Discipling Life

 Loosed by Love: Breaking the Bonds Scripture Texts: Isaiah 58:9b-14; Psalm 103:1-18; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17 August 24, 2025 – Proper 16c – EUMC & BCUMC There’s something deeply moving about watching someone stand up straight after years of being bent over. That moment of straightening, of restoration, touches something profound in the human spirit. Today’s scriptures invite us into that sacred space where God’s heart for liberation meets human need, where divine grace encounters our deepest bondage, and where personal healing and social transformation unite to change not just individuals, but entire communities. The Divine Heart for Liberation Our God is a God of liberation. From the exodus out of Egypt to the Messiah’s proclamation of freedom for captives, the biblical narrative pulses with divine passion for setting people free. This isn’t merely about spiritual salvation – it’s about God’s comprehensive vision for human flourishing, where every form...

 Pruned for Purpose Sermon for August 17, 2025 – Ebenezer UMC & Black Creek UMC Year C, Proper 15, Ordinary 20 Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke 12:49-56   Reaping What We Sow Perhaps you are familiar with the saying that the Bible “comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.” The phrase highlights the transformative power of the Gospel, suggesting that it brings hope and solace to those who are suffering while challenging those who may be too comfortable in their lives. [i] We often find comfort in the scriptures when things are difficult. We take comfort in the image of our God as a Rock of our Salvation, a Good Shepherd, or of a Lord who carries our heavy burdens. [ii] As I was praying over the texts for this week another saying came to mind: those who sow the wind will reap the whirlwind. It reminds us that we will reap what we sow ( Galatians 6:7, 2 Corinthians 9:6, Proverbs 22:8 ). The expression comes from the prophet Hosea. ...

Pilgrims of Promise Sermon for August 10, 2025 – Proper 14c Genesis 15:1-6, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, and Luke 12:32-40 Ebenezer UMC & Black Creek UMC Biblical Preaching Let me speak for a moment about myself. I strive to be a biblical preacher. I start with the lectionary texts for a given week often looking for connections between the lessons. I then develop those connections into a framework for a sermon following the themes that spring up out of those texts. As the sermon develops, I may then look at other biblical texts that help in understanding those themes. I spend hours each week praying over the texts, meditating on the texts, and studying the texts. My desire is to please God in my study and in the proclamation of the Gospel message found in the texts. I seek to be faithful to our Wesleyan tradition and to faithful in “dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV). Since I usually plan ahead by weeks or for an entire season of the church year, each week’s s...

  Treasure in Heaven: Living with Eternal Perspective Scripture Texts:  Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23, Colossians 3:1-11, and Luke 12:13-21 August 3, 2025 – Ebenezer UMC & Black Creek UMC Introduction Grace and peace to you this morning. Today, the Word of God confronts us with important questions: What is our life for? What gives it meaning? Where do we find purpose in a world driven by work, wealth, and worry? Through our scripture texts today, the Spirit is inviting us to examine our priorities—and to reorder them under Christ. We live in a world obsessed with accumulation. From the moment we wake up, we’re bombarded with messages telling us that happiness is just one purchase away, that security comes from our bank account, and that success is measured by what we own rather than by who we are. But today, through the wisdom of Scripture, God calls us to examine our hearts and ask a fundamental question: Where is our treasure? The Teacher in Ecclesiast...

 “Not My People” to Children of God: the Story of Hosea & Gomer Sunday, July 27, 2025 – Ebenezer UMC & Black Creek UMC Proper 12, Ordinary 17 – Hosea 1:2-10 The Image of the Church as the Bride of Christ The Bible is full of symbolic language. God often uses metaphors to make understandable spiritual truths with vividness. For example, The image of the church as the Bride of Christ is found in several scripture verses, including Ephesians 5:25-27, which describes Christ loving the church and presenting her as holy and blameless. Also, Revelation 19:7-9 celebrates the marriage of the Lamb, indicating that the church has made herself ready for this union. Ephesians 5:25-27 (NRSVue) 25  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her  26  in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word,  27  so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or...