Weekly sermons delivered by the Senior and Associate Pastors of Sugar Land First United Methodist Church, located in Sugar Land Texas.
When we set aside Sundays for worship and rest, we follow the cadences of God’s rhythm for life and for living. Sabbath keeping is not something we do in order to please God, but rather something we do because God knows it will make us whole, restore our spirits, and renew our lives. The Sabbath is a day blessed by God and set aside for rest and worship. One of the most important practices of Jesus was finding rest and making time for Sabbath. We must model the restfulness of Jesus, which is more than just a day, but is a spirit we live by all week long.
We know from Scripture that Jesus valued prayer in solitude. “And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray” (Mark 6:46). Jesus recognized that time with God is necessary and he habitually withdrew to spend time in prayer. Jesus teaches and models the priority and the place of prayer and solitude in our lives. So must we. Start by seeking at least a few minutes of time alone with God daily, and seek extended times as well. If you are like most, solitude with God won’t consistently occur without intentionality but it’s a pursuit worth the discipline. So when will you start?
God’s Word is a thing of beauty. We cannot treat the Bible like any ordinary advice book, only consulting it when we have a problem. If we truly want to be People of the Way, we need to know God and understand who we are in him. This can only be accomplished through God’s Word. Bible study is one of the most powerful tools and weapons in our faith arsenal. God’s Word connects us to his heart—it is his love letter to His chosen people!
In order to understand who we are as a people, we must look at the Person we are to be formed into. Jesus shows us who God is and what true humanity looks like. He was a part of a community of practice—he honored and participated in the life of faith of the people of Israel. During Lent we are going to attend to the habits, the rhythm, the way of Jesus because in these habits we see who we ought to be.
Ashes have always been a sign of repentance and examples of this can be found frequently in scripture. Since the days of the early church, Christians have adopted this practice as a mark of penitence. Death, sinfulness, repentance…these are the things symbolized for us in the ashes. Ash Wednesday reminds us first that we are dust, and to dust we will return. Life is fleeting. Time is short. The ashes also remind us that we need God—his forgiveness, his grace, his love. God’s love has reached through our sinfulness, through the grim shadow of death, to the dust and the ashes of human life. We are loved. Nothing in this world, even death, can separate us from God’s love in Jesus Christ. This is the hope and promise that is smeared in ash upon our foreheads.
We are not here to survive as a Church but to thrive in ministry to each other and the world around us. This is accomplished through a community of generosity. A community with a cause can be inspiring, which makes a larger impact for God’s Kingdom. While it is sometimes necessary or desirable to give anonymously, when we give together in community there can be amazing joy that becomes infectious to those around you. Giving generously and openly can catalyze an abundance of generosity throughout a whole community.
Do you operate through the lens of scarcity? Are you afraid of not having enough? If we view life this way, we will always be fearful and anxious. So how do we live the abundant life Jesus promises? Our definition and understanding of “scarcity” and “abundance” needs to be reshaped by remembering who God is, what he cares about, and how he does things. This will increase our trust and confidence. The Father invites us to a share in his kingdom and he wants us to have a stewardship mentality of all that he has generously put into our hands.
Everything we have belongs to God and is ours only in stewardship under his direction. Jesus, always advancing radical devotion to his father, commended the poor woman who gave everything she had. He told the rich young man, obsessed with his wealth, to give up everything in order to follow Jesus. His parable of the talents taught us that we are stewards who should be multiplying what we are given, not for ourselves, but for our master and for the advancement of his kingdom.
Israel was supposed to be a unique people in a specific place for God’s purpose, and at times we see them thrive in this calling. Is there is a connection between Israel’s attentiveness to its worship and its success at being the community God desires? Worship is a marvelous adventure into the presence of God, a celebration to be experienced and shared. When we understand that worship is not “a feeling” but rooted in a conscious act of the will to serve and obey, we will become the community that God desires.
Has God blessed you with his undeserving grace? Give according to that grace. The natural inclination of the human heart is to horde. No one is born a cheerful giver. God’s grace and the work of the Holy Spirit need to move in your life to make this true. The means by which God begins to transform you in this area is simple: tithing. Start tithing if you are not. Keep tithing if you are. Give more if you are able. God is doing a mighty work through your tithing and generosity both in this world and in your heart as he transforms once self-seeking sinners into cheerful, generous givers.
Worship is celebration—a celebration to be experienced and shared. So come. Celebrate! Lay aside your troubles, your anxieties, your fears, and your cares. Celebrate God's gift of mercy and grace; God's touch of forgiveness; God's power to lift you out of the slimy pits of life; God's provision to set you on firm footing. Come see the spectacular hand of God. Come witness something beyond yourself. Be in awe, spellbound, mesmerized by the life-giving, life-flowing, power of God. Worship him!
