MTP Sermon Resources

John 1:1-18 February 25, 2018 • Mount Pleasant UMC There’s something powerful about touch. A 2013 article in Psychology Today put it, “Touch is the first sense we acquire and the secret weapon in many a successful relationship” ( https://goo.gl/dcZvJE ). The article went on to discuss how babies especially receive messages from the touch of a parent, and how researchers have found that touch even mitigates pain when we are stuck with a needle. So, having someone hold your hand during that shot really does help; it’s not all in your head! We, however, have become a touch-phobic society. We fear spreading germs, or we fear being sued for what has become an ever-enlarging list of “inappropriate” touches. By the time we’re elderly, often the only times we’re touched is when someone gives us medical treatment. I’ve had people in nursing homes and hospitals tell me that very thing. It’s ironic; we know there is a bond, a connection that is made through the power of touch, and yet we

“Full of Grace and Truth” Sermon Study Guide for February 25, 2018 Scripture: John 1:1-18 The power of touch… The Word Made Flesh Genesis 1 logos debar sarx (flesh) Philippians 2:6 1 John 4:2-3 2. Full of Grace and Truth charitos hesed truth John 14:6 John 8:32 Revelation 21:4 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What are the common ideas in our culture today that John would use to communicate the same ideas about Jesus? What mode(s) of communication would he use today? What is the relationship between Jesus as the Word and the Bible as the word? What does it mean to you that Jesus “moved into the neighborhood”? How do you understand that? When have you experienced grace? What happened? How did it affect your life? What does it mean to say Jesus is the truth? How does the Christian conception of “truth” differ from the world’s idea? Scripture for the Week: Monday - John 2:1-25 Tuesday - John

John 21:15-25 February 18, 2018 • Mount Pleasant UMC Well, here we are at the beginning of another Lenten season. For some of you, Lent has always been a part of your year, and for others, the whole idea of this season is something new or strange to you. “Lent,” as far as you knew, was the stuff that collects in the bottom of your pockets or in the dryer vent! In the church, though, Lent is a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of the church. A season like this is mentioned in some of the writings of the church fathers as early as the late 100’s, though it was a much shorter season then, just a few days. The calendar we have now—in which Lent lasts for forty days and begins on Ash Wednesday—was finalized in the 500’s, and by then this season had become a time of preparation for the celebration of the cross and the resurrection. Lent is meant as a season of repentance, sacrifice and denial, which is why people often talk about what they are giving up for Lent, and why

“The Beloved” Sermon Study Guide for February 18, 2018 Scripture: John 21:15-25 Lent… The Gospel of John portrait… uniqueness of this Gospel… 2. The Person of John “the disciple Jesus loved” John 13:23 - Last Supper John 19:25-27 - the Cross John 20:1-10 - the Resurrection On the Galilean Shore… Do you love me? What about him? Amazed by Jesus’ love… Matthew 16:24-25 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What was your experience with Lent growing up? What do you understand to be the purpose of this season? What differences are there between John and the other Gospels? Why do those differences exist? How do they help us see Jesus better? What would we be missing if we didn’t have the Gospel of John? When have you been tempted, like Peter, to return to something familiar in the face of uncertainty? What happened? Do you love Jesus more than “these”? Why is it so easy to focus on other thing