Sermons and Talks at Myers Park Baptist Church

Rev. W. Benjamin Boswell: Mark 3:20-35 – What evangelicals call the ‘traditional family’ is in fact the bourgeois or middle-class family, which rose to dominance in the nineteenth century—not accidentally alongside capitalism and, a little later, America the ascendant world power. In this sense the typical evangelical account is accurate in linking family, free enterprise and ‘traditional’ values. And it correctly suggests that changes in this traditional family portend changes—profound, disquieting changes—in our entire society.  ~ Rodney Clapp, Families at the Crossroads The blasphemy resulting from bad apologetics will always be pardonable…what is not pardonable is using theology to turn real human liberation into something odious. The real sin against the Holy Spirit is refusing to recognize, with theological joy, some concrete liberation that is taking place before one’s very eyes.   ~ Juan Luis Segundo, Frontiers of Theology in Latin America

Rev. W. Benjamin Boswell: Mark 2:23-28All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone.~ Blaise PascalKeeping sabbath not only prevents our own exhaustion but also defends against the exploitation of others.~ J. Dana TrentThe sabbath is a day for the sake of life.~ Abraham Joshua Heschel

Rev. Chrissy Tatum Williamson: Acts 8:26-40 – Jesus says that those wishing to reflect the character of God must be “makers of peace.” At the center of this was the idea of creating shalom for others, enabling them to have the same access to wholeness, sustenance, justice, and joy as anyone else. It was not merely some internal understanding about the intrinsic value of all people he held in his heart, but the tangible, visible response in the world that affirmed this understanding whenever that value was disregarded. And invariably this making of peace will need to be extended to those whose religious beliefs, politics, and behavior don’t seem to be compatible with our own. We will be required to reach beyond our preferences and comfort. No matter how inclusive or open we imagine our hearts to be, Jesus will always cause us to stretch further than we are comfortable with, always seeking greater diversity, more justice, deeper renovation. ~ John Pavlovitz, A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community

Rev. W. Benjamin Boswell: Acts 4:23-37 – Whatever you do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. ~ Goethe Let us be today’s Christians. Let us not take fright at the boldness of today’s church. With Christ’s light let us illuminate even the most hideous caverns of the human person: torture, jail, plunder, want, chronic illness. The oppressed must be saved, not with a revolutionary salvation, in mere human fashion, but with the holy revolution of the Son of Man, who dies on the cross to cleanse God’s image, which is soiled in today’s humanity, a humanity so enslaved, so selfish, so sinful. ~ Oscar A. Romero

Rev. W. Benjamin Boswell: Acts 4:1-22 – It is better by a noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half of the evils we anticipate, than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what may happen. ~ HerodotusSt. Luke again associates St. John with St. Peter in Acts of the Apostles, when, after the Resurrection, that strange boldness had come upon the disciples. ~ Alfred NoyesThere is something about boldness and fearlessness and being free enough to speak what is on one’s mind that warrants freedom. ~ Cornel West

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2018 The First Sunday After Pentecost | Communion | Reverend W. Benjamin Boswell Preaching “A Bold Witness” Acts 4:1-22 It is better by a noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half of the evils we anticipate, than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what may happen.~ HerodotusSt. Luke again associates St. John with St. Peter in Acts of the Apostles, when, after the Resurrection, that strange boldness had come upon the disciples. ~ Alfred NoyesThere is something about boldness and fearlessness and being free enough to speak what is on one’s mind that warrants freedom.~ Cornel West  W. Benjamin Boswell Senior Minister

ALLEN DAVIS: 1 Timothy 4:6-15 – On Sunday, May 13, we will have the opportunity to celebrate our seniors on their upcoming graduations. Senior Sunday has been a tradition in our Church for many years and this year it’s sure to be a treat. Our seniors will lead us in song accompanied by their families and they will share some reflections of their experiences at Myers Park Baptist Church. We hope that you will join us in honoring this year’s senior class.

Rev. W. Benjamin Boswell: Acts 1:15-26   The task of leadership is change. Leaders must be change masters. They must understand how to create and guide innovation. The only way to preserve values over time is to be involved constantly in renewal and change, by finding ever fresh expressions for those values. The best way for institutions to endure and prosper is to encourage leaders who will build on the past by envisioning an even better future.~ Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business SchoolThe dilemma in the church continues to come from the general lack of visionary leadership. No organization can function without leadership. Church leadership is essentially about helping God’s people move from where they have been into the new place to which they are being called. ~ Lovett Weems, Wesley Theological Seminary

Rev. Carrie Veal: Psalm 23 | 1 John 3:1-3, 11, 16-18 – There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children. ~ Nelson Mandela The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them. ~ Mark 10:13-16, The Message

Rev. W. Benjamin Boswell: Mark 16:14-20 – I am no longer afraid of deathI know well its dark and cold corridorsLeading to lifeI am afraid rather of that lifeWhich does not come out of death…[So], I live each day to kill death;I die each day to beget life, And in this dying unto death,I die a thousand times and am reborn another thousandthrough that lovefrom my peoplewhich nourishes hope!~ Julia Esquivel