A people in a place for a purpose is a fundamental way of understanding the Church. It spans the entire scope of the biblical narrative and is a key part of God’s redemptive plan for the world. Do we still believe this? Do we still believe that this people, in this place, for God’s purpose is important or is it a relic of the past? If we are going to continue for another 100 years, we must recommit ourselves to this vision.
Happy New Year! Are you growing in your faith? Is your trust in God increasing? Walking with Jesus is the most exciting life a person can live. Your eternity is assured; the opportunities ahead are full of hope and you have the very best Companion on the path of life anyone could desire—the living God. You have entered into a relationship with the Lord that is continuous. God’s plan is that we mature in our knowledge and understanding of his ways—living vibrant lives in obedience to him.
As a New Year draws near, I am reminded that we are one year closer to the day of our death, or the day the Lord returns. So, let me use this opportunity to suggest some resolutions for the coming year. Resolve to draw near to Christ by daily reading his word. Resolve to be diligent in prayer, telling God what you need and thanking him for all he has done. Resolve to become closer to your Sugar Land Methodist Church family. Join a Sunday school class or small group. Resolve to get to know more people who don’t know Christ. Meet your neighbors or co-workers, build meaningful relationships in which opportunities are created to share the Good News. These resolutions may sound simplistic; but if implemented, they will go a long way to bless your life and bring glory to God. Happy New Year!
Hallelujah! It is in the joyous season of Christmas that people everywhere are brought into remembrance of the greatest gift of all, the gift of God’s only begotten Son. God’s gift to the world is a gift of love and a gift of life—a life of hope, joy and purpose. At just the right time, God gave his Son, knowing that his Son would one day give himself for us all. Such a marvelous, unspeakable gift! Yet what makes this gift even more fantastic is that it was given “unto us.” This precious gift was not reserved for a people that loved and honored God as he deserves to be loved and honored. No, unto us, such ungodly sinners, a child is born. Unto us, a people so utterly without merit, a Son is given. This is a great reality, a cornerstone of truth. God did not give us his gift because we are good. God gave us his gift because He is good. This is what Christmas is all about.
We often approach the manger scene on Christmas and see not only shepherds, but also three wise men. Scripture calls the wise men to their rightful place, away from the stable, into a house where Jesus is likely to have been up to two years old. The wise men saw the star and followed it in search of truth. When they gazed upon the child and worshiped him their lives, as well as their journey home, were altered forever. The Christ Child is here to transform our lives too, to change our path. How will you open your heart and life to your Savior?
Christmas is a celebration of the birth of a tiny baby, the most miraculous birth in the history of the world. And it all begins with an angelic birth announcement. In simple and straightforward words, the angel declares the glorious announcement of God becoming flesh, the incarnation. The announcement is clearly designed to feature the divine character of the event. There is no more wonderful or compelling announcement in all of history than this one—the announcement of Jesus Christ.
The journey to Bethlehem surely was uncomfortable, unpleasant, and frightening for Mary and Joseph. The situation that Mary and Joseph faced is emblematic of what often happens in life. At times, all of us find ourselves on journeys we don’t want to take. The journeys may be painful, and we may find ourselves brokenhearted or deeply discouraged along the way. But God promises to sustain us, even though we may walk through the darkest valleys. God tells us to turn our burdens over to him, and he can make something beautiful of them.
Gratitude doesn’t just come because we receive something. Generosity also inspires thankfulness in the one who gives. That gratitude gets translated into more generosity. It’s cyclical and addictive. One of the keys to thankfulness and generosity is seeing that everything belongs to God. Sometimes we hold so tightly to our “stuff” we can’t obey what God is telling us to do. We don’t recognize that as we give to others, God blesses us with joy and thanksgiving. When we abound in our generosity, thankfulness is the natural response. We can’t internalize this truth though until we regularly practice generosity.
God is always looking for faithful men and women that He can support and empower to accomplish His will and purposes on this earth. He has given us a commission to be active in making disciples and to teach them all that He has commanded. God’s method in building His kingdom is by using willing and obedient servants, people who avail themselves to God’s call upon their lives. Wherever we are and in whatever we do, God is looking for people whom He can support to build His kingdom. He has missions for us to do, but the question is whether or not we will accept the call.
If God had wanted to, he could have taken you directly to heaven the moment you trusted Christ as Savior. But he didn’t, which means that he left you on the earth for a particular purpose. Read that last sentence again because it contains a vital truth you need to know. What is it that God left you on earth to do? When you think about it, there is one main thing you can do on earth that you will never have to do in heaven: You can tell a lost sinner about Jesus Christ. God uses people like us to convince other people like us to believe in him. We are God’s witnesses to convince an unbelieving world.
