Sellersburg United Methodist Church Sermon Podcast

By Rev. Joseph Sanford

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SERMON | John 4:1-42 | "See Her" by Lauren Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Sellersburg United Methodist Church Sermon PodcastJun 04, 2023

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SERMON | John 4:1-42 | "See Her" by Lauren Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Jun 04, 202325:12

SERMON | John 20:19-23 | PENTECOST - "He Breathed On Them" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

This is the arrival of the Holy Spirit in John.

At first hearing we might think, “Well, that’s boring.”

“No sound? No fire? No speaking in foreign languages? No Peter giving a testimony that leads to 3,000 people believing in the risen Savior?”

Why bother, right?

Jesus breathed on them.

—a very different effect in our post-COVID world!

Remember, this is the first time that all of the disciples who aren’t Mary have seen Jesus alive and breathing once more.

What had they been thinking about since Jesus was arrested and killed?

How they had run?

How they had denied?

How they had not stood up for him?

How some of the Jewish council were searching for them?

How they ached to not have Jesus with them?

How much it hurt to not hear his voice?

How guilty they felt?

How they had no idea what to do next since the one they were following were no

longer there to lead them?

How they hoped those locked doors would protect them?

And then Jesus is there…seemingly out of nowhere.

In the moment they first see him, he offers them peace: “Peace be with you.”

— if they had been true Methodists, they would have responded, “And also with you.”

Then he shows them his hands and side so they might come to believe.

They do and suddenly their fear dissipates AND joy overcomes them.

Jesus said again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

Here is the key to what it all means.

One way we can understand this is to think back to the book which the author we call John put firmly into our frame of mind with the opening words of the Gospel account.

Genesis.

“In the beginning…” and now, “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

The very first human beings received breath from God—the breath of life.

breath/spirit/wind are all the same word in both Hebrew and Greek.

Where the first humans received divine breath, so now the disciples do.

Where the presence of God came to walk among the first humans in the evening, they heard the sound of the evening breeze.

The presence of God coupled with their choice to serve themselves as gods in idolatry led them to be in great fear and go into hiding…just like the disciples are in this scene.

Where sin, the symptom of the deeper problem of idolatry, had held the world captive from the life which God had envisioned for all people from all places…NOW Jesus breathes new life into the disciples after having dealt with the power of sin and death on the cross.

New Creation had burst forth from that garden tomb — John says once again, “…the first day of the week” we are reminded that a new week and new creation had begun.

This new life and creative power is then given to the disciples through Jesus’ breath of life.

Then he tells them what it means: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

God is bringing forgiveness and new life to the whole world.

It was ALWAYS meant and described as coming through Israel from God to the world.

They were God’s elected people to be the vessel through which the great promise was fulfilled…and it had happened in this moment!

Now the disciples, filled with the new divine breath of the new creation where forgiveness becomes truly possible, will go out into the world so that God can work THROUGH them…to bring PEACE.

Peace is right relationship…

wholeness…

completeness…

shalom.

Jesus’ resurrection brings true peace into the world.

We can all receive this new peace, this new wholeness, this contentment in our souls.

But…we receive this SO THAT we can go and announce that peace to the whole world—to share this peace and wholeness found through forgiveness.

May 28, 202320:39

SERMON | 1 Peter 3:13-22 | A LIVING HOPE - 5. "Always Be Ready" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Daily we should be remembering that Christ IS Risen

That the world is in conflict while evil is uprooted and removed

That we are a part of this process in our daily living

Maybe we aren’t facing authorities who are punishing us for our faith, but that

day could come:

It is a reality for many around the world.
It was a reality for the early church.

Don’t think that conflict CANNOT come in that form.

Even if authorities aren’t the source of conflict, our peers are.

Dare I say, even our fellow Christian peers.

It’s extremely rare that I encounter a non-Christian who is slanderous, rude, or causing conflict in some way toward me or the church for our faith.

Most often it’s a sibling of Christ who is pointing fingers, slandering, and trying to cause turmoil and conflict.

Most often these actions are caused by pain they are carrying.

Pain due to a lack of hope.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we?

We’ve lost hope and placed the burden of conflict upon our own shoulders, right?

We’ve experienced disappointment and responded with judgment and self-righteousness, yes?

We ALL have.

So…we should all understand when we see it in our Christian sibling.

and we should all be readying ourselves NOT to respond in kind.

Not even in our minds, friends!
Not in gossip or discussion with others
We must MAINTAIN our hope.

Rather, we should respond in our hope with grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness.

We should not hold things against our sibling in faith due to their reactions.

We all make mistakes and we all are impulsive…because we all have moments

when we have not been prepared to maintain our hope amid pain.

I thank God for grace!
It is crucial that I remember what God’s grace has done for me!
It is vital that I remember what other people’s grace and hope have done for me, too!

If we cannot regard our sibling in Christ with an unconquerable hope, how can we ever be prepared for the world around us when it brings the conflict?

We need to pray, friends, for hope.

We need to start with our own hope so that we are ready to live it out…especially in moments of conflict.

Once we get a good handle on maintaining our own hope, THEN we can work on building up the hope in each other.

THEN we can know we are ready for the world around us.

The day of the Lord has begun…and it will be completed, Amen?

Christ IS Risen!

Then let us live into the Easter reality

Let our lives reflect A LIVING HOPE

Let us prepare for whatever comes our way.

ALWAYS BE READY to serve a Risen Christ IN WHOM WE FIND OUR HOPE in any given moment so that:

the world may come to know the hope that is within us…
so that our hope can disarm a hurting world…
so that people around us can know they can lay their weapons down and put their trust in the grace of God revealed in our Risen Christ and find their hope in the same spirit of God they encounter in us.

May 14, 202320:40

SERMON | 1 Peter 2:2-10 | A LIVING HOPE - 4. "Like Living Stones" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

There is a freedom available to you through our resurrected Lord.

When you remember, and spend time remembering regularly, that you are a living stone being built into a spiritual house alongside Jesus Christ and every person who seeks to follow him as Lord, you are awakened to freedom.

We don’t have to be right when we are free.

it is God who makes us stand or fall
we become people of grace, mercy, and love
Are people who always have to argue their point living a life you desire for yourself?

We don’t have to make sure everyone else thinks like we do when we are free.

we don’t have to understand why people think the way they do
we can simply trust that they are serving a divine purpose, too.
Are people who try to control how others understand things living a life you desire for yourself?

We don’t have to make sure and balance the scales of justice for ourselves.

People are people
we can live with a rhythm of forgiveness and not be controlled by vengeance and self-righteous judgment
Are people who keep score really living a life you desire for yourself?

Where do you see life lived in such a way that you desire for yourself?

Who do you know who has the freedom of Christ in a way that appeals to you?

Because someone who doesn’t play by the rules of being right, being controlling, and being self-righteous in their judgment is absolutely perplexing to those who are still living life in the dirt.

When you come across someone who doesn’t play the game of the world, it stands out.

People have no idea what to do with them, do they?

Except…except…those who are desiring to live life beyond the dirt.

When you’re pining for something more out of life, you notice it when you find it.

I wonder, are we living the type of life that stands out in such a way for others?

Are we living a free life as a living stone in such a way that people can see it in us?

Are we living it out loud?

Are we living it in every way we can all the time we can?

As Peter said, if we have tasted the goodness of God through our Lord, then we desire more…because that is how it works.

He is risen!!

Jesus Christ was resurrected that Easter morning…

and Jesus Christ has been resurrecting us ever since…

Jesus Christ is freeing us from the dirt of our old life and into something entirely different

So…go and live the resurrected life.

Leave the old life behind you to remain in the dirt.

Live as a living stone…a flesh and blood temple…so that we may experience the presence and work of God in and through each other in the way we love and show mercy.

Be an entirely different group of people—a kingdom of priests for God—to the world around you that others may come to know of the freedom and truth you have found.

May 07, 202319:30

SERMON | Psalm 23 & 1 Peter 2:19-25 | A LIVING HOPE - 3. "Guardian of the Soul" by Mark Ritter at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

The sermon material comes from umcdiscipleship.org

Apr 30, 202319:52

SERMON | 1 Peter 1:17-23 | A LIVING HOPE - 2. "Loosening the Bonds" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

Do you know you are loved?

Our full display of LOVE is God coming to us in Jesus Christ…

to tell our story in a new way…

to bring healing to our very hearts, minds, souls, and bodies…

to face and embody our rejection…

to suffer at the hands of our sinful pride and need to judge and control…

and to not condemn us.

to not respond with resentment.

to not respond in kind.

But to pray for us…

to forgive us…

to call out to us…

to wash our feet and kick in those prison doors anyway…

to dust us off and restore us to our original beauty…

to offer us LIFE…

to LOVE us.

Because that’s what God did through Jesus Christ.

That’s our trust and hope—in resurrection.

And, as people freed, we are to go and LOVE in response.

Not because we are supposed to, but because that’s all we know to do when we have arrived at the place of trusting and hoping in God alone.

___________________________________________________________________

Friends, Jesus Christ has freed us and continues to lead us into that freedom.

Embrace the full reality of freedom, leave your cell, and walk the path of discovering how valuable and loved you truly are.

