MTP Sermon Resources

“A Place By the Hearth” Sermon Study Guide for December 16, 2018 Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 Notes on Scrooge…. Notes on Joseph… Valuing Relationships… Readings for the Week: Monday - A Christmas Carol , Stave Three Tuesday - Matthew 2:13-18 Wednesday - Luke 2:22-35 Thursday - Matthew 22:34-40 Friday - Romans 12:9-21 Saturday - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Resources for Moving from Humbug to Hallelujah Hamilton, Adam. Faithful . Abingdon, 2017. Kalas, Ellsworth. The Christmas People . Abingdon, 1998.

Dance of the Heart Luke 1:39-49 December 9, 2018 • Mount Pleasant UMC There is no other time of the year like Christmas. The closer we get, the more the anticipation builds. For me, Christmas is such a patchwork of memories. I remember as a kid always helping to put up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving evening, a tradition we have continued in our family. I’ve told Cathy before that I don’t even know why that’s so important to me, but it is. So is not playing Christmas music until Thanksgiving evening, a rule she routinely breaks when I’m not around! I remember Christmas cutout cookies—the sugar ones, with lots of icing and sometimes sprinkles. Santa, reindeer, snowmen and bells—those were the four shapes we had. I remember going to Rossville and sitting on Santa’s lap, putting out cookies and milk on Christmas Eve, then waking up early on Christmas morning and running down the stairs to see if the guy in the red suit had come through for us again this year. And with the way...

“Dance of the Heart” Sermon Study Guide for December 9, 2018 Scripture: Luke 1:39-49 Notes on Scrooge…. Notes on Mary & Elizabeth… Finding joy in the season… Readings for the Week: Monday - A Christmas Carol , Stave Two Tuesday - Luke 1:1-4 Wednesday - Luke 1:26-38 Thursday - Luke 1:46-56 Friday - Luke 2:51-52 Saturday - Nehemiah 8:9-12 Resources for Moving from Humbug to Hallelujah Hamilton, Adam. The Journey . Abingdon, 2011. Kalas, Ellsworth. Unlikely Gifts . Abingdon, 2018.

Link by Link Luke 1:67-79 December 2, 2018 • Mount Pleasant UMC For many of us, music is, if not central, it’s close to central in our lives. We’re surrounded constantly by music, especially this time of year. Life has a soundtrack, from the radio in the car to the muzak in the store. When I got my first iPod, I was excited that I could take more music with me than ever before. I mean, whoever dreamed we could carry 10,000 songs in our pockets! Now, my iPhone constantly connects to the cloud, and every song I’ve ever purchased is available to me at any time. I won’t tell you how many songs that is, but it’s significantly more than 10,000. Let’s just say I could go for a little more than two months, listening to music 24 hours a day and not listen to the same song twice. Then there’s the music we hear in the coffee shop, the restaurant, and everywhere else; music is everywhere. Life has a soundtrack, and so does the Christian faith. Many of us grew up learning our faith th...

“Link by Link” Sermon Study Guide for December 2, 2018 Scripture: Luke 1:67-79 Notes on Zechariah…. Notes on Scrooge… Finding freedom from the chains… Readings for the Week: Monday - A Christmas Carol , Stave One Tuesday - Luke 1:5-25 Wednesday - Luke 1:57-66 Thursday - Galatians 6:7-10 Friday - James 5:13-16 Saturday - Matthew 25:31-46 Resources for Moving from Humbug to Hallelujah Mains, David & Karen. From Humbug to Hallelujah . Mainstay, 2002. Rawle, Matt. The Redemption of Scrooge . Abingdon, 2016.

“Another Chance” Sermon Study Guide for November 25, 2018 Scripture: John 21:1-17 Failures… Thanksgiving Assessment… Another chance… A comeback… 2. Peter - John 21 The Look from Jesus… The God of grace… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: When have you felt like a failure? When have you known someone who confronted failure in their life? For what are you most thankful this year? What have you done in the past year to cultivate an “attitude of gratitude”? When have you been given another chance? How did you respond? How did that affect you? What does a genuine comeback look like? Why does John’s Gospel continue into John 21? What does that chapter add to the story already told? In what way do you need to experience another chance? Can you share that need with someone you trust? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Romans 3:21-26 Tuesday - Habakkuk 3:1-19 Wednesday - Hebrews 10:19-25 Thursday - 2 Samuel ...