Camden First United Methodist Church

There are many books and passages in the Bible that have shaped my theology. In the closing weeks of my ministry here in Camden, I will be sharing those with you. Up first is Jonah. Jonah is the book that helps us understand the difficult role of a prophet in sharing God's radical grace with all people.

The last teaching of Jesus warns us about false prophets, false teachings, and the foundations of our faith. How do we know what we know? We should be curious about any teachings that contradict the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught a radical new way of relating to God and to each other. Over the centuries and empires, it has been watered down and even made toxic. But we can do better.

The is some form of the Golden Rule is every religion although many phrase in the negative of do not do to others what you would not want done to you. The positive phrasing is better. By age five, most of us learn to say it in Sunday School and can repeat back to parent's and friends. I do not remember anyone putting exceptions on it. There was no "except" or "only ifs". So why do we make so many...

Many non-Christians think of Christians as being overly critical and judgmental. So it is curious why the beginning of the 7th chapter of the Sermon on the Mount is missing from the Common Lectionary? We need to talk to each other about judgment versus discernment and how each bears witness to our understanding of Jesus.

The world has changed over my lifetime. Many of us are witnessing norms change and not for the good. Where is our hope? On this Easter Sunday, Jesus has given us hope.

On the Palm/Passion Sunday, we will be reflecting on Paul's letter to the church at Philippi and the importance of the second chapter to the health of the community of faith.

Do you worry? Jesus has something to say about that!

As we continue our series from the Sermon on the Mount, today we look at where we place our treasure and we question what that treasure looks like.

Jesus gives us an easy but powerful prayer to remember.

Today we start Chapter Six in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus address the three acts of piety in the Sermon on the Mount.

This is the first Sunday of Lent and we are staying with the Sermon on the Mount and its crucial teaching on discipleship. Today we will explore the last three "you have heard it said, but I say to you" teachings as Jesus tries to help us understand that God is not about do's and dont's but about love and relationship.

We welcome you to the sermon podcast of First United Methodist Church. This is the third week in the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus takes us into understanding how to study the law. It is not about do's and don'ts. It is all about how to have a relationship.

We are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are called to reflect the love of God that is reflected in the laws and commandments. 

In the Gospel of John, Jesus invites those curious about his ministry to "come and see." Later, when he calls them to follow him, he is asking them to put aside all else. We should ask if wqe are still just observing or are will following Jesus.

The lectionary for this week includes the famous words from Micah 6, the Beatitudes, and the second chapter of Paul's letter to the church in Corinth. So much of our religious fervor is focused on verifying that God loves us when we should be asking Tex Samples' question, "Can God change us?" If you want to understand the blessedness of the Beatitudes, ask how we can be changed.

John did not realize it, but when he baptized Jesus, the world changed. The Holy Spirit descended and there was a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." How do you changed the world?

The Lectionary for the Fourth Sunday in Advent in Year A features King Ahaz and Joseph, the fiance of Mary. The men were both in crisis and both knew the law but they made very different decisions.

Moses was the first prophet but perhaps John the Baptist was the last? John prepared the way for Jesus who changed everything. If you want to know what God is saying, Listen to Jesus. John had a clear message Repent & live lives worthy of the Gospel!

Many of us have never read the parables of the minas found in the Gospel of Luke because we look it over and think it is the same as the parable of the talents found in the 25th chapter of Matthew. Jesus tells this story after he visits Zacchaeus in Jerricho. It is the last parable before he rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. The parable gives despair but Jesus offers hope.  

Luke 18 contains one of my favorite parables - The widow and the bad judge. She persisted even when he refused to care. But we worship a God that does care so if our prayers are not being answered in the timeframe we hope for, do we persist? More importantly, do we believed God is good and cares about our well-being?

Jesus is invited to a Shabbat dinner with local Jewish religious leaders. We are not sure if Luke believed it was a set up but Jesus finally told the Parable of the Great Feast about that great heavenly banquet we talk about whenever we have communion. 

Today we look at Luke 10:25-37 which most of us know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In the first century, no Jew would have called a Samaritan "good" which proves once again that God shows up where you least expect it.

God is doing a new thing, creating a new heaven and a new earth. We must have the courage to believe at work towards that new Kingdom.

Everything Isaiah has warned about has now come to reality. God's people are in exile in Assyria and Babylon but now those in Babylon have the opportunity to return home and rebuild. It will be hard but Isaiah has words of encouragement. Isaiah 61:1-11

Today is World Communion Sunday where we celebrate the ties that bind us as a community to Jesus Christ. It is a great day to be reminded of the message of Isaiah 43.