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Light Living

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1 Peter 2:4-10 June 21, 2026 (Father’s Day) • Mount Pleasant UMC “I’ll know it when I see it!” I bet you’ve said that phrase a time or two. Maybe you’ve been out shopping for the perfect gift for a family member—or that thing for the person who has everything—and you tell someone, “I don’t know what I’m looking for but I’ll know it when I see it!” Or you head into the kitchen, craving a snack, and when someone asks what you’re looking for, you say, “I don’t know but I’ll know it when I see it! Or my stomach will!” Or you’re looking to hire a new person, and when you’re asked what kind of person you want for the job, you might even say, “I don’t quite know yet, but I’ll know them when I see them.” Our “word of life” today is kind of like that in that it’s a hard word to define or to give a good description of (cf. Gupta, 15 New Testament Words of Life , pg. 162). That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try, of course, because the word that comes from 1 Peter is a vitally important word, es...
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Light Living (Study Guide)

“Light Living” Sermon Study Guide for June 21, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-10 1. Holiness be holy… Leviticus 11:44 Moses (Exodus 3) Isaiah 6 2. Who We Are a. A ___________________ People Genesis 12:1-3; John 13:15 b. A ___________________ Priesthood c. A ___________________ Nation Philippias 2:10 d. A ___________________ People 3. Light Living a. A _______________________________ b. ___________________ Differently c. ________________________________ Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What made the ground holy in the story of the burning bush (Exodus 3)? Why do we often refer to places as “holy”? What makes them “holy”? How does the phrase “set apart” begin to convey the idea of holiness? What does it mean that holiness is wherever God is? If being chosen is a privilege, what does that mean for the way we live our life? Why are we tempted to presume upon privilege rather than serving others? What difference does it make in your life if you t...
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Do

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James 1:22-27 June 14, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC How many times had he been to the top of this mountain? I mean, he wasn’t a young man anymore. He was on the other side of eighty years old, but every time the eternal God wanted to talk to him he had to climb the mountain. Up the mountain to talk to God, down the mountain to talk to the people. Rinse, repeat. If only Zoom had been a thing then—he wouldn’t have had to do so much climbing! But it wasn’t and so he went up when God called and down when God commanded, and he told the people everything that God had told him. “Here are the laws, the rules, this is the way God wants you to live," Moses told the gathered people of Israel. And the people with one voice responded: “Everything the Lord has said we will do” (Exodus 24:1-3). That little two-letter word “do” has caused all sorts of problems and confusion for people of faith throughout the centuries. Today it is common to hear (and I’ve even said) that religion is all about “d...
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Do (Study Guide)

“Do” Sermon Study Guide for June 14, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: James 1:22-27 1. James on Religion John 7:5 - unbelief “to the twelve tribes scattered” 2. The Things We Make Religion Into a. _______________________ b. _______________________ c. _______________________ 3. True Religion Matthew 5:17-18 - the Law will not disappear a. A tight _______________________________ (1:26) b. Look after ____________________________ (1:27) c. Don’t get _____________________________ (1:27) Questions to Discuss or Ponder: In what way(s) does “love” underlie each of these “words of life”? What is the significance of James’ letter being sent to “the twelve tribes scattered”? How does that include us? What attitudes have you encountered about “religion”? What is true and what is false about each attitude? How are each of the things we make religion into actually a false idol? In what ways can the tongue do damage to people and to our world? Who are the vulnerable and marginal...
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