What holds the church together are the saints. I think church history bears this out. Before there was a Bible or creeds or orthodoxy or an authoritative teaching tradition there were the martyrs and the saints. The key apologetic for Christianity—far more important than knowing the right answers to hard questions—is love. Communities of faith that embody the kindness of God in ‘works of love’ are deeply attractive and are themselves evidence of the truth of the gospel. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed: The primary confession of the Christian before the world is the deed which interprets itself. The lives of the saints will always be our confession before the world.
Often when we read about the acts of the apostles, we are distracted by the miraculous events and great speeches, and we fail to see the consistent, continual, ordinary compassion and care for those in need. The foundation of our witness is not just the words we use but the compassion we live out every day.
Our God is an inviting God. He invites us into relationship and community with Him. As his people we are to invite people into meaningful relationships and compelling community. When we engage our culture and serve our community with sensitivity and love, offering them a compelling and alternative community, we become real and unexpected friends while still affirming our faith in Jesus and maintaining gracious convictions. By gracious engagement, we continue our gospel witness with authenticity, integrity, and winsomeness—and in humility, become inviting witnesses for God.
If you are a faithful Christian, you will share your faith. Christ commands it. Sharing our faith is simple—build meaningful relationships and tell others about our love for Christ. As Christians, we have received a great gift and we want others to experience the joy that comes from belonging to Christ. Ask God to give you the wisdom to give an answer to the world for the faith that is within you.
If you know Christ, the Holy Spirit has given you a gift to use in serving the Lord. While some are gifted more in practical service, every Christian should be focused on the Great Commission, to help others become disciples. If the Lord has saved you, then you have something to impart to others, whether it is the gospel to the lost or helping a newer believer learn to walk with the Lord. How can we minister sensitively to one another and live lovingly both in the church and in the world?
Touch My Heart to See Others Through Your Eyes: The depth and expanse of God’s love for each of his children is breathtaking—virtually incomprehensible to contemplate. As his disciples, we are to bear testimony of Jesus Christ and to love others rather than look at them through our own selfish eyes and judge them and their acts based on how they personally affect us. God sees each of us through eyes of love. As we strive to do the same, our respect for and treatment of others will improve, and a more loving, caring world will inevitably result, to the glory of God our Father.
More often than not when we look at those around us, we look through our own two selfish eyes; we view and judge people and their acts based on how they personally affect us. However, God sees each of us through eyes of unconditional love, and He loves everyone. We need to do the same. We need to learn to see others as God sees them. The best way to do that? Study the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. He is our greatest example, and the only perfect example of how to live and see others as God does.
When we experience God’s saving grace, our way of viewing the world is different. God increases our awareness of others and sends us to share his love with them. The Good News is meant to be shared. God could have found many conduits to deliver his message, but he chooses to allow us to join him in the work. It is an honor to be able to share the story of God’s grace and mercy that has been revealed to us in the Bible. May we love God’s Word so much that we cannot keep the good news to ourselves: this is one message we can share that never grows stale!
Jesus, being God, is love–and his love seeks to serve, and to save the lost with lavish grace. His love is patient and kind; it’s not envious, boastful, arrogant, or rude. His love is not irritable or resentful, does not insist on its own selfish way, rejoices only in the truth, and bears all things. The love of Christ transcends every other virtue. Jesus said this kind of love would identify his followers: it would be the most remarkable thing about them. They would love like he loved and be his love-ambassadors on earth. Christians are meant to be the most love-focused, love-pursuing, love-dispensing people on the face of the earth. Is this me? Is this you?
Jesus, being God, is love–and his love seeks to serve, and to save the lost with lavish grace. His love is patient and kind; it’s not envious, boastful, arrogant, or rude. His love is not irritable or resentful, does not insist on its own selfish way, rejoices only in the truth, and bears all things. The love of Christ transcends every other virtue. Jesus said this kind of love would identify his followers: it would be the most remarkable thing about them. They would love like he loved and be his love-ambassadors on earth. Christians are meant to be the most love-focused, love-pursuing, love-dispensing people on the face of the earth. Is this me? Is this you?
It is the Biblical duty of every generation of Christians to see to it that the next generation hears about the mighty acts of God. God does not drop a new Bible from heaven on every generation. He intends that the older generation will teach the newer generation to read and think and trust and obey and rejoice. It's true that God draws near personally to every new generation of believers, but he does so through the biblical truth that they learn from the preceding generations. God is jealous over our hearts, yearning for us to learn a lesson from those who’ve gone before us and leave a legacy for those coming after. Our legacy must not slip between the generational cracks.
Our God is a witnessing God, continually giving witness to His own glory and he invites us to join in witnessing to his greatness. But how? How can we fully comprehend the depth of God’s greatness? We remember the great things he has done for us personally. This is our witness! Nothing in all the world can compare to what God has done for us. It’s time to refocus our heart and mind as we return to Scripture, prayer, worship, service and fellowship with other believers. These spiritual practices will fill us with a renewed appreciation of God's greatness and the ability to witness the same to others.
