Guerrilla Christianity

This week we begin a new sermon series based on questions asked by the congregations at Ebenezer and Hudson.  I asked them back in January to ask the tough questions of faith and they responded with fourteen really good and challenging questions, which we will be taking on all Summer long.  This week we look at miracles, and whether God continues to perform miracles even today.  It's an uplifting message with promise.  So grab your Bible, turn it to Luke chapter 17, and prepare your heart and mind as we look at modern-day miracles.

Luke 17:11-19

Recorded at Hudson UMC on June 28, 2015 (Originally published July 4, 2015)

S.D.G.

Sermon #118

Jesus as the Son of God has complete mastery over the elements, as seen in today's story.  So if the wind and the waves obey Jesus completely and immediately, then why do we as children of God seem to be so reluctant to say "yes" to God?  The message on this day is especially poignant as it comes on the heels of the church shooting at Emmanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina.  So grab your bible, turn it to Mark chapter 4, and prepare your heart and mind as we take a look at true obedience.

Mark 4:35-41

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on June 21, 2015 (Originally published June 22, 2015)

S.D.G.

Sermon #115

"Holiness" is a word that means "separation," as in separate from all other things.  Certainly God can be described in this way.  In today's reading from Isaiah, we take a look at God's holiness and what it means for us as Christians.  After all, if we are called to be holy, then we need to know what that means in relation to the ultimate measuring stick, God's own holiness.  So grab your Bible, turn it to Isaiah chapter 6, and prepare your heart and mind as we look at the holiness of God.

Isaiah 6:1-8

Recorded at Hudson UMC on May 31, 2015 (Originally published June 2, 2015)

S.D.G.

Sermon #279

The word "Abide" is not one that we use in conversation very often, if at all.  It means to dwell, or to remain.  It also means to live and be connected to, which is surely what Jesus had in mind when he told his followers to abide in him.  He gives us the image of a vine with branches bearing fruit, and he calls us to be those branches and to remain or abide in the vine.  In truth, we can do nothing apart from Christ, the true vine.  And so we need to practice our faith in such a way that we remain connected to Christ so that we can bear much fruit.

John 15:1-8

Recorded at Hudson UMC on April 29, 2018 (Previously unpublished)

S.D.G.

Sermon #112

As we continue to look at Jesus' "I Am" statements as recorded in the gospel of John, we come to this statement that Jesus said to his disciples in the upper room before his betrayal and crucifixion: "I am the true vine."  So we are looking at what it means to be a part of the vine, to be connected to the vine, and to bear fruit in keeping with the nature of the vine.  As Jesus said, the branches cannot bear fruit if they are not connected to the vine, and the same is true for us.  But Jesus also tells us that when we bear fruit we are pruned.  Sometimes when the church seems to be going through adversity, it is really in a period of pruning so that the branches may bear more fruit, all to the glory of God.

John 15:1-8

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on May 3, 2015 (Previously unpublished)

S.D.G.

Sermon #278

What is it that connects us as Christians?  Though we may be separated by doctrinal differences into different denominations, we are ultimately one flock, one church, because we have one shepherd, Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church invisible.  As we look at what it means to be a part of the flock of Christ, we discover some things about ourselves.  First, as Jesus is the Good Shepherd, we are his sheep, and so he cares for us enough to lay down his life for us.  Second, as our shepherd, he is intimately connected to us, just as he is connected to the Father.  Jesus, our Good Shepherd, protects us, cares for us, and joins us who follow him as one flock with one shepherd.

John 10:11-18

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on April 22, 2018 (Previously unpublished)

S.D.G.

Sermon #111

We are looking at the "I Am" statements of Christ in the gospel of John, and we begin with Jesus' statement "I am the good shepherd."  In Jesus, we see an example of church leadership, and especially in the example of being a shepherd.  Whereas many of us tend to lead people from behind, a shepherd goes before the sheep to lead them.  More than that, a shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep, and this is a very comforting thought for those of us who are in the flock of Christ.  We also look at the 23rd Psalm, a song written by King David who spent much of his life as a shepherd and knew intimately what it means that the Lord is our shepherd.

John 10:11-18

Recorded at Hudson UMC on April 26, 2015 (Previously unpublished)

S.D.G.

Sermon #277

What does it mean to be a witness?  Jesus called upon His disciples to be witnesses, and He calls upon us to be witnesses as well.  But what does that look like in the life of a Christian?  Is it enough to simply model a particular life, or do we actually have to articulate, with words, just what we have experienced in a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ?  

Luke 24:36-48

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on April 15, 2018 (Originally published May 2, 2018)

S.D.G.

Sermon #440

The disciples of Jesus had a major advantage when it came to witnessing to the power of the risen Christ.  They had seen him with their own eyes, touched him with their own hands, and heard his voice as he told them to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.  They were not telling what others had told them, they were proclaiming what they were eyewitnesses to.  And so we see the first century church responding with the agape (selfless and sacrificial) love that they have been shown.  The response to the resurrection is powerful, and we can still find its power in proclamation today.

Acts 4:32-37/1 John 1:1-2:2

Recorded at Hudson UMC on April 11, 2021

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S.D.G.

Sermon #276

The Apostle Thomas gets such a bad rap.  His name has become a byword among us to mean one who is skeptical or cynical (who among us doesn't know a Doubting Thomas?).  Yet what we find in the story of Thomas is the generous grace of God, who, as James says, "gives to all liberally and not grudgingly."  When we have doubts, God answers them with just what we need, and puts aside our fears with his gentle proof.  

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on April 8, 2018 (Originally published April 11, 2018)

S.D.G.