Troubled Hearts – Sermon on John 14:1-14 for Easter 5A

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What troubles your heart these days?
There’s plenty to trouble us: wars all over the globe, gun violence, the economy, politics, … disease. Sometimes, these troubles seem so pervasive, we become numb to them. We simply can’t process any more grief, any more pain, any more anger. And sometimes, one particular trouble amplified others that were already brewing – troubles in our homes, and in our relationships; financial troubles; questions of our own value and purpose. Sometimes, it seems we have more questions than answers.

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We Had Hoped – Sermon on Luke 24:13-35 for Easter 3A

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On Easter Day, we saw the Resurrection from the viewpoint of those women who were the first to arrive at the empty tomb, and last week we heard the same story from the perspective of those disciples who were closest to Jesus, but Thomas was missing that day. He had to come back a week later, to experience the risen Lord.

Today, we hear the same day’s story, but it’s from the perspective of some followers of Jesus who were not among the twelve, but they had followed Jesus closely enough to have been deeply affected by the events of the previous 72 hours. Continue reading →

So You Might Believe – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for Easter 2A

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It’s still Easter. Put yourself in the upper room for a moment. Imagine what it was like to have waited there together over the Sabbath, hiding behind locked doors. All your hopes and dreams have been crushed. The One you thought would free you from oppression has been brutally executed. You are afraid. Then something happens that you can’t quite explain, and you aren’t sure you can believe. Continue reading →

Who Will You Tell? Sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 Easter A

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April 16, 2017

For those of you who haven’t been with us throughout the season of Lent, let me bring you up to speed. We’ve been reading a book together called Unbinding Your Heart. It’s about learning how to share our faith. Some of you are here today because someone handed you a green card and said, come worship with me on Easter. Welcome! We are really glad you accepted the invitation.

You need to know that, before the person who invited you here today put that card in your hand, a lot of us were praying for you, not even knowing your name. Our hearts are getting unbound, and I hope that today, your heart will be opened, too, so that you can let in a little bit of the love that is filling this church.

Last Sunday, I talked about expecting the unexpected when Jesus shows up. We considered the fact that Jesus is always with us, but we have to start expecting him in order to see him. And it was a Sunday full of unexpected surprises.

One of the behind the scenes surprises was that the palms did not get delivered as we had expected. I had gone to bed Saturday night expecting to improvise, inviting everyone to wave the palm of your hand. But Cleo, faithful servant that she is, went to HyVee early Sunday morning to pick up the palms, so we had leafy branches to wave after all.

Claire brought her whoopee cushion to the children’s message. That was unexpected. Continue reading →

What Did You Expect? Sermon on Matthew 22:1-11 Palm Sunday A

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So tell me, how has Jesus shown up in your life during your Lenten journey, and how has reality matched your expectations?

Throughout Lent, we’ve heard of miracles and conversations with Jesus that changed lives – sometimes entire communities.  All of these stories have something in common. In every case, God shows up in unexpected ways. And the signs Jesus performs all point to one truth: Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus might be asking us, “Well, what did you expect? Didn’t you think I would show up? Don’t you know that I am with you, even to the end of the age? And shouldn’t you expect me to be faithful to work in your lives, just as I did then?

If nothing else, the season of Lent teaches us to be alert to God’s presence as we grown in faith. That growth doesn’t just happen – we cultivate it through service and solitude, prayer and study, fasting and feasting. And we have to expect God to use us in unexpected ways. Continue reading →

Picking Up Your Mat – Sermon on Mark 2:1-12 Lent 5A

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March 27, 2022
Video

When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” – Mark 2:1-12

Imagine what it must have been like to live in Capernaum when Jesus lived there. Have you ever wondered what Jesus’ house must have looked like? When he called his first disciples, and they asked where he was living, he had said, “come and see.” So he must have had some place he called his own when he was in town. As the word spread that Jesus was home, people started to gather outside his door. Pretty soon there was a whole crowd.

In that crowd, there are four people. They have a friend who can’t walk. Now, this story doesn’t tell how these people decided to carry this guy to Jesus’ house. It doesn’t say if they felt awkward bringing him to Jesus. It just says that tey did. When they arrive, they face some obstacles. Continue reading →

Putting Down Your Jar – Sermon on John 4:5-42

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You can find the script for this message here. This account of the Samaritan woman at the well was first preached in 2014, a few months after I began an appointment as First UMC’s pastor. Three years later, this text fit quite well in the Unbinding Your Heart sermon series. On March 15, 2020, this was the last message preached in an “in person” worship service before First UMC moved all worship and activities online due to the COVID pandemic. I changed appointments in June, 2020, before in-person worship resumed. 

Sometimes, a first-person story gets to the heart of the matter more effectively than a description of events. Sometimes, talking about the Word doesn’t mean as much as simply speaking the Word from inside the story. So on this fourth Sunday of Lent in 2017 (third Sunday of Lent in Year A, if you follow the lectionary cycle), I put on a scarf and told the story of the Woman at the Well from her perspective. UPDATE: In 2022, Willmar United Methodist Church had also been reading Unbinding Your Heart together, and it was time to hear from Photine (that’s what Orthodox Christians call her) once more. Here’s the video.

As you meet Christ at your own personal well, may you recognize what the people from Sychar recognized: Jesus is the Savior of the world. That means he is the Savior of you.  Believe this Good News!

Identity Markers: One with Each Other – Sermon on Philippians 4:1-9

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This is Part 3 of a 5-part series on “Identity Markers”
Video from October 11, 2020

We are in the middle of a worship series on “identity markers” – what makes it clear to others that we belong to Christ? Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi has helped us pinpoint the attributes of Christian life that mark us as Christ’s own beloved children.

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Heading for Deep Water – Sermon on Luke 5:1-10

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March 12, 2017
Watch a video of this sermon here. 

If you’re a guest today, you have come into a church that is on an exciting adventure with God! We’re spending the 6 weeks of Lent together inviting God to change us in any way that God wants to. The Spirit of God is moving in our church. Some of you have told me stories of the Spirit working as you talk about what’s happening with your small groups, your prayer exercises, and reading the book Unbinding Your Heart.

Would you like to join us? There’s still time to join a small group this week. In fact, one group meets right after coffee time in the pastor’s study today. There’s one early on Tuesday morning, and a couple of groups meet on Wednesday night as part of Family Night. Thursday options include an afternoon study and an evening group. Whichever group you join, we’ll bring you up to speed!

Here’s what we know so far: mainline Christian churches are rapidly declining in membership and influence in our country. We’ve grown reluctant to bring new people into Christian faith, and that reluctance prevents us from sharing our faith with others.

Last week, we explored why it makes a difference in our lives that we are Christians. We considered what our motivations might be for sharing the Christian faith with people who don’t have a faith. We considered that some of us don’t have a dramatic faith story to share, like Paul on the road to Damascus. Some of us are more like Ananias. Our personal stories might not be very dramatic, but God can use us as the domino that tips someone else into following Jesus.

In fact, there’s someone here today who has had just that kind of experience. I’d like to invite her to come share her story with you. Kris?

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The Paul Problem* – Sermon on Acts 9:1-19a

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February 27, 2022
Video

Have you ever been jealous of people who can tell a dramatic conversion story? Some people. Like the apostle Paul, have a clear “before and after” testimony of how Jesus Christ has made a difference in their lives. Paul, still known as Saul in the story you are about to hear, did not start out as a fan of Jesus.

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. A moment ago, we heard the story of Jesus taking his closest friends up on a mountain, where Jesus is revealed to them in his heavenly form, in a burst of light. But those disciples weren’t the only ones to see Jesus in a blaze of glory…

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