St. Martin United Church of Christ - High Ridge, MO

Based on Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52. Mustard seeds? Yeast? Pearls? Treasure? What do these things tell us about the kingdom of heaven? We have been taught to value our possessions and strive to obtain things of value, but what if these things are actually obstacles in our way of finding real wealth? In today's sermon, we'll tackle this topic and the wealth we can find in the scriptures themselves.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. Should we start pulling up the weeds? Maybe want we really need to do is slow down and realize we're the wheat and the weeds... and we shouldn't be in a rush to destroy the fields today! That's what we will explore today.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. The Word of God can't grow without good soil but is this parable really about the soil? In this message, I explore a different angle on this well-known parable.

Based on Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30. Religious people can be difficult to please. John the Baptist stayed to himself; he was a minimalist who lived off the land. He didn't do anything to cause offense, except point out "the condition of sin" everyone was living under and needed repentance of. So, religious people dismissed him as having a demon. Jesus came and looked like one of us. He ate and drank with anyone, even tax collectors and sinners. So, of course, they labeled him a glutton and a drunkard.

Before we get ahead of ourselves on this 4th of July weekend, maybe we need to remember that we all stand in need before the throne of Jesus. And, yes, we need someone to do the heavy lifting for us.

Matthew 10:40-42. Isn't it a bad idea to promise rewards? Today, we explore the use of rewards and punishments in the Bible to see if there is something we are missing. And we will talk about why it's a bad idea to drop bombs on the children of God, ALL the children of God.

Matthew 10:24-39. If you read through the Gospels, you'll soon discover that Jesus didn't have much good to say about families. In fact, Jesus seems to suggest that the family is a poor substitute for the community he wants to establish on earth, the church! On any given Sunday, the church is full of people whose families are divided. Yes, we need good fathers, but if you don't have one, no worries because God will fill that rule for you in God's church! Join me as we take a much less traveled approach on this Father's Day.

Sermon based on Genesis 18:1-15; (21:1-7). The news about the old "Mainline" denominational churches couldn't be much worse than it is today with plummeting declines in worship attendance, membership, and persons going into to the ministry to become ministers. So, should we jump ship? ignore the trends? or change course? But if we need to change course, where exactly should we go? In this sermon, I'll recap what's going on in mainline churches today and one potential course correction that might be helpful as we examine Abraham and Sarah's visit from strangers.

Sermon based on Genesis 12:1-9. Sure, the publishers all agree this is Abram's, soon to be Abraham's, call story. but it's nothing like the stories we tell about receiving a call, discerning our path, and embracing our future. No, it's more like, "Hey, so you thought you were in charge of your life, well not so fast! You are going to pack up all your things, the whole family, and go to a foreign land that will not welcome you." Yeah, following God's voice is really difficult. You might have to say things and do things that go against your basic instincts.

Genesis Chapters 1 & 2 contain two different creation stories that are actually focused on interpreting God’s commandments. Should we read the Bible like a textbook on every subject under the sun, or more like a collection of literature aimed at imparting wisdom, love, and encouragement on how to live? Let’s explore this topic together in this teaching sermon.

On this Pentecost Sunday and Memorial Day Weekend, we consider the Tower of Babel, the threat of nationalism, and who we should give our lives serving. Based on Acts 2:1-21.