MTP Sermon Resources

Who’s Your Father? John 8:31-47 March 29, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC It is one of the most famous scenes in cinematic history, and I was going to show it to you, but since we’re streaming and I’m not sure of all the legalities of that, I’m just going to describe it to you. Chances are you’ve seen it unless you’re Pastor Rick (but in case you haven’t I’ll put a link to it in the notes - http://bit.ly/mtpvader ). It’s from the 1980 film, The Empire Strikes Back —yes, Star Wars —and it’s the climactic scene, the lightsaber battle between fledgling Jedi Luke Skywalker and the most evil man in the galaxy, Darth Vader. Luke, if you remember, is an orphan, having been raised by his uncle. His father, he has been told, was killed during the Clone Wars. But a twist was coming that no one expected, not even the actor who portrayed Darth Vader. He was actually given other lines to say and then James Earl Jones’ voice was dubbed over his with the real lines because they wanted to keep the

Scripture Readings for the week of March 22:  Monday: Isaiah 41:1-10 Tuesday: Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Wednesday: Matthew 23:13-37 Thursday: Mark 3:1-6 Friday: John 1:1-14 Saturday: John 8:31-47

When Jesus Lost the Debate Mark 7:24-30 March 15, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC Well, friends, only 8 more months of the presidential race to go! Doesn’t it seem like it has already been going on forever? The Democratic side started with I’m not sure how many candidates, but it was enough that last year they had to take two nights for their debates. Now, we’re down to basically two candidates, and some are even calling for an end to the primaries since the favorite seems to be Joe Biden. Then there are those debates! It seems we have had more debates this round than ever before, and they have been—let’s just say “louder” then ever before. Of course, we love to debate. Just look anywhere online and watch how people go at it, trying to prove their point, trying to convince the other person that they are right. However, I have yet to hear anyone say, “A debate on social media changed my mind and corrected the course of my life!” It doesn’t seem to happen, but that doesn’t stop us. I

“When Jesus Lost the Debate” Sermon Study Guide for March 15, 2020 Scripture: Mark 7:24-30 8 more months… 1. Jesus Goes Abroad Syrian Phoenicia Gentile dogs… 2. Provoking Faith Peter & Cornelius… Jesus… The “Good” Samaritan… “Go and do likewise” “Breathe and bless” Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Where do you see racism evident in your everyday life? How do people usually respond when they are racially insulted (like being called a “Gentile dog”)? Why was it enough for this woman to get the crumbs? How did God get Peter’s attention on racial issues in Acts 10? Why were Samaritans so disliked by the Jews? In what way does similar racism rear its head today in our own community? What did Jesus mean at the end of the parable when he said to “go and do likewise”? What is one way you will intentionally “breathe and bless” this week? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Acts 10:1-18 Tuesday - Acts 10:19-

Gimme That Old-Time Religion Mark 9:42-48 March 8, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC When I was in youth group at Rossville Church, our leaders were Dave and Carol Bushfield, and a few years after I left for college, Dave became a local pastor. He served for several years at a small church, and we would run into each other at Annual Conference. I remember one particular conversation with Dave and a group who had gathered, probably in the Cokesbury bookstore display, and we were talking, I think, about how the way we do “church” had changed over the decades and how what we call “hellfire and brimstone” preaching seemed to have gone by the wayside. That was a good thing, as far as some there were concerned. But Dave had a different perspective. He spoke up and said, “It’s true we don’t talk about hell as much as we used to. But we’re also not saving as many souls as we used to, either.” And that was pretty much the end of that conversation! It seems to be human nature to believe t

“Gimme That Old-Time Religion” Sermon Study Guide for March 8, 2020 Scripture: Mark 9:42-48 “Hellfire and brimstone” sermons… 1. Jesus on Hell “missing” verses causing little ones to stumble… “it would be better…” Gehenna 2. Where God is Not Does God send people to hell? A response to evil… Jesus’ command…Matthew 28:16-20 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What is your image of hell? What is your “stumbling block”? What causes distance between you and Jesus? How does the idea of “Gehenna” help you understand hell better? Respond to this statement: “Hell is where God is not.” How do you respond to someone who says a loving God would never “send” someone to hell? In what way is eternal punishment a just response to evil? How will others see the love of Jesus in you this week? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Matthew 5:21-26 Tuesday - Matthew 7:7-14 Wednesday - Matthew 10:24-33 Thursday - Matthew

Cursing the Tree Matthew 21:18-22 March 1, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC Let’s imagine for a moment if someone stood up outside the White House in Washington and raised a megaphone to shout something like this: “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49). What do you suppose would happen? Especially if nearby they had a blowtorch, they would likely be tackled, the megaphone would be taken away, they would be arrested and dragged off to a psych unit somewhere. And that’s just for starters! Well, I don’t know if you realize it or not, but those are actually words from Jesus, recorded in Luke 12. It’s in the middle of a section where Jesus is talking about the end of the world while at the same time telling his disciples not to worry, he’s got this. He’s also talking about how his presence brings divisions, even to families, and in the midst of that is this strange statement about burning up the earth. It’s a rather strange and some