Pastor Scott's Musings

The Old Rugged Cross (1 st Corinthians 1:18-25)   I have a friend who writes songs about sewing machines. He’s a Singer songwriter … or sew it seams What's the difference between a puppy and a singer-songwriter? Eventually the puppy stops whining. George Bennard Composer of The Old Rugged Cross As a songwriter myself, I know that some songs come quickly while others come with difficulty like birthing a baby. The Old Rugged Cross came through a long difficult labor. George Bennard was born in Youngstown, Ohio in 1873. When he was still a child his family relocated to Albion, Michigan. Then again to Iowa. Bennard was 16 when his father was killed in a coal mining accident. He assumed his father’s responsibilities and worked in the coal mine for 8 hard years, providing for his mother and siblings. In 1897, he began working for the Salvation Army together with his wife, Araminta Statler Beeler, who he married in 1894. George and Araminta were members of the Methodist Episcopal ...

  Be Thou My Vision (Rom 8:26-39) We are talking about the beloved hymn, Be Thou My Vision. It comes to us from England. Be Thou My Vision is a favorite of King Charles. The hymn was sung at his 2023 coronation. Be Thou My Vision has been published in over 200 hymnals through the years. It consistently makes top 10 or 20 lists of popular hymns in Christianity.     St Patrick Inspiration for Be Thou My Vision Be Thou My Vision started as a 6 th century Gaelic poem, Rop tu mo Baile. It was written in Middle Irish by a blind monk named Dallán Forgaill. His name means little blind one, for he lost his sight from intense study by candlelight. The poem was used as a prayer among the monks. Forgaill wrote the poem in honor of St. Patrick. It was inspired by an earlier monastic poem St Patrick’s Breastplate . You can hear it in the original 3 rd stanza, which is excluded the United Methodist Hymnal.   Be Thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight; Be Thou my...

  [Slide] Who Needs Revival? (Hosea 6:1-16)   A local congregation hosted a revival. A guest preacher, a revivalist, was speaking on the curse of demon alcohol on society. He was building up the climactic peak of his sermon. “If I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d throw it in the river!” Say it with me, “Throw it in the River!” If I had all the illegal moonshine in the world, I’d throw it in the river, “Come on now! Say it like you mean it! “Throw it in the river!” “If I had all the vodka, gin and rum, wine and beer in the world, I would not partake. Not a drop! I’d throw it all in the river!” “Throw it in the river!” Again! Again! Like you mean it! Again!”   The revivalist took his seat. The hosting pastor got up to speak. Sheepishly he offered, “And now as our closing hymn lets all sing Shall We Gather at the River.”   It’s an oldie but a goodie! It’s finally here! We’ve been talking about The Revival Project for weeks and now it’s here! Together ...

 Sermon for Centenary and Milledgeville UMC [Slide] Our Mission: Voice of Hope (Romans 8:18-25)   I heard my daughter say, "I hope you're going to shave off that mustache before the holiday, it's embarrassing."   “I was shocked! That's the bravest thing anyone has ever said........ TO MY WIFE!!!!”   I beat my friend in a game of poker. He threw down his cards and yelled, "I hope you die in a deep hole filled with water". It’s ok, I know he means well.   Hope keeps cropping up between the cracks in the road of life  We are talking about hope this morning. Our mission is to be a voice of hope to the world.   We hope in the love of God and the faithfulness of Jesus. We hope in new creation, the Holy Spirit and amazing grace. The gospel shapes the world in hope. It encapsulates all of human history. Jesus is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. He bookends the entire story of humanity. All crea...