Live in such a way that reflects this truth…that others in prisons around you may know of the fullness of joy that lies beyond the walls of their prisons.

Let us live, as freed people, committed to dismantling the prisons all around us so that everyone may live and walk as free as anyone and everyone else.

Let us continue to leave our prisons of judgment and condemnation behind us so that we may live into the true freedom of LOVE as revealed in Jesus Christ.

Live in such a way that reveals to people the truth you have come to know…

that we all are beautiful, priceless, and LOVED works of art formed in the image of God.

Christ IS Risen!

Apr 23, 202316:05

SERMON | 1 Peter 1:3-9 | A LIVING HOPE - 1. "Fullness of Joy" by Rev. Dr. Gary Schaar at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

Yes, of course, rejoice. And there are times when I can rejoice. Times when things are going well, and I can contemplate the fullness of the promise of eternity. Then, yes, I can look inward and rejoice; feel good about what has been given, content. Satisfied. “Uh, no,” says Peter, grinning in his beard. “You rejoice, even if now for a little while you suffer.” Wait, what? Rejoice while suffering? That doesn’t compute. “I know, right?” says Peter. “But yeah, it really does. Here’s the thing, you’re alive.” I know, and I’d like to stay that way. “No, alive. Not just living. You’re alive, which means that anything that happens is just a moment in eternity. Just a blip on the screen. So, all those things that terrify you don’t mean anything. They can’t diminish you; they can’t break you. You’re alive. I didn’t get that then. I get it now. All there is is love.”

Peter laughs at his own thoughts. “Sounds like a pop song, doesn’t it? But it’s the truth. The deep truth. Love that starts with him, the one I turned my back on, but who never turned his back on me. Love of him who loves so deeply it shakes you to the core. Love so profound we are remade. Made alive. Call it salvation; that’s the only word that fits. We are being saved by his love; saved to love as he loves. Saved to live as he lived. Does that sound like a party or what?”

His teeth gleam through that tangle of a beard, weathered face wrinkling around his eyes as he reaches out with those big fisherman hands to slap you on the back. “Welcome to the party,” he shouts a little too loudly. “Rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” Amen, Peter, amen.

Apr 18, 202326:37

SERMON | John 20:1-18 | IN AWE OF GRACE - Easter Sunday "The End that Wasn't" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

SERMON | John 20:1-18 | IN AWE OF GRACE - Easter Sunday "The End That Wasn't" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana. JOHN 20:1-18 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark… The WORD of God moves again…and new life bursts forth… He was mistaken for the gardener…a throwback to the first humans… but he wasn’t like any other human who had come before… And then, Jesus says her name… “Mary!” She understands who he is, but he is different. Then Jesus says, “Go tell my brothers…” The disciples had become Jesus’ friends a few nights ago…and now are brothers. And then we hear the good news from Jesus himself to Mary: I’m going to my Father is your Father, my God is your God. The separation of humanity to God has been healed, but in a way that cannot be explained in a Sunday morning sermon. What I CAN tell you is John is making it clear a new creation began that first Easter morning. The first week…all 7 days…had come and gone… and a new week has begun. Out of the darkness sprung forth the dawning of the new week… the new creation… the new humanity perfected in Jesus. Disciples have become more than followers… We have become more than friends… We have become family with God once more. NOW…this is GOOD NEWS. This is literally, the GOOD NEWS. Jesus is Risen. If Jesus is risen, then everything he taught and said is vindicated by God. Jesus rose in a way totally different than Lazarus. Lazarus rose back into a life that would face death. He had to be set free from his tomb by others and unwrapped and unbound by others. Jesus, as the details are told, needed no one to unwrap and unbind him. His rising is not to a life under the rule of death, but of a life that is directly connected with God in what he calls “ascension.” If you are ready to trust in God’s new creation ushered in through Jesus Christ, then know the time is now. You may feel that things have reached an end for you… that you’ve encountered chaos, darkness, and void in your relationships or life… you may feel your hope has ended… you may believe the news cycle and think things are only getting worse… Then, my dear friend, hear the good news… Jesus is Risen! Death holds no power. Darkness is defeated. Chaos and void are on their way out by the power of God’s WORD through whom all things have come into being in a new way. What ended in that tomb on the 6th day and lay still on the 7th… became a new beginning of an entirely different kind… Death did not have the final word then… and it doesn’t now.

Apr 09, 202317:15

SERMON | John 13:1-17, 31b-35 | IN AWE OF GRACE - Maundy Thursday "Commanded to Love" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Jesus seized the opportunity to love his disciples…his friends…

because why wouldn’t he?

THIS is God glorified.

to give of God’s self for God’s children.

The foot-washing is just a small example of what Jesus was about to do the next day.

Is there any greater love than to lay down your life for your friends on the cross?

Is there any nobler act than to wash the feet and die for those who betray you and fasten you to the instrument that will kill you

Yet…that’s what Jesus did.

He washed their feet that night and he would die for them the next day.

And none of them understood.

Most would abandon him.

One would deny him.

Another would betray.

And yet…here he is this night…washing their feet and preparing to die tomorrow.

As I have loved you, love one another.

We will take of Holy Communion tonight to REMEMBER how Jesus loved us.

Not just to take and eat and ritualize it to a once a year or once a month thing.

Let’s see the foot-washing and Holy Communion for what they really were:

an invitation into an entirely new way to live a life of LOVE.

Jesus shows us LOVE

and then invites us to live into this love for others…

not one night a year, but in every opportunity we can find to break from the routine and norm and SERVE each other out of love.

What would our communities look like if every Christian decided to start loving like Jesus?

EVERYONE would experience a love they wouldn’t understand either.

Some would overreact one way to such an experience.

Others would overreact in another way.

There would be confusion…

there would be betrayal…

there would be denial…

But what if our LOVE, the love we’ve come to know from Jesus, outlasted all reactions?

What if the church became ONLY a place where people love each other in ways that we were constantly lowering ourselves to one another…because…

why shouldn’t we?

why wouldn’t we?

We are commanded to love

As we take of the elements…and as we serve each other…

Let us remember what Jesus did during the supper for each disciple…

and let us remember what Jesus did the next day for everyone across time and space.

Let us REMEMBER…and let our remembrance lead us into the new life to which we are called.

Apr 06, 202315:59

SERMON | Matthew 21:1-17 | HOLY WEEK - IN AWE OF GRACE - 1. "This Is the Day" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

