FUMC Bentonville Sermon Podcast

April 14th, 2024 - "A Principled People: The Social Creed" - Johnna Kosnoff

Mark 12:28-34

The words we choose and the words we say form us. That is the purpose of creeds – to form us around a collective identity. We have creeds that help us understand who we are. Our United Methodist Social Creed is one example, reflecting what we affirm in our Social Principles.

April 7th, 2024 - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Joel 2:1-11

Getting ready for the eclipse the next day, and also coming out of the season of Easter, we look at how people have viewed heavenly events like eclipses as apocalyptic signs, but we will also discuss the prophetic call to prepare for the Day of the Lord. It continues the prophetic call to love and care for each other or face the consequences of a world turned upside down.

March 31st, 2024 - "Foolish Love Is the Hope of Easter" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

On this April Fools’ Day eve, we will acknowledge how ridiculous our faith story seems on some level, and yet we cannot imagine living with any other story. This foolish story is the beginning of hope and faith, and the means of true love.

March 24th, 2024 - "Foolish Love Is Risky" - Rev. Dr. T. Ray Wheeler

Matthew 5:43-48; Matthew 26:14-25, 47-50

This week we confront Jesus’ teaching that we should love our enemies, and we also confront the reality that loving our enemies is not a safe thing to do. It very well may lead to our own profound loss. To what extreme are we called to love? Is this kind of love just for Jesus or for us too? Is it true that the test of our faith is not if we love Jesus but if we love Judas?

March 17th, 2024 - "Foolish Love Is Prodigal" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Luke 15: 11-32; Matthew 5:38-42

The prodigal son story and the turn the other cheek teaching show that foolish love ignores offenses and just seeks to love, and love abundantly. Note: the definition of prodigal is wastefully extravagant. Prodigal is better applied to the father than the son in this story. Because this shares some of the themes of the previous week, this is a good time to reflect on the response of the older brother, which is too often our own response.

March 10th, 2024 - "Foolish Love Is Wasteful" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Mark 17:1-17, John 2:1-11

Casting demons into pigs to save one person and saving the best wine for last both prove that foolish love creates a tremendous amount of waste – wasteful grace.

March 3rd, 2024 - "Foolish Love Is Unfair" - Rev. Dr. T. Ray Wheeler

Matthew 20:1-16, 18:12-13

The parable of the workers in the vineyard and the story of the 99 sheep left behind for the sake of the 1 show us that foolish love is not an equitable equation. It is not a utilitarian decision, but in fact, sometimes it means making the least fair decision in order to include more in the field of love.

February 25th, 2024 - "Foolish Love Breaks the Rules" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Mark 7:24-29; Luke 13:10-17

This week we will look at how love inspires us to break the rules. We will center not only in the stories of the Syrophoenician and bent over women, but also in the story of Liam Bruzatori, a beautiful child who continues to challenge us to love.

February 18th, 2024: "Foolish Love Forgives" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Matthew 5:21-24, 18:21-35

Looking at these 2 teachings about Jesus forgiving someone multiple times and the servant who does not forgive the debt of his fellow servant, we will start to understand how refusing to forgive is to continue to judge others and carry hate in our own hearts. This keeps us from being able to fully love.

February 14th - Ash Wednesday: "Foolish Love: What Is Love?" - Michelle Amos

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

To set the scene for this series, we will look at this definition of love given in this letter of Paul’s. As this series is meant to help people understand how better to love like Jesus, we will practice the “Replace the word love with your name” practice of this passage. That will help us know what kind of work we need to do to love better.

February 11th, 2024 - "Positive Sum Reign: Expecting Abundance" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Mark 14:1-9

The act of the woman who anoints Jesus is characterized as wasteful. What if it is instead an act of confidence that the reign will provide? There will always be enough to take care of the poor AND worship and care extravagantly for others.

February 4th, 2024 - "Positive Sum Reign: Rich Man, Poor Widow" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Mark 10:17-31, 12:41-44

Where is our security? For the rich man, it seems like it was in his assurