MTP Sermon Resources

Mark 7:31-37 May 28, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC As if we needed another reminder, we couldn’t help but be surprised, shocked and filled with all sorts of other emotions as bombs exploded at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, Great Britain Monday night. Initial reports had 22 dead and 59 more wounded in an attack ISIS claimed responsibility for. I’m wondering, though, what your response was. We’ve gotten so immune to the broken places in our world that sometimes it’s hard to even feel anything about such things happening. On Tuesday, I emailed a friend of mine who is serving with Cru or Campus Crusade in Birmingham, England, about 2 hours from Manchester, and asked her what the mood was in that place, because I remember what it was like here when our home soil was attacked. Sarah said this: “I think the mood is sad and shocked. I am hopeful that the body of Christ across the UK can be a light for Christ in the darkness and hold out the hope that only He can provide.”

Mark 4:35-41 May 21, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC We have had some storms lately, haven’t we? It’s been a very stormy spring. In fact, near the end of the week before last Sunday, there was doubt about whether we’d have power for worship or not—electrical power, that is. Holy Spirit power is never in doubt. It’s always “on.” But around town, and very close by, the storms did a lot of damage. I read on Facebook about many of you being out of power, or having trees down. We didn’t experience any of that at our home this time, though so far in our time in Terre Haute, the storms have taken down a basketball goal and several trees in the back of our property. And for many people, the storms have produced anxiety. When storms come upon us quickly, like the last one we had a week and a half ago, they can produce uncertainty, surprise and fear. The same was true for the disciples of Jesus two thousand years ago. We’re continuing to explore the life of Jesus through the eyes of

Mark 1:40-45 May 7, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC Everyone loves a good story, but as Samwise Gamgee reminds us in that clip from the film “The Two Towers,” the best stories are about the things that matter, the things that last. We all tell stories about our lives, about things that have happened to us or to people we know. Some of the most enjoyable times in our lives are sitting around with family or friends sharing stories, though it is often interesting to watch people try to outdo one another with “I’ve got a better one than that” type stories. You know what I’m talking about; you’ve tried to do that yourself, haven’t you? But the best stories, the ones that stick with us, are about the things that really matter. Ultimately, the best stories are about eternal things. What sorts of stories does a man in prison tell? A man who knows his final days are near? What sorts of stories would he share with the few who come visit him during that time? He might remember and talk