On this joyous homecoming day I’d like to talk with you about perhaps the greatest homecoming in all of scripture. The reading from Luke is probably one of most famous stories in the Bible, and it’s frequently called the parable of the prodigal son. But the story comes from a context that we should remember before we dive into it. Jesus tells three parables about things lost and found in this chapter. A sheep, a coin, and a son, but […] The post A Great Homecoming appeared first on Lansdowne UMC.

I’d like to speak to you today about “Receiving/Welcoming the kingdom like a child” from our Mark passage Now, anyone that was awake during the Gospel reading noticed that the first 75% of the passage was not about this topic. Jesus was talking about divorce. Nearly all of you don’t want to hear a sermon about divorce. I don’t want to preach a sermon on divorce. But Jesus talked a lot about divorce. So let’s strike a deal. I’ll just […] The post Receiving the Kingdom like a Child appeared first on Lansdowne UMC.

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We’re in our 4th week of a sermon series on the book of James called “Friendship with God.” Have you heard of “the Five Love Languages?” The idea comes from a book by Gary Chapman, and it’s frequently used with married couples or couples about to get married. The basic idea is that everyone has one or more primary ways in which they receive love, and the person that you’re trying to show love to will only truly receive love […] The post Friendship with God appeared first on Lansdowne UMC.

We are in week 3 of our series on the book of James called Friendship with God. In this series we’re thinking about questions like “What if we’ve set our sights too low?” “What if our faith is deeper and more life-transforming than we’ve ever imagined?” “What if we are meant to live in deep friendship with God?” As most of you know, I’m a relatively new pastor. Just over 4 years ago I was leading a team of a […] The post Friendship with God: Part 3 appeared first on Lansdowne UMC.

We’re in week two of our series on the book of James, called Friendship with God. The premise of the series is this: Jesus isn’t just out to make believers, he’s out to make people who are actually friends with God. James pushes us to ask this question: what if our concept of faith is too shallow? What if we’re setting our sights too low? What if there is so much more– not more that God wants from us, but […] The post Friendship with God: Part 2 appeared first on Lansdowne UMC.

This week we’re beginning a five week sermon series on the book of James. The series is entitled Friendship with God. Series Background The title comes from two verses in the book of James that I believe are the theme of the whole book. The first is Chapter 2, verse 23, which says, “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. The […] The post Friendship with God: Part 1 appeared first on Lansdowne UMC.

Paul says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God…” The Whole Armor of God How many of you know what God has Armor? In Isaiah 59, it says “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head;” Apparently, though, God’s armor, is something the we can actually put on. It’s like Paul is saying, “dress yourselves like God does” What’s the […] The post The Whole Armor appeared first on Lansdowne UMC.

A Sermon on Ephesians 4:25-5:2 This week I encountered this quote from writer and preacher Frederick Buechner. “Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back; in many ways it is a feast […] The post Anger appeared first on Lansdowne UMC.

A sermon on Ephesians 4:1-16 The only slightly provocative title of my sermon is this: Grow Up. I’d like to draw from Ephesians chapter 4 this morning. Paul speaks about the need for the church to come to maturity. In verses 14 and 15 he says “We must no longer be children… We must grow up.” So this morning I’d like to mine this passage to understand how we all can grow up, whether we’re 3 or 93. A calling […] The post Grow Up appeared first on Lansdowne UMC.