Sermon Transcripts

September 29, 2024 ~ 19th Sunday after Pentecost Rev. Beckie Sweet   I have always loved preaching on the book of James.  This book is supposed to be a letter from a caring and correcting pastor named James.  But truthfully, James’ letter is really an exceptionally long sermon on practical Christian living.  Although this is our fifth Sunday focusing on James’ writings, we have covered less than half of the book!    As we have...

September 22, 2024 ~ 18th Sunday after Pentecost Rev. Beckie Sweet   Tim Chesterton, retired Anglican priest says, I don’t remember thinking very much about ‘wisdom’ when I was a young Christian, back in my teens. I was interested in ‘joy’ and ‘love’ and ‘power’ and ‘peace’, but I don’t remember wisdom figuring on my radar screen very much at all. I do remember very clearly, however, the first time I really paid attention as...

September 15, 2024 ~ 17th Sunday after Pentecost Rev. Beckie Sweet   For the last three decades or so, our culture has been in the midst of a wonderful physical fitness craze with millions of people spending more time, attention, and resources on their physique.  Recognizing the value of physical fitness as it relates to one’s overall health and continued ability to remain active, it is no wonder that Paul reminded the early...

September 8, 2024 ~ 16th Sunday after Pentecost Rev. Beckie Sweet   Back in the days when a mother could send her child to the store to purchase an item needed for dinner, 9 year old Michael was sent to buy a dozen eggs.  He picked out the eggs, checking for cracks as he had observed his mother doing many times, and then took them to the checkout counter.  Michael’s mother had given him just enough money with which to purchase...

September 1, 2024 ~ 15th Sunday after Pentecost Rev. Beckie Sweet   We certainly live in a time of information explosion.  I read recently that over 100 billion emails are sent each day.  That’s more than 10 times the population of the whole world.  Each day 5000 new books are published.  This year the number of text messages will exceed 6 trillion. If we take the year Christ was born as our starting point, it took 1500 years for...

August 25, 2024 ~ 14th Sunday After Pentecost Rev. Beckie Sweet   Some of you are familiar with the Mission of Peace.  The Mission of Peace is a yearly journey of discovery and peace to nations in our global community sponsored by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Council on Youth Ministries of the United Methodist Church.  Each year, every Annual Conference in the jurisdiction (of which there are nine) may select up to four high...