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Waiting for the Promise

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Acts 1:1-5 October 25, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC Let’s imagine you have walked into an empty waiting room. I know, hard to imagine. No one else is there. Not a single soul. You have the whole place to yourself. What is the first thing you think? Maybe either, “Is this place even open?” or “Yes! I will be the first one called! I don’t have to wait very long!” I know that finding an empty waiting room is an unusual and rare occurrence, but when it does happen, it’s normal to be excited. Because we don’t like to wait. That’s been a theme in these weeks. We are a culture and a people built on speed, efficiency, getting things done, and doing them now. In food establishments, employees are measured by how fast they can get the orders out—and usually it’s measured in seconds, not in minutes. Instant downloads, instant deliveries, immediate satisfaction. Waiting is hard and we don’t like it. And maybe that’s been a struggle for you even in this sermon series (and maybe you’re secretly glad ...
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Waiting for the Promise (Study Guide)

“Waiting for the Promise” Sermon Study Guide for October 25, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: Acts 1:1-5 1. The Promised Messiah 400 years… Hiding in the upper room… together 2. The Church Still Waits… “the now and the ___________________________” “Come, _________________________” Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What is the longest you have ever had to wait for something? What happened and did the wait end well? What would it have felt like for the people of Israel to wait several generations for the arrival of Jesus? Why did Jesus tell the disciples to stay in Jerusalem? Could he not have found them elsewhere? What does it mean to us today that the church began in “uncertainty, tension and waiting”? Why is the word “together” so important in our waiting? What difference does the presence of others make in your times of waiting? What is the church still waiting on today? How well do we do being willing to wait on God’s time? How does the promise of Christ’s return give ho...
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Take Heart

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Psalm 27 October 18, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC The path to ordination in our denomination is long and somewhat complicated. It involves study, including earning a master’s degree, writing papers, having interviews and gaining approval by a Board. It’s more complicated now than when I went through, and having been a part of the Board that does the approving, I’ve sometimes wondered if I would have made it through today. But let me tell you what it was like for me. While I was still in seminary, I was writing papers for my professors while at the same time writing papers and answering questions for the Board. Once my ordination papers were submitted, I had to wait to find out when I would be interviewed. And once the interview was granted, I had to come back to Indiana—Kokomo, specifically, I still remember it—from Kentucky and wait to be called into the interview room. Then after it was all over, I had the long drive back to Kentucky where we waited to get a phone call as to whether o...
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Take Heart (Study Guide)

“Take Heart” Sermon Study Guide for October 18, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: Psalm 27 Multitasking… 1. “One Thing” (27:4) Mark 10:21 Luke 10:42 Philippians 3:13-14 2. The Question 1 Kings 3:5 Mark 10:46-52 3. Waiting Be strong… Take heart… Wait… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Recall something you had to wait a long time for, something that would impact your future. What was your attitude? What do you remember from that time? How well do you multitask? What happens when you have many demands on you at once? What was the psalmist’s “one thing”? What is your “one thing”? Had you been Solomon or Bartimaeus, how would you have responded to the question asked of them? Why is it important that “wait” is a command in this psalm? What does that say to you? Where in your life do you currently need courage? Who has God placed in your life that can “loan” you faith and courage during your current waiting period? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Mark 10:17-31 Tuesday - ...
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