SERMON | Matthew 21:1-17 | HOLY WEEK - IN AWE OF GRACE - 1. "This Is the Day" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana THIS IS THE DAY!! Palm Sunday! Hosanna! We have begun Holy Week. Our Lenten journey has brought us here…to this week. We have traversed the wilderness…and we have arrived at the heart of God’s people. Jesus rides into Jerusalem—on two donkeys?? —we see the author’s confusion about the prophecy from which the imagery comes. (there is no “and” in the prophecy, so one donkey becomes two) That isn’t the only bizarre thing about this passage. We KNOW that the people shout “Hosanna!”…but in just a few days time they will be replaced with “Crucify Him!” We KNOW that Jesus came to be the Messiah and cleanse the earth of evil…but then he goes to the Holy Temple of God and cleans IT out! What do we make of this story we tell every year? We must remember that this story is a part of our Lenten journey. We MUST not simply tell the story and then not allow it to speak to our hearts. We MUST NOT assume we wouldn’t have gone from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him” right along with the rest of the people. We are human. We are always going to fall short. We are going to struggle to understand. The more we think we understand, the more we probably do not. Those who should’ve understood and celebrated, instead criticized… While those who were assumed to know little opened themselves to it all. Those who should’ve been displaying hospitality for the world to worship God were setting up shop in the court of the Gentiles ripping off the poorest of the poor. —doves were the sacrifice of those who couldn’t afford anything else After walking and traveling and spending what little money they had, they would need to purchase doves…and the Temple priests made them exchange their money to get the Temple coins—and would rip them off to do it! Worse…this was happening IN the Temple. A house of prayer became a den of thievery. And it were the religious leaders in charge and reaping the benefits of it all. We must NOT assume that we are incapable of losing our way as well. It is SO tempting to get distracted and focused on ourselves. It is SO tempting to exploit the poor and reap the benefits of it. If our clothing was made in Asia… Or our coffee is less than $12/lb. Or our bananas are less than $3/lb. We are reaping the benefits, friends. This isn’t a guilt-trip. It’s a reality check for all of us…me, too! It’s so hard to do things right in a system and world where almost everything is broken. Where we are literally tearing our world apart and have the option of pretending we are not. We need cleansed! We need healed! We need to be put in our place! Amen? We need judgment…not for others, but for ourselves. We want to be put right, don’t we? But there’s a feeling of fear and dread at the thought. But…the beautiful part of this whole story is how the judge, the king, the rescuer, the deliverer comes onto the scene. _________________________________________________ The Son of David has, in fact, arrived. But what does that mean? David had made Jerusalem the city of God’s people long ago. Ever since the time of David and the exile, the people have longed for a king to be like David and lead them out of oppression. David was the prototype king to which all other kings were measured. So there’s that element here. The waving of palms and laying down of cloaks has kingly elements. When Israel welcomed King Jehu, they laid down cloaks. When Judas Maccabaeus led his people to defeat the oppression of the Greeks in Jerusalem, he rode into the Temple area as people waved palms and laid down cloaks. He entered the Temple and removed the Greek idols that had been placed there. Zechariah’s prophecy foretold of God’s king coming to establish the people of Israel and God’s kingdom across the earth…to cut of chariots, break bows, and basically overpower every weapon of war. But he shall come on a donkey—the foal of a donkey—a colt. The Son of David, the King, the awaited rescuer has come… But not to make Israel into the kind of superpower they had grown to despise… not the kind of nation which has a stronghold on other nations… God’s King has come…but to save them from an entirely different and more important oppression. He’d come to call them to life by the will of God, not by the will of Kings and rulers and power and weapons. ______________________________________________________________ He comes from the Mount of Olives, just like Zechariah’s prophecy. He rides upon the foal of a donkey, just like Zechariah’s prophecy. The King comes into Jerusalem to respond to the call of the people when they shouted, “Hosanna (Rescue us)!” Maybe they knew they needed rescue; maybe they didn’t. It’s really hard for us to tell, isn’t it? It’s really hard for us to tell about ourselves let alone someone else. We have a hard time knowing we still need God’s rescue through Jesus Christ. We’re struggling with it right now, aren’t we? We want to make excuses… We want to point backward to actions of the past to be our validity… We want to provide evidence that what we are doing now is okay… We want to point the finger of accusation at others… Or, at the very least, point out the audacity of being accused ourselves. We also want Jesus to come as the King we expect… We want to be exalted as RIGHT We want to be the people on TOP of the pile We are human. We are as human as anyone there that day. We are as human as those whose cries will turn from adoration to hatred… We are as human as those who don’t understand but receive life anyway… We are as human as those who should know better, but we criticize and distort how we see the world and live among our neighbors… Jesus…in all of his grace…rode into town on that foal and let the people shout. He received their praise knowing full well how it would turn in a matter of days. He received it for what it was in the moment — the TRUTH Even if the people would forget or be so caught up in what they expected that they would reject God at work in him before their eyes in just a few days time… he knew that what they were doing on this day was as true as it could ever be. Even if they had no idea how far off they were from their own understanding. …the grace of God was present with Jesus that day. Jesus mounted that donkey’s colt… Jesus rode down that hill… Jesus received the praise… Jesus entered that Temple… Jesus accepted the acclamation of being a king even while Caesar was still enthroned… And Jesus began the cleansing that would begin the chain of events that would lead to his death. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing even if the people did not. Even if we are still struggling to know what we’re doing today. We need only look to our Rescuer…our Savior…our King… our Jesus And no matter how much we think we have it figured out… And not matter how wrong we actually are… We can stand in Awe of Grace as it is on full display in Jesus. and THAT’S what THIS DAY is all about. The King has come…to judge and cleanse and purify… and our King Jesus comes in humility and gentleness… Where might he bring that cleansing for us? Where might he bring that cleansing for you? We’ve been on a journey towards the cross alongside Jesus, to the death of sin and self… Are we ready? Because…This Is the Day it can begin for us all. Let us stand in Awe of Grace as we journey through Holy Week.

Apr 02, 202314:47

SERMON | Ezekiel 37:1-14 & John 11:1-45 | LENT: LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 5. "Who Could Stand" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

SERMON | Ezekiel 37:1-14 & John 11:1-45 | LENT - LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 5. "Who Could Stand" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Learning to Live Inside Out — a Lenten journey with Jesus… toward the cross… toward the death of sin and self… following Jesus… until what we KNOW in our hearts becomes the REALITY we live in the world. We’ve focused on the importance of fasting and testing… moving from the familiar comforts in the uncomfortable unknown… confronting our thirst… and seeing the presence of God among us… Today we come to a deep question of whether we believe all of this and what it means. WHO COULD STAND? The opening Psalm asked this important question focusing on the choice we have to be weighed down with anxiety scanning the horizon for our enemies… or standing in the hope and trust in God and finding joy in the midst of struggle. We have a choice. We have the POWER to choose: How will we respond? ______________________________________________ Similar to Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones who is asked, “Can these bones live?” Can they live, Ezekiel? Can they stand up and carry on once more? Can they find life and joy and hope and trust? Or is God’s promise just a let-down…a pipe dream? Ezekiel knows the answer…but he won’t say it. He knows better. What is our answer to this question? Let’s look at the bones of today and decide. We’ve heard the statistics for years now… the church is in decline. less and less people are worshiping God on Sunday mornings less and less people are saying they have faith at all We’ve felt the pain of the valley and the bones around us… this church and many others are not what they once were things used to be easier people came to church this room was too full some days…many days… Have we messed it up? Did we mishandle what God gave us? I’m certain we haven’t been perfect…but have we ceased to love our church? Have we ceased to love God? Look at the bones, friends. Can these bones live? Is there a thriving life ahead of us? Our heads have an response…and we know it well. We are all tempted to scan the horizon for the next bit of bad news about our church…about our world… about our own lives. Who could stand in the midst of our reality today in 2023? You might bite our tongue and follow our hearts just the tiniest bit and say in response to the question: “You know, Lord.” Perhaps that response is something like, “Please don’t make me say it. Don’t make me have to offer my breath and effort to utter my hopelessness into existence.” Or maybe the response contains a seed of hope. After all, it’s God we’re talking with, right? Aren’t ALL THINGS possible? This brings us to our scene in John when Jesus is standing in front of Martha. Her brother had died. She had sent word of his illness to Jesus, but never asked him to come directly. She ALMOST implied the question by giving the word of Lazarus’s illness, but she never asked Jesus to come and do anything about it. Was she shy? Was she being respectful? Did she think that Lazarus’s situation didn’t deserve to interrupt Jesus’ mission? When Jesus does arrive, she can’t help but say to him, “If only you’d been here…” Maybe that’s how we feel in our 2023 reality. If only… If only we’d opened our doors wider… If only we’d played our music louder… If only people didn’t focus on working… If only extracurricular sports didn’t have activities on Sundays… If only we’d stayed more traditional with our style… If only we’d gone more contemporary… If only… If only… And now we sit in a pile of bones… The stench of what was having long past… The stillness of death where the bustle of life once was. Jesus prods at Martha’s faith. “Your brother will rise, Martha.” “Sure, sure, Jesus…one day he will…” “I am the resurrection and the life. Even amid death, there is life in me. Do you believe this?” “Yes, of course, you are the Messiah…” Then she walks away to get Mary—it’s Mary who is the good student, after all. Even Mary says, “If only you had been here, Jesus…” Then she wept. She has lost all hope. She doesn’t believe in the power and presence standing right in front of her. It’s over… Lazarus is lost… Death has won the day… Jesus wept. and NOT because he felt sorry for Mary and Martha… NOT because of the death of his friend. Jesus wept because they didn’t understand who he was and what he was. They stood before the very power that could once again make Lazarus stand into life, but they didn’t see it. They only saw bones… What once was… And a pile of “If onlys…” Jesus is disturbed in his spirit and deeply moved to see the pain and despair of his friends. Jesus will weep again as he takes in the sight of Jerusalem on the day he triumphantly enters…because of their shortsightedness…because of their blindness. Lack of belief and faith and joy and hope tears at Jesus’ heart. So here we are… In the valley of bones ourselves: Our individual lives… Our families and friends… Our church… Our community… Our nation… Our world… Who could stand? Are our best days behind us? Has the stench of death overtaken us? Can we not see the future for the stone which lies before us…sealing us into our fate? Hear the voice of Jesus! Take away the stone. Believe and see the glory of God. Lazarus, come out! Unbind him, and let him go. Notice that Lazarus is freed to life by two things: the power and presence of Jesus the faith and obedience of Lazarus’ community to follow Christ’s instructions The community of Lazarus rolls away the stone… They boldly face the stench of death and open themselves to possibilities beyond their comprehension. They are the ones to unbind him and set him free. This is our calling, friends. Living inside out means we keep our hearts and minds and souls and strength fixed on Jesus Christ because he is the source of life and the resurrection. NOTHING is beyond hope with Jesus our Lord! Let us stop scanning the horizon in search of the next threat or bad news… and, instead, let us find the opportunity for joy, wonder, and love right here and now. Let us realize that we have been placed here in 2023…just like Ezekiel was placed in the valley of bones. The word for “placed” is the same word used for the first human beings when they were “placed” in the garden. Ezekiel is there intentionally and with purpose; and so are we! We are placed HERE…now. Do you believe? Let us place our faith in Jesus Christ even when our vision goes no further than the stone in front of us… Even when our movement is limited by the wrappings we have been bound in… How we became bound no longer matters. How long we’ve been limited doesn’t matter either. What matters is our response to the question: who could stand? Who could stand, friends? Do you know? If the whole house of Israel could stand and receive the breath of life once again, then so can we? If Lazarus could be raised up and unbound to walk and live and thrive again, then so can we? Let us continue our journey toward the cross not ignoring the calamity and chaos around us in this world, but also not letting it determine our response to the opportunities before us. We have been freed from many stones before…and there are many stones before us still. But we will press on…together—living inside out for Christ We will press on following our Savior trusting that each and every stone that stand in our way will be removed through the power of life in him. We will witness the power of God drawing us together and standing us up HERE, NOW…and FOREVEMORE.

