by Stacey Hilliard | Jun 18, 2023 | Sermons
The main things I learned about Zacchaeus growing up came from the song we sang in Sunday School about him. We learned from that song that Zacchaeus was so short, he had to climb a tree to be able to see Jesus passing by. But Jesus noticed him up in the tree, told him to come down, and honored Zacchaeus by going to dinner at his house, which made Zacchaeus very happy.
That song encompasses all the elements of the story (from Luke 19:1-10) except for, you know, the main point. What is the main point of that story and why is it relevant today?
by Stacey Hilliard | Jun 11, 2023 | Sermons
When God plucked Abraham out of his home in the city of Ur and told him to go to a new land, God promised that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Abraham was 75 years old; but he got up and went. As we celebrate our graduates, we’ll look at what it means to be blessed, and the calling that we all share to use those blessings for the good of the world.
by Stacey Hilliard | May 28, 2023 | Sermons
The culmination of our Easter celebration is the day of Pentecost. While the dove is a common symbol of the Holy Spirit, so is fire, which is why the United Methodist logo has a flame in it. Acts 2 describes the Holy Spirit as descending on Jesus’ disciples with a rushing wind and tongues of flame, accompanied by a miracle of speech as the disciples began speaking in other languages. Join us in exploring the message in the miracle.
by Stacey Hilliard | May 21, 2023 | Sermons
While Jesus’ ascension into heaven is a moment that fills Jesus’ disciples with awe and wonder, they did not get to go along with him. They are still very much earthbound and wondering how to move forward. Acts 1:14 tells us that they “were constantly devoting themselves to prayer.” But what does that mean?
– Pastor Anne
by Stacey Hilliard | May 14, 2023 | Sermons
While Mother’s Day is not a religious holiday, the Bible is full of stories about the hardships of motherhood and commands to care for women and children. Here in the United States, we are not good at caring for mothers. As the chart here shows, we have the highest rate of maternal mortality in the developed world.
But living through the actual birth is merely the first challenge faced by mothers, both historically and today. So, this Mother’s Day we will focus on the challenges facing mothers in our world and how we might embody our prayers for them. BonnieJean Butler will join me in the sermon to highlight the plight of mothers in a war zone and how we can help.
– Pastor Anne
by Stacey Hilliard | May 7, 2023 | Sermons
One of Jesus’ more famous sayings is also problematic for many people. “I am the way,the truth, and the life,” Jesus says in John 14:6, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Let’s look at the problems caused by common interpretations of that verse and how Jesus might actually be pointing in a different direction.
– Pastor Anne
