•  — Edited

    Tomorrow is May 1st. The Book of John series should end May 31st (unless we do a "welcome back" from the pandemic sermon. The next series "EmPOWERed" will begin in June. Here's what I have: Empowered by God (How God empowers us) * Text: John 14:15-17;25-27;15:26-27;16:7-15; (When the spirit comes....) * Topic: General Intro to the Role of the Holy Spirit Empowered Results (disciples before and after the Holy Spirit) * Text: Acts 2. Comparing Acts with the Gospels * Topic: Transformational examples using the Disciples. Empowered Life (look at the phrase "life in His Name") * Text: John 10:10, Ephesians 1:1-23 (chapter 2 as well), plus others. * Topic: Transformational Example...of us. What does it mean to be transformed by the Holy Spirit? Empowered Growth (How the Spirit empowers our disciplines) *Text: Galatians 5:16-23 (Fruit of the Spirit). Point: Fruit are produced not manufactured. We don't have to "work ourselves" up to love...etc....it flows naturally... * Topic: Growth means change. Empowered Mission (Incarnational Missional Service) * Text: 1 Cor 12-14 (others) Gifts of the Spirit. Body of Chris as incarnational mission. * Topic: Rescued to mission, taking God's love into the world, taking God's presence into the world Empowered Service * Text:Perhaps continuation of Gifts of the Spirit sermon(s). * Topic: How we are gifted to serve. Perhaps focus on how God's love is shared through service...service in the neighborhood? to others? Empowered Love * Text: 1 Cor 13: Looking at Love as one of the gifts...even though the passage is used at weddings, this is a passage with teeth describing a kind of love that is hard, actually impossible, on our own without God empowering us. Love is the result of the Spirit's influence. Wesley's Christian Perfection - perfected in Love. Loving others as Jesus has loved us. * Topic: Difference between God-sourced love and manufactured (by us) love. Flow of sermons within the series: How we are empowered ⇒ Transformed by God's Spirit ⇒ Transformed to Grow in the Fruit of God's Spirit ⇒ The Fruit of the Spirit shown through Gifts of the Spirit in Mission and Service ⇒ Resulting in a Godly, Holy, Agape Love. Anyone who is interested in diving down and helping develop the sermons, let me know. I have a Notion Page that I can invite everyone too. Feel free to make comments, thoughts, suggestions here though.

    1. What do you think about the summer sermon series to be called Empowered and the topic to be how the Holy Spirit empowers us. I thought it could be a good continuation from John. Some thoughts on topics: Empowered by God (How God empowers us) Empowered Results (disciples before and after the Holy Spirit) Empowered Life (look at the phrase "life in His Name") Empowered Mission (Incarnational Missional Service) Empowered Growth (How the Spirit empowers our disciplines) Empowered Service Empowered Love I'm sure there could be others.

      1. I LOVE it!

      2. I have seven potential sermons. Here are some options: 1) group them so that each month during the summer we could do a different series. That would mean there would be 3 separate series, but somehow keeping the focus of the Holy Spirit at the center. So, one series could be general (perhaps focusing on what Jesus said about the Spirit (Paraclete), another could focus on the Fruit, and another on the gifts. 2) Do one long sermon series. Either way, it would be nice to have 13 sermons total (I haven’t looked, but I think 13 would get us to September. In September I had planned on doing a revisit of our ReMembership series we did several years ago which focused on our discipleship framework. Had hoped to have small groups with Discipleship Coaches. Not sure where that plan is currently because COVID has put some things on hold.

    2. I'm planning to continue Shift through April. Helen Stephenson is preaching on April 15th for me. I will be at church that morning. April 1: Shift - from grave to garden. April 8: Shift - from sheep to shepherd April 15: Helen (Good Shepherd) April 22: Shift - Membership to Discipleship April 29: Shift - Serve Us to Service

      1. Rooted and Built Up
        I love the image of being rooted and built up. What does it mean to be rooted? What does it mean to be built up? How do these two images go together? In what ways can we be rooted and built up in him? What practices can we employ?
        Quote Image
        Colossians 2:7The New Revised Standard Version
        rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
        Continue reading »

        1. Staying Focused
          Paul turns his attention from who Jesus is, to what Jesus has done and how it affects his readers. Jesus, Paul writes, will be able to present them as "holy and blameless" _provided that_ they continue and not shift from the gospel. Paul's concern was that the Colossians and, by extension, others would be carried away by regulations and distractions. He wrote Colossians to remind them of the hope and person of Jesus through the Gospel.
          Quote Image
          Colossians 1:21–23The New Revised Standard Version
          And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
          Continue reading »

          1. Hello everyone!! Thanks to Jim Birch for agreeing to preach on December 31st!! I greatly appreciate it. Remember, during December will be preaching at Freedom UMC. Keep him in prayer! Also, how were you all wanting to "Move forward" with preaching once a month? Even if you are not wanting to preach "Every" month, you can still be part of this process. I'll start a "discussion" concerning the January sermon series. I hope that everyone can figure out how to get to the 'discussion' area and join in.

            1. Welcome ! To all...I have an idea for Lent for next year. I'll post more when I have more of a concept.

              1.  — Edited

                My thoughts for next year's series: January - Galatians (or Colossians) February - 1st John. Lent - Lent begins on Feb 14th. Not sure if to use 1st John (focus on Love) through all of Lent. Thinking of connecting 1st John with Jesus' display of love.

                1. oops...forgot, I thought about preaching on the 7 deadly sins during Lent.

                2. Do you have any themes for the sermon series during January and February?

                3. I had originally planned on finding four passages that give an overview of the book. Four weeks is enough to preach through the entire book I wanted to do the same thing with 1 John, but there's only one Sunday that isn't part of Lent. My original thought was to either cover 1 John during Lent, or covering Galatians (or Colossians) in five weeks (the four weeks in Jan, and the first week in Feb), then moving into the Lenten series. I'm open to suggestions.