Mar 26, 202312:19

SERMON | 1 Samuel 16:1-13 & John 9:1-41 | LENT: LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 4. "In the Presence" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

SERMON | 1 Samuel 16:1-13 & John 9:1-41 | LENT - LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 4. "In the Presence" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Learning to Live Inside Out — a Lenten journey with Jesus… toward the cross… toward the death of sin and self We’ve talked about fasting… About a life of faith taking us from the familiar and comfortable into the unknown… About recognizing the deeper thirst we have for a life only God can lead us into… Today we wrestle with the question of how to know when you’re in the presence of God. How do we know that we can, in fact, see clearly with our hearts and minds and souls and bodies? In a world where so many claim to be able to see clearly… how can we know what to believe? Who to follow? Who to trust? Art museum story… We all want to see clearly in our lives. We want to have a sense of certainty and comfort in our knowing. We want to be assured that we are on the right track… standing in the right place… seeing the picture clearly. We want to know that we are living a life in the direction of Jesus Christ and in the presence of God. We want to be a part of what God is doing in the world as well things are being brought together and summed up into the renewal of all things. Our lenten journey is to get ourselves looking at ourselves and our world in a better way so that we can actually see… Amen? __________________________________________________ Samuel the prophet had lived his whole life in devotion to God. His devotion began before he was even born because he had an amazing mother named Hannah. Samuel had been a part of what God was doing. He anointed Israel’s first king, Saul. Saul looked the part. He looked and seemed like a king when Samuel anointed him. But Saul didn’t pan out. Samuel had been so focused on the details of what he thought made a king that he had, somehow, missed the bigger picture…and things didn’t go well. It had been, well, a disaster. But God is still at work and called him to anoint a new king…while Saul was still on the throne. Step by step, Samuel follows God’s instructions, until we come to the home of Jesse who parades his sons in front of Samuel. Samuel, still looking to finely at the details, sees a few that look like a king… But God keeps saying, “No…next…” until no sons remain. That’s when David is summoned to join the party. David…an afterthought…comes in and God says, “Yes…he’s the one…” God sees not like people see—on the outward appearance… God sees the heart. David gets anointed…and then Samuel immediately leaves the scene and the story altogether. Did he ever come to see clearly? Or did he just follow God’s command? We don’t know. _____________________________________________________________ The story in John is one of great discussion and debate. Much is said today about thinking someone’s lack of certain abilities means they aren’t every bit as capable as anyone else. Much is said about forcibly rubbing mud into the eyes of someone who never asked or gave you permission to do so. Much is said about people not believing the word of someone who has or did have a disability of some sort. These are important discussions in their own regard, but I fear it is focusing too much on the brushstrokes of the story as a whole. When we stand back and see the story as a whole, we find a challenging invitation. Will we recognize the work of God right in front of us? We get so caught up in the details that we miss the bigger picture. And not just about what’s happening in the world around us…but in our own lives. Like the man in the story, we are all CALLED to share our story. — not know all of the answers — BUT to tell what we DO know — and no guessing!! Maybe your story doesn’t seem miraculous…yet. Maybe your story seems boring or simple. Friends, God works in the boring and simple more than the miraculous. In fact, the miraculous is that God uses the boring and simple to change the world. God could part seas and raise up the dead and shake the foundations of the earth. We have stories about how God has done those things in our Bible. But God’s plan most often is not about doing the work God-self. Rather, it’s inviting us into the story—to be the miracle worker of sorts. A life changed…is miraculous. Have you had your life changed by God? Have you witnessed someone’s life changing? Maybe your picturing some monumental change that occurred in a short span of time…because we are still thinking in the realm of the “miraculous…” But many of us here can look back at our lives across a long span of time and see incredible change in how we live. We can look and see how far we’ve come in our understanding of our lives, God, faith, the Bible, love, and our world. YES? Is this not miraculous? Can you explain how you’ve come to experience this change? We might say, “God, Jesus, or let’s not forget the Holy Spirit” But there’s a mystery to it all, isn’t there? We have to admit that it’s not all that different from someone spitting into mud and working this change through the messes we’ve found ourselves in. Somehow…we traversed dark and difficult times…and came to see things in a new light. This is the Holy Spirit in us and around us, friends. This is how it works. This is our story. This is our life like a painting. We can get so caught up in the individual brushstrokes that we forget to step back and see the bigger picture. We can forget to remember the bigger story. Not only of our own lives, but of the lives of others. Not only of others, but of our family and our church. We can carry this kind of seeing in how we view our community…our country…and our world. When we start to step back… When we view the bigger picture… and, more importantly, when we enter into conversation with others about what they see as we step back together and share our stories… We come to see everything differently. We realize that we DO have a story to tell. We have our own story and OUR own story. Now…there will always be those who refuse to see it. For them, it’s terrifying to see things any differently than they already do. They will deny evidence right in front of them because it costs them too much to loosen their grip on their own certainties. They will harass… They will invent false narratives… They will slander… They will accuse… They will spread rumors… They will attack the integrity of the person and the story itself… out of FEAR. That’s part of how it works.; We mustn’t let that stop us. We can invite them to step back and see the bigger picture, but we cannot force them…nor should we! Trust that the same miraculous and wonderful Holy Spirit that has worked in your life over time is working in their, too. Trust in the grace of God through Jesus Christ to work miracles. Make every effort to not hinder their progress by putting them on the defensive…because there is no surer way to hinder someone’s growth than to put them on the defensive. Maybe it’s your grace that is the vessel of the miracle! Let us TRUST God to reveal the presence of God to us…even if it takes time. Even if we have come to know only a small part of the bigger story. Maybe we’ll feel like Samuel…knowing God is working, but not understanding it at all. Maybe we’ll feel like the blind man…we KNOW God worked, but we struggle to know how, why, or through whom Maybe we’ll feel like the neighbors…we can see something has happened, but we are struggling to wrap our heads around it. Maybe we’ll feel like the parents…we KNOW something has happened, but we’re terrified to understand it because it reveals a power that is unnerving Maybe we’ll feel like the Pharisees…we KNOW something has happened, but we must make sure it is labeled in a way that maintains our own limited perspective—even to the point where we label the miraculous movement of God as evil…as going too far…as dangerous…as something that needs to be stopped or abandoned. Instead…TRUST in the Holy Spirit to open their hearts, their minds, their souls, and their bodies just as the Holy Spirit has done for thousands of years. Focus on your own continued growth and gaining of sight. Continue to strive to see things as God sees them…see people as God sees them…see yourself as God sees you…see the world as God sees it. Only then can we come to know the truth… that we are ALWAYS in the presence.

