First Houston United Methodist Church

After a continuing rant on the aggravation of Daylight Saving Time (if you weren't here, this continued throughout the whole service), Andy settles in to tell the story of Jesus healing the blind man by rubbing dirt and spit in his eyes. But he also bounces out to show the big picture, and what the story really means for us. Plus, the time Andy almost went to church with Margaret Thatcher. John 9:...

To relate the story of Jesus healing the blind man by rubbing dirt into his eyes, Ann relates a story of a woman so trapped by a traumatic experience at school that she found herself unable to shake the experience for 40 years. This sermon is the story of her - and our - redemption. John 9:1-7 fmhouston.com

As part of his '40 Cups of Coffee' during Lent, Andy learns a fun new Charles Allen story about a couple who asked him to pray for their business, and the abrupt turn Charles ended up taking on it. Then, as Andy explores the deeper Christian calling that the returning, grateful leper represents, he talks about his recent travels in Cuba, and what it is like to be given an unreturnable gift, and wh...

Bill looks at the story of the Grateful Leper (Luke 17: 11-19), and examines it from all sorts of angles - what it meant to be a leper in Jesus' time, who these people were, and why it mattered that is was the Samaritan who came back. fmhouston.com

Ann takes a long look at the story of Jesus and the woman who was to be stoned for infidelity, working through it layer by layer. Along the way, she asks us how exactly we got into our own mess - and how we're going to get out of it. fmhouston.com

On his son's 19th birthday, Andy talks about the mixed messages the world sends people about what we're supposed to have together in our lives, and by when. Then, he looks at Ash Wednesday and considers the phrase "from dust we arrived, and to dust we return." As Lent begins, he calls for action and for us to go out into the world. fmhouston.com

In discussing the important in the gospel of dirt, Ann talks about leading the church's creative team through a talk about the dirtiest they'd ever physically been, and how an experience in Haiti changed her. Then she goes in and talks about being spiritually dirty, and how the memory sticks with her. Plus, the reveal of what she gave up for Lent is not to be missed. fmhouston.com

Andy introduces Lent on a misty Ash Wednesday by talking about Houston drivers, temptations at H-E-B, and the importance of following God in the midst of the fog of life. fmhouston.com

Our own Brant Wallace steps to the lectern again to look at Matthew 16, where Christ asks his disciples "who do you say that I am?" The verse leads into a question of discipleship, putting Christ at the center of our lives, and struggling through change to become the rock upon which Christ builds his church. fmhouston.com

Andy makes the case for the importance and necessity of the Church, and the way that changes the world around us. When the Holy Spirit moves in us, things change. fmhouston.com

On the day of the Super Bowl, Andy talks about being able to talk about what does matter as well as we talk about things that don't matter. As we lay out communion, Andy challenges us to accept the table that God has laid out for us "in the presence of our enemies." fmhouston.com

Ann shows us how the twenty-third Psalm is everywhere, from the windows of our sanctuary to the deepest parts of our faith. How do we pass down our faith from one generation to another? fmhouston.com

As we look at Hebrews 12 (the race that has set before us), we get a glance back at Andy as a high schooler, plus a look forward into some of the new things the church is launching in the coming weeks - including a promise to bail members out of jail if things go south. Finally, an offer for 40 cups of coffee over 40 days of Lent, to reach out into the congregation and the community. If you're int...

In a Sunday focused on the "then" from "Then/Now," Ann goes all over the place in history, including two different arctic adventures, Derek Redmond's heroic Olympic race, and the story of one of our own members, 88-year-old Mary Lewis, who was the oldest runner in the Houston Marathon last week. fmhouston.com

Post-sermon, Andy looks deeper into "The Second Mile." That means an look into Hammurabi's Code and the limits of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." Then, he asks the question, "do I want a God who gives me what I deserve?" fmhouston.com

Even after admitting that there's nothing in this verse he much likes, Andy puts a positive spin on the possibility of two of everything. Then he takes us into some difficult places to see what it looks in regular life when people are asked to give their coat, and give their cloak as well. fmhouston.com

To try to explain Jesus' lesson about the second mile, Ann talks about the firm taskmaster who is taking her through recovery from her knee surgery. Plus, historical context! fmhouston.com

Ann talks about her journey to a crumbling 4th-century church in Spain, and how she saw a church operating in both the Then and the Now. Then, she looks at the story of Jesus calming the sea, and also her memories of Hurricane Harvey - and how God calls us to be stormchasers. fmhouston.com

Andy breaks down the early, uncertain history of Jesus' early life, and makes a daring guess that perhaps Jesus wasn't a carpenter after all. Then, it's the story of Jesus calming the storm - or, as Andy refers to it, "the Story of Two Rebukes." Ultimately, it's a sermon about how the Gospel calls us as Christians to be stormchasers - to come into the storms ourselves, and to calm them. fmhouston....

In a sermon simulcast to every other service at our church, Andy talks about the history of the church, having a lack of vision, and looks ahead to the big things God is calling us to in the coming year. fmhouston.com

Andy comes back from Bamff with a warning about the decision-making process relating to the purchase of ski jackets, which leads into a quick parable about extension ladders, and then quite naturally into the story of Simeon, and the way to live a well-cultivated life. Plus, a quick encouragement going into the new year, and a story in which Andy lets us know which dumpster in Houston is "his" dum...

On Christmas Eve, Andy talks about the ways that we hear God's voice calling to us, and promises that this next year, he's going to learn a lot more Nigerian. FMHouston.com fmhouston.com

Why just preach Christmas Eve morning when you can preach Christmas Eve morning in candy-caned striped pants? It's the second year in a row, so it's tradition now. We better get used to it. Despite the ridiculous trousers, Andy looks forward and looks deep, at the divine gift that is the Christ, and what it means to deliver, and to be delivered. fmhouston.com

Andy indulges in some brief conspiracy theory talk before making his case you can learn a lot more about how to pastor a city from the SWAT team than you can from a lot of church conferences. And somehow, it all ties in with Mary's Song - The Magnificat . Luke 1:46-55 fmhouston.com

Ann gets so inspired by Mary's song – The Magnificat – that she called Terry at 10:30 the night before her sermon to see if she could get the choir to sing during her sermon (they obliged). Then she talks about the reversals that happen in life, wanted and unwanted, and the ways that those can change everything. Luke 1: 46-55