MTP Sermon Resources

Acts 19:23-41 October 16, 2016 • Mount Pleasant UMC Tom Wright sums up what happened well: “A huge gathering, assembled in the street and the public square. Faces flushed with excitement and anger…The chanting gets louder and louder, rhythmic and strong, summoning up the energy of blood, tribal identity and local pride. It’s designed to give energy to those going out to fight their battles, and to strike terror into their enemies. It often works” ( Acts for Everyone, Part Two , pg. 120). And while Wright is describing a football (or soccer) game in the United Kingdom, he could just as easily be describing a recent miracle here in the United States: the Cubs in post-season play! The energy and passion—not to mention the money—we as a culture put into our sports is truly amazing by any standard. And while I’m not knocking the Cubs or any other team, I often wonder why that same passion is not evident when it comes to matters of faith, things that last for eternity. This

1 Corinthians 13:1-8a October 9, 2016 • Mount Pleasant UMC There's nothing you can do that can't be done Nothing you can sing that can't be sung Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game It's easy Nothing you can make that can't be made No one you can save that can't be saved Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time It's easy Come on, now, everybody: “All you need is love…love is all you need!” I’m hoping that, perhaps after the service, someone can explain those lyrics to me and how they relate to the chorus, but nevertheless, most of us know that song. The Beatles reminded us and continue to remind us that “all you need is love.” On one level, that’s a very Christian statement, but on another (and probably the way most people understand it still today), it’s a very worldly viewpoint. To know which way it’s meant, I suppose, you have to know what is meant by love. And what do you need

Acts 16:16-30 October 2, 2016 (World Communion) • Mount Pleasant UMC Have you had a “midnight moment”? A time in your life when everything seemed just about as dark and desperate as it could be? It might last a moment, or it might last a lifetime—or somewhere in between. Midnight moments often come unexpectedly. They surprise us with their strength and ferocity, with the ways they take over our entire lives. Have you had a “midnight moment”? Midnight moments don’t always come at night, by the way. I remember one afternoon, many years ago, in the midst of a conflict with someone I had once called a friend, I faced one of many midnight moments in my life. No matter what I did or tried to do, I couldn’t seem to resolve this conflict, and it was honestly draining the life and the joy out of me. It had made me physically ill as well; the stress had affected my body. So one evening, I actually opened the want ads in the newspaper to see what else I might do for a job. I thi