Brian's Sermons

(We are going back to the basics at Wellston Hope UMC - this is part of that series) Last week, we looked at what is called the Great Commission – where Jesus told his followers to go and make disciples of all nations. Our mission statement comes from that commission: to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. But after I finished preaching last week, I realized something: we need to be on the same page when it comes to sharing the gospel. In Galatians 1:6-9, Paul writes to the church in Galatia, saying: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.   But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!...

Matthew 28:18-20 Many famous last words have been spoken in history, whether they were inspirational words, unpleasant words, defiant words, or insightful words. There is no balm for the wounds incurred when the last conversation you have with a loved one is an angry one; I’ve heard too many times, “I wish I’d said ‘I love you’ instead of shouting.’” or “The last thing I said to him was…” (something unpleasant). Sometimes, someone’s last word is patriotic. Nathan Hale uttered the famous words, “My only regret is that I have but one life to lose for my country.” A last word can be inspirational; Alben Barkley, former Vice President of the United States, who suffered a fatal heart attack, is said to have said, “I would rather be a servant in the house of the Lord than to sit in the seats of the mighty.” Of course, there is also the redneck’s last word: “Hey, come here – watch this!” I was walking through a cemetery in Kokomo, Indiana, when I saw the gravestone. “See, I told...

Psalm 1 1  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 4  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6  For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. In college, I had a friend named Scott. Scott was the only kid on our floor who wore a tie. Maybe he was the only one who owned a tie. Scott was extremely conservative; not only did he vote conservatively, but he also dressed...

(*Note: This is my first sermon at Wellston Hope UMC) Romans 5:1-5 It’s been quite a journey for me and my family, and I imagine you are in some ways right in the same boat as we are. Except that most of you don’t have all of your earthly possessions in boxes all over the place. But you are definitely in the “who is going to be our new pastor?” mode, and being in that mode for the last four months hasn’t been all that fun, has it? I invite you to take the time to get to know us. What I know definitively about Wellston Hope UMC, I can sum up in a few statements. I know that the West Ohio Conference and the Shawnee Valley District believe in this church. Word has spread about your generosity in the midst of a difficult economic landscape. You have been pegged as having the potential to be a hub of ministry, a vibrant disciple-making station for hope in a city that has been described to me as having no hope. I have been sent here because there is hope. I have sp...