MTP Sermon Resources

Luke 10:29-37 July 26, 2015 • Mount Pleasant UMC It is an quickly changing world; that is a truth that, I would assume, we can all agree on. We might disagree on whether the changes are generally good or not, but we can’t deny the rapid pace of the change that surrounds us. Dr. Bob Morehead, a retired pastor in Seattle, put it this way: “We have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider freeways but narrower viewpoints; we spend more but have less; we buy more but enjoy it less; we have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, yet less time; we have more degrees but less sense; more knowledge but less judgment; more experts, yet more problems; we have more gadgets but less satisfaction; more medicine, yet less wellness; we take more vitamins but see fewer results…We talk too much; love too seldom, and lie too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years” (qtd. in Yancey, Vanishing Grace , pgs. 153-154).

Luke 10:25-28 July 19, 2015 • Mount Pleasant UMC VIDEO: Home Improvement “Church” Have you ever felt like that? Maybe some of you still feel like that—that church is a place you “earn points” with God. Some folks come to church because they believe God expects them to, or God will be angry with them if they don’t show up, or because they’ve been forced to come. The Gallup organization, in a poll taken a few years ago, found there are many different reasons people come to church. We sometimes assume we’re all here for the same purpose, but that’s not true if the poll is to be believed. Gallup found that some do come to worship God, or to find spiritual guidance and nurture. Others come because it’s a family tradition and they were brought up that way—maybe “forced to come” falls into this category. And still others come because they value the community and the fellowship that is found in most churches. Undoubtedly, if I took the microphone around and asked every one of you w

John 20:30-31 July 12, 2015 • Mount Pleasant UMC Well, six months ago, I was minding my own business and going through my day when John Groves called me and changed everything about my life and the life of my family. I had heard of Terre Haute, but before six months ago, I had been here exactly one other time in my life. I had no idea I would be standing here today before you. And that’s okay, because six months ago, you had never heard of me, and probably didn’t expect me to be standing here today, either. In some ways there has been a lot of change for me and for you over these last few weeks, and in other ways it seemed as if this day would never get here. But, certainly, for all of us there is a generous amount of uncertainty in the air. Who is this new pastor? What’s he going to do in our church? Or maybe the question is…what’s he going to do TO our church? How much change will there be? From my vantage point, the questions are different, but similar. What’s this new congr