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What the Light Shows

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John 3:16-21 August 12, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC The other day, Easton was at our house and we had played with I think just about every toy in the house. When Rachel came to pick him up, I told him we had to clean up, and I know I’m biased, but he’s pretty good about doing that. He began to pick up toys and put them back in their bins. And then he picked up one of the bigger toys and went to put it back but there was a problem. Something else had been put in the place where that toy went. Probably by Grandpa! So he stood there holding the toy while Rachel and I both tried to get him to just put it somewhere else. He didn’t want to do that because, in his mind, there was a right way to put the toys back (the way Grandma had organized them). And as I watched him try to figure out what to do, I couldn’t help but think how we are wired to want things to be made right. We want everything to be in order and the toys to go all back in the right place. When we get older, we have a name for ...
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What the Light Shows (Study Guide)

“What the Light Shows” Sermon Study Guide for August 9, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: John 3:16-21 1. God So Loved… what justice is why we long for justice Nicodemus salvation = ____________________________ 2. The Worst Injustice John 8 - woman in adultery the crucifixion the resurrection 3. Christian Justice participatory - John 16:8 injustice today Peter and the high priest’s slave Questions to Discuss or Ponder: How have you experienced just as a “universal human longing”? Why do we usually assume God wants to condemn the world or that God is mad at us? What does John’s Gospel actually say? What do the contrasts in John 3 (darkness/light, evil/good) tell us about the world and the God who made it? In what way is justice a “manifestation of God’s love”? Why is Christian justice participatory? Why doesn’t God just make it all right immediately? How have you experienced the Holy Spirit “proving the world wrong”? What is one thing you can do in your life today...
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At the Root

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John 13:31-38 August 2, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC At various times and in various places, I have attempted to put together furniture—bookshelves in particular. A book addict needs lots of bookshelves. And you know how it goes—you buy the box at Walmart or on Amazon and the picture looks so nice. Sometimes the demo model in the store even looks nice, and you start the project with such optimism. But then you open the box and discover two things. One, there are not real instructions, just poorly drawn illustrations with no words that attempt to show you how things are supposed to go together. And then, inevitably, either there is a piece or two missing or you break one of the pieces trying to insert tab A into slot B. It looks so simple in the picture and on the box! But it’s never as easy to put together as it should be. There’s something broken in the process. Almost everyone today would admit that something is broken in the process of putting our world together. Things don’t work....
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At the Root (Study Guide)

“At the Root” Sermon Study Guide for August 2, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: John 13:31-38 assembly… 1. The Final Meal washing feet… a new command: Leviticus 19:18 2. The One Nonnegotiable Matthew 22:37-40 a. _____________________________ Matthew 25:31-46 b. _____________________________ John 15:13 Romans 5:8 Matthew 16:24-25 The image of God… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What do you see on a daily basis that tells you the world is broken? What is the word “love” most associated with in the world today? Why? How does that compare or contrast to the Biblical definition of love? Why was John’s favorite sermon “Love one another”? Skim through some of the laws in Exodus or Leviticus. How does “love God, love people” sum up or relate to these laws? Have you ever participated in a foot washing service? What was that like? What message does such an action communicate? How does Jesus laying down his life demonstrate God’s love for us? When has someone sh...
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