From The Pulpit of DUMC

Rev. Hockett's sermon emphasized the importance of moving beyond "dead orthodoxy" to a living faith that truly embodies God's love. He shared a personal story about navigating COVID restrictions at a restaurant, illustrating how following the letter of the law can sometimes miss the spirit of it. Drawing from John Wesley's transformative experience at Aldersgate, Rev. Hockett reminded us that true...

Rev. Jim Humphries explores the theme of fear in his sermon "Fear Not." Drawing parallels between childhood memories of "The Wizard of Oz" and Isaiah 6, he challenges the perception of God as a terrifying deity. Humphries emphasizes the message of love and reassurance in scripture, advocating against living in fear and promoting a God of forgiveness and mercy. He encourages listeners to embrace th...

Rev. David Hockett's sermon on Pentecost Sunday reflects on the dichotomy of life's beauty and challenges. He begins with personal anecdotes about movable feasts like Easter and Christmas, humorously illustrating the concept. He then delves into the complexities of life, acknowledging moments of celebration as well as tragedy, referencing recent events and existential questions. Drawing from Ezeki...

Rev. Dianne Lawhorn's sermon reflects on the inevitability of transitions in life, drawing parallels between a child's first day of kindergarten and Jesus preparing his disciples for his departure. Through Jesus' prayer in John's Gospel, she emphasizes the importance of remaining connected to God amidst worldly challenges, seeking protection, unity, and joy in faith. Lawhorn underscores the value...

Rev. David Hockett delivers a sermon reflecting on the recent United Methodist General Conference, emphasizing its diversity and the importance of love and unity in making decisions. He discusses significant conference outcomes, such as removing language excluding LGBTQ individuals and adopting revised social principles. Hockett underscores the Methodist tradition of connection, highlighting its g...

Recently, there has been a lot written and said about how churches are declining, becoming less relevant, and what needs to be done to reverse that trend. This week’s reading from John suggests that the answer is not another program or strategy, or in clever leadership techniques. What is required is our remaining in Christ. Discipleship requires us to remain connected to the One whose promise cou...

Bishop Christian Alsted begins by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to preach at Davidson UMC, reflecting on the value of freedom and its significance in different contexts, notably in Ukraine. He shares insights on the concept of freedom, reflecting on personal limitations and the deeper freedom found in following Jesus's teachings. Drawing examples from scripture and experiences in Ukrain...

For many of us, we think of Easter Sunday as the end of our Lenten season. So, Easter Sunday comes and goes and we settle back into life as if we've moved back into ordinary time. Instead, we should celebrate Easter as a season where the transformation that happened during our Lenten journey is lived out, alongside of the reality of the resurrection. This Sunday, we will be looking at Luke 24:36-4...

Easter morning and the empty tomb are behind us, but Jesus continues to amaze and surprise in the hours and days that follow. While the disciples are locked away in fear, Jesus appears among them and peacefully breathes the Holy Spirit upon them. But Thomas is not with the disciples that first evening, so he misses out on seeing the resurrected Lord. Was Thomas the only disciple not afraid to be o...

Hear the good news of Easter. The crucified Son is also the risen Lord. The victim is also the Victor. The stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, the darkness is dispelled, the light shines, a new day is dawned. We are an Easter people. Not a Good Friday people, not a Saturday-life-in-between kind of people, but an Easter people. So, whatever fear, or loss, or guilt, or shame, or brokenness, or...

In the story of our faith, Jesus - King of the Jews, Savior of the world, God in the flesh - enters the holy city of Jerusalem in humility. He comes riding not on a war horse, not in a king’s chariot, not carrying a sword, but in humility on the back of a beast of burden. There is no ticker-tape parade, no marching band, no “Hail to the Chief”, no “God save the king”, no flowers thrown, no dignita...

In a recent gathering of pastors, Adam Hamilton noted, that there is the world as it is, and the world as it should be. The world as it should be is what we often refer to as the Kingdom of God. We see the world as it should be in Jesus. That is, in the way Jesus lived, welcomed, forgave, shared meals and table fellowship, healed, fed, and loved everyone, everywhere, we see what the world as it sh...

