Lakeside United Methodist Church

Sermon: The Case of the Unknown God Scripture: Acts 17:22-31 (NTE - New Testament for Everyone) Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: The Apostle Paul didn't have a lot of downtime (at least when not in prison), usually devoting all of his time to spreading the good news of the Gospel. But circumstances led him to have to kill time in the city of Athens. What resulted was one of the most uniq...

Sermon: Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life Scripture: John 14:1-7 Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: When kids have a parent they trust, they will follow them virtually anywhere without needing to know where they are going or why. As they grow older, they start to ask out of curiosity but then later out of self interest, wanting to be sure that following is worth it for them. In our...

Sermon: Care Packages Scripture: Philippians 4:10-20 NRSV Speaker:Joel Pancoast, Co-Director of the Gator Wesley Foundation  Together we get to dream about how to build connections. It is our connections that illustrate the Kingdom of God to the world, because through connection we overcome differences with love and we hold our diversity as a blessing.

Sermon: Resurrection, Revelation, Reconnection Scripture: Luke 24:13-16, 30-35 Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: We live in a world of deep and growing disconnection. Even the affiliations that used to hold us together can feel like they are falling apart. But the Church is equipped with the good news about the only connection that can truly last: a community centered on the truth of the...

Sermon: Control Your Calendar, Change Your Life Scripture: Isaiah 58:13-14 Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Many of us can feel like our calendar runs our life at times. You're right, and it is even worse than you think! But there are other ways to structure our time, other calendars we can choose to live by, and one in particular is designed for our good.

Sermon: Do Not Fear Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10 Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: The most repeated command in the Bible is actually not to love. Jesus said loving God and others were the greatest commandments, but the most repeated throughout Scripture? Do not fear. In fact, this is the first command the risen Jesus gives on the first Easter. Perhaps it is only after we overcome fear that...

Sermon: Practices from the Cross Scripture: Luke 23:34a Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Why do we practice spiritual disciplines like worship and prayer, study, serving, giving, and sharing? Just because we are told to or is there more to it? In his words from the cross, Jesus shows us how these disciplines can sustain us in even the worst moments, allowing us to remain focused on being...

Sermon: Share Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16 Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: If you want to know who has the best tacos in town, a computer can tell you information like locations, hours, and menu items, but they have no experience on which to draw. On the other hand, a human can rave about incredible flavors, but if they can't remember where they got them, it is no help either. To faithful...

Sermon: Give Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21 Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: The moments when we have the opportunity to exercise our faith in extraordinary ways are quite rare. And when it comes to disciplines like giving, we may only be able to make a truly sacrificial gift once or perhaps a few times at most. But our willingness to rise to these moments isn't usually something that comes...

Sermon: Serve Scripture: Romans 12:1, Mark 12:28-31 Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Our culture has a paradoxical relationship with serving. We admire and honor those who live lives of service, while at the same time chasing being seen as important, influential, or in charge. The discipline of service is about becoming neither famous nor a pushover. Rather it is a unique way of living t...

Sermon: Study Scripture: Psalm 19:1-4a Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Hearing God's voice is a common challenge. Even when it comes to reading the Bible, it is not uncommon to have seasons in our lives - or whole sections of the Bible - where we struggle to understand what God is actually trying to say to us today. The spiritual discipline of study is about learning to listen and pay a...

Sermon: Worship and Prayer Scripture: Psalm 95:1-7 Speaker:  Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: If you were to ask someone what rituals or practices Christians are supposed to engage in, they would probably say worship and prayer. Even non-Christians know these are supposed to be central to our faith, and yet for many Christians, worship and prayer can feel like a routine or even a chore. Part of le...

Sermon: Jesus Doesn't Give Up on You Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description:   One step forward, two giant steps back… That's how it must have felt when Peter went from being called "the rock upon which I will build my church" to being likened to Satan. If our own inconsistencies in life and faith have ever left us wondering where we stand with God, the story of the Tra...

Sermon: Perfecting Our Echo Scripture: John 14:8-16, 25-26 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: The word "discipleship" is not in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and yet it is a word we use in the church a ton. And that can be kind of a problem, especially if we are a bit fuzzy on its meaning even in the church. But there is a natural phenomenon we are all familiar with that can give us a mod...

Sermon: The Love You Had at First Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13, Revelation 2:1-5 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Things can get old after a while - from favorite songs or favorite meals to jobs to even relationships. The things that we were once excited about or couldn't live without become things we take for granted or even resent. What do we do when that happens in our relationship with...

Sermon: Dash Scripture:  Hebrews 12: 1-3   Speaker: Troy Antonik Description:  Do you feel that your life is full of busyness and you continually run from one thing to the next?   That's when it's time to push pause for as long as it takes to make sure you are running in the right direction, running with the right mindset and running the right race.   The race marked out for us with our eyes fixed...

Sermon: Purpose: What You're Here to Do Scripture: Luke 4:16-21 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description:  If you think about all the different ways people have described Jesus, you'd have a hard time believing they're all talking about the same person. Jesus' life and ministry was varied, and he did many different types of things. But what unifies everything about who Jesus was and what he did wa...

Sermon: Values: What Means the Most to You Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Having had his identity revealed and declared at his baptism, Jesus still does not yet launch into ministry. In fact, Jesus heads into a place that may seem odd for God to send the beloved Son: testing in the wilderness. But it was important for Jesus to decide and declare what meant the...

Sermon: Identity: Who You Are and Why You're Here Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: There are a million good things you can do with your time, talents, and resources - not to mention the endless bad things too. If we just jump in aimlessly, doing whatever seems most right or urgent in the moment, we may accomplish a few good things. But if we follow Jesus' lead a...

Sermon: We Don't Eat Trash In This Family Scripture: Philippians 4:6-8 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: What started as a throwaway line to a dog became a convicting challenge: don't eat trash. And it isn't just a practical diet tip, but one that can and should apply to what we take in across our lives. As we kick off a new year, let's heed the Bible's call to focus on what is good.

Sermon: Somebody Must Love You Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: In many neighborhoods on Christmas afternoon, you will find children out taking their new toys for a spin. They want to be seen because they are excited to show off what they got. God wants us to feel the same way about the gift of Jesus.

Sermon: God Will Be With Us Scripture: Mark 1:1-9, 14-15 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: At Christmas, we don't simply remember and celebrate Jesus' coming 2,000 years ago. But through this retelling of the story, we are to see ourselves in the shoes of those waiting and ultimately receiving the presence of Christ. The same God who has been with us in the past and is with us in the prese...

Sermon: God Is With Us Scripture: Luke 2:6-20 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Angels, shepherds, glory. Divine being, smelly field hand, that which is embodied by shining clouds among other incredible manifestations. It sure seems like one of these things is not like the other. But part of the heart of the Christmas story is that they all belong and are connected by the one called Emmanu...

Sermon: God Was With Us Scripture: Matthew 1:1-17 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Every family tree tells a story - many stories, actually. Some we love to share, some we try to hide, and many are lost to history. But they all point to where we came from and who we are, and it is no different with Jesus. Sermon Series: Present Description: As we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus,...

Sermon: For Yourself Scripture: Luke 2:25-38 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: On our final week of preparation for the Christmas season, we turn our question around on ourselves: what do we want for Christmas for ourselves? Examining our heart and its God-inspired longings is not selfish, but rather part of how we intentionally make the kind of space in our lives that Jesus wants to fill....