MTP Sermon Resources

Psalm 13 November 26, 2023 • Mount Pleasant UMC The best songs “are born in the wilderness of suffering” (Card, A Sacred Sorrow , pg. 63). Over the last month, we’ve walked through just a very few of what are called psalms of lament, and I hope you’ve begun to discover this truth. There are times in our lives when we struggle, when difficulties present themselves, when we face challenges that threaten to overwhelm us. And it’s okay to talk about such things. It’s especially okay to talk about them with God because, as I’ve said over and over again, he can handle it. So we’ve talked about the importance of continuing to pray, staying in the conversation with God because he has not and will not abandon you. And we talked about the right way to complain, how to share our struggle with God. Then last week we discussed asking boldly, and moving from the complaint to the “yet,” where pain and belief live in tension. But that’s not the end of the story. There’s a final piece to lamentin...

  “Mysterious Ways” Sermon Study Guide for November 26, 2023 Downloadable Version Scripture: Psalm 13 1. The Pattern of Lament stay in the conversation… bring your complaints… ask boldly… 2. Choose to Trust key word: “_________________” a. I trust in ______________________________ hesed b. My heart _____________________________ Romans 8:35-37 Psalm 44 1 Corinthians 11:24-29 c. I will ________________________________ Ephesians 5:19 “active patience” Questions to Discuss or Ponder: “The best songs are born in the wilderness of suffering.” How have you learned the truth of this statement? When have you prayed, “Look on me and answer”? When you need to be reminded that God is faithful, where do you turn? What stories do you remember? How have you experienced the “unfailing love” of God? What part has singing played in your spiritual growth? What is your current favorite worship song? In what way(s) have you experienced worship as a whole life act? Wh...

Psalm 22:1-18 November 19, 2023 • Mount Pleasant UMC It was dark, darker than they remembered it being, especially in the early afternoon. It was certainly unnatural, but that was okay because the darkness matched their mood. Their teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, was hanging on a Roman cross, put there by their own religious leaders. Crucifixions were spectator sports in those days, so there was a large crowd gathered around the three crosses, a crowd which contained just a few followers of Jesus. They were probably mostly silent as they heard people in the crowd mocking him, watched as a title was put over his head saying “King of the Jews” and found themselves frustrated as the Roman soldiers gambled to see who would get Jesus’ clothing. Then the darkness came and everything had gotten quiet. A stillness had settled over the whole scene, broken only by the occasional groans from one or more of the men on the crosses beside Jesus. But Jesus himself was strangely silent—until that mo...

  “Where Pain and Belief Live” Sermon Study Guide for November 19, 2023 Downloadable Version Scripture: Psalm 22:1-18 1. “My God, My God…” forsaken, abandoned Jesus prays… the most important word: ________________ 2. Nine Prayers a. ________________________ b. ________________________ c. ________________________ d. ________________________ e. ________________________ f. ________________________ g. ________________________ h. ________________________ i. ________________________ Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Recall a time when you have felt like God was far away. How did you respond? How did you pray? What other words would you use to describe a feeling of abandonment? What images does that word bring to mind? What do you make of Jesus feeling forsaken by God the Father? What sorts of bold requests do you find in Psalm 22? Have you ever made any of those same sorts of requests of God? Why is “yet” such a critical word in this psalm? Which of the nine prayers...