Sermons from 2024 (Page 3)

Are You Sure?

The saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for.”  The elders of Israel didn’t heed that saying because they went to the prophet Samuel demanding a king. The reason they wanted a king was to be like everyone else. Samuel went to God, and God told Samuel to give them what they wanted. Even after Samuel warned them about what the king would do, they still insisted on having one. How is this story relevant to us today? SCRIPTURE: 1…

Bishop Lanette’s 2024 Episcopal Address

On Sunday, June 2, we watched Bishop Lanette’s address from Annual Conference 2024. On a trip to Scotland in 2019, while Bishop Lanette was stepping onto a bus, the driver instructed her to “mind the gap” between the platform and the vehicle. “I believe God has uniquely positioned the United Methodist Church in Minnesota to be trailblazers as we mind the gaps of society,” she said. We can mind the gap of justice and reconciliation work. We can mind the…

Revive Us Again

We are currently in the post-Pentecost season, which is known as “Ordinary Time”. This is the longest season of the Christian Liturgical year. We find ourselves here in the book of Isaiah, and in this passage, we see Isaiah accepting the call to become a prophet. We can focus on the call, but what fascinates me is Isaiah’s response when he was in the presence of God. How will we respond when we are in God’s presence? How will we…

Can You Handle the Truth?

Pentecost is upon us! We remember the day when the Holy Spirit came upon the people. The Holy Spirit is part of the Triune God and is, at times, often neglected. If we took the space to truly learn who to learn who the Holy Spirit is, if we would be able to handle the truth it would have us face. SCRIPTURE: John 15:26-27; John 16:4-15 (NRSVUE) 26 “But I will send you the Advocate[a]—the Spirit of truth. He will come…

A Legacy of Faith

Mother’s Day is when we honor all the mother figures in our lives. When we look at the letter of 2 Timothy, we see the Apostle Paul mentioning two of Timothy’s family members: his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. I wonder what can we learn from their story? We will explore the letter of 2 Timothy at the base camp of our church community, near and far. We will explore spiritual practices, keep the gift of the Sabbath, learn…

Lay Down

“Love” is a four-letter word that may sound simple, but it holds great depth. In the book of 1 John, the apostle John emphasizes how love should be demonstrated through our actions towards each other, and even towards ourselves. If we were to operate from a place of love genuinely, how different would our lives be? SCRIPTURE: 1 John 3:16-24 (CEB) 16 This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down…

Who Are You Following?

According to Dictionary.com, the term “pure” refers to being untainted by evil, innocent, and ceremonially clean. It also means being free from guilt. While Jesus Christ is the only person known to be pure, as followers of Christ, what does it mean for us to strive for purity? How does it reflect in our daily lives? SCRIPTURE: 1 John 3:1-7 (NLT) 3 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we…

Be Honest

We have just celebrated the resurrection, but what comes next? It’s time for us to take a step back and truly understand what it means to follow Christ. We need to take the time to learn what it means that God is love and to reflect on ourselves. SCRIPTURE: 1 John 1:1-2:2 1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,[a] whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our…

Go and Tell It

“He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!” After Jesus was crucified, many people thought this was the end, but his resurrection proved that death couldn’t hold him down. We all know that Jesus has risen, but how can we experience the hope, power, and new life that his resurrection brings? In the base camp of our church community, near and far, we will wrap up our time in the Gospel of Mark. We will explore spiritual practices, keep the gift…