Grace UMC (Greensboro) Sermon Podcast

What does it mean and why does it matter today that we believe in one God and not many? Today our series Vintage Faith continues, looking at the most important prayer of the Old Testament, found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. View on YouTube here.

Today we are talked about the "Mother of Methodism," Susanna Wesley. But Susanna is far more than the mother of John and Charles, she was a strong, independent, godly woman who broke stained glass ceilings centuries before women in ministry was commonplace. To explore Susanna's story, we looked at 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, in which Paul offers guidance about being "co-workers" with God. Bottom line: Christ is the one foundation, not optional decoration.

On May 14, 2023, High Point University Professor of History Dr. Frederick Schneid was our special guest following worship to discuss how J.R.R. Tolkien's experiences in World War 1 impacted the writing of his Rings trilogy. Dr. Schneid is a military historian and a Tolkien aficionado. This was part of the small group connected to our series The Lord & The Rings. We are grateful to Dr. Schneid for sharing his time and expertise with us! (This is not a sermon, but many folks could not be present due to Mother's Day obligations and requested a recording.)

Even in a cynical and skeptical age, we are still drawn to the idea of eternity. It pops up in our movies, TV, music, and art. It is certainly a major theme in Tolkien. What is the truth behind this trope? How does the gospel answer this longing? Today we are looking at life after life after death as we explore 1 Corinthians 15:12-19! We'll also make some stops in Middle Earth along the way...

Today we continued our series The Lord & The Rings by looking at the theme of atonement in both Scripture in Tolkien's works. In particular, we will explore 1 John 1-2 while we look at the arc of Boromir, who dies a redemptive death saving his friends. Why does atonement matter? What does it mean for our lives? Join us as we continue our journey with Jesus into Middle Earth! Bottom line: Sin makes forgiveness possible; sacrifice makes forgiveness possible. (Note: the audio was cut out for the Scripture reading, we apologize for that issue.)

Why do friends matter for the life of faith? What does Jesus own teaching and ministry tell us about the value of relationships? We will look today at Jesus calling the first disciples in Matthew 4, and connect that to the theme of fellowship and friendship in Tolkien's world. Bottom line: What Jesus begins by calling friends, we carry on in community.

How do God's people respond when evil is on the rise? This week we looked at Esther's pivotal choice in Esther 4:12-17 as we continued our series on Tolkien's connections to Biblical truth. Just like Frodo deciding to take the Ring to Mordor, Esther faces a choice that will determine the fate of the people that she loves.  Bottom line: Evil thrives in silence but dies in daylight.

Today we began a new series looking at echoes of the gospel in J.R.R. Tolkien's literary world. We looked at Psalm 8:1-9, as we explored connections between the biblical view of creation and Tolkien's idealized world of the Shire. What does the lifestyle of the Hobbits tell us about our lives as followers of Jesus? Join us as we begin the journey today! Bottom line: God's glory shines in the small and the simple.

Easter is our biggest day of the year! Today we looked at the account of Easter from John 20:1-18, comparing the response of Peter and John to Mary Magdalene. What will Jesus say to you when he calls your name? Bottom line: Jesus calls us to believe and go out, not believe and stay put.

How many of the 613 commandments in the Bible are we supposed to follow? Our Lent series on the Sermon on the Mount continues with a word about obedience, rebellion, and the gospel that goes beyond both. This sermon focuses on Matthew 5:17-20, and what Jesus means by righteousness that exceeds the "scribes and pharisees." Bottom line: Jesus teaches that the inner person should match our outer presentation.

That person that you can't stand, the one who just gets under your skin, or those people you despise and would do everything in your power to avoid...Jesus loves them. That is the surprising message at the heart of Jesus' healing of 10 men with leprosy. Bottom line: We are often farthest from the people that Jesus is closet to.

Is it possible to be grateful for the difficulties and challenges of life? Today we continue our series From Attitude to Gratitude and look at a powerful message from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Bottom line: We bear our temporary struggles with God's eternal strength.