Mar 19, 202316:39

SERMON | Exodus 17:1-7 & John 3:5-42 | LENT: LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 3. "Give Me Water" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Learning to Live Inside Out — a Lenten journey with Jesus… toward the cross… toward the death of sin and self We are fasting alongside of Jesus in the wilderness… but the fast we choose is that of God…to nurture righteousness in our hearts. The word for righteousness is the word for justice is the word for piety. δικαιοσύνη: righteousness, what is right, justice, the act of doing what is in agreement with God's standards, the state of being in proper relationship with God We live in a world full of injustice…unrighteousness…impiety… And we participate in it: more than we realize We cannot help it…we were born into a world of injustice—it’s all most people know. But WE KNOW of another way… the Kin-dom… the life of being a disciple of Jesus Christ… An eternal life with God that starts here and now. So…we fast to align more with that better way. We are walking the path of the better way by the leading of the Holy Spirit… We fall down…a lot…but we follow the one who does not fall. We are constantly seeking the opportunity to move from the familiar and comfortable in pursuit of the life God is calling us to in our world. At least…that’s the hope. But we come to our passages today confronting stories of thirst versus quenching of thirst. Need vs. provision of God. In Exodus 17 we find the Israelites freshly freed from the restrictive life of oppression and restriction in Egypt. They are traversing the wilderness…a massive body of people moving together…through a dry place. They’ve run out of water…again—and God is put on trial Just a couple of chapters prior they were thirsty but couldn’t drink the bitter water. They complained against Moses—the man who just led them out of Egypt and through the Red Sea!! We may judge them for such a quick assault against their gratitude and allegiance, but let’s remember…water is important. We can live for a week & a half without food, but we cannot live 3 days without water. They were wandering in the wilderness…a huge body of people…with no water. Parents, grandparents, spouses, and siblings…thirsty…vulnerable…and scared. Did Moses even have a plan?! Have we been led out here to die?! God instructed Moses and the bitter water was made potable. But two chapters later…we’re back in the predicament of thirst…and this time, they amp up their assault on Moses as a leader. They bring charges against him as their leader. They are ready to turn their backs on him. Moses gets mad. He is frustrated at the people and he lets them know it. He tells them that charging him is the same as charging God. Then Moses goes to God and seeks help. God displays an act of great humility by “I will stand before you.” The people are always the ones to stand before God…in God’s awesome and sovereign presence. But…this time…God stands before Moses. God shows an act of compassion and mercy toward one crying out… the same one who didn’t show compassion toward the crowd crying out against him. The people receive water and have their thirst quenched. But won’t they thirst again? At most they can go three days. The 40 years was more than providing for the physical needs of the people on their journey. They were learning to TRUST God… to place their FAITH in God alone. If they could…their deeper thirst would be quenched. If they can no longer depend upon their own understanding of how things work… If they can unlearn the ways of chaos in Egypt… If they can KNOW in their hearts that God provides what they truly need… they’ll experience a deeper quenching than that of their lips. Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman. Jesus is tired and thirsty — another act of humility by our God…to enter into the depth of our human need and sit before us feeling the same thirsts we do. He breaks all of the social rules of the day—talking with the Samaritan woman and asking to drink from her water. They enter into some playful banter in a way that mocks the social order. Jesus talks about water and thirst, but it’s not about actual water… At first she is confused, but she quickly picks up on what he’s talking about. This nameless woman brilliantly engages Jesus in a meaningful way… She asks for a drink from him…clearly not knowing what it is he has to offer. She sees no evidence that he can offer her anything, but she leans into the moment. “Give me this water, so that I don’t have to keep coming back to this well.” Jesus reveals himself to her in a way she can understand—as a prophet. She immediately inquires of him concerning worship of God. She longs to worship God wholly and reverently…but she is unsure how to do that. Should I worship here? Or there? Should I follow the leading of my people? Or your people? Jesus then shatters the question altogether: God is Spirit…and those who truly worship God will do so in Spirit and truth. Living rightly…justly…piously…will be how you worship God. Living inside-out. Letting the Spirit lead your heart will naturally lead you into righteous and just living. Letting the Spirit lead you will bring you into an entire life of piety. She GETS IT! She knows Messiah will come and make it all clear. He then fully reveals himself: “I am Messiah, the one who is speaking to you.” The woman leaves her jar and goes to the city to call people. Notice…she LEFT HER JAR… She knows that her thirst will no longer be quenched by that jar…the real thirst of her soul and heart and mind and body… Only by Jesus… Only by embracing what he is revealing… God in Spirit… worship in Spirit and in truth… Living inside-out. The disciples struggle as Jesus continues the metaphor with food… They don’t get it…but the woman does… And, through her…the Samaritan town does, too. So where are we in the story? (The woman…or the disciples?) Do we thirst? Or have we found that which springs up inside of us so that we will never thirst again? It’s important to be honest. Having the right answer that sounds good will be useless to you. Are you fulfilled in life? Do you hunger for more? Do you have a thirst you are trying to quench through your own buckets? Are you in a constant cycle of going to various wells to find what you’re looking for? Do you struggle with frustration? disapproval? or being disapproved of? Do you find yourself feeling despair? or hopeless? Do you feel the desire to just get up and walk away from things in your life? There’s a difference from being called to “go or come” and simply wanting to “walk away.” Are you like the woman at the well…wondering how to truly approach God: where, when, how? Do you feel disconnected? Do you feel parched? Living Inside-Out is a journey & process—toward the cross & the death of sin and self. We must start by leaning into what we have come to know of Jesus. We don’t need to have it all figure out, but we must be willing to leave our jars behind… We must recognize that the other wells in the world will NEVER quench our thirst. Wealth… status… policies… stuff… privilege… physical gratification… NONE OF IT will ever quench your thirst. Are you tired of returning to the well again and again only to find yourself thirsty? Are you ready for Living Water? Then consider putting down your jar… Lean in to Jesus more… Devote yourself to the truth he offers… Let FAITH in God be your well… Let Jesus Christ be your jar… Let the Holy Spirit be your ladle… Devote yourself… give your time and energy to growing into the better way of Jesus Christ. Give of yourself more to the body of Christ, your church. Invest energy discerning what that means, for you Trust that Jesus Christ though the Holy Spirit will quench your deepest thirst. Spend time in prayer focusing on how to live inside-out… How to turn your heart more towards Jesus Christ… How to trust in God to provide you with all you need… So that…we can then become people who extend this Living Water to those around us with grace and compassion and humility…as God has done for us. That we may become a people living inside-out bearing TRUTH to our world. That many more may believe because of what they SEE in us. That they may see in us a people…who are quenched.

Mar 12, 202315:38

SERMON | Genesis 12:1-4a & John 3:1-17 | LENT: LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 2. "Go From Your Country" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

SERMON | Genesis 12:1-4a & John 3:1-17 | LENT: LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 2. "Go From Your Country" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana Here we are in our own journey of faith. Have we become a settled people? Have we been holding tightly to what is familiar and comfortable? Have we been open to where the Spirit is taking us? Or are we still fumbling in the darkness? Are we longing to just stay put? Or maybe your desire to stay in the familiar and comfortable means you leave the reality that is changing to find a new place that matches your familiarity and comfort… Nicodemus walked away from Jesus…he went…but not the right kind of going at all. Are you feeling a calling to “Go” whether it is a literal going like Abram and Sarai or a figurative one like Nicodemus? (If you are feeling a calling and you want to talk with me about it, please come forward after service and let’s talk and share together) Learning to Live Inside Out… Being a disciple of Jesus Christ… means we hold all things loosely accept for our faith in Jesus and our commitment to his Kin-dom. These remaining 30 days of Lent (not counting Sundays) we MUST spend time in prayer and fasting to consider if we are in pursuit of the kind of living God chooses for us. Inward and Outward… Faith and Action… Commitment to Christ in our hearts… and commitment to Christ with our living. Embracing of the Spirit in all things… and going where she leads us. Does the Holy Spirit have anything left to show you? Is the Spirit working in new ways through others around you? Are you willing to be renewed in your way of seeing and being? Are we open to our calling to Go from what is familiar & comfortable… or have you arrived on this road to healing and salvation, my siblings? The Spirit LEADS us every step of the way…if we but trust and believe in He who sends us…when we leave behind what is familiar and comfortable with faith in Jesus Christ. So let us remember the destination of our lives—the Kin-dom Let us remember the destination of our fasting—the cross Let us remember the destination of our being—a life led by the Spirit Let us remember our calling in Jesus Christ — learning to live inside out.

Mar 05, 202314:13

SERMON | Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11 | LENT: LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 1. "If We Fall Down" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

LENT: The Season of journeying to the cross.

Similar to Advent—Advent is not Christmas, but preparation for it—Lent is NOT Easter.

But first…before the resurrection…we must journey to the cross.

We must spend 40 days in the wilderness alongside our Messiah.

We must keep our eyes focused on the cross and then prepare to stop there…

to take it all in…

to understand there is a mystery to it all…

there is the love and grace of God…

there is the discipline and willingness of Jesus…

there is a purpose behind this journey…and it must be completed.

We will also be learning to live inside-out these 40 days: to think about how we live the faith of our hearts in our world—faith in action

These 40 days of Lent,

we have the opportunity to journey into the wilderness with Jesus.

We have the chance to journey with him to the cross.

An important part of this journey is fasting.

—How you fast is up to you, but it is important that you DO fast.

You may be thinking, “No, that’s silly ritual that I don’t need.”

But I wonder, can you really face yourself and temptation without allowing yourself to be tested like Jesus did?

To fast from something is to say I will maintain control over my head and heart for 40 days. I will journey with Jesus in this unique way…and I’ll make it.

Because telling yourself and/or the tempter that you have what it takes to abstain just stokes the fire of temptation.

Can you handle the heat?

Can you withstand the burning desire to satisfy your wants?

We know our story involves a great deal of falling down…

but it also involves following the one who didn’t.

And He invites us to follow him

and He empowers us so that we won’t fall down either.

Will you accept that invitation in this unique way during Lent?

Will you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you into a time of testing to see what there is for you to learn in the wilderness of these 40 days?

You don’t need to tell me whether you do or not; this fast isn’t between you and I.

And a fast could be giving up a favorite daily food of your…

it could be giving up a daily habit—like social media

or giving up coffee

or not watching media that focuses on the wrong

things: politics, violence, distorted ideas of

relationships

it could be picking up a daily habit—like reading 10 chapters in your Bible

or spending 10 minutes in silent prayer

or walking a mile in silence

Join in the journey of Lent.

Follow our savior to the very source of our salvation: the cross.

It will be hard, no doubt.

You may stumble…

you will wrestle with the voices of temptation…

but, with the Holy Spirit in our head and hearts, and our eyes fixed on Jesus, and our will devoted to the dream of God…we will not fall.

Let this season be a part of your faith journey.

See where the Holy Spirit leads you on your journey with Jesus towards the cross.

