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An Unconventional, No-Apologies Exposition of God’s Grace from an Evangelical-Methodist Point of View
Episodes
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Sermon #111
We are looking at the "I Am" statements of Christ in the gospel of John, and we begin with Jesus' statement "I am the good shepherd." In Jesus, we see an example of church leadership, and especially in the example of being a shepherd. Whereas many of us tend to lead people from behind, a shepherd goes before the sheep to lead them. More than that, a shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep, and this is a very comforting thought for those of us who are in the flock of Christ. We also look at the 23rd Psalm, a song written by King David who spent much of his life as a shepherd and knew intimately what it means that the Lord is our shepherd.
John 10:11-18
Recorded at Hudson UMC on April 26, 2015 (Previously unpublished)
S.D.G.
Wednesday Apr 21, 2021
Wednesday Apr 21, 2021
Sermon #277
What does it mean to be a witness? Jesus called upon His disciples to be witnesses, and He calls upon us to be witnesses as well. But what does that look like in the life of a Christian? Is it enough to simply model a particular life, or do we actually have to articulate, with words, just what we have experienced in a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ?
Luke 24:36-48
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on April 15, 2018 (Originally published May 2, 2018)
S.D.G.
Monday Apr 19, 2021
Monday Apr 19, 2021
Sermon #440
The disciples of Jesus had a major advantage when it came to witnessing to the power of the risen Christ. They had seen him with their own eyes, touched him with their own hands, and heard his voice as he told them to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel. They were not telling what others had told them, they were proclaiming what they were eyewitnesses to. And so we see the first century church responding with the agape (selfless and sacrificial) love that they have been shown. The response to the resurrection is powerful, and we can still find its power in proclamation today.
Acts 4:32-37/1 John 1:1-2:2
Recorded at Hudson UMC on April 11, 2021
S.D.G.
Monday Apr 12, 2021
Monday Apr 12, 2021
Sermon #276
The Apostle Thomas gets such a bad rap. His name has become a byword among us to mean one who is skeptical or cynical (who among us doesn't know a Doubting Thomas?). Yet what we find in the story of Thomas is the generous grace of God, who, as James says, "gives to all liberally and not grudgingly." When we have doubts, God answers them with just what we need, and puts aside our fears with his gentle proof.
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on April 8, 2018 (Originally published April 11, 2018)
S.D.G.
Friday Apr 09, 2021
Friday Apr 09, 2021
Sermon #109
Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we have assurance that all the promises of God through Jesus Christ are true, and we can rely upon the faith of God in order to grow our own faith in Him. Because of the resurrection we are offered new life, not just in the life to come but in this life. When we die to self, we are born again and raised in the resurrection of Christ, and that is how the transformation happens, that takes someone who was opposed to God and turns them into a faithful proclaimer of the good news. And just as Jesus left the empty tomb, we who are born again in Christ leave behind those things that lead to death.
Mark 16:1-8
Recorded at Hudson UMC on April 5, 2015 (Previously unpublished)
S.D.G.
Wednesday Apr 07, 2021
Wednesday Apr 07, 2021
Sermon #275
It's easy for us to forget that the disciples and the women were not expecting an encounter with the risen Christ that first Easter Sunday. After all, we know the rest of the story. We know how it ends. But for the women on the first day of the week who went to anoint the body of Jesus for burial, it was not a time of celebration but a time of mourning, and their mourning soon turned to fear.
Mark 16:1-8
Recorded at Hudson UMC on April 1, 2018. (Originally published April 7, 2018)
S.D.G.
Monday Apr 05, 2021
Monday Apr 05, 2021
Sermon #274
One of my favorite services of the year is the Easter Sunrise service, where we gather in front of the Hudson UMC Cemetery and proclaim "He is Risen!" as the sun comes up. This year it was overcast and dreary, a perfect metaphor for the emotions clouding Mary Magdalene's heart that first Easter morning. She didn't come to see the risen Lord, but rather to prepare the body of her fallen master.
John 20:1-18
Recorded at Hudson UMC Cemetery on April 1, 2018.
S.D.G.
Thursday Apr 01, 2021
Thursday Apr 01, 2021
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
Watch the entire service on YouTube
S.D.G.
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Sermon #106
The Palm Sunday narrative is a very familiar one that even non-Christians know. More than the fact that the crowds welcomed Jesus one day and a week later condemned him, we today can learn from this text that sometimes the change we desire is not the change that God has planned. But rather than lament the fact that our will is not done, we need to counter our human nature and trust in Him completely. So grab your Bible, turn it to Mark chapter 11, and prepare your heart and mind as we join the crowds singing Hosanna!
Mark 11:1-11
Recorded at Hudson UMC on March 29, 2015 (Originally published May 13, 2015)
S.D.G.
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Sermon #435
Chapter 12 of John's gospel marks a turning point in Jesus' ministry. While the previous eleven chapters were demonstrating through Christ's teaching and miracles that he is God, now we see Jesus setting his face to Jerusalem and the cross, and it begins when a group of Greeks come to Philip seeking Jesus. Jesus announces that now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, but not in the way that we would think. We would think of his glory being demonstrated in being crowned on a throne, but Jesus' glory came as he was nailed to a cross.
John 12:20-33
Recorded at Ebenezer UMC on March 21, 2021
S.D.G.