Sermon Listing - Wesley United Methodist Church: "A Safe and Open Church for ALL God's People"

Sermons 2010-2011

Wesley United Methodist Church

July 18- August 15 : Frank Gulinello in the Pulpit.

July 25, 2010

"Grumbling About Grace"

Matthew 20:1-6

Jesus' parable of the laborers in the vineyard is about a gracious God whose grace is extraordinarily and excessively extravagant. Sometimes the amazing grace of God causes us to grumble because it seems to be unjust and not fair in our view of the way life should be.

August 1, 2010

"Waste and Grace"

Matthew 13:1-11; 24-30

Jesus' parable of the Sower focuses on the scattering of the seed. No matter what kind of ground it falls upon, whether hardpan or deep rich soil, god will have a harvest yielding a hundred fold. So, scattering the seed aimlessly is not wasteful in God's economy.

August 8, 2010

"A Firm Foundation"

Matthew 7:21-29

This week's parable appears at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells about two men building houses, one on sand, the other on rock. Where and how are we building our spiritual foundation for life? Where is the evidence that we, individually and as a nation, are building on a strong foundation - the sure foundation in Jesus Christ?

August 15, 2010

"Welcome Home"

Hosea 11:1-4; 8-9; Luke 15:1-3; 11-25

When Jesus told his most famous parable, The Parable of the Prodigal Son, he had in mind the prophetic nature of God's unconditional love that was first written about by the prophet Hosea. Who in our midst needs our, "Welcome home!" Who among us needs to belong to a community of unconditional love embraced by "cords of compassion and bands of love"?

August 22, 2010

Momentum for life: Motivation

Exodus 3:7-12

Those of us who have been in the church for a long time have fallen in love with our institutions. Our appeals for loyalty to our institutions and our heritage are falling on deaf ears. Those who look to the church are more interested in finding compassion for their struggles and an opportunity to be compassionate. We do not need to “deconstruct” our institutions and our heritage, but we do need to put them in their proper place.

August 29, 2010

Momentum for life: Excellent Mistakes

Luke 19:1-10

One of the most helpful spiritual skills is the ability to self-monitor. Do we have the spiritual strength to take stock of our personal lives and turn away from those things that just don’t work? Can we do that corporately in the life of our congregation? If we can learn from our mistakes we can learn a great deal.

September 5, 2010

Momentum for life: Change, Conflict, and Hope

2 Samuel 12:1-9

Change and conflict have always been a part of human life. Our circumstances change as external factors evolve. Our attitudes change as our experiences compound. Conflict often emerges as a response to these changes. Hope is God’s perspective on change and conflict. If we strive to be hopeful, we can understand change and resolve conflict.

September 12, 2010

Family Life I: A Compassionate Family

Matthew 5:13 and 14

Jesus’ highest hope for his church is that we would impact the world. Today Wesley Church officially begins an intentional focus to “nurture families and reach out to families. I will define family inclusively, lift up some program plans and share information about “nothing but nets”. This is an exciting effort to stamp out malaria. Providing families with sleeping nets can do this. These nets keep mosquitoes away from sleeping children.

September 19, 2010

Family Life II: Families in Community

Matthew 5:21-26

Isolation is one of the more destructive spiritual forces on family life. Some families isolate to hide problems. We need to be gracious when dealing with differences of wisdom, preference and opinion. We need to be informed about cultural differences in family life. But above all else we need to be a place where families can find healing and wholeness.

September 27, 2010

Family Life III: Hopeful Families

Matthew 7:24-27

Hope is the highest of theological virtues. Lets try and see hope as more than individualistic. Hope is a communal experience for a congregation. Hope is a shared virtue in a family circle when each member of the family understands and encourages each of its members to find a hopeful fulfillment. When congregations are clear about their highest hopes, members and friends can dovetail their person hopes into a corporate vision.

October 3, 2010

A Means of Grace

1 Corinthians 11:23-29

Holy Communion is a conscious decision to remember all of Jesus’ life, it is a model for the living of our daily lives, and it is an act of simply trust and obedience. God has promised in scripture that when we are obedient in these ways, God will be present with us in a uniquely powerful way.