As we conclude our book and sermon series this Sunday on Adam Hamilton's "Unafraid", we'll explore events that happen to us all: aging, illness, and death. While some of the fears that grip us in life are often unwarranted, it is beyond doubt that each of us will, in fact, become sick, get older, and die. So how do we cope with our fears that accompany these certainties of life? The Bible, and Jes...

If time allowed, we could work our way around the Sanctuary on any given Sunday and hear stories about how life can be overwhelming, leaving us worried and afraid. Apocalyptic tragedy and devastating loss, welcome and unwelcome change, concern over finances and the future, and fear of what we might miss if we make decision or take one path over another, can all leave us overwhelmed, worried, and a...

This Sunday, we continue in our Church-Wide Study "Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times" by Adam Hamilton. We'll be looking at Part 3: Failure, Disappointing Others, Insignificance, and Loneliness. We will learn from Psalm 139 about what it means to discover our identity within our relationship with God. This relationship should be primary in our lives. It should be the place...

DUMC is hosting a Church-Wide Study through March 10 on the book "Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times" by Adam Hamilton. This Sunday’s sermon relates to Part Two in the book: Crime, Race, Terrorism, and Politics.

On Sunday, we begin our congregation-wide book study and a 5-part sermon series using Adam Hamilton’s Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times. Fear is pervasive. It undermines relationships, makes us suspicious of others, is the root of much conflict and war, and is counter to the Gospel’s command to love. On Sunday, we’ll reflect on Isaiah’s encouragement to Israel to counter fe...

In this week’s reading from Mark (1:29-39), Mark tells us that Jesus is in the region around the Galilee traveling from synagogue to synagogue teaching and healing, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. When the crowd began to die down, while it was still night, Jesus got up and went out to a secluded place to pray. Simon and the others went looking for him, and when they found him, the...

This week, we gather to celebrate the dedication of DUMC’s new facilities. These beautiful spaces represent a significant investment in DUMC’s future and are an expression of our commitment to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of our community and the world. We are grateful for all who helped make this day possible and look forward to seeing you on Sunday for one combined servi...

This Sunday, we will hear a familiar scripture passage, when Jesus calls his first disciples and says: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people." Jesus says this to four men (Simon, Andrew, James and John) who all happen to be fishermen for a living. I wonder what metaphor Jesus might have used had his first disciples been shepherds, rather than fishermen - perhaps "follow me, and I will...

he season of Epiphany invites us, like Nathanael and the other disciples, to come and see (John 1:43-51). And upon seeing, to then be in the world in a different way, to embody Christ’s better way of being human, to live and love like Christ. So that, part of what it means to live the way of Christ, is learning to see people. And not just the people who are obvious, or who the world makes it easy...

This week we will observe Baptism of the Lord Sunday. We’ll hear again the story of Jesus’ baptism (Mark 4:1-11), and stepping into the water once again, we’ll remember our baptism, or look forward to the day when we will be baptized into life with Christ. Baptism reminds us of who we are, a people who are loved by God and who are made for relationship with God. So, we begin this new year in hope...

The second chapter of Luke’s gospel reports the angel’s joyful announcement to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid…to you is born this day…a Savior.” Working our way through Diana Butler Bass’s Freeing Jesus, we’ve considered what it means to experience and know Jesus as Friend and Teacher – as one who both invites us into loving union with God and who teaches us how to become all that God created us...

Wesley envisioned and organized Methodism to be a school for holiness, that is, a community of prayer, study, worship, service, and accountability through which we learn how to love God and love neighbor. Discipleship then, is a way of life, it is about how we learn from Jesus to be human the way God intends for us to be human. In this week’s reading from John (13:12-17), Jesus teaches us that if...

There is a sense in which we cannot ever really know Jesus apart from a willingness and commitment, however imperfect, to follow him. This is because Jesus is not an idea to be debated. Jesus is a person, alive and among us, who wants to be known, who loves us and wants to be in relationship. And like all relationships, our friendship with Jesus takes time, and effort, and attention. This week we...