United Methodist Church of Kent Sermon Podcast

God leads people not into private religion but into a community of faith. This was true in the Old Testament; and in the book of Acts, the first thing that happens after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is that people join in a community of faith together – the church. Worship is necessarily social, because the response to God always joins us with one another.

Christian faith means becoming a part of a salvation story; therefore our worship involves telling the story, and moves in the cycle of church seasons through the central story of Jesus. We are invited to find our place in the story. The video “It’s Our Time” was created by Igniter Media and licensed by Sermon Spice .

The function of sacrifice in Biblical worship as a means of atonement. Ultimately, Christ is the final atonement for our sins and the way by which we can receive complete forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

Through Christ, the final high priest, we are all made into “priests” in that we all have direct access to God, and we are all called to be leaders in particular ways, to be instruments of God’s grace in the world.

Fire symbolizes multiple aspects of God. It is mysterious.  It is dangerous – one approaches with respect and caution! At the same time, it provides warmth and light, guiding one’s way through the dark. It is powerful. Thus Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) and said he would baptize with fire, which is what happened on Pentecost. Reflecting about all this gives us a fuller unde...

Food has played a role in all religions, sometimes as a form of offering, and sometimes as a means of fellowship. The Scriptures call for an authentic “holy meal” in communion with Christ, and we are also drawn to include the Lord at our table throughout the week.

Human beings have always been drawn to create sanctuaries, which are strikingly different from the space around them, and people have often devoted their greatest effort to those spaces (e.g. Stonehenge, cathedrals, the tabernacle/temple). Sanctuaries remind us that we need to “step aside” from our usual routine to direct our spirits toward God.

The Scripture calls us to “come into God’s presence” (Psalm 100:2).  But is not God always present?  Yes, but people are often preoccupied with other things. So the Scriptures urge us to “come awake” (Matthew, Romans, Ephesians) to God. Worship is a movement of awakening and lifting our heart to God. People may “believe in God,” but faith is never really alive until it is expressed in worship.

We close the prayer ascribing glory to God. This is based on the ancient Jewish practice of closing prayer with a doxology. The life of faith ultimately lifts glory to God.

Rev. Douglas Denton examines where God fits in the overwhelming feelings of helplessness we can all experience.

We can and must look to God for deliverance from evil.

Temptation is a spiritual trial in which we are lured away from God. But God is with us in the midst of trial, to enable us to endure. To pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” is to look to God for strength hold firm in faith.

In this installment of the sermon series, Dr. Palmer discusses experiencing God’s forgiveness, and likewise forgiving others.

In this sermon, Dr. Palmer discusses trusting in God for what we need and looking to God as the source of what we most deeply need.

In this sermon, Dr. Palmer discusses seeking to bring one’s personal life, and one’s society, into harmony with the will of God.

The opening petition of the Lord’s Prayer directs us to focus upon God, recognizing God’s love, power, and goodness, and giving honor and glory to God.

Rev. Douglas Denton outlines some prominent themes in Paul’s letter to the  Romans .

The picture of God is as our heavenly Parent, who cares for us and who is perfectly good.  The beginning of prayer is to focus not on our needs but on God.

Jesus, in teaching about prayer, draws his hearers from thinking about how they look to directing themselves truly to God. Genuine prayer involves doing what Mary did – sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to what he was saying. This also means avoiding what Martha was doing – getting distracted by well-intentioned busyness!

Prayer as the practice of ongoing communion with God; prayer is not an emergency appeal to God but a receptive connection with God. Such prayer involves intentional focus; we need to “do things that draw us closer to God” (one of the Methodist General Rules).

We are all confronted by challenges that are bigger than us. What can we expect from God in those situations?

The question is this, “How are we to know if God is going to stand by us and keep the promises we have come to feel God has made to us?”

Faith in Christ involves not just feeling or sentiment but action – doing things that draw us closer to God, and engaging in ministries of outreach to others. We commit ourselves not simply to believe in God but to actively follow Christ.

In times of loss, we can find much in the Bible with which to identify, as many central Biblical stories are stories of severe loss, including a sense of the loss of God. Such loss comes to its climax on the cross. But in the depths God is at work, to open up a glorious future, as evidenced most of all in the Easter story.

There are many popular concepts of what heaven will be like, but what is the Biblical truth about heaven? Audi commercial referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrgq2CIag6M&t=4s