MTP Sermon Resources

Luke 1:5-20 November 30, 2025 • Mount Pleasant UMC Stories shape us and every family has its own story, a narrative that defines who they are and who they are not (cf. McKnight, Luke , pg. 9). When we come to the season of Advent, we are entering in one of the most famous stories of all, a story that has shaped believers for centuries. It’s the story of a man and a woman and a baby boy born in a little town that they weren’t supposed to be in. It’s the story of government interference that forced them from their home—not once, but twice. The second time they even had to leave the country! It’s the story of a night that wouldn’t have been all that holy or silent to those who were there. And while the baby rightly takes center stage, there are a lot of other people who come in and out of the story to make what happens in the little town of Bethlehem possible. This Advent, for the next few weeks, we’re going to look at some of those characters who are sometimes in the shadows, on th...

  “Broken Dreams” Sermon Study Guide for November 30, 2025 Downloadable Version Scripture: Luke 1:5-20 1. A Priestly Family childless… broken dreams and faithfulness 2. Encounter With an Angel Holy of Holies… angels - Isaiah 6:1-5 “do not be afraid” “How can I be sure of this?” Silence - Space - Time Advent is a time of hope Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What stories shape your family? What are the stories that are always told when you get together? How do you think Elizabeth & Zechariah dealt with their childlessness? Who have you known who has had to deal with that? What did they do? What broken teams have invaded your life? How do we generally respond to people who appear to be faithful but have had unanswered prayers? What would it have meant to Zechariah to be chosen to perform the sacrifice? How would you respond in such a situation? How do you envision an angel? Why do they always begin with calming words? How do you think the “conversation” between E...

Deuteronomy 10:12-22 November 16, 2025 • Mount Pleasant UMC We’re about to enter—or maybe we’re already in—the “you deserve it” time of the year. Every advertiser from cars to coconuts will be telling you that whatever they have to offer (i.e., sell) is something you deserve. You deserve that expensive trip. You deserve that upgraded car. You deserve a break today! You owe it to yourself to have the latest and greatest. Just put it on the credit card or layaway. Take it home today because—you deserve it (cf. Goldingay, Numbers & Deuteronomy for Everyone , pg. 129)! We believe this message so much that in 2024, we spent $994.1 billion throughout the holiday season, a number doubled in just twenty years. We are third in the world for Christmas spending, by the way, only slightly behind Germany and Canada. $994.1 billion—that’s almost a trillion dollars spent during one season, because we deserve it. But what have we done to “deserve” it? What makes us so deserving? Is it beca...

“Outside the Circle” Sermon Study Guide for November 16, 2025 Downloadable Version Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:12-22 “You deserve it” 1. Who God Is (10:14-15) Matthew 6:9-10 - “hallowed be…” He chose them… John 15:6 - “You did not choose me…” 2. Circumcise Your Hearts (10:16-19) goading an ox mark of the covenant the heart… blessed - Genesis 12:2 Jesus and the outcasts woman taken in adultery woman at the well thief on the cross Fear the Lord… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Where do you currently most hear the message, “You deserve it”? What is implied by that message and its sender? What does it feel like to be chosen (i.e., team, family, etc.)? What does it mean that Jesus chose you? In what ways do you experience people being stubborn? How have you experienced God’s people being stubborn? What is the “goad” that God uses most in your life to point you in the right direction? In what way(s) does the law call people in rather than keep them out? How do...