WORSHIP & SERMONS - Court Street United Methodist Church

On Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7, the story of Abraham and Sarah. This was the first sermon in my series going through Genesis and Exodus. I loved exploring both of these texts last year.

The third sermon in our series on the birth of Methodism, today we talked about John Wesley's failures in ministry in Georgia, where he spent less than a year, trying to be a missionary. His legalistic and judgmental faith drove people away, but a couple of years later, on Aldersgate Street in London, Wesley experienced a conversion toward a faith founded upon grace.

The second sermon in our series on the birth of Methodism, referencing Adam Hamilton's book "Revival: Faith as Wesley Lived It." Today, we talk about how the Wesleys began practicing their faith more seriously in college, forming a small group with their friends, studying together, and doing good works. Practice makes perfect, and disciplined practice will re-create in us the image of God.

John Wesley kick-started the Methodist movement, a revival in the Church of England that started over 250 years ago, and he owed so much of his faith to his mother Susanna. In this first sermon of a series, we explore the global and local contexts into which John was born, and we learn how we can be spiritual mentors like his mother Susanna.

We look at the differences in the two creation stories in Genesis, to discern different "morals of the story," different points being made by the authors. I sum up my sermon series on "The Most Important Contradictions in the Bible" and offer up a "least important" one, from Acts. If we can appreciate and understand the differences among the authors of scripture, we can learn to appreciate the differences in the Body of Christ.

Looking at numerous biblical passages, we examine various notions on God's reliability and responsiveness. Some aspects of God don't change: God's presence, God's care, God's desire to be in a relationship. But some aspects of God are always changing: God always offers a new and different plan for us, depending on our past. When we cry out, God somehow responds. When the crowds yearn for wisdom from Jesus, he revises his plan for a quiet retreat, and teaches and feeds the crowds.

Jesus rises to say, "Don't be afraid," and so quotes the traditional greeting of angels. Jesus is still alive and able to be experienced, but in a new way. The disciples have to be pointed in a new direction, toward a particular place, to encounter this risen Christ. Do we know the right places to touch, hear, and see the living God?

How can we become more holy like God is holy? Leviticus 19 gets more difficult as it progresses: from giving leftovers to the poor, to not showing favoritism, to judging fairly, to not stand by while our neighbor is hurt, to loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. We are responsible for the suffering in our communities, because we are able to respond.

The Jewish book of wisdom, Sirach, is a vital link in understanding the ethics of Jesus, particularly in Mark's gospel. I love Sirach, because it helps us understand our free will, our choice in life, our ability to choose between evil and good, fire and water.