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The Last Lessons – Part 2: The Heart (John 14:1-31)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville & Whitestown UMC... The Last Lessons – Part 2: The Heart ( John 14:1-31 )   On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.  John 14:20 In John 13, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and showed us the example of serving one another in His love. In chapter 14, Jesus addresses the heart. He acknowledges that his disciples are confused, worried, and saddened when He said,   I am with you only a little longer… Where I am going, you cannot come. (John 13:33)   And so Jesus moves to console his friends, to give them hope, to comfort their hearts. He tells them that He is going back to the Father and is preparing a place for them. Which reminds me of a joke!   A lawyer and the pope were both killed in an accident.   The two meet St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. Peter looked them up in the book and then proceeded to show them their eternal dwellings.   They walked along...
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The Last Lessons – Part 1: The Feet (John 13:1-38)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville and Whitestown UMC... The Last Lessons – Part 1: The Feet (John 13:1-38)   I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.   John 13:15 A waiter at a diner serves Bill Belichick a soda. The famous football coach says, “Listen, I need a quarterback. Think you could do that for me, son?” The waiter was floored! He said, “Wow, really?! You want me to play in the NFL?” Belichick said “No, you moron! This drink costs 75 cents and I gave you a dollar!”   Today we begin our study of the Upper Room Discourse in John 13-17. While other gospel accounts give only a single chapter to the upper room events, John provides 5 chapters of material of what was said and done that last night between Jesus and His disciples.   Holy Communion is missing from John. We know they are celebrating the Passover, but there’s only a mention of the meal. There’s no establishing the bread and cup as symbols of the new covenant. I...
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The Moment (John 12:19-50)

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Sermon for Milledgeville and Whitestown UMC...   The Moment (John 12:19-50)   Death: Jack! Your time is up. I'll take you now. Jack: Not today please, I have a lot more to do. Death: Oh no, you're the first on the list to die. Jack: Alright, let me finish what I'm doing first. I'll make you some coffee while you wait. After that, then we can leave. (Jack put sleeping pills in the coffee and when Death fell asleep, Jack erased his name and placed it at the end of the list) Death: Woah! My friend, I slept well. You're a good person Jack, you treated me very well. Because of that, I'll just start with the last one on the list.   The hour has arrived. It’s time for Jesus to return to the Father by way of the cross. All the pieces are falling into place. The Sanhedrin have decided Jesus must die.   The High Priest Caiaphas said, “…it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” (Jn 11:50) ...
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Lessons from Father Abraham (Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-7; 24:1-7)

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Sermon for Milledgeville & Whitestown UMC Lessons from Father Abraham (Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-7; 24:1-7) A wife wanted to get her husband a special gift for Father’s Day. He was hard to please and she really wanted to delight him. She hired a graphic designer to make a necktie based on his passions: movies and dad jokes. On one side was a text cloud, with some of his favorite dad jokes. The other side looked like an epic movie poster with funny things like the Terminator high-fiving Chewbacca. She gave the gift, excited to see his reaction. He opened it and had a look. "Well?" she asked. "Which side do you like better?" He said, “Eh, it's a tie” Happy Fathers Day! According to Britannica.com, Father’s Day, originated with Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. She had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day. Soon after Anna Jarvis organized the very first Mother’s Day service in 1908, Sonora Smart Dodd began seeking support for ...
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The Holy Spirit (John 14:15-20; 16:7-15)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville & Whitestown UMC... The Holy Spirit ( John 14:15-20; 16:7-15 ) Pentecost celebrates the empowerment of the Church to continue the ministry of Jesus      Today, we celebrate the gift of the Spirit to the Church. Some call Pentecost the birthday of the Church. I hold that Easter is the birth of the Church. Pentecost is baby’s first steps. For it is at Pentecost that the Church begins its ministry now empowered by the Spirit of Jesus.   Let’s explore three questions:   Who is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? What does the Holy Spirit mean for our lives?   “Who is the Holy Spirit?” There are some who write off any talk of the Holy Spirit as mystical nonsense. I have a Christan friend who calls such talk moogie foogie. He feels talk of the Spirit is intangible. The Holy isn’t some nebulous thing. We don’t ask, “ What is the Holy Spirit?” The Spirit is a person.   Jesus said, “…the wo...
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The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-42)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville and Whitestown UMC... The Good Shepherd ( John 10:1-42 )   The Good Shepherd by Warner Sallman A shepherd is tending his flock in a remote pasture… …when suddenly a shiny red BMW appears. The driver is a young man in an Armani suit, Italian shoes and polarized sunglasses. He asks the shepherd, "If I can tell you how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?" The shepherd looks at him, and agrees. The driver plugs his cell phone into a laptop and connects it to a GPS and starts a remote body-heat scan of the area. After receiving the answer, he announces: "You have exactly 1,478 sheep." The shepherd answers: "Impressive. You can choose one sheep out of my flock'. He observes the man pick up an animal and load it into his car. Then the shepherd says: "If I can tell you what kind of business you’re in, will you give me back my animal?" "You're on." the young man answers. "...
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