Feb 26, 202317:29

SERMON | Matthew 5:21-37 | GLIMPSES OF THE KIN-DOM: 6. "But I Say..." by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

Jesus is inviting his disciples into a new way of living… A new Kin-dom… with a new rule… Not a list, tablet, or scroll, but WAY of Life. The early church called our faith “The Way” because it was JUST THAT! A NEW WAY. Jesus holds up the rule they know and follow, but then takes it deeper. Don’t just NOT MURDER, but don’t be angry with your sister or brother. You’ll be liable to judgment. This isn’t a cosmic judgment by God. It is, but not like we think. If I hold my hand over this flame, what happens? I get burned, right? Not because the fire is judging me, but because that’s how things work. Flames burn. Too much heat harms. So…if I want to avoid being burned, I avoid letting things get too hot…I don’t hold my hand over flames. I must know how things work…and then I must live by the way things are. God’s commandments and rules are like heat or gravity…they are how things work. If I let myself boil w/ anger toward someone…but then I stop short of killing them, I may be following the LAW and breaking no commandments or rules, but something terrible is happening anyway, right? The Commandments and rules of Scripture are meant to guide us toward how to live as true human beings… as we were created to live and act and be and experience life and relationships. If I kill people, that doesn’t lead to a fruitful life, but to a life of the Valley of Hinnom. Well…so does living angry at people. Does it produce fruit to get mad at people in your life? Does it produce fullness of life to hold contempt against other human beings? Or does that kind of life lead to a smoldering fire in our souls that actually destroys our hearts a bit at a time. Like holding our hand over a flame, holding anger leads to damage to our hearts and minds and relationships and life. So, Jesus says…don’t be angry. He holds up reconciliation and making friends above worship!! Because worship cannot bring you peace when you harbor anger and resentment. You cannot be right with God if you are not right with other human beings. Jesus talks about all of our relationships through the lens of life vs. death… thriving vs. destruction. These new expressions of the Kin-dom do more than show us a better path. —they reveal Jesus as the blueprint of humanity. Jesus lived by the New Way. The Sermon on the Mount isn’t just good advice, but GOOD NEWS. Jesus lived this way for us to see. Jesus lived into the way of being fully human. He opens up our eyes to see it in and through him. If we follow him, we can discover it too! We can catch glimpses of the Kin-dom. When Jesus was mocked by religious leaders and his contemporaries and family, he didn’t respond in kind. When Jesus was challenged by the “rule follower” he told parables and stories: some of them were funny and meant to disarm the tension, but they all forced his antagonizers to think differently. When Jesus was struck, he took the pain and made no attempt to retaliate. When they put a cross on his back, he carried it out of the city to the place of his execution. When they nailed him to the cross, he prayed for them and asked God to forgive them all. The Sermon on the Mount isn’t just about us… It’s about Jesus Christ… It’s about the Kin-dom which Jesus ushered in. What would our world look like if the people of the Church started living into this new deeper way where relationships were valued over everything else…even WORSHIP!! We’d see the Salt & Light at work in and through us. The world around us would look at us… and catch glimpses of the Kin-dom.

Feb 12, 202322:35

SERMON | Matthew 5:1-12 | GLIMPSES OF THE KIN-DOM - 3. "Of the Same Mind" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Glimpses of the Kin-dom:

Kin-dom - the activity and influence of God here and now through the people of God, the body of Christ in the church.

Kin-dom - where heaven and earth overlap and coexist.

We catch glimpses of it in and through the church — where the Reign of God is fully present and embraced by the Kin-dom family.
We are born anew through baptism into the church. It’s in that moment that we embrace the Holy Spirit back
We are raised in the church, like a family, to learn and grow into our faith.
We have the same mind and purpose (our bigger yes) — to live as the Kin-dom together and share the power of the cross through our lives and in our relationships for our world.
We begin a 3-week focus on the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew’s Gospel — Jesus is the new Moses

Having avoided being killed by a powerful king…
Having fled to a neighboring country to live as a refugee…
Having come from Egypt into the land of Israel…
Having entered the waters of the Jordan and passed through to the other side…
Having assembled the people…
Jesus now goes back up a mountain to not just receive the Law, but to give it.

Now, let us remember that everything that has happened so far has defied expectation

Mary and Joseph have been surprised…
The kings from the east have been surprised…
John the Baptists has been surprised…
The disciples who have been called to follow have been surprised…

Jesus is doing something no one has ever seen and no one had ever expected.
He is bringing the Kin-dom into the world with the message: Repent, for the Kin-dom of God is at hand.

To enter into the Kin-dom at hand, we must change our whole perspective.
People are going to struggle to do this, but Jesus keeps at it…

This brings us to our passage today:

He offers what has been considered the greatest sermon ever given.
The opening of this sermon are pronouncements of blessing. Let’s hear them now.

Matthew 5:1-12

Jesus offers the new law.

Moses received the Law of the ten words on the mountain in Sinai…

Jesus gives the pronouncements of the Kin-dom on a hill in Galilee.

What a list!

We know from Paul that the Law of Moses brings a particular burden upon the people.
Since the Law is impossible to fully follow, Paul says, it brings sinfulness into full view.

No one has ever been able to embody and become what the Law demands — except Jesus, of course.

It’s interesting that we hear of fights in our lives to make sure the 10 words are hung up in various public buildings.

An impossible law from which we have been freed is a peculiar thing to want to see hanging everywhere.

What if we hung the Kin-dom pronouncements of Jesus, instead?
They are called beatitudes because the word for blessed in Latin produces the
word beatus.

What if the pronouncing message from the Kin-dom on earth, the church, was this list of pronouncements of blessings rather than a list of laws no one can actually follow?

But therein lies the problem…
We don’t know what to do with the beatitudes, do we?

We often turn them into another list of things we are supposed to do…which prove to be impossible.

It would stand to reason, then, if Jesus is bringing the freedom of the Kin-dom into our lives in a way that fulfills the impossible Law, that the beatitudes are not just another set of laws, right?

They aren’t a list of ways we are supposed to live.
They weren’t meant to be.

If we can find ways to allow the Holy Spirit to grow our lives into the kind of shape that fits these beatitudes, GREAT!!

But that wasn’t the point.
Jesus pronounces blessings upon disciples who are listening to him on that hill.

Who are his disciples?

In the immediately preceding verses we see the call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John followed by a report of people from all around Galilee (including the decapolis), Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan (meaning people not from Israel).

So…all sorts of people are following him.
The kind of people who bring him all of the sick and diseas

Jan 29, 202322:20

SERMON | 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 | GLIMPSES OF THE KIN-DOM - 3. "Have the Same Mind" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Glimpses of the Kin-dom: the Kin-dom is the activity and influence of God
present here on earth in the work of the church, the body of Christ, now…today…among us and through us.

The Christian faith is centered on following Jesus Christ as a disciple who is committed to the Kin-dom. We spend our lives learning and growing as a human being
alongside of our siblings in Christ.

We are learning to live into our identity as children of God…
as siblings to one another…
and as neighbors to all people.

This is a process to which we commit our whole selves for all of our days.
So…while we are as much members as anyone else is from the moment we are baptized, we mature and grow and are strengthened and enriched in our faith.

We continue to grow in living our lives in the light of love, grace, compassion, service, and justice.
We live as Jesus teaches because he himself is the way, the truth, and the life.

We began in baptism…and we continue in our life as a part of the church.

So…life together…
can get tricky.
can get messy.

Can be beautiful and life-giving and full of nurture and support…
and can be difficult and stressful and disturbed by divisiveness.

Divisiveness is what Paul dealt with in his letter to the church in Corinth.

We will continue in the opening verses of that letter this week.
But, before we do, I want to talk about “The Bigger Yes”

THE BIGGER YES is a way for us to process what is happening in life and the decisions we make from day to day; big decisions and small decisions.
We all have bigger yeses. Many we are aware of and some we are not.

In my personal life, one of my bigger yeses is my family.
I’m a partner to Lauren and a dad to my 4 children.

They are my bigger yeses.

So…if something came along in life as an opportunity, for me, that meant I would not be able to be the kind of partner and dad I have been called to be…I would have to say, “No” to that opportunity.

Now…I, like many people, don’t like saying, “No,” especially when the opportunity may be a really good one…an important one…a meaningful one…not just for myself but for others, too.

But if I said, “Yes” to the opportunity that would lessen my ability to be a good partner and dad to my family, then I’m actually saying, “No” to my bigger yes.

So…I would say, “No” to that opportunity because, in fact, I’m really continuing in my commitment to my bigger “Yes.”

So: for example…

When I was in school, I was committed to learning and growing and being educated about theology and ministry. I had been called into this kind of process.

Learning and following my calling was a bigger yes.

There were many times I was invited to participate in groups on campus. One was about assembling into groups for bible study. Another was about working alongside of people of other faiths to celebrate our commonalities while doing mission projects around the city.

These were good opportunities…
But…I had a family, a full-time job in ministry, and a full-time workload in school.

Saying, “Yes” to doing any of the other work would take away from the extremely limited time I had to accomplish my other tasks.

My other tasks were my bigger yeses…and, to continue to say “Yes” to them fully, I had to say, “No” to the small group study and service teams.

This kind of thing lends itself in all directions.

In relationships, we are often faced with disagreements and differing perspectives:
We are faced with the choice — do I hold to my “yes” concerning my need to be right or is my relationship with this person or persons a bigger “yes” which means I’ll give up the fight for the sake of my connection.

Even something like your health fits in here—
I really want to enjoy the delicious food before me…but I’ve committed to consuming less sugar or salt or whatever to be healthier and live a longer life so that I can be in the lives of those whom I love longer.

I’ll say, “No” to the food I really want because there are things I want even more…so I’ll commit to my bigger

Jan 22, 202320:55

SERMON | 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 | GLIMPSES OF THE KIN-DOM - 2. "Not Lacking" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

GLIMPSES OF THE KIN-DOM:
A series on what it means to be the people of God through whom the activity and influence of God is made present in the world.

