Moses was hiding out in the wilderness when he encountered a burning bush that was not being consumed by the fire. At this miracle bush, Moses encountered God and received his marching orders to “tell old Pharaoh to let my people go.” Peter had just received high praise from Jesus, “upon this rock I will build my church…” he said. But then when Peter objected to the future that Jesus was…

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This is the third and final message in a series dealing with the General Rules of the Methodist Societies: 1) Do No Harm; 2) Do Good; and 3) Stay in Love with God. These rules stand at the very heart of what it means to be Methodist. If implemented, they could change the world. They definitely change the lives of the very folks who make them a rule of life. The Scriptures for today’s message...

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In this second week of this 3-week series on the General Rules of the Methodist Societies, we take a look at the second rule, Do Good. The scripture text for this week is found in James 3:13-18. Other texts for the day include Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Psalm 105, and Matthew 14:22-33 The General Rules are a way of living. They remind us that it is not about us. It is about both loving God and loving...

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We United Methodists have been through the wringer over the past few years. It has been a time when disagreements have come to a head and some folks have decided that we can no longer be in fellowship together. “They say” that it is about disagreements over how folks who identify as LGBTQIA+ are to be integrated into the fabric of our Methodist heritage. While that may be the presenting issue...

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Sermon for July 30, 2023 at McFarland UMC.

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On this eighth Sunday after Pentecost we are once again hearing Jesus share a parable about a farmer and crops. This time he’s talking about weeds and productive seeds occupying the same space and he tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like this. What? Join us as Pastor Wayne takes a look at this parable. The scriptures this week are Genesis 28:10-19a, Psalm 139, Romans 8:12-25...

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Jesus is telling stories again. In this story, Jesus is telling stories about a farmer sowing seeds. The farmer is God. The dirt? Well, that’s us. Some good dirt. Some bad dirt. Some seeds flourish. Some don’t. We’ve heard it all before. But what about the sower? That sower is pretty extravagant in the way that he spreads those seeds. Join us as Pastor Wayne looks at the sower and the amazing...

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What does it mean when Jesus says, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light?” Join us as we explore what it means to be yoked with Jesus.

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What does it mean to offer a cup of cool water to the little ones? This is Jesus providing instruction to the disciples prior to their first mission trip. Our scriptures this week are Romans 6:12-23, Psalm 13, Matthew 10:40-42. We are all called to live out and live into a radical hospitality. What does that mean for us as individuals? As a congregation? How is McFarland living out radical...

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The scriptures this morning are from Jeremiah 29:4-11, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-15, and John 15:1-12 We welcome the Reverend Fred Dearing as our guest preacher this morning. Fred is a retired Elder in the Holston Annual Conference serving both large and small churches. He has served as a District Superintendent in Holston (including the former Chattanooga District) and in South Sudan. He has served as...

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