Most Christians are satisfied to have their heads filled with spiritual truths. Some Christians are moved by the spiritual truths that they hear. But few Christians' hands are moved to do something because of these truths. The actions of our hands reflect the belief in our heart. You do what you believe. A heart transformed by the love of God can't help but to respond out of gratitude—loving others as we love ourselves, pursuing justice, caring for the marginalized, and serving our communities. It's our chance to do something with what we have learned.
Have you ever heard the phrase “all head, but no heart?” The Bible presents a fine balance between head and heart. Biblical Christianity means loving God and others fervently, from the heart; but also, such love is in line with God’s truth as revealed in his word. Since God Himself is love, growing in the knowledge of God is to grow to understand what love is. But all the knowledge in the world cannot transform us if our hearts go unaffected. Biblical love is something we need to work at constantly. It’s a lifelong process.
Part of following Jesus involves our head. The Bible speaks of the brain as the center of our thinking and has much to say about the condition of our minds. We have to use our mind to put the Bible into practice and to commit ourselves to trust its promises and obey its commands. Head knowledge leads the way into loving God with all our hearts and into submitting our wills to live out the knowledge we have. Head knowledge informs our heart what to believe and where to set our affections. Knowing the promises of God gives us hope, grows our faith, and shows us how to follow Jesus better.
Many people today have the big house, the fancy car, a great spouse, and exceptional kids. They have the career. They have money in the bank. They have everything going the way that things ought to go to supposedly live life to its fullest. But there is something still lacking. They are still lacking life. Jesus has something to say about that, and in John's Gospel, he tells us what our lives ought to be about: "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Brothers and sisters, Christ is life! He has come that we might abide in him and live our lives abundantly for the glory of his name.
Children want to be like their parents when they are young—they watch, they listen and then they mimic the parent’s behavior. As children of God, shouldn’t we do the same? God has called us and given us a purpose for life. We are to be holy in everything that we do. We are to set our hope fully on his grace by preparing our minds for action, disciplining ourselves, being holy in our conduct as obedient children and living in reverent fear. We do these things because Jesus gave his life for us. We are his and we are valuable because we have been redeemed.
What is grace? I am confident all of us could answer without hesitation: “grace is God’s undeserved love.” We love to hear about grace, to talk about grace, to sing about grace. We are saved by grace. Yet, the reality of all that God has done for us in Christ Jesus should cause us to ponder why God would shower His blessings on undeserving sinners. The Apostle Paul wrote that God's reasons are based in His character of love, mercy, grace, and kindness—and just as we rely on God's grace for our salvation, we must also depend on His grace to empower us to obey and follow him day by day.
One of the crucial issues before the church in America today is: Shall we be American with a pinch of religious flavoring or Christ's people with a pinch of American flavoring? There are forces in our society which influence us daily, but are incompatible with the Christ-life. We are constantly being shaped these forces—making it almost impossible for the world to see any difference in our values. If we are ever going to be salt and light on this earth, we must renew our declaration of allegiance to Jesus Christ. We are to submit to Christ alone as king; and whatever other submission to man we render, do it within the limits of the lordship of Christ and always for the sake of his glory.
Who you are has nothing to do with you. It doesn’t have to do with how much you can accomplish, who you can become, what you’ve done or failed to do, what other people think of you, the things you’ve accumulated, your behavior (good or bad), your strengths, your weaknesses, your family background, your education, how your kids turn out, how many times you’ve been married, your looks, and so on. Your identity is firmly anchored in Jesus’ accomplishment, not yours; His strength, not yours; His performance, not yours; His victory, not yours. You are NOT what you do (or don’t do). You are what Jesus has done for you. That is the truth.
There are many dimensions of our life in God that we don’t understand and we may not understand until we are seated at the heavenly banquet. In the meantime, it is the Spirit of truth who will guide us, speak to us, and declare all to us all that we need to know. In today’s Scripture, we are given a portrait of the three persons of the Trinity. Jesus speaks of himself, of the Spirit’s activities, and of the Father. The Holy Trinity is about relationship, indwelling, collaboration and the self-communication of God. The Trinity is about the mutuality of God within the God-head, and about our invitation into the God-head by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
God is light and love. Those who have fellowship with God are becoming more holy and more loving. But how? We become like God by abiding in Him—experiencing an intimate, close relationship. Abiding is more than a superficial acquaintance. Abiding involves ongoing daily dependence on him. To put it simply, abiding means keeping the words of God in our hearts and minds, so that they are renewing and reviving us, shaping and sanctifying us, filling and forming us.
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