We are in Ordinary Time (green) — we are outside of the main seasons: Advent, Lent, and Easter.

A time to deepen in our understanding of a life in the Kin-dom.
We strive to make the our mission an ordinary part of our lives.
— Being a missionary: going to a different place
— Being a missionary: going to a place different

The Kin-dom is a new reality into which we live and grow through the Holy Spirit.
The Kin-dom is our most natural and foundational home: we have a Parent in God, a brother in Christ, and siblings in each other — all connected not by blood or flesh, but by the Spirit.

We remembered our baptism last week — when we are born of the Spirit.
Once we are born in the Spirit (and having committed ourselves to the body of Christ, the church) we then are raised in the home of our church.

So think of church like the home you grew up in.
Hopefully, that was a healthy and nurturing experience, for you.
(if it wasn’t, then there has been or made need to be some healing for you—I am grateful you are here surrounded by this particular Kin-dom family because there is an incredible amount of healthy nurturing here.
— this church family knows what it means to stand by one another and offer
support and love. They have walked with each other through some of the
most incredible circumstances: wonderful and tragic.

No matter what your past may contain regarding your early home-life:
If we can understand the Kin-dom to be like our home, we can begin to understand what the Kin-dom and church are all about.

We are surrounded by people who love us and will be there for us in our need.
We may not always get along in every waking moment… WHAT FAMILY DOES?

But when it comes to whom we belong as the foundational part of our identity, it’s our Kin-dom family.

One of the most important things a family can do is spend time together…
Sit around the table together…
Do activities together…
Listen to one another…
get to know one another…

We’re going to read the opening verses to Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth today and next week.

Paul addresses a great deal of issues and struggles this Kin-dom family is having.
He is responding to a report about a great many problems…
some serious situations…

Let’s hear from the passage and understand how Paul sets the stage for this beautiful letter to the church long ago…so that we can understand how it continues to speak to us today.

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Paul sets the stage by reminding the people of his calling as well as their now. The church family in Corinth was called to be saints (set apart…claimed by God to be a part of the Kin-dom work on earth…in their hometown wholly different) alongside of EVERY person who calls upon the name of Jesus Christ…
EVERY person who embraces the Kin-dom through baptism…
EVERY person growing up in faith as a part of a Kin-dom family. (even here!)

This is the opening greeting Paul gives.
A reminder of the simple truth.

It’s our connection to God through Jesus Christ.
God is our parent…
Jesus is our Lord — the one who directs our lives in every way.

Not how we dress…
or what songs we sing…
or our age…
or our status…
or our opinion…
or our stances…
or ANYTHING else.

Our connection to God and one another comes through WHOM we serve as Lord.
Our connection comes through WHOM we commit ourselves in every waking moment.

It’s amazing how often we can forget this simple truth, amen?

Paul goes on to talk about the grace of God given to them.

Grace is the undeserved, unmerited, and unearned gift of Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to be what God’s people could not be…
to do what God’s people could not do…
to bring all things together in Him and back to God.

To free us from the power of sin and death over our lives.
To allow us to no longer be in bondage to anything else…so that our lives ca

Jan 15, 202318:21

SERMON | Matthew 3:11-17 | GLIMPSES OF THE KIN-DOM - 1. "The Water's Fine" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

GLIMPSES OF THE KIN-DOM: A series on what it means to be the people of God

Kin-dom: what is this word?
Why not Kingdom?

It’s a fair question…
Sometimes we use a word often enough that it loses its meaning.

The word AWESOME, for instance. extremely impressive/daunting, inspiring admiration, apprehension, or fear

I’ve heard people describe a television show as AWESOME…
or the feeling when their team wins…
or beach sunsets
or the birth of children
or watching an adopted child embrace their family over time
or seeing wild horses
or a podcast about British monarchy
or a slice of pizza
WE ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE!

But AWESOME means that something inspires awe: open-mouthed, wide-eyed, deep reverent fear kind of awe.

Maybe I’m eating the wrong pizza and listening to the wrong podcasts :)

So…using the word AWESOME has taken in all of these new meanings that have gotten away from its original intent.
WORDS DO THAT — they taken on more than they intended sometimes.
“LOVE” is another word: Loving The Beatles and loving your parents are two entirely different things.

Kingdom, in scripture, referred to the activity or influence of God present on earth.
In the OT, it referred to the promise of the ideal kingdom where the people of God lived into their calling to be God’s treasured possession, a priestly kingdom, a holy people; where God’s activity and influence came through Israel for the sake of bringing blessing to all of other peoples.

Israel’s kings were anything but ideal, but the people had a vision of God being the ruler one day and true peace and justice being their reality.

In Jesus’ time, the Kingdom was the manifestation of God’s reign and rule on earth among people.
You could enter into the Kingdom here and now.

But we get confused saying “kingdom,” because we often think of a place.
But the “kingdom” is not a place as in “there it is” or “there it isn’t.”

The Kingdom refers to the reality of God’s will and reign being among the people. People live by God’s compassion, love, truth, grace, and justice.
Where God dwells…
Life with the eternal God…

Where we all awaken to the truth that we are all family with God as our parent—all people belonging to each other. Another word for family is Kin…
And so…Kin-dom has become a word that helps us grasp the original meanings.

As I prepared this sermon I was texting with a young man whom had been a part of the youth group I directed. He turned 24 this week, so I was wishing him a happy birthday and catching up with him.
He asked how old Noah was now.

I told him, 18.
Last time this guy had seen Noah, he was 10.

This young man’s response to learning Noah was a adult: “That doesn’t seem right. But, that’s awesome.”

Awesome has lost its meaning and taken on something else.
Kingdom is the same way.

So…we’ll use Kin-dom to help us understand what Jesus was talking about.
(By the way, if you want to spend some time in study and thought, pick a Gospel account and highlight every verse where Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of heaven. Then look at those verses and see if you can understand what Jesus is actually describing. You’ll be surprised, for sure.)
Senior High Church camp:

Jesus spent all of his time preaching about and living examples of the Kin-dom at work.
He told parables, performed healings, shared meals, argued with religious leaders, and ultimately died on the cross to reveal the Kin-dom.

In the story of Jesus and the The Church, we catch glimpses.
In our lives, if we pay attention, we catch glimpses of the Kin-dom, as well.

Is there anything else worth investing our focus and energy on than the Kin-dom of God as revealed through Jesus Christ?
A question worth pondering.
_______________________________________________________________
And so…with that long introduction, let’s begin the series, shall we?

We will read from Matthew 3 in a moment.

A few weeks ago we read the opening verses to Matthew 3.
John preached on the coming kingdom and repe

Jan 08, 202322:00

SERMON | "Happy New Year!" by Mark Ritter at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Jan 01, 202326:26

SERMON | John 1:1-14 | PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD - 4. "Testifying to the Light" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Dec 25, 202211:52

SERMON | Matthew 3:1-12 | PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD - 3. "Are You Ready to Be Prepared?" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Dec 11, 202220:59

SERMON | Luke 1:57-80 | PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD - 2. "The Hand of God" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Dec 04, 202221:21

SERMON | Luke 1:5-17 | PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD - 1. "Your Prayer Has Been Heard" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Nov 27, 202219:02

SERMON | Luke 23:33-43 | FACE TO FACE WITH JESUS - 4. "Scoffers On A Hill" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Nov 20, 202219:47

SERMON | Luke 21:5-19 | FACE TO FACE WITH JESUS - 3. "Open-Mouthed Tourists" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Nov 13, 202219:03

SERMON | Luke 20:27-38 | FACE TO FACE WITH JESUS - 2. "Band of Puzzlers" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Nov 06, 202219:35

SERMON | Luke 19:1-10 | FACE TO FACE WITH JESUS - 1. "Man Out On a Limb" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

We walk through 4 face-to-face encounters with Jesus and the unexpected challenge and invitation in each occasion.

We begin with Zacchaeus as an example for us all--whether we identify with Jesus' stunning invitation, the crowd's response, or Zacchaeus' faith and response.

Oct 30, 202218:51

SERMON | 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 | NOT ASHAMED - 4. "Poured Out" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We wrap up our series looking at the world through Paul's eyes -- people, God, self, church, living, suffering, and even dying.

We are to "keep the faith" as Paul did, always remembering the core identity and reality from which we live as Christians -- with Jesus as God's ruler, raised from the dead, and making all things new here...now...and forevermore.

If we buy into the pseudo-gospel of thinking the point is only where you go once you die, then not only are we missing the whole point, but we will get knocked off track so easily.

When we keep the faith we always know who we are, whose we are, and with whom we live this beautiful, messy, complicated, and stressful life of faith -- the church.

Oct 23, 202219:54

SERMON | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 | NOT ASHAMED - 3. "Itching Ears" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

Paul encourages Timothy to remember what he has come to know and believe...and then stay true to it.

Scripture has all we need to instruct us so that we might find salvation in our faith in Jesus Christ.

But...which scripture?

Let's spend some time walking through what "inspired" actually means and how we can come to understand how to follow Timothy and Paul's footsteps in our dedication to our faith in Jesus--and then proclaim it!

Oct 16, 202219:51

SERMON | 2 Timothy 2:8-15 | NOT ASHAMED - 2. "Present Yourself to God" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

The gospel is simple, to Paul: Jesus is God's ruler over everything, raised from the dead, a descendant of David.

