willowwind78

[willowwind78]

Ifs

Isaiah 58:9b-14 Do not trample the sabbath How many of you believe the words of the Old Testament? How many of you then just got really nervous about our world today as I read this passage from the prophet Isaiah? Because you should. We are Christians, Thank the Lord our God every day for that. As Christians, we are not subject to the Laws of Moses, therefore, we do not believe, for the most…

[willowwind78]

Selling Hope

Hebrews 11:29-12:2 The faith of the Hebrew people It is time, my friends, to share with you my love of K-dramas. One day, a couple of years ago, I got tired of American television. Everything felt the same. The morals seemed a bit loose and jumbled, the story lines weak and unengaging. I felt like I was being sold a culture that I no longer wanted any part of. Sex, drugs, excessive…

[willowwind78]

Shameless

Luke 11:1-13 PITY ON THE HOUSE If you grab your Bible dictionary off the shelf and look up the word “pity” you will find it tells you to look somewhere else. It tells you to reference “loving kindness” or “mercy.” It is presented as a choice to do something rather than an obligation. It is an attribute of God and a commendable virtue in human beings. So why then, do we as a society, people who…

[willowwind78]

Prophets of Old

Amos 8.1-12 A famine of hearing God’s words This is what the Lord GOD showed me: a basket of summer fruit. Anyone filled with dread and foreboding right now? Behold! A Basket of summer fruit! How about now? No? Hmm… that’s probably normal. Most people are not prophets of God. Most people aren’t expected to see what no one else sees. I know this will come as a big surprise to none of you but I…

[willowwind78]

"Somebody To Love"

Luke 10.25-37 The Good Samaritan “Somebody To Love”Queen – Somebody To Love (Official Video) Can anybody find me; Somebody to love?Ooh, each morning I get up I die a littleCan barely stand on my feetTake a look at yourself in the mirror and cryTake a look in the mirror and cryLord, what you’re doing to me? (Yeah, yeah)I have spent all my years in believing youBut I just can’t get no relief,…

[willowwind78]

[willowwind78]

Font Size

Galatians 6:1-16 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! If you thought Font Size was a modern concept, I am happy to tell you today that you would be wrong. When we are excited about something and want it heavily emphasized, we will often write it big and bold. Keep in mind of course, in Paul’s day, this would be considered a waste of paper. Hence why writing big was…

[willowwind78]

God is love. Love is God.

Galatians 5.1,13-25 Love is the whole of the law Complete the sentence. God is ___. How many of you would complete this sentence with love? God is love. The overwhelming majority of people would. Now, complete this one: Love is ___. How many of you want to say God? Love is God. Okay, that’s all well and good and logical but what happens when God commands us to love God and one another? How do…

[willowwind78]

1 +1 = (15+33-24)/12

Galatians 3.19-29 Clothed with Christ in baptism Truth is honesty but it is not opinion. Truth is not found floating on the surface but must often be dug out with a shovel or a backhoe. Truth applies to all while opinion applies only to the one who speaks it. For example, the Galatians said that circumcision was essential to being a true Christian. Paul wrote to them because they were trying to…

[willowwind78]

Truth Be Told

John 16.12-15 The Spirit will guide you into the truth Ever tell a white lie? A lie that seems so small you think its insignificant? Maybe this morning you told someone you liked their shirt but you really don’t and now you’re questioning whether their judgment is sound enough to pick where you’re going to lunch today? We often tell white lies because we want to spare someone’s feelings.…

[willowwind78]

Generation Image

How many of you have been to a restaurant lately, or maybe even a family dinner and most of if not all of the people sitting at the table looked like this… What was your gut feeling? How many of you feel angry? Indignant? Wonder what on earth is wrong with these people?! Excellent. Because your parents and grandparents thought the exact same thing about you! Why can’t they sit still? Why don’t…

[willowwind78]

I In Them and You In Me

John 14.1-14 We’re going to do something today we don’t generally do. Everyone who can stand up. Now, I want you to leave your seats, and greet as many people in this sanctuary as you can by saying the following “Hi! My name is…” even if they already know you, and then listen carefully when they say the following back to you “Hello… repeat person’s name. My name is…” Try not to fight too long…

[willowwind78]

Trauma-Informed Church

            Trauma is a form of suffering whereby the person’s capacity to respond to and integrate the experience is severely impaired. [1] Victims continue to see the world through this “lens of trauma” through persistent, intrusive, or distressing images or recollections of the event(s).[2] “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by…

[willowwind78]

Hope Statement

Hope is healing, not restoration. In healing, scars remain where wounds once gaped. The original is not recreated as it once was, but has been changed into something new. Each mark, each reshaping, each grotesque malformation of flesh and soul are reminders of what once was but no longer is. A reminder of where one has been, but not a dictator of where one must go. Hope lies not in forgetting but…

[willowwind78]

What's It Mean?

Revelation 21:1-6 New heaven, new earth The End of Days. Not something we talk about a lot as a Methodist church. Methodists are not prone to stand on street corners and shout, “Repent for the end is near!” It’s just not our thing. That doesn’t mean we don’t believe in the end of days. We do. We believe there will come a day when this earth is no longer in existence as we know it. We believe…

[willowwind78]

Get Rid of the Apostrophe

Acts 9.36-43 Welcome to one of my least favorite holidays of the year. Mothers Day. A day set aside by the church to offend countless women since 1907. I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t start attending church until I was a teenager. I started attending church to sing in the choir, not of my own volition so much as my mother couldn’t stand hearing me sing the Phantom of the Opera anymore so…

[willowwind78]

Should

The Resurrection According to John- Should He is risen! This morning, we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. We gather together here in this sanctuary to be revitalized, to be changed, to be infected by the Holy Spirit. Or maybe you’re just here, to check off a box that says I attended church this year! To please your parents or grandparents. There are all kinds of reasons why you might be…