dare to Dream, chapter 3 suggests that we can discover our own burning bush if we look for it, and that our burning bush will help us determine God's purpose for our life. Read Exodus 3: 1-10 to prepare for worship this Sunday. 

This week we continue our journey through Mike Slaughter’s book Dare to Dream, focusing on chapter 2. Here Slaughter reminds us that God is inviting us to an adventure, to live the dream, to live a life that honors God, blesses others, and brings us joy. As we listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in prayer, searching the Scriptures, and in the voice of others, we discern where we see the greatest need in our neighborhood, our community, and in the world. We see more clearly how we can cooperate with God in meeting those needs, and, we understand what giftedness we bring to the work, to the mission. In this way we mature in faith, uncover our “change the world purpose”, and become a part of God’s hope and dream for the world. (Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13)

Have you ever wondered, “What does God want me to do with this life I’ve been given? What difference can I make? How can I live more fully the abundant life Jesus came to bring” If so, you’re asking questions about God’s dream for your life. We all have goals - get an education, make money, spend time with family, travel more - but goals can change with each season. God’s dream, God’s hope for your life never changes. This week we’ll begin a six-week sermon series designed to help you discern God’s dream for the gift of your life. Using Mike Slaughter’s book, Dare to Dream, as our guide, we’ll consider how we might respond to God’s claim on our lives and experience the life God created us to live. In week-one we’ll spend some time reflecting on Jacob and Jacob’s dream (Genesis 28:10-13). Here Jacob is confronted with God’s hope and dream for his life and how he was caught up in God’s dream in ways he could not comprehend. Purchase a copy of the book, read along, and we’ll see you on Sunday.

This week we will explore the passage from Luke 14:25-33, which invites us to think about our faith journey and our life as Christians. We will explore and reflect on Jesus saying, "Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" and "none of you can become my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions." What does this mean for us today? What is our relationship with our possessions as they relate to us being disciples? What is Jesus calling us to? As you prepare for worship this week, begin reflecting on your life as a follower of Jesus Christ and how you live out your faith.

In this week’s reading from Hebrews (13:1-8, 15-16) the writer rounds out his/her sermon with a set of ethical teachings which function as the “therefore” portion of the sermon. Because we believe this about Christ, “therefore” live in this way. This section offers practices - love, compassion, hospitality, and fidelity - that set the Christian community apart from its broader culture by describing the way of life that makes us peculiar and distinct. These words of encouragement function as markers on the trail. They keep us on the path and on our way to the goal. The writer of Hebrews is saying, not unlike a coach would say to an athlete, here are the practices, the routines, the rituals you need to keep you in shape, to equip you for running this race well. They also point others to the kind of life that really is life. In other words, here we see the better way of being human and living life together that Christ brings.