MTP Sermon Resources

When Christians Clash Matthew 18:15-22 April 28, 2019 • Mount Pleasant UMC It was the right hook that took him down. It was unexpected, but then nothing about that Sunday morning at Emmanuel Church had gone as planned. This quiet community on the outskirts of Boston was ill-prepared for what turned out to be a genuine church fight. And though what I’m about to share sounds like a reality show, it is in fact a true story. The trouble had started a few years back when the founding pastor had retired. He had been there for twenty-five years and was well-loved in the community. Emmanuel Church was congregational, so they put together a “pulpit committee” which spent five months selecting their new pastor. Anticipation was high as Donald Waite began his ministry, but soon people began to notice that he dealt with people in very unhealthy ways. He seemed to always get his way at business meetings, and he used what he learned about people against them. Four months into Waite’s minis

“When Christians Clash” Sermon Study Guide for April 28, 2019 Scripture: Matthew 18:15-22 1. They’ll know we are Christians by our… John 13:35; 17:21 Psalm 133:1 2. Jesus’ Process for Handling Conflict a. The reason for going to someone b. Step 1: ___________________ (18:15) c. Step 2: ___________________ (18:16) Deuteronomy 19:15 d. Final step: _____________________ (18:17) Must surround this step with _______________ (18:18-20) Gentiles and tax collectors… Matthew 11:19 – Jesus, friend of… 3. Forgiveness How many times? (18:21-22) Where two or three are gathered…the presence of Jesus Questions for Discussion and Reflection Think of a time when you were in the middle of conflict. What was the setting? How was it handled? What was the end result? Why do conflicts in the church seem to be much more difficult to handle? Reflect on this statement: “People often know us [the church] more

New Beginnings John 20:1-10 April 21, 2019 (Easter) • Mount Pleasant UMC In the 1920’s, so the story goes (and it may or may not be true), author Ernest Hemingway was having lunch with several friends when he bet them he could write a complete story in six words. His friends were hesitant to take the bet, but Hemingway told them to each put in ten dollars, and if when he was done they decided he hadn’t done it, he’d match that ten dollars back to each of them. So they took the bet, and Hemingway quickly scratched out six words on a napkin, which he passed around to all those gathered at the table. After reading the story, the friends gave him the money, and this short story is considered among his best writing. The story was this: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Some here have lost a child (we did too), and you know what a painful story those six words tell. You know the longing for hope that rests behind those words. And whether the story of Hemingway’s story is tru

“New Beginnings” Sermon Study Guide for April 21, 2019 Scripture: John 20:1-10 Ernest Hemingway: “The world _____________ everyone.” 1. Sunday Morning Trips to the garden tomb… Mary Peter and John They weren’t expecting ________________________ Belief John 11:24 – Lazarus 2. New Beginnings We don’t do “new” well… If Jesus was raised from the dead… 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 The worst thing is never _________________________ “Do it again!” Mark 10:15 Questions for Discussion and Reflection Where have you experienced the brokenness of our world? Where have you experienced the truth of Hemingway’s words: “The world breaks everyone”? What do you imagine was going through Mary’s mind as she made her way to the garden that morning? What is a death that has made a significant impact on your life? Which evidence for Jesus’ resurrection might impact you the most? Why? What does it mean to you to “bel

The Worst Day Luke 23:26-49 April 19, 2019 (Good Friday) • Mount Pleasant UMC I’ve had a lot of bad days, but none of them compare to this day. I came late to the party, you might say. Being from Cyrene—you might know it as Libya—I had been staying outside the city with some friends and had just come in for the day with my two sons, Alexander and Rufus, to take part in the Passover celebrations. And because we’d been outside the city since yesterday evening, staying with friends, we had no idea how Jerusalem had changed overnight. When we had left the day before, the city was bustling with energy and excitement over the holiday celebrations. I was looking forward to sharing this holiday with my sons. They’ve had a difficult time since their mother died, and I thought the Passover in Jerusalem might be a healing time for them. And so it had been, until this day, because when we came to town this morning, it was an altogether different place than it had been just yesterday.