Discipling Life

This is my sermon for April 26, 2026, at Ebenezer and Black Creek UMCs. The texts I used today include Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-26, 31; Psalm 100; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10. 1. Introduction: The Familiarity of the Voice In an era defined by a relentless cacophony of digital alerts and competing narratives, the act of spiritual discernment has moved from a quiet luxury to a strategic necessity. Recognizing the voice of the divine is to be a practiced familiarity. It is akin to the immediate, instinctive recognition of a loved one’s call across a distance. To hear the voice of Jesus is to identify a singular frequency amidst a noisy world that constantly seeks to drown it out. In the Gospel of John in the 10th chapter, it says that the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all of his own, he goes ahead of them. And the sheep follow him because they know his voice. What does it mean to know that voice? To re...

My early years were in Ferguson Valley in central Pennsylvania and attending the Spring Run Church of the Brethren. We had worship first, followed by Sunday School. During the worship service we would all fill up a couple of pews. Grandma and Grandpap, my parents and siblings, Uncle Gary and his family and Aunt Rhoda and her family. Yes, about eight cousins all together. After worship, most of us would go to Sunday School, but my Grandma would go home to finish cooking the Sunday Dinner. (Dinner is the midday meal and supper is the evening meal.) After Sunday School the rest of us would make our way to my grandparents’ home and we would all cram together around the table for dinner. Grandma would often have roast beef and/or fried chicken and/or ham, etc. Uncle Gary always made sure he got one of the breasts. Personally, I went for a thigh. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes were a weekly highlight for me. Now, we had even larger gatherings at her house for Thanksgiving and Christma...