Sermons and Talks at Myers Park Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell  |   Mark 1:9-15 | “This Lenten season is not the time to worry about giving something up; we need to survive our journey. We’ve already sacrificed so much. Now is time to give in to the Spirit, to give in to all the life that is around us in the desert. Now is the time to give in to what we need to be fully human, what we need to grow, what we need to thrive, what we need to flourish in this harsh climate.” “God’s Spirit often becomes more precious and present to us in the midst of pain. It abides in the valley of the shadow of death, on the ash heap, in the solitary places, and uninhabited seasons of our lives. It works hardest with us and within us when we lumber through the wilderness of pain and the desert of grief. Pain and loss are not the enemies of the Spirit. They are the door through which the spirit enters and keeps on breathing even when the body is frail or mourning. The Spirit is willing even when the flesh is weak.”

Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell  |   Mark 1:9-15 | “This Lenten season is not the time to worry about giving something up; we need to survive our journey. We’ve already sacrificed so much. Now is time to give in to the Spirit, to give in to all the life that is around us in the desert. Now is the time to give in to what we need to be fully human, what we need to grow, what we need to thrive, what we need to flourish in this harsh climate.” “God’s Spirit often becomes more precious and present to us in the midst of pain. It abides in the valley of the shadow of death, on the ash heap, in the solitary places, and uninhabited seasons of our lives. It works hardest with us and within us when we lumber through the wilderness of pain and the desert of grief. Pain and loss are not the enemies of the Spirit. They are the door through which the spirit enters and keeps on breathing even when the body is frail or mourning. The Spirit is willing even when the flesh is weak.”

Rev. Helms Jarrell  |   Ezekiel 37:1-14

Rev. Helms Jarrell  |   Ezekiel 37:1-14

Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell  |   Mark 1:40 – 2:12  Like Jesus, we have the power to declare all people clean, to stand against any religious system or priestly code that claims that someone is not enough because of their body, and to say to our families, our neighbors, ourselves, and the powers that be ‘Who are you to call impure what God has made clean?’The good news is Jesus declared that there are no bodies that are shameful, impure, unclean, or dishonorable. He revealed that every culture of honor and shame is a lie and the purity codes of every religious system are a sham. He proclaimed, once and for all, that all bodies are honorable and holy, sacred and sacramental, dignified and divine.– Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell

Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell  |   Mark 1:40 – 2:12  Like Jesus, we have the power to declare all people clean, to stand against any religious system or priestly code that claims that someone is not enough because of their body, and to say to our families, our neighbors, ourselves, and the powers that be ‘Who are you to call impure what God has made clean?’The good news is Jesus declared that there are no bodies that are shameful, impure, unclean, or dishonorable. He revealed that every culture of honor and shame is a lie and the purity codes of every religious system are a sham. He proclaimed, once and for all, that all bodies are honorable and holy, sacred and sacramental, dignified and divine.– Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell

Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell  |   Mark 1:29-39 “Jesus saw the city as a place of violence where God’s children were scattered like chickens, so he called us to follow him and become servants who seek the peace of the city by caring for the poor and vulnerable.”“We must do our work individually, so we can show up collectively. It is the deep inner soul work of reconnecting with God’s story, and our own, that fills us with the strength and wisdom we need to sustain the outer work of loving our neighbor and seeking justice.”Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell

Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell  |   Mark 1:29-39 “Jesus saw the city as a place of violence where God’s children were scattered like chickens, so he called us to follow him and become servants who seek the peace of the city by caring for the poor and vulnerable.”“We must do our work individually, so we can show up collectively. It is the deep inner soul work of reconnecting with God’s story, and our own, that fills us with the strength and wisdom we need to sustain the outer work of loving our neighbor and seeking justice.”Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell

Rev. Mia McClain  |   Mark 1:21-28  “When you walk in confidence, others awaken to their own. Even the demons wake up when you walk in the room! They call you by name and in public, confirming that you are living in your truth and your truth is connected to community — your truth is connected to liberation.” “Perhaps, this passage is not an invitation to attempt to heal or cure, to become demonological experts or exorcists. Maybe, this passage is an invitation to confront, to cast out, to say, “Hold thy peace” to those who come against the work of liberation, until justice rolls on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

Rev. Mia McClain  |   Mark 1:21-28  “When you walk in confidence, others awaken to their own. Even the demons wake up when you walk in the room! They call you by name and in public, confirming that you are living in your truth and your truth is connected to community — your truth is connected to liberation.” “Perhaps, this passage is not an invitation to attempt to heal or cure, to become demonological experts or exorcists. Maybe, this passage is an invitation to confront, to cast out, to say, “Hold thy peace” to those who come against the work of liberation, until justice rolls on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”