How are our lives blessing those who come after us? Today we continued our series From Attitude to Gratitude and we look at 2 Corinthians 4:13-15, and the Bible's powerful message about how God's grace extends to others. We also shared some fantastic news about how we have been able to give back to our community this year thanks to our Parking With a Purpose minstry. Bottom line: Growth in grace means growth in gratitude.

Today we began a new series, From Attitude to Gratitude. We are exploring 2 Corinthians 4 and the Bible's powerful message about gratitude. We begin on All Saints' Sunday with St. Paul's powerful message about our hope in the resurrection of Jesus.  Bottom line: When we remember the saints, we are reminded of the savior. (Note: we had some streaming issues in the worship service, so Pastor Drew recorded this from his home office later that day. It includes a time of candle lighting; you may want to have a candle nearby to light as you listen.)  

We conclude our series on Colossians by looking at Colossians 3:12-15. As Halloween approaches, we think about costumes in light of the 'clothing' that God invites us to put on in Colossians. Bottom line: Love is our everyday uniform, not an occassional costume.

How can our words hurt, and how can they heal? In a world in which angry words are the norm, why does our speech still matter? Today we looked at Colossians 4:2-6 and Paul's brief but powerful insight about "seasoned" communication. Bottom line:  Doors stay open when the mouth stays shut.

Our District Superintendent Rev. Bev Coppley joined us as our speical guest preacher today.  In the UMC, DS's work under the Bishop to lead the churches in their respective Districts. As the DS of the Northern Piedmont District, Rev. Coppley oversees and supports the churches and clergy of all the UMC congregations in and around Greensboro, High Point, Reidsville, and Thomasville.  She shared a wonderful message about grace from John 1:14-18. Thanks for joining us, Rev. Coppley!

We live in a world that encourages shallowness, and yet we long for depth. Where do we plant our roots? Today we explored Colossians 2:6-15 for an answer as we continued our series Centered. Thank you for listening. Bottom line:  Let us not put our private hope in what Christ has publicy conquered.

What do we hold onto when it seems like the world is falling apart? Today we will continue exploring the powerful letter called to the church at Colossae as we focus on Colossians 1:15-23. Bottom line: When it looks like the world is coming unglued, look to him in whom all things hold together.

Today we began a new series walking through the small but powerful letter to the Colossians. We look at Colossians 1:1-14 and see how Paul began this powerful word to his church - and discover a powerful word for us today, too. Bottom line: We are rescued from the dominion of darkness and reclaimed for the kingdom of light.

The Bible is a large book with a lot of teachings. How do we know what is most important? Thankfully Jesus gave us an answer to that in Matthew 22:36-40. We explored that, and what it means to follow Jesus, in today's sermon.

Today we continued our series about discipleship in the way of the Wesleys. How does God's love transform and renew us? What does John 1 mean by "grace upon grace" and how does it apply to us? We will look today at the best news of all: the healing medicine of God's free grace!

Today we continuee our series about discipleship in the way of the Wesleys. Today we began with the question: what is wrong with the world? How do we understand the brokenness of our communities, institutions, and planet? To answer that we looked at Romans 3, 21-24. No matter what is wrong with the world, God's right is making all things new. Bottom line: Our sin makes us ill, but God's grace makes us whole.

In August we began a new series about discipleship in the way of the Wesleys. In the 18th century, two Anglican priests, brothers and students at Oxford launched a movement that is still transforming lives and communities today. As Methodists, that story is our story! Today we looked at the origins of the Wesleyan revival through the lens of the powerful Letter to Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-20.

We concluded our film series with the latest Pixar favorite, Lightyear. Based on the mega-hit Toy Story franchise, Lightyear is the origin of the Buzz character from the classic series. Jo preached today from 1 Corinthians 12 and explores spiritual themes in this animated hit.

This July, we are At the Movies! Today we look at one of the biggest hits of the year, the long awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick. We will look to the prophet Isaiah and discover a spiritual message behind this action-packed movie in Isaiah 40:28-31. Bottom line: Our strength may fade but God's grace never fails.

