Don’t Worry?! Yeah Right! – A Sermon

This is the sermon preached at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church on Sunday, November 15, 2020 as a part of a larger sermon series entitled The Provoking Promises of Christ: A Study of the Sermon on the Mount. This one focuses on Matthew 6:24-34.

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Matthew 6:24-34
24
“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (NRSV)

The Grinchy Way of Salvation – A Sermon

This is the sermon preached for Capitol Hill United Methodist Church on July 12, 2020. It is part of a larger series entitled, The Importance of Imagination, which uses children’s books to help us think imaginatively about God, faith, and our relationship to both. This one focuses on How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Listen to it here:

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This sermon was inspired by:

Ephesians 2:1-10
1You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. (NRSV)

Matthew 14:22-33
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. 26But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

28Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ 29He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. 30But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ 31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ 32When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’ (NRSV)

What Do You Choose? – A Sermon

A sermon from Palm Sunday 2020. This was part of a larger Lenten series at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church where we were also looking at African America Spirituals.

We find ourselves living in unprecedented times in our lives, don’t we?
 
As we prepare for worship this Sunday, we come to one of the most iconic days of the Christian year – Palm Sunday – a day so often equated with joy and triumph. Can that old-time story of Jesus bring us guidance for this uniquely challenging time?
 
That will be our goal as we consider together two texts: Mark’s version of Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem and a snippet from the book of Revelation. We’ll also be thinking through some of the lyrics to “Ride On King Jesus,” an African American spiritual. As you look at those two passages and the song: What is similar? What is different? What do you think they say to our current situation? 

Listen to it here:

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Watch the sermon here:

This sermon was inspired by:

Revelation 19:11-13
11Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. 13He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. (NRSV)

Mark 11:1-11
1When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

11Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. (NRSV)

Something to Believe In – A Sermon

This is my farewell sermon given at First United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls, Texas on February 26, 2012.  I felt it was very personal and really only something beneficial for that church.  Yet, I’ve had much positive feedback from people from other UM churches as well as people from other denominations.  Thus, I decided to share it here.

The primary Scripture passage for this sermon is John 14:12: “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Knowing Isn’t Everything – A Sermon

Here is a sermon I shared at First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls on August 7, 2011. 

Listen to the sermon here:

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The Scripture text that served as inspiration was 1 Corinthians 8, which is provided here from The Message translation:

1 The question keeps coming up regarding meat that has been offered up to an idol: Should you attend meals where such meat is served, or not? We sometimes tend to think we know all we need to know to answer these kinds of questions – 2 but sometimes our humble hearts can help us more than our proud minds. 3 We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows it all. 4 Some people say, quite rightly, that idols have no actual existence, that there’s nothing to them, that there is no God other than our one God, 5 that no matter how many of these so-called gods are named and worshiped they still don’t add up to anything but a tall story. 6 They say – again, quite rightly – that there is only one God the Father, that everything comes from him, and that he wants us to live for him. Also, they say that there is only one Master – Jesus the Messiah – and that everything is for his sake, including us. Yes. It’s true. 7 In strict logic, then, nothing happened to the meat when it was offered up to an idol. It’s just like any other meat. I know that, and you know that. But knowing isn’t everything. If it becomes everything, some people end up as know-it-alls who treat others as know-nothings. Real knowledge isn’t that insensitive. We need to be sensitive to the fact that we’re not all at the same level of understanding in this. Some of you have spent your entire lives eating “idol meat,” and are sure that there’s something bad in the meat that then becomes something bad inside of you. An imagination and conscience shaped under those conditions isn’t going to change overnight. 8 But fortunately God doesn’t grade us on our diet. We’re neither commended when we clean our plate nor reprimanded when we just can’t stomach it. 9 But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a Christian still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track. 10 For instance, say you flaunt your freedom by going to a banquet thrown in honor of idols, where the main course is meat sacrificed to idols. Isn’t there great danger if someone still struggling over this issue, someone who looks up to you as knowledgeable and mature, sees you go into that banquet? The danger is that he will become terribly confused – maybe even to the point of getting mixed up himself in what his conscience tells him is wrong. 11 Christ gave up his life for that person. Wouldn’t you at least be willing to give up going to dinner for him – because, as you say, it doesn’t really make any difference? But it does make a difference if you hurt your friend terribly, risking his eternal ruin! 12 When you hurt your friend, you hurt Christ. A free meal here and there isn’t worth it at the cost of even one of these “weak ones.” 13 So, never go to these idol-tainted meals if there’s any chance it will trip up one of your brothers or sisters.

Got A Light? – A Sermon

This sermon for the first Sunday of Advent was preached at First United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls, Texas on November 28, 2010.  The Scripture text that was inspiration for this is Isaiah 2:1-5:

1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3 Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!  (NRSV)

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