Sermon Series

A library of Sermon Series presented at MUMC.

Love and Fear

Our first sermon series of the year is called “Love and Fear.”  We’re talking about how we are saved by a God in Jesus who is both very much like and totally UNlike us – who loves fearlessly, forgives unconditionally, and calls us to do the same.

January 12th: Loved by the Other [Romans 5: 6-11] [manuscript]

January 19th: “Fearing Like Christians” [Psalm 86: 6-15] [manuscript]

January 26th: “Loving the Other (Even in Church) ” [Isaiah 11: 6-9] [manuscript]

February 2nd: “Risking Ourselves for Love ” [Luke 10:25-37] [manuscript]
 

 

 

Bethlehem Blockbusters

We all love Christmas movies. And the best ones – even when they don’t tell the story of Jesus – still have a peculiar way of reminding us of what the season is all about. During this Advent, join us for a fun series that makes connections between your favorite movies and some of the big ideas of Christmas faith!

December 1st: “Elizabeth, Zechariah & Elf: on Joy and Fear” [Luke 1:5-15a] [manuscript]
December 8th: John the Baptist & George Bailey: On Hope [Mark 1:1-8] [manuscript]
December 15th: Mary, Joseph & The Santa Clause: On Peace [Matthew 1:18-25] [manuscript]
December 22nd: Jesus & Kris Kringle: On Love [John 10:22-32] [manuscript]
December 29th: Anna, Simeon, the Little Drummer Boy & Jack Skellington: Bringing What We Have [Luke 2:21-38] [manuscript]

 

Humility

Humility one of the most important characteristics of the Christian life, and one of the most easily overlooked. We need it in order to learn (you can’t be teachable if you think you know everything), in order to take correction (you can’t see what you’re doing wrong if you always think you’re right), and in order to practice faith (when we’ve got it all under control, we have no need for God). 

November 10th: “Perils of Pride” [Luke 6: 39-42] [manuscript]

November 17th:  “Living with Success and Failure” [2 Corinthians 12:1-10] [manuscript]

November 24th:  “Redefining Greatness”  [Mark 9: 30-37] [manuscript]

 

Jesus the Prophet

In this sermon series, we are trying to make connections between Jesus and the prophets of the Old Testament. Why is this important?  Over the past few years, we’ve done several series where we’ve tried to get new perspectives on Jesus’ teachings (Remember Happy, The Bad Habits of Jesus, and Stuff I Wish Jesus Hadn’t Said?).  It’s very easy for us to get TOO familiar with Jesus and begin to assume we already know what he’s about. Because very few of us actually have an in-depth understanding of the prophets, looking at Jesus as a prophet might reveal a totally different side of his life and teaching.

September 8th: “Returning to Our First Love” [Mark 12:  28-34] [manuscript]
September 15th:  “Caring for the Least” [Luke 16: 19-31] [manuscript]
September 22nd:  “The Power of Challenging Authority”
September 29th:  “The Power of Symbol“

Truth Bombs

Truth Bombs…A summer sermon series.  Pastor Joe and Pastor Kathleen embark upon a sermon series journey exploring some of the lesser-known parables of Jesus.

 

 

Week 1 (Jul 28):  “The Parable of the Soils” [Matthew 13: 1-16]

Week 2 (Aug 11):  “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” [Matthew 18: 21-35]

Week 3 (Aug 18):  “The Parable of the Persistent Widow” [Luke 18:1-8]

Week 4 (Aug 25):  “The Parable of the Laborers in the Vinyard” [Matthew 20:1-16]  Manuscript

 

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

We’re talking about the Exodus and its lessons for us in times when things feel uncertain.  How God calls us, leads us, provides for us – that’s some of what we’re going to discuss during this Spring sermon series.

Part 1 (Apr 28): “The Burning Bush: God’s Calling” [Exodus 3:1-14, 4:1-5 & 10-13]  Manuscript

Part 2 (May 5): “The Red Sea:  God’s Protection”  [Exodus 14:5-8, 10-14, 21-31]  Manuscript

Part 3 (May 12):  “Manna from Heaven: God’s Generosity” [Exodus 16:1-7, 13-23, 31]  Manuscript

Part 4 (May 19):  “The 10 Commandments: God’s Blueprint” [Exodus chapters 19 & 20]

Part 5 (May 26): “The Golden Calf:  God’s Timing”  [Exodus 32: 1-14]  Manuscript

Part 6 (Jun 2):  “The Pillar of Fire & Cloud: God’s Guidance”  [Exodus 40:1-14, 34-38]  Manuscript

 

 

 

A Disciple’s Path – Our Walk Through Lent and Life

 

This Lent, we are going to focus on the gospels. And we’re going to explore them using the themes of discipleship we find in our membership vows. When we join the church, we commit to support this community through our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. We believe that these are important dimensions of discipleship.

 

Healthy Relationships (Starting January 6)

All of us want better relationships: in our families, with our friends, at work. Often we just don’t know how to get there. But there are some simple things we can do to foster healthy relationships: by getting our anxiety under control, practicing empathy, honoring boundaries, improving communication, and building trust.

 

The Meaning of Incarnation (Dec 2 – Dec 23, 2018)

An Advent Sermon Series: Incarnation is just a fancy word to say “in the flesh” and we’re talking about why incarnation – why God wanted to do this at all and what it means for us in terms of how we live.

 

 

With (Oct 14-Nov 18 2018)

IT’S HARD TO KNOW HOW TO RELATE TO A BEING WHO SEEMS UNKNOWABLE, FAR AWAY AND SHROUDED IN MYSTERY: And yet, we teach that God is close to each of us. Sometimes we create our own stumbling blocks to relationship with mistaken notions of who God is and how God works. In this series, we’ll explore four common ways people approach God and describe the strengths and weaknesses of each before turning to an approach that will change the way you think about God for good.

 

Stuff I Wish Jesus Hadn’t Said

When Jesus says tough things, we want to water him down and tune him out.  But the core of Jesus’ message are a ton of hard sayings about forgiveness, loving our enemies, money,  and service.   Let’s look again at the Gospels and some of the life-changing “Stuff I Wish Jesus Hadn’t Said.”

Just One Question (April 8 – May 6, 2018)

If you could ask just one question of God, What would it be?

The Bad Habits of Jesus (March 11 – March 25, 2018)

LENT WORSHIP SERIES – THE BAD HABITS OF JESUS – based on the book by Leonard Sweet. We picture Jesus in soft light – a tame, gentle figure who never upset anyone. But if that’s true, it’s hard to explain how he ended up on a cross. This Lent, let’s explore Jesus’ revolutionary edge. Let’s give him back his power to transform us through radical love.

 

 

 

 

Scroll to Top