Episodes
12 hours ago
S7E41: Passion & Tenebrae (Maundy Thursday 2020)
12 hours ago
12 hours ago
Tenebrae is a Latin word that means "Darkness." The Tenebrae service is a reading of the Passion account from John's Gospel, broken down into 16 readings, and after each of the first fourteen readings a candle is extinguished until the entire sanctuary is clothed in darkness. This represents the light of Christ being extinguised on the cross, and it also represents the three hours of darkness that the people experienced as He hung on the cross. After the 15th reading, a loud noise is made, symbolizing the earthquake that occurred at the death of Jesus. It is a somber and solemn service of contemplation. We have attempted to recreate the service in its entirety here, and hope that you will be blessed in its re-enactment.
Entrance - Gathering
The Call to Worship:
God is light, in whom there is no darkness at all.
Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world,
and we loved darkness rather than light.
Hymn:
Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed (UMH #294)
Opening prayer:
Maundy Thursday (UMH #283)
The Passion of Jesus Christ
Sixteen readings, after each is extinguised one candle until the sanctuary is in "Darkness" (Latin: Tenebrae)
Sending Forth
Hymn:
Were You There (UMH #288)
Dismissal with Blessing
All depart in silence.
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on April 4, 2020 (Originally published April 9, 2020)
S.D.G.
2 days ago
2 days ago
March 27, 2024
Old Testament: Isaiah 40:4-9a
Psalter: Psalm 70
Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 12:1-3
Gospel Lesson: John 13:21-32
Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
S.D.G.
3 days ago
3 days ago
Sermon #598
When we look at the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, we find a story that we know very well. After all, we celebrate Palm Sunday every year; ever since we were kids in Sunday School we learned about how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people threw their cloaks and palm branches at his feet, crying "Hosanna!" But it's that word, Hosanna, which always confused me as a child. I thought it was a cry of praise for Jesus the conquering king. But it is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words "yosa 'ana" which means "Save now, we beseech you!" The people were crying out to be saved, and Jesus came to do just that... But not how the people expected.
Psalm 118
Recorded at Hudson UMC on March 24, 2024
S.D.G.
3 days ago
3 days ago
March 26, 2024
Old Testament: Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalter: Psalm 71:1-14
Epistle Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Gospel Lesson: John 12:20-36
Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
S.D.G.
4 days ago
4 days ago
March 25, 2024
Old Testament: Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalter: Psalm 36:5-11
Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 9:11-15
Gospel Lesson: John 12:1-11
Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
S.D.G.
5 days ago
5 days ago
Sermon #437
Like so many other stories in the Bible, the account of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem is so familiar to us that we might just gloss over it's deeper meaning. What we see in these eleven brief verses in Mark's gospel is that Jesus is who he says he is - the very Son of God, God of very God, and complete and utter master over time and space. And what we might deem as human failure after such a great victory, God considered to be the ultimate victory over sin and death. This Palm Sunday I pray that you will hear these words anew and learn from God's Spirit as we celebrate God's coming kingdom.
Mark 11:1-11
Recorded at Hudson UMC on March 28, 2021 (Originally published March 31, 2021)
S.D.G.
5 days ago
5 days ago
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
S2E46: We Wish to See Jesus (Lent 2015)
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Sermon #105
Jesus' ministry began with the Jews, God's chosen people whom he came to save. But in today's text we see a group of non-Jews seeking to find Jesus, and to see what all the comotion is about. Like the Greeks, we need to see Jesus revealed to us, not just as a great teacher, not just as a worker of miracles, but as the very Son of God who came to the world He created, to save it from sin and death. So grab your Bible, turn it to John chapter 12, and prepare your heart and mind as we declare, We wish to see Jesus.
John 12:20-33
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on March 22, 2015 (Originally published May 11, 2015)
S.D.G.
Monday Mar 18, 2024
S11E37: Persevere in the Word (Draw Near to God pt. 6)
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Sermon #597
People often say it is impossible to know if there is a God, and if there is one, it is impossible to know anything about Him. Two weeks ago we looked at the difference between General Revelation - the existence of God revealed in creation - and Special Revelation - God's specific attributes revealed in the inspired word of God, the Bible. This week we dive deeper into how we can know God by reading His word. God's word reveals to us as much about ourselves as it does about Him, and if we truly love God we will desire to know Him more, and we can know Him more by reading about Him in the Bible. The question and challenge for us today is, how much time are you spending in God's word, and what is keeping you from reading the Bible, when it is God's revelation to us about Himself?
Psalm 119:9-16
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on March 17, 2024
S.D.G.
Monday Mar 11, 2024
S11E36: Our Testimony of Salvation (Draw Near to God pt. 5)
Monday Mar 11, 2024
Monday Mar 11, 2024
Sermon #596
What is your testimony? The stories we tell others, particularly to non-believers, about how we were saved by God's grace are powerful in that they are undisputable. They are OUR stories, and we lived them. In today's reading in Psalms, we encounter four stories of how God rescued the people of Israel when they humbled themselves and repented, calling out to Him. We see how our salvation is not dependent upon our faith in God, but that our faith in God stems from the grace we receive from him (as per Ephesians 2:8-9). And so we find our stories in these four testimonies, and we learn how we can likewise share our stories with others - that we were brought low by sin, that we cried out to God, and He delivered us, and now we praise Him in every aspect of our lives.
Psalm 107
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on March 10, 2024
S.D.G.