Today our At the Movies series continued with guest preacher Dr. Jason Myers. Dr. Myers is a New Testament scholar who teaches at Greensboro College. Today he took us through Philippians 2:5-11 and explored the story of Elvis!

Is our world an accident? What is God's role in creation? Do science and faith conflict, or could they compliment each other?   We concluded our series on the Holy Spirit today, looking at the very first verses of the Bible: Genesis 1:1-5.   Bottom line:  Life is a gift of the Spirit, not a fluke of nature.   From the sermon: Video on evolution and faith from BioLogos here.  

Today we continued our series on the work of the Holy Spirit and explored how the Spirit grants us vision. In a world of increasing division, the Spirit helps us imagine a very different world. This is promised in Joel 2:23-29, our focus in today's sermon. Bottom line: The Spirit grants us vision to see beyond division.

On Trinity Sunday we continued our new series on the work of the Holy Spirit and explored how the Spirt leads us into the truth. We looked at Jesus' promises about the Spirit in John 14 and reflected on God's Triune identity as not just a static belief about God but a goal for our lives.

Today we celebrated Pentecost Sunday! We explored the story of Pentecost from Acts 2:1-13, as we began a new series on the Holy Spirit called The (Other) Gifts of the Spirit. Bottom line: The Spirit gives us speech to bring the Word to the world.

This Sunday we welcomed a new family in worship and one member of the new family preached! This message came from Dr. Bailey Sanford, focused on the story of Paul and Silas in jail in Acts 16:16-34.

We concluded our series Conversations with a Counselor by looking at Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and addressing how to heal from grief and loss. For more information about Chrysalis or to connect with Dr. Kling, go to https://www.chrysaliscenters.org/ From the conversation: Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstoff here.  

Today we continued our series about the intersection of faith and mental health. We looked at will look at Romans 12:9-18 and talked about dealing with feelings. We gave special attention to children and students, since it was children's Sunday.  For more information about Chrysalis Counseling Center or Dr. Gary Kling, go to https://www.chrysaliscenters.org/

Join us as we continue a new series about the intersection of faith and mental health. This is a conversational series featuring special guest Dr. Gary Kling of Chrysalis Counseling Center. Today we looked at Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and discussed boundaries and healthy relationships from both a biblical and psychological lens. From this conversation: Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.

This Sunday was the first part of a new series about the intersection of faith and mental health. Instead of a traditional sermon, this is a conversational series featuring special guest Dr. Gary Kling of Chrysalis Counseling Center. Today the conversation focused on how mental health and faith contribute to one another, and how to know when to seek help - and what kind of help - for yourself or someone else. For more information about Chrysalis, go to https://www.chrysaliscenters.org/ The book recommended by Drew , Are U Ok?, can be found here. 

Christ is risen! Easter is a season, not just a single day. This Sunday we explored Jesus' appearance after the resurrection in John 20:19-31.  Bottom line: the marks of the cross make the message of Christ credible. P.S. This was the final Sunday before our worship time change. Beginning May 1, we worship at 10 a.m. and offer small groups for all ages at 11 a.m.! From this sermon: Lecture by Arthur Brooks referenced in the sermon here.    

On Easter Sunday we focused on the first preachers of the good news of Jesus' resurrection: the faithful women who encounter angels at the tomb in Luke 24:1-12. We talked about how we look for life in places where there is none to be found, and that, instead, life is found in the One who conquered death. Bottom line: The empty tomb means the fullness of life.

We are a culture that loves conflict, and yet we also know that arguing rarely changes people. On this Sunday we entered Holy Week and concluded our series by looking at Jesus' interrogation by the religious council in Luke 22:66-71. This is part of a series of events that led up to his crucifixion. We explore Jesus' unusual responses to the questioning and ask what that means for our discipleship today. Bottom line: Words may be abhorred, but grace is hard to ignore.   P.S. The recording begins with a long dramatic reading of Luke's Passion (crucifixion) account, thanks to several volunteers.

