United Methodist Church of Kent Sermon Podcast

What is love? Our contemporary culture provides us with many shallow images of love; but we get the true and full picture in God’s Word, and especially in what Christ shows us on the cross.

Is the goal of life to be happy? If so, why is that goal so elusive, especially in a society as prosperous as ours? Perhaps we need to hear afresh the words of Jesus, “Those who lose their life . . . will find life.” The way of the cross points us on the path to a meaningful and truly joyous life.

How does God feel about worship, and what is the appropriate way to honor God? In “God and Solemn Assemblies,” Rev. Denton explores the prophets for answers to these questions.

Modern culture encourages us to ignore death and run from death, yet this results in all sorts of foolishness in life. Christ faces death squarely and opens the way through death so that real life – eternal life – can begin for us now.

Is Easter the simple declaration that you get to go to heaven when you die? In fact, Easter is the dramatic conclusion of a great spiritual battle which unfolds on the cross, as Christ confronts all the powers of sin, evil, and death. There would be no Easter if it were not for what Christ accomplished on the cross! We need to connect with the whole story.

If Jesus is Savior, what can you expect of him? Jesus works in a way that is different—and far more powerful—than what many expect.

The best answer for those without housing is to help them to have a home! Habitat for Humanity has carried out this mission very effectively across our country, and the work of Habitat has recently been revived in our county. Rachel Kerns, who began as executive director in 2014, will provide an overview of what Habitat is doing in Portage County, and how our church is (and can be) involved.

To view the slides along with the audio, please visit our page on Soundfaith.com (https://soundfaith.com/sermons/172452-god’s-concern-for-the-homeless)

The cross is a bloody affair, and then Christians “drink Jesus’ blood” and “eat his body” in Communion. Yikes! What is this all about? The symbolism of the cross and Communion speaks profoundly about how Jesus brings us into new life.

God has a great concern for disadvantaged children! This led church leaders in years past in America to establish orphanages, which in recent decades have transitioned to an even tougher challenge of helping today’s troubled youth. Hear the story of how we are at work through United Methodist–related Guidestone in Berea, with a presentation by Rev. Jared Gadomski Littleton, who is an ordained United Methodist minister and Chaplain to the Agency for OhioGuidestone.

As with Abraham when he journeyed through the middle east, our faith journey involves a divine impulse; some tentative testing; a leap of faith.