Discipling Life

This is a manuscript of the sermon I preached on March 15, 2026 (Fourth Sunday of Lent) at Ebenezer and Black Creek. The scripture lessons for this are: 1 Samuel 16:1–13, Psalm 23, Ephesians 5:8–14, and John 9:1–41 . As we move deeper into the season of Lent, the focus shifts from the internal discipline of the wilderness toward a profound revelation of the character of Christ. This sermon weaves together the anointing of David, the guidance of the Good Shepherd, Paul’s call to live as children of light, and the healing of the man born blind. We see how God’s vision redefines our own reality and our own way of seeing God, ourselves, and others. The intent is to move the listener from a surface-level perception of the world toward an “anointed” vision that recognizes the image of God in all people, particularly those whom society—and our own prejudices—would prefer to overlook. Introduction: The 40-Day Journey Toward Clarity I was talking to someone recently during an Emmaus weekend, ...

While I prepare these devotions each week, I am also praying over the texts for sermon preparation. This week I have been praying over and studying these texts: 1 Samuel 16:1‑13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8‑14; John 9:1‑41 During Lent, we often pray for clearer vision—eyes to see God, ourselves, and our neighbors with honesty and grace. The scriptures for this week invite us into that kind of seeing. They remind us that God’s light exposes what is hidden, heals what is broken, and calls us into a new way of living. Seeing as God Sees (1 Samuel 16:1‑13) When Samuel is sent to anoint the next king, he looks at Jesse’s oldest son and thinks, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord” (1 Samuel 16:6, NRSVue). But God gently corrects him: “the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (v. 7). David is chosen not because he looks the part, but because God sees something deeper. God’s anointing rests on those who are...

Today we begin by looking at this week’s Old Testament text ( 1 Samuel 16:1–13 ). It talks about how we look at others and how different that is from the way God looks at others. Do you sometimes make snap judgments about people by: the way they dress? the way they talk: their grammar, their accent, the way they pronounce words? whether they are overweight or underweight? Sometimes the way we judge people is so quick and so shallow that we hardly notice we are doing it. We size people up by what we see—how they look, how they speak, how confident they seem. But Scripture reminds us again and again that God sees differently. Consider this old description: “ A man small in size, bald‑headed, bow‑legged, in good bodily condition, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked. ” Not exactly the picture of a great leader. It is a description of the Apostle Paul from the  Acts of Paul and Thecla.  Even the Bible says,  “ His letters are weighty ...

The King We Need, Not The King We Want Sermon by Alan Swartz – November 23, 2025 EUMC & BCUMC – Christ the King Sunday We live in a world that groans with anxiety. We have car loans and mortgages to repay. We scroll through our feeds, watching the relentless cycles of crisis and conflict, and deep within us, a primal desire stirs for someone to step in and simply  fix it . We long for a savior-figure who can silence the chaos, bend history to their will, and restore a sense of order to our frantic lives. It is a profoundly human desire to find a powerful figure who can make everything right, a king who will finally deliver on our hopes for security and control. But on this Christ the King Sunday, we are confronted with a kingdom that operates on a radically different logic. The scriptures present us not with the king we might design in our fear, but with the king we desperately need. Today we will see the profound and challenging difference between the king we often wan...