How do we know whether the things in which we invest our lives are worth it? This Sunday we looked again to Jesus' friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, and the extravagant gift that Mary gives to Jesus in John 12:1-8. We explored the question of value and purpose, with a little help from Tuesdays with Morrie and the Paradoxical Commandments. Bottom line: What is given to honor Jesus is never squandered. From the sermon: Tuesdays With Morrie here. The Paradoxical Commandments by Kent Keith here.

For the season of Lent our series looked at the challenge of following Jesus. This Sunday we continued with a story about two sons and their loving father (better known as the story of the Prodigal Son) from Luke 15. This story reminds us that the gospel offers us an entirely different operating system than the world does. In a world that runs on fair, the gospel operates on grace. Bottom line: The feast the Father celebrates is the grace the elder brother hates.

For the season of Lent our series explores the joyful  challenge of following Jesus. This Sunday we continued with a powerful story called the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:1-9. What does it mean to repent, and why does Jesus teach and tell stories about it? How do the warnings in these verses connect to a God of love and grace? Bottom line: God prunes sin from us to produce fruit in us.

For the season of Lent our new series looks at the challenge of following Jesus. Today we continued with Jesus' lament over Jerusalem in Luke 13:31-35, and a beautiful maternal image for God that it contains.  Bottom line: Grace empowers but does not override.

For the season of Lent we began a new series, looking at the challenge of following Jesus. Today we open with the biblical story that inspired the season of Lent: Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. How do we understand this story today? How does Jesus' example help us endure testing? We'll talk about all this and more, and worship God together. Join us! Bottom line:  He was tempted as we will be to make us more than we are. From this sermon: Indistractible book here.

Today's message is from Youth Sunday! Our fantastic students led worship this morning. You'll hear them read Scripture and share some of their thoughts. The message, to conclude our series on spiritual practices, is from our Youth Pastor, Joanna, and focuses on patience.

This Sunday we continued a series looking at the biblical connections to contemporary lifestyle hacks. Long before people wrote articles about "work-life balance," Jews and Christians practiced Sabbath one day a week. To explore the power of rest, we looked to Jesus' visit with Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. How do we focus on Jesus in a world of endless distraction? Bottom line: The God who enjoyed satisfied rest has gifted us Sabbath renewal. From this episode: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer here.

In this sermon we continued a series looking at the biblical connections to contemporary lifestyle hacks. Today we explored how the popular practice of minimalism connects to Christian simplicity, by looking to Jesus' conversation with the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-22. In this challenging story we find a key to contentment in a world that constantly pushes to want more.

This sermon started a new series looking at the biblical connections to contemporary lifestyle hacks. Today we begin by exploring how the popular practice of mindfulness connects to Christian prayer traditions, by looking to Jesus' teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:5-13. For those who have trouble praying, the good news is that prayer is about quanity of words, but about the quality of presence. Bottom line: Prayer is about availability, not verbosity. From this sermon: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis.

On January 30, we concluded our a series on a prayer through which God has transformed millions of lives around the world: the Serenity Prayer. For "the wisdom to know the difference," we looked at at James 3:13-18, a few short verses that contain a lot of guidance on wisdom. Thank you for joining us! We'd love for you to worship with us Sundays at 10:16. Other ways to connect with us: Our website here. Our Facebook page. Our YouTube channel.

We continued our series exploring the spirituality of the Serenity Prayer this Sunday by looking at the second line, in which we ask God for "the courage to change the things we can." We looked at Jesus' powerful words in John 16:33 to see how the Serenity Prayer aligns with Jesus' own teaching and life.   We can act boldly in the present because we know who holds the future.

Today we began a new series exploring the spirituality and biblical basis of the Serenity Prayer. Through this prayer, God has transformed millions of lives through the recovery movement. We began by looking at Paul's admonition to "pursue the things that make for peace" in Romans 14:13-21, and how what it means to live not with our own needs first, but with a view to the needs of our neighbors. The good news is that our stumbling blocks, whatever they are, do not get the last word with us. God gives us grace to give up what we can't govern.