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Our Mission: Voice of Hope (Romans 8:18-25)

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 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...
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Our Mission: Known by Love (1st Corinthians 13:1-13)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville & Centenary UMC... [Slide] Our Mission: Known by Love (1st Corinthians 13:1-13) I finally realized that my mother doesn’t really love me. I gave her a book to read. She said she didn’t like the main character. It was my autobiography. We’re talking about love, regardless of what Van Halen thinks! Here are a few Love is… comics [Slide] Love is… when you’re lost for words [Slide] Love is… not leaving the bathroom in a mess [Slide] Love is… visiting Grandma and Grandpa [Slide] Love is… living in hope We toss the word love around kind of carelessly. [Slide] We say we love French fries and burgers. We love a good baseball game. We love ice cream. I love rock and roll; put another dime in the jukebox, Baby!  But what is love really? How is love defined? Webster’s dictionary gives many definitions. [Slide] Love is… • strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (philia/storge) • attraction based on sexual desire: affection and...
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Faith (2nd Corinthians 5:1-10)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville UMC Faith (2 nd Corinthians 5:1-10)   You may have heard the old joke about a hiker who slipped and fell off a steep mountain cliff. He managed to grab a tree root hanging out. He cried out for help. But he was alone. He kept calling for help, but no one was coming. His arm grew tired. So he prayed. “God, please save me or I’m going to die.” A voice said, “Let go!” He said, “What?” The voice again urged him, “Let go! I’ll catch you!” He hung there desperate, but then called back, “Is there anybody else up there?”   Today we are talking Faith.   Geroge Michael had a #1 hit song called Faith in 1987. It even made the Songs of the Century list compiled Recording Industry Association of America. Faith is 322 on a list of 365 songs selected from the 20 th century. That’s high praise. The song is about love and attraction. He’s turning down a one-night stand and holding out for a love that’s real. He’s got to have faith that there’s...
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Our Mission: Living By Faith (2nd Corinthians 5:1-10)

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 Sermon for Centenary UMC [Slide] Our Mission: Living By Faith (2 nd Corinthians 5:1-10)   Boom Box: Duh duh duh duh… Mission Impossible Theme.   [Slide] We’ve all surely seen Tom Cruise or Peter Graves receiving his next mission for IMF. “Good evening, Mr. Hunt. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, blah blah blah. This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds.” Shhh - Smoke!   There are 8 Mission Impossible films, 171 episodes in the original television series, and another 35 eps in the 1988 reboot. With so many missions, are they really impossible?   Today we are talking about our mission. What is a mission and why do we need one? [Slide] A mission statement clarifies our purpose. It says what we are to do. It gives the reason an organization exists.   [Slide] The term "mission" originates from the Latin missio (meaning "act of sending"), used by 16 th century Jesuit priests to describe overseas religious expeditions. For c...
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