Guerrilla Christianity

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)

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S.D.G.

March 24, 2024

 

Liturgy of the Palms:

 

Gospel Lesson: Mark 11:1-11

 

Psalter: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

 

Liturgy of the Passion:

 

Old Testament: Isaiah 50:4-9a

 

Psalter: Psalm 31:9-16

 

Epistle Lesson: Philippians 2:5-11

 

Gospel Lesson: Mark 14:1-15:47

 

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.

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.

 

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

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S.D.G.

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

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S.D.G.

Sermon #435

There is an odd story in the book of Numbers that involves venomous snakes biting the people (sent as a judgment by God for their disobedience).  Instead of removing the snakes, God instructs Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole so that anyone who is bitten by a venomous snake can look at it and live.  Jesus tells us in John chapter 3 that the bronze serpent is a type of the cross, meaning that God was pointing to Jesus on the cross in that moment.  So what can we learn about the cross from that story?  We will be looking at that and more in today's message in our Lenten series, Journey to the Cross.

John 3:14-21 (Numbers 21:4-9)

Recorded at Hudson UMC on March 14, 2021 (Originally published on March 15, 2021)

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S.D.G.

March 10, 2024

Old Testament: Numbers 21:4-9

Psalter: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22

Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 2:1-10

Gospel Lesson: John 3:14-21

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.

Sermon #104

This week as we continue our Lenten journey we encounter a Jesus that we don't often see or even want to think about.  Jesus' righteous indignation at the Temple moneychangers and merchants was justified, but what was he really angry about?  We take a deeper look into the practice of sacrifice and why the moneychangers were necessary, and perhaps uncover some of the reason Jesus drove them out of the temple.  It's a powerful image that can help us understand our relationship with God today.  So Grab your Bible, turn it to John chapter 2, and prepare your heart and mind as we ask the question, "What's wrong here?"

John 2:13-22

Recorded at Hudson UMC on March 8, 2015 (Originally published April 13, 2015)

S.D.G.

Sermon #595

Psalm 19 is a gorgeous song that declares the glory of God in two ways.  First, it informs us that God's glory is revealed in his creation.  When we look at creation we can see the hand of God at work and we can know that he is greater than his creation.  Second, the psalmist informs us that God's glory is revealed more completely in his holy word - in the Law of the Lord.  Though we sinful creatures may imagine that God's law is somehow imposed upon us by a controling and unloving deity, the truth is that the law is there for our benefit, and ultimately for his glory.

Psalm 19

Recorded at Hudson UMC on March 3, 2024

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S.D.G.

Sermon #434

We can sometimes find ourselves frustrated when sharing the gospel with our friends and neighbors.  We wonder to ourselves, why don't they get it?  After all, we get it!  But Paul reminds us in his letter to the church in Corinth that those who are unsaved simply cannot understand the gospel, because it is foolishness to them.  In fact, it takes a move of the Spirit for us to finally understand what it means that we were sinners and deserving of God's wrath, but God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die the death we deserve, so that we may live forever in His name.  To the world it's nonsense.  To those of us who are saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on March 7, 2021 (Originally published March 8, 2021)

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S.D.G.