October 10, 2010

Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity I

When Dreams Become Nightmares

1 Timothy 6:4-10

Our culture teaches a materialism that makes us slaves to our possessions. The recent failures and turmoil in our economy serve as both a painful and powerful reminder that God’s will is far superior to our cultural tendencies. Personal and family fulfillment comes not from what we have but from what we do for others.

October 17, 2010

Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity II

Wisdom and Finances

Luke 15:11-16

In recent years secular financial planners have gathered some extremely helpful and sound principles for personal financial management. Christian thinkers have reviewed many of these principles and have found ways to incorporate them into spiritual disciplines. As we explore some of these principles we will strength our personal lives and our ability of join together a congregation and strengthen our church’s mission.

October 24, 2010

Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity III

Cultivating Contentment.

Philippians 4:8-14

Perhaps the biggest spiritual challenge is remembering what money can never do for us. It cannot make us happy. We cannot consume enough to take away problems that come from other areas of our lives. We cannot use our resources to change undesirable behavior in ourselves and in those around us. When our consumption is under control, we can choose wisely and live happily within our means.

October 31, 2010

Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity IV

Defined by Generosity

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Generosity has a strong foundation in the very nature of God. God will use our generosity in powerful ways to improve the lives of others. And, our generosity will make us more Christ like and more fulfilled as human beings.

November 7, 2010

Amazing Grace I: Previenent Grace

Thanksgiving in gathering of food....

1 John 4:16-20

Grace is God’s favor extended to God’s creation. We experience this grace in many ways, but John Wesley identifies three unique experiences of grace. Each experience of Grace moves us further along the spiritual path of Christian living. Previenent grace is God loving us before we are able to respond. God initiates a relationship with us and loves us even when and if we fail to respond.

November 14

Amazing Grace II: Justifying Grace

Thanksgiving in gathering of food ......

Romans 5:1-5

God loves us before we are able to respond to that love. But God desires that we do respond and accept the relationship that is offered. Justifying Grace is our accepting a relationship with God.

November 21, 2010

Amazing Grace III: Sanctifying Grace

Thanksgiving in gathering of food .......

Philippians 2:12-18

Living in a relationship with God means that we do not take God for granted but we do our very best to grow in our understanding of God’s will for world and in our willingness expend our life energy not simply pleasing God but participating with God as God seeks to make the kingdom more fully present in the world.

November 28, 2010

The Harvest of History

Mark13: 28-36

The Kingdom of Heaven is both present and still to come. We experience it in incomplete ways and long for it to be more complete known. All things are moving toward a great and a glorious goal. Jesus’ life is a glimpse of a future that is yet to come.

December 5, 2010

The Birth of Jesus Christ I: Mary and the Shepherds

Luke 2:1-20

Luke pays special attention to Mary and to the shepherds as he tells of the birth of Jesus Christ. This is because Luke’s major concern is the inclusion of those who have been left out. We are a reconciling congregation within the United Methodist because we share a deep passion to be an inclusive community.

December 12, 2010

The Birth of Jesus Christ II: Joseph and the Magi

Matthew 1:18:25

Matthew focuses on Joseph and the Magi because he sees Jesus as God’s universal gift to the entire world. Jesus is firmly rooted in the Jewish tradition. His family lineage is traced back to King David, Israel’s greatest king. His birth is also announced by the stars and perceived through a very secular means of knowledge. God’s gift of Jesus Christ is for all people. The Universality of Christ does not bless religious imperialism but invites an honest interfaith dialogue.

December 18

The Birth of Jesus Christ III: Logos and Light

John 1:1-14

John does not use historical events to explain Jesus’ birth he uses philosophical terms and ideas. Christian faith and intellectual discovery need not be in opposition. The truths of our faith are very simple and easily understood by all. But at the same times these truths awaken our wonder and excite our minds.

December 24, 2010

5:30 Children’s Pageant

7:30 Lessons and Carols

11:00 Holy Communion