Guerrilla Christianity

Lectionary Readings for All Saints Day, Year B

November 1, 2021

Old Testament: Isaiah 25:6-9

Psalter: Psalm 24

Epistle Lesson: Revelation 21:1-6a

Gospel Lesson: John 11:32-44

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.

Lectionary Readings for Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 26), Year B

October 31, 2021 (Reformation Sunday)

Old Testament: Ruth 1:1-18

Psalter: Psalm 146

Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 9:11-14

Gospel Lesson: Mark 12:28-34

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.

S7E57: GC Talk - On Stewardship

The mere mention of stewardship in a church environment causes one to clutch at his or her own wallet.  But as we will see in today's talk with Pastor Zach Taylor, stewardship is about so much more than the finances of the church and how we are to give.  It is an all-encompasing lifestyle of being a faithful manager of the resources that God gives to us.  While that does include financial resources, it also incorporates our resources of time and ability as it pertains to the needs of the local church.  Are we compelled to give?  What is the biblical standard of giving?  And what is our attitude when giving?  All these questions and more are addressed in today's GC Talk.

Recorded via Zoom Meetings on May 8, 2020 (Originally published May 9, 2020)

S.D.G.

S9E12: Real Healing (Ordinary Time 2015)

Sermon #137

As we look at the healing of blind Bartimaeus on the road to Jericho, we are forced to ask the question of ourselves:  When have I last asked God for real healing?  Not for a cold or a hurt finger but real, deep, life-changing healing.  What Bartimaeus shows us in asking to have his sight restored is that he not only believed that Jesus could heal him, but that he would heal him.  
In this sermon I tell a very personal story of an event that happened just the week before (October 18, 2015).  I do not take lightly what happened to my son, the many people who were praying for him, or the radical and real healing that took place in the half hour trip to the emergency room.  God truly did answer prayer and healed my son, and to God belongs all glory, honor, and praise.

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on October 25, 2015 (Previously unpublished)

S.D.G.

S9E11: God‘s Mercy (God‘s Riches pt. 1)

Sermon #305

(This series was originally recorded in 2018)

We are beginning a new series called "God's Riches," in which we are examining the attributes of God as they are on display in Jesus Christ.  We begin, however, recognizing Reformation Sunday and remembering the mighty acts of the Holy Spirit performed in the early reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and, yes, John Wesley.
God's mercy is on display in the healing of blind Bartimaeus, who sat begging on the roadside outside of Jericho.  Bartimaeus did not ask to be healed, but cried out "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Why would he ask for mercy instead of healing?  Perhaps he recognized that he, like all of us, is a sinner in need of forgiveness.  Jesus offers him this and more - he restores his sight.  And the blind man's response is to leave everything behind and follow after Jesus.  Let this be our response to God's mercy as well.

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on October 28, 2018 (Previously unpublished)

S.D.G.

Lectionary Readings for Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25), Year B

October 24, 2021

Old Testament: Job 42:1-6,10-17

Psalter: Psalm 34:1-8,19-22

Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 7:23-28

Gospel Lesson: Mark 10:46-52

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.

Lectionary Readings for Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24), Year B

October 17, 2021

Old Testament: Job 38:1-7,34-41

Psalter: Psalm 104:1-9,24,35c

Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 5:1-10

Gospel Lesson: Mark 10:35-45

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.

S3E17: Riches & the Kingdom of God (2015)

Sermon #135

As we continue our liturgical journey through the book of Mark, we come to one of the best known and least understood phrases in all the Bible - It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.  The question often is, what did Jesus mean by it?  Did he mean a literal camel and a literal needle, or was he speaking in hyperbole, or was he talking about some cultural construct that we no longer understand?  But what we find today is, what Jesus was saying is that it is impossible for us, but that all things are possible for God.  So grab your Bible, turn it to Mark chapter 10, and prepare your heart and mind as we take a deeper look at riches and the kingdom of God.

Mark 10:17-31

Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on October 11, 2015 (Originally published November 14, 2015)

S.D.G.

Lectionary Readings for Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23), Year B

October 10, 2021

Old Testament: Job 23:1-9,16-17

Psalter: Psalm 22:1-15

Epistle Lesson: Hebrews 4:12-16

Gospel Lesson: Mark 10:17-31

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.

S3E16: Divorce and Reconciliation (2015)

Sermon #134

There are some topics which are difficult to discuss in the church today.  One of the hardest topics to discuss is that of divorce.  The church and many in it seem to hold fast to the idea of traditional marriage, yet few wish to talk about the fact that Jesus himself decried the practice of divorce.  If this is the case, then why is divorce so prevalent, even among Christians?  But more importantly, what does God's word say about grace, even in the midst of brokenness and disolution?  We find out today, from the teachings of Christ on what it means to enter the Kingdom of God as little children.  So grab your Bible, turn it to Mark chapter 10, and prepare your heart and mind as we take a hard look at divorce and reconciliation.

Mark 10:2-16

Recorded at Hudson UMC on October 4, 2015 (Originally published Nivember 10, 2015)

S.D.G.