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What Will Heal

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John 18:37-38 September 20, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC I feel like I need an announcer with a deep voice saying, “Previously on “‘Broken Signposts…’” because today we’re picking up the story in the Gospel right where we left off last week. So, in case you weren’t here last week, it’s the story of Jesus’ trial, in particular the part where he is standing before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. You might remember that Pilate was not a nice man and history probably would have forgotten him except for this one morning that was interrupted by the Jewish leaders demanding he do something about this Jesus character. They wanted something done about him because he was disrupting their nice, respectable religious practices. But that kind of accusation wasn’t going to fly with Rome, so they bring him to Pilate on charges of sedition, threatening the Roman government. Actually, in John’s gospel, they don’t name any specific charges, I’m guessing that’s so they can’t be accused of lying later....
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What Will Heal (Study Guide)

“What Will Heal” Sermon Study Guide for September 20, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: John 18:37-38 1. The Truth Is… “live your truth” “little white lies” 2. Pilate and Jesus “you say I am a king…” John 8:31-32 John 14:6 “What is truth?” John 4 - woman at the well 3. Finding Truth a. Follow _______________________ b. Tell the ______________________ John 14:17 - spirit of truth Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Why is Pilate in such a difficult position in the trial of Jesus? How do you think you would have acted if you were him? What are the challenges in talking about “truth” today? What problems are inherent in the encouragement to “live your truth”? Why do people today react negatively to Jesus’ claim to be “the truth”? How do you respond to that? What do you think Jesus would have said to Pilate if Pilate had lingered after asking his question? Respond to this statement: “Truth deals with the whole person.” Do you agree or disagree with that statement? Why?...
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From Another Place

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John 18:33-36 September 13, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC As we were reminded in our opening video, this past Friday was the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11. Twenty-five years. That does not seem possible. In many ways, it seems like just yesterday and then in other ways it seems like the changes that came because of that day have always been part of the fabric of our culture. An email from a friend of mine reminded me that on that day twenty-five years ago, I was part of a group of pastors meeting for prayer as the second plane hit the twin towers. Someone broke into our meeting to tell us what was happening, so we watched the news and then contacted the mayor to see if we could have a prayer meeting on the town square. By that evening, about a hundred people had gathered and we, as a wide-ranging group of clergy who didn’t always agree on everything, led the community together in praying for our nation and for our world. As I thought about that day, I tried to imagine that same scen...
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From Another Place (Study Guide)

“From Another Place” Sermon Study Guide for September 13, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: John 18:33-36 Twenty-five years… 1. Pilate and Jesus Are you the king of the Jews? 2. Power Pilate: “I have the power to crucify you…” Kingdom… from another place… “thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10) two kinds of power the power of suffering love Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Where were you on 9/11? What memories does this anniversary bring to mind? What kind of man was Pilate? Why was power so important to him? Why does power remain important to us today? In what ways do you see power being corrupted in today’s world? What is the difference between having power and providing leadership? Why do the disciples constantly expect Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom? What does it mean that Jesus’ kingdom is not from this world but is for this world? How would you describe each of the “two kinds of power” in this passage? What does “suffering love” look like to you? Scripture for ...
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