MTP Sermon Resources

John 20:1-18 March 31, 2024 (Easter) • Mount Pleasant UMC It’s dark. And it’s quiet. The sun has not yet risen, and everyone is still waking up after the Sabbath rest. It’s Sunday morning in a world where darkness meant you stayed put until light came. It wasn’t always safe to travel in the dark. And yet, there in the garden are three women who are moving about with determination and dedication. Their friend, Jesus, had been executed just days ago and hurriedly buried in a borrowed tomb by their friends Joseph and Nicodemus. Mary Magdalene had been one of those who had stayed until the end, until the moment when the huge rolling stone was locked into place and all hope was gone. Jesus was dead. He was gone. And everything he had taught and said and lived out seemed to be gone, too. There was only one thing left to do, really: finish the burial. Because sundown had been approaching and the Sabbath was beginning, his burial had been quick and incomplete. These women, then, come to the

  “Take That!” Sermon Study Guide for March 31, 2024 Downloadable Version Scripture: John 20:1-18 1. Resurrection Morning remembering… grave robbers…where is his body? “I have seen the Lord!” 2. What It Means ghosts & apparitions? evidence & verdict new bodies new heaven & earth “Take that!” “where he is not” Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What do you think was going through the minds of the women as they made their way to the tomb? Why do you think no one was expecting what Jesus said about “rising again” to be true? Why is it still difficult for people to believe? Why are we more likely to assume “grave robbers” as the explanation rather than “resurrection”? Why does Paul say we are “most to be pitied” if Jesus isn’t really raised? Why is the resurrection so important? What is the difference between the way we usually think about “life after death” and what Jesus’ resurrection actually promises? How are we able to say “the worst thing is never the last th

Matthew 27:62-66 March 29, 2024 (Good Friday) • Mount Pleasant UMC And so, Jesus was dead. Of that there could be no doubt. His followers had seen him die, watched as he gave up his spirit. The Roman soldiers made doubly sure by thrusting a spear into his side, leaving a gash from which blood and water flowed. Pilate, the Roman prefect, had confirmed his death and Nicodemus, a secret follower of Jesus, had taken the body down and buried it in his own, new tomb which was nearby. Jesus was dead. He had spent the last three years preaching and teaching and training his disciples. They had become convinced he was the Messiah, the Savior of the world. And now he was dead and gone. His body was laying in a tomb behind a huge, heavy rolling stone. Those disciples were in hiding, mourning the loss of their friend and rabbi. Have I made my point? Jesus was dead. So why were the religious leaders still so agitated? Why were they still worried about Jesus? Well, at some point in the proceedin

John 19:28 March 29, 2024 (Good Friday Noon Community Service) • Mount Pleasant UMC Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). It wasn’t that long ago when the two disciples (or their mother, depending on who you ask) came to Jesus and did what children do to their parents: “We’re going to ask you something, you only have to say yes.” Their request? To sit in the positions of power when Jesus was in his “glory,” when he established his kingdom. In other words, they were trying to get ahead of the rest of the disciples, get their bid in first. Jesus had paused, looked down at the ground and shook his head. “You don’t know what you are asking,” he told them. “Can you drink the cup I drink?” The two nodded confidently. “We can.” Then Jesus looked up, stared them in the face and said, “You will drink the cup I drink” (cf. Mark 10:35-39). Last night, when he gathered them for the final time, in

Luke 22:14-23 March 28, 2024 (Maundy Thursday) • Mount Pleasant UMC They had just put the finishing touches on the room set-up when the others began to arrive. Earlier in the day, Jesus had sent the two of them, Peter and John, to prepare the borrowed space where they were going to have their Passover meal (22:8). Yes, it was a day early, but they had learned over the last three years not to question Jesus when he was giving instructions. So Jesus had said do this, and they had gone and done as they were told. There was no lamb (cf. McKnight, Luke , pg. 328) because the lambs wouldn’t be prepared until tomorrow, but they could still have a nice, quiet somewhat-Passover meal tonight. It was the first evening they had been in Jerusalem. They had spent the days here, but every evening they had gone back out to Bethany to stay the night. So there was anticipation but also anxiety. The usually rambunctious crowd of disciples and followers was somewhat subdued as they entered the room. W