Episodes
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
S2E38: Leaving our Nets (Epiphany 2015)
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
What does it mean for us today to leave our nets? The disciples were called by Christ, and the Bible tells us that immediately they left their nets and followed him. Are we that willing to change everything about our lives to become disciples of Christ, the way these fishermen did so long ago? Today we will look at what it means to leave our nets, and why we, too, should be fishing for people. So grab your Bible, turn it to Mark chapter one, and prepare your heart and mind as we look at leaving our nets.
Mark 1:14-20
Recorded at Hudson UMC on January 25, 2015 (Originally published February 14, 2015)
S.D.G.
Friday Jan 22, 2021
S7E69: GC Talk On the WCA (With Beth Caulfield)
Friday Jan 22, 2021
Friday Jan 22, 2021
Out of the tumultuous United Methodist General Conference of 2016 was birthed a renewal movement within the UMC called the Wesleyan Covenant Association. The WCA was founded on the principle of scriptural authority and traditional Wesleyan theology in response to the push of Liberalism within the church. Today, the WCA is spearheading the foundation of a new traditional Methodist denomination in anticipation of the General Conference scheduled for August/September 2021 in Minneapolis. Beth Caulfield is a founding member of the WCA, the President of the Greater New Jersey Chapter, and member of the Global Council, as well as an ordained Elder in the UMC appointed to Franklinville UMC and Newfield UMC in Southern New Jersey. Her insight as one who has been part of the WCA since its inception is invaluable, and her viewpoint as a traditional and conservative Wesleyan is unshakable and inspirational. I thoroughly enjoyed our talk today and hope to have her on again.
Recorded via Zoom Meetings on May 29, 2020
Read my blog post "An Open Letter to Greater New Jersey Annual Conference (May 30, 2015)"
Wesleyan Covenant Association webpage
Wesleyan Covenant Association Facebook page
S.D.G.
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
S2E37: Come and See (Pitman Manor Vespers)
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Very often we as Christians meet with resistance when we tell others about Jesus Christ. In today's reading from John, we meet a man named Nathanael who doubted that Jesus from Nazareth could possibly be the messiah. But his evangelist, Philip, rather than arguing or debating with him said something simple: "Come and see." In this message delivered to the residents of Pitman Manor, we find that we can learn something from Philip in our dealings with non-believers today. So grab your bible, turn it to John chapter one, and prepare your heart and mind to encounter the risen Christ as we come and see.
John 1:43-51
Recorded at Pitman Manor on January 18, 2015 (Originally published February 9, 2015)
S.D.G.
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Monday Jan 18, 2021
When we plant a seed, do we sit and watch and wait for it to grow? And do we expect the seed we planted to yield fruit that day? We'd go hungry if we expected apples from an apple seed the day we planted it. Yet so many of us expect immediate results from planting the word in the hearts of men and women. Today's guest speaker from Gideons International explains how a five dollar Bible can sow a crop with a tremendous yield, and a personal testimony from our pastor illustrates his point perfectly. So grab your Bible, turn it to first Corinthians, chapter three, and join us as we look at planting seeds.
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on January 18, 2015 (Originally published February 8, 2015)
S.D.G.
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
S2E35: God's Son, the Beloved (Baptism of the Lord 2015)
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
This Sunday is Baptism of the Lord Sunday on the Church calendar, a day when we usher in the ordinary time after Epiphany with the story of Jesus' baptism. It's an interesting bookend to the Advent season, which we brought in with Isaiah's plea for God to tear open the heavens. Now, at Jesus' baptism in the Jordan river, we see that prayer fulfilled, and we take the opportunity to renew our own baptismal covenant. So grab your Bible, turn it to Mark chapter one, and prepare your heart and mind as we look at God's Son, the Beloved.
Mark 1:4-11
Recorded at Hudson UMC on January 11, 2015 (Originally published February 5, 2015)
S.D.G.
Thursday Jan 07, 2021
S8E35: Sharing the Promise (Epiphany 2021)
Thursday Jan 07, 2021
Thursday Jan 07, 2021
Typically for Epiphany we will look at the text from Matthew that describes the arrival of the wise men to lay their gifts at the feet of Jesus. This year, however, we are looking at Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus, a church that was largely made up of pagan converts to Christianity. This is a fitting text as it highlights the work of God through Paul in bringing the good news to the Gentiles, and that is what Epiphany is all about - the revealing of Christ to the world at large, and not only to the Jews. In Christ, God is rescuing and restoring all of his creation, and that includes us, who are made in God's image.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on January 3, 2021
S.D.G.
Monday Jan 04, 2021
S2E34: Arise, Shine! (Epiphany 2015)
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Monday Jan 04, 2021
God is the source of all light. So when Jesus calls us the light of the world, he meant that we reflect the light of God in a world of darkness and sin. But God is the source. In today's reading, Isaiah says that God's glory will rise upon his people and they will arise and shine in the world, and will attract others out of the darkness. So grab your Bible, turn it to Isaiah chapter 60, and prepare your heart and mind as we heed the words of Isaiah, to arise and shine.
Isaiah 60:1-6
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on January 4, 2015 (first published February 4, 2015)
S.D.G.