Sermons

Got A Light? – A Sermon

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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)

Right-click here to download.

What’s Love Got to Do With It? – A Sermon

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It was Youth Sunday, August 22, 2010 when I preached this sermon at First United Methodist of Wichita Falls, Texas. Although I was not the youth director, the youth director had asked permission for me to preach on that Sunday. As it turned out, our Senior Pastor was going to be gone, so it worked out well.

This sermon uses two passages of Scripture for inspiration:

  • Mark 8:34-35 – 34 Jesus called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
  • 1 John 4:16-21 – 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Insights From a New Dad – A Sermon

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It was my first Fathers Day as a Dad, and I had the opportunity to preach at First United Methodist in Wichita Falls, Texas on June 20, 2010. I felt that much of what I had experienced as a new dad paralleled much of what was happening at the time.  Fathers Day weekend, two years later, not much has changed, so I thought I’d share this sermon again. The audio is just the sermon. The video includes my children’s sermon from the same day.

The Scripture text that was inspiration for this sermon is Matthew 18:

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a child, whom he put among them, 3 and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.