Guerrilla Christianity

August 14, 2022

Old Testament: Isaiah 5:1-7

Psalter: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19

Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 11:29-12:2

Gospel Lesson: Luke 12:49-56

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 #353

Welcome to Season 7 of Guerrilla Christianity! By God's grace we will continue to proclaim the good news to a world in desperate need of it. As we begin our seventh season, we also continue our series based on the book of Jude. We look at the modern objection to the concept of hell that the sins we commit are not so great that they deserve eternal punishment. In verses 5 through 7 Jude gives us Old Testament examples of rebellion against God. The Israelites sinned in setting up idols in place of God. The angels sinned seeking unnatural relations with human women. Then men sinned seeking unnatural relations with angels. Is there no end to rebellion against the God that made us? We'll see how obedience to God is in fact freedom - freedom from bondage to sin and death.

Jude 5-7

Recorded at Hudson UMC on June 30, 2019 (Originally published July 4, 2019)

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S.D.G.

Sermon #342

The greatest attacks on the church of Jesus Christ come not from outside of it, but from inside.  It is not the world and its pagan, Godless ways that we as Christians must battle, but false teaching from within.  And so Jude, wanting to write a letter celebrating the common salvation he shares with other Christians, instead felt the urgency to fire off a letter inciting the church to "contend for the faith."  In today's message we see that what Jude's audience was contending against is not so unlike the things facing modern Christians, and we look at the difference between legalism and license, and where the true Gospel of Christ falls between them.

Jude 3-4

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on June 23, 2019 (Originally published June 25, 2019)

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S.D.G.

Sermon #507

As we continue our exposition of Amos' prophecy, we come to the fourth of his visions - a basket of Summer fruit.  The word for Summer fruit in the Hebrew sounds very much like the Hebrew word for "the end," and so God through Amos is using a pun to declare that the end is here.  The judgment of God will fall upon Israel, and yet, through it all God is using his judgment to draw the faithful to himself.  What we see in God's judgment is that there is no loss of control in his emotions.  God is not overtly angry or seeking revenge against his people.  Instead, he uses the judgment as a way to turn the hearts of the people back to himself - and we see that God desires repentance rather than atonement.  

Amos 8:1-12

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on July 17, 2022

S.D.G.

August 7, 2022

Old Testament: Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Psalter: Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23

Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Gospel Lesson: Luke 12:32-40

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 #341

We talk about being a Bible-believing church and that means we believe ALL the Bible is God-breathed, or inspired to be the very word of God for the church in every age.  So even though the short (25-verse) letter of Jude is excluded from the Revised Common Lectionary, we are endeavoring to unpack its wisdom verse-by-verse in a Summer series titled "Practical Wisdom from Jude."  Today we begin with an introduction and overview of Jude's letter and answer the questions: Who was Jude?  Why do we have his letter in the Bible?  and To whom was the letter written, and why?  And over the course of the next several weeks we will go verse-by-verse through this letter to glean its wisdom for us today.

Jude 1-2

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on June 16, 2019 (Originally published June 19, 2019)

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S.D.G.

 

Sermon #506

In this Summer series we will be looking at the words of many Old Testament prophets, and today we see the words of Amos, who was not a professional prophet but a shepherd whom God called to prophecy to the northern kingdom of Israel in the time of Jeroboam II.  Jeroboam was on the throne for many years and the time saw much prosperity in the kingdom, which made the call to repentance that much harder to hear.  But Amos was faithful to God's calling and delivered the message as was told to him.  What we see is that in times when life is easy and things are going well, we must not forget the God who has prospered us, which the people of Israel had done.  And so in our current time and situation we must ask ourselves if we are giving proper due to the God who created us and gave us all things to live and prosper, or are we relying upon ourselves and worshiping the things we have made by our own hands?

Amos 7:(1-6),7-17

Recorded at Hudson UMC on July 10, 2022

S.D.G.

Interview #14

Rev. Beth Caulfield has been on a stellar track in ministry.  She had been appointed to the Bishop's cabinet on his "Dream Team," overseeing Small Groups Formation in Greater New Jersey (UMC).  It seemed as though she was on a trajectory that would carry her higher to proclaim God's word to a multitude.  Then suddenly, everything began to change.  She received less-than-favorable appointments, even to churches where women were not accepted as clergy.  She was turned down for ordination twice.  In all of this her faith was tested, and ultimately prevailed.  She has written a book about her journey, called "People Throw Rocks at Things That Shine: A Clergy Whistleblower's Journey."  I sat down with Beth via Zoom Meetings on July 27 and we discussed her book, the problems with the UMC ordination process, and what she's been doing since - serving in the Wesley Covenant Association and recently ordained in the Global Methodist Church.

Beth's Website

Website for the book

Recorded via Zoom Meetings on July 27, 2022

S.D.G.

Sermon #505

Our series for Summer 2022 is called "Prophet Margins."  The Revised Common Lectionary for Ordinary time after Pentecost uses readings from the prophets in the Old Testament, primarily because the Gospel texts come from Luke and Luke portrays Jesus as a prophet.  These prophets spoke the word of God to the people, and it was usually not very well received.  In fact, the prophets were often treated badly, even killed for speaking the truth of God's word.  As such, they lived on the margins of society.  It was a lonely existence.  So we're looking at prophets on the margins, and we begin with Elisha in the northern kingdom of Israel, who is called upon to heal Naaman, a general of the Syrian army and a leper. The question is, can Naaman be humbled so that God can work in his life?  As we'll see, he can, and does, and experiences a radical spiritual transformation, not just a physical one.

2 Kings 5:1-14(15-19)

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on July 3, 2022

S.D.G.

July 31, 2022

Old Testament: Hosea 11:1-11

Psalter: Psalm 107:1-9, 43

Epistle Lesson: Colossians 3:1-11

Gospel Lesson: Luke 12:13-21

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.