United Methodist Church of Kent Sermon Podcast

We can and must look to God for deliverance from evil.

Temptation is a spiritual trial in which we are lured away from God. But God is with us in the midst of trial, to enable us to endure. To pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” is to look to God for strength hold firm in faith.

In this installment of the sermon series, Dr. Palmer discusses experiencing God’s forgiveness, and likewise forgiving others.

In this sermon, Dr. Palmer discusses trusting in God for what we need and looking to God as the source of what we most deeply need.

In this sermon, Dr. Palmer discusses seeking to bring one’s personal life, and one’s society, into harmony with the will of God.

The opening petition of the Lord’s Prayer directs us to focus upon God, recognizing God’s love, power, and goodness, and giving honor and glory to God.

Rev. Douglas Denton outlines some prominent themes in Paul’s letter to the Romans.

The picture of God is as our heavenly Parent, who cares for us and who is perfectly good.  The beginning of prayer is to focus not on our needs but on God.

Jesus, in teaching about prayer, draws his hearers from thinking about how they look to directing themselves truly to God. Genuine prayer involves doing what Mary did – sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to what he was saying. This also means avoiding what Martha was doing – getting distracted by well-intentioned busyness!

Prayer as the practice of ongoing communion with God; prayer is not an emergency appeal to God but a receptive connection with God. Such prayer involves intentional focus; we need to “do things that draw us closer to God” (one of the Methodist General Rules).