MTP Sermon Resources

Philippians 2:1-11 July 19, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC When the kids were little, there were several different games we would play together, probably like most of you have done with your kids and grandkids. We had a big backyard in those days, so if the weather was nice, we would go out and play kickball. Somehow I was always the pitcher and was never able to get either one of them “out.” And if the weather wasn’t so nice, we would play “hide and seek” in our house, except Rachel would usually tell me, “I’m going to go hide in the upstairs bedroom, then you come and find me.” Even so, I seemed to have a hard time finding her! And then there was that perennial favorite that we didn’t so much play with the kids as we watched them play with their friends—you know the game, “Follow the Leader.” Whatever the leader does and wherever the leader goes, that’s what everyone in the line is supposed to do. A similar game kids love to play is “Simon Says,” and no one ever stops to a...

Exodus 3:11-14 January 15, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC In the late 1800’s there was a tightrope walker named Charles Blondin who routinely amazed people with his daring acts. In those days, one of his especially daring acts was when he strung a tightrope across Niagara Falls and in front of 10,000 screaming people, he inched his way from the Canadian side of the Falls to the American side. As he arrived on the other shore, the crowd was shouting his name: “Blondin! Blondin! Blondin! Blondin!” Once he was firmly on the American side, he raised his hands, quieted the crowd and called out, “I am Blondin! Do you believe in me?” And the crowd shouted out, “Yes, we believe! We believe! We believe!” When the crowd had quieted down again, Blondin said, “I am going to go back across the tightrope to the other side, only this time I am going to carry someone on my back. Do you believe I can do this?” And, again, the crowd’s excitement was almost tangible as they cried out, “We bel...

Matthew 16:13-20 January 8, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC Sermon Study Guide I was in third grade when I got my first pair of glasses. As best as I can remember, my teacher, Mrs. Mercer, noticed me squinting at the chalkboard and suggested to my parents that we have my eyes checked. We did that, and the doctor said I needed glasses. It was amazing how much better things looked when my vision was corrected, but I have to tell you: to this day I dread going to the eye doctor. When they put that big machine in front of your face and switch the lenses around…you know what I’m talking about. Is this one better, or this one? A or B? 3 or 4? I keep thinking, “What if I get it wrong? I’ll be stuck with these glasses (or, today, contacts) for a year or so! What if I completely screw up my vision?” Does anyone else ever feel that way or is it just me? To me, vision is so very important—so much so that I asked my doctor a number of years ago about switching to a different kind of co...