For a young Jewish Christian, like Timothy, this simple gospel makes all of the sense in the world. Other opinions and convictions should not take precedent over this foundational proclamation. In a time of outside pressure and swirling chaos, Paul's words bring grounding to Timothy.

We need that same grounding.

When the world wants us to get caught up in politics...
When people in the Church want us to get caught up wrangling over words...
We need to be grounded in the gospel of truth.

Then...we walk together in this life of faith in the gospel as a church family leading each other along the path of perfection/healing/salvation doing "the best we can" to present ourselves to God with honesty and confidence.

Oct 09, 202220:06

SERMON | 2 Timothy 1:1-14 | NOT ASHAMED - 1. "ReKindle the Gift" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Paul addresses his protege, Timothy, during a difficult time. Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing all sorts of pressure in his culture to step away from everything Paul has taught him.

Paul urges Timothy to remember the story he is a part of: the bigger story of God's work and the smaller story of his own life and faith given to him through his grandmother and mother.

"Re-Kindle the gift, Timothy!"

We need the same message today as we face situations of pressure and distraction. Let us remember the bigger story so we can continue in our calling.

Oct 02, 202219:42

SERMON | Micah 4:1-4 | "Kingdom Dreams, Violent Realities" for National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

There is a master plan for reality.

God has given us the Kingdom Dream, the blueprint (Jesus), and it is up to us to adjust our personal/communal game-plan so that the Dream may become a Reality. Our reality today is far from that dream...

Like the prophet Micah and Judah, we have 2 choices.

Adjust...or march on toward destruction and violence.

The world needs the body of Christ to adjust and embody the Kingdom Dream.

Sep 25, 202216:58

SERMON | Luke 6:1-13 | HAVING WORDS WITH JESUS - 3. "Debts Are Tossed" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We are to be clever with our world and its resources.

We are to be as clever AS the world with its resources, but not clever IN THE SAME WAYS.

How are we using money and time and power and influence? For God and the Kingdom...or something/someone else? For ourselves?

We all struggle with this, but this parable from Jesus gives us a chance to renew our thinking and reclaim our calling.

Sep 18, 202219:30

SERMON | Luke 15:1-10 | HAVING WORDS WITH JESUS 2. "Finding the Lost" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We continue in the large scene in the middle of Luke; Jesus has some hard truths to offer those who are intent to hold tightly to their perspective on God and faith.

Jesus is transforming people's understanding of self and acceptance with God. It's no wonder the religious leaders of the day are struggling; they are supposed to be the experts, after all!

Will they repent, let go, and follow Jesus into the way of life?

Will we?

Will we trust the fate of the 99 in our own church family to go out into the world to bring the good news to the lost around us?

Sep 11, 202221:19

SERMON | Luke 14:25-33 - HAVING WORDS WITH JESUS 1. "Counting the Cost" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

We begin a 4-week series looking at four passages from our third Gospel account that are, frankly, difficult to sit with.

Did Jesus really mean what he said?
Are we seriously expected to follow this today?

We will have words with Jesus on a few of his more difficult sayings.

We begin on what it means to follow him in the first place. Have we thought it through completely? Have we counted the cost?
In a day and age when many desire to be caught up in an emotional spiritual trance...Jesus asks us to go deeper and further...and give him everything.

Sep 04, 202219:41

SERMON | Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 - "Mutual Love; A Response to Crisis and Change" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

In an earth-shaking moment of chaos, a biblical teacher reaches out to a group in shock to help them move forward. By interpreting Jesus Christ through the lens of the Temple, animal sacrifice, and priesthood, the people could see how their world hadn't changed in the way they had feared.

Learning all of this leads the teacher to instruct the church to respond to crisis and change with mutual love and care for one another and neighbors. They are based upon something unchanging in an ever-changing world...and it would do them good to remember.

We can all use this message today in a world that changes as much as it ever has in history.

Aug 28, 202221:43

SERMON | Isaiah 5:1-7 - PROPHET MARGINS 6. "Yielding Wild Grapes" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

SERMON | Isaiah 5:1-7 - PROPHET MARGINS 5. "Yielding Wild Grapes" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

To be pastoral or prophetic...??

That is the question.

We wrap up our Prophet Margins series considering the consequences of our choices. Our pain becomes our lesson and our lesson becomes our hope for the future.

Are we open to what God is going to bring us through the pain of our wild choices? We often settle for something that resembles the divine will but in actuality perverts it.

Israel struggled with it then and we struggle with it now.

This is where we must do our work as individuals and a church to consider the consequences of our choices as well as the lessons of our pain.

Aug 14, 202220:37

SERMON | Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 - PROPHET MARGINS 5. "Learn to Do Good" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We are to practice what we preach...
to let our actions match our worship.

We all need to work on doing good.

While we have much to confess, we also have great hope for the days ahead.

Aug 07, 202223:27

SERMON | Matthew 22:36-40 - "LOVE GOD, LOVE NEIGHBOR" Annual Conference Report by Janet Werle, Elizabeth Hardy, and Connie Schlieker at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Jul 31, 202222:56

SERMON | Hosea 1:2-10 - PROPHET MARGINS 4. "Pity on the House; a Risky Love" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

SERMON | Hosea 1:2-10 - PROPHET MARGINS 3. "Risky Love" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We are called to be faithful in our love and commitment to God. This commitment is most purely expressed in the way we take care of the most vulnerable. The calling of Hosea is tricky and difficult to accept, but his life is a living metaphor for the people Israel...and us.

There is always hope with God, but we have to be ready to risk it all for love of God and neighbor.

Jul 24, 202218:07

SERMON | Amos 8:1-12 - PROPHET MARGINS 3. "Living In a Bitter Day" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

Are we rehabilitating from our self-serving ways of sin?

We must confront ourselves honestly if we hope to truly be connected to The Kingdom of God. If we want truth, life, and to be healed/saved, then we must be open to reality as it is versus how we think it is.

We have hope in Jesus Christ!

This means we can look back to our past and learn (mostly from mistakes) while also keeping our eyes fixed on where we are headed so that, being grounded, we can be guided in the right way TODAY.

Let today be a bitter day so that we can live in fullness of truth.

Jul 17, 202216:46

SERMON | Amos 7:7-17 - PROPHET MARGINS 2. "What Do You See?" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana.

Israel is in trouble, in Amos' day.

They have become corrupt from the very top of the structure of leadership--both the king and priest.

The system of Israel is crushing the vulnerable to build up those in charge.

This kind of system is always destined for complete failure and collapse.

Amos confronts this reality with little hope for the people.

But here we are, able to learn from these troubling days, considering our own system and corruption. Justice is often ignored due to inconvenience. Things must change if we want the structures and systems of our society to survive and thrive.

So...let's open our eyes and consider... What do you see?

Jul 10, 202221:24

SERMON | 2 Kings 5:1-14 - PROPHET MARGINS 1. "Wash & Be Cleaned" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We begin a 9-week journey through the prophets to wrestle with with the uncomfortable, hard, and necessary truths which lead us to the joy, hope, of faith to which we are called.

We begin with Elisha's healing of Naaman and the political nightmare that it was. We learn that the voice of guidance and faith often comes through the unexpected voice. Our preconceived notions and expectations can hinder us on a journey of a life of faith.

Nevertheless, God continues to call us to cleansing through the waters of faith in Jesus Christ.

Will we follow the Spirit's leading?

Will we enter the waters?

Jul 03, 202223:54

SERMON | 1 Kings 19:1-18 - "From Madness to Stillness" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

We turn to the story of Elijah running for his life and encountering the presence of God in the most unexpected way.

Examining what happened and how it happened gives us insight into our own realities we face today. There is a great deal of madness in our world and in our lives (and good things too). Learning to trust God can calm the madness and keep us focused on where we are headed. More than that, we can experience peace in the stillness of knowledge that God is at work in and through us...even when we don't see it.

Jun 26, 202220:43

SERMON | Ephesians 5:1-2, 15-20 - "The Mercury 13" by Mark Ritter at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Jun 19, 202227:12

SERMON | Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 - "Does Not Wisdom Call" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

Lady Wisdom comes to us on this Trinity Sunday to woo us away from another kind of lady (from Proverbs 7). These ladies are 100% rhetorical and metaphorical, but we should not lose the overwhelming femininity of The Holy Spirit from the opening page of the Bible through its end. The Spirit is a feminine word. So...we'll claim Lady Wisdom for how she is presented to us.

Our goal, however, is to examine ourselves in a life of either REACTING or RESPONDING.

In a world of REACTION...we are called to RESPOND.

Will you heed the call of Lady Wisdom?

Jun 12, 202218:43

SERMON | Acts 2:1-21 & Genesis 11:1-9 - "Overcoming Babel" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

We celebrate Pentecost by honoring the work of God to bring humanity back together through the work of the Holy Spirit. Our diversity is stamped with approval; we are to be united, not uniform.

Are we open to our own release from the confusion of Babel?

Jun 05, 202219:43

SERMON | "Part-Time Missionary; Full-Time Follower" - Coach Perry Hunter from Cornerstone Hoops at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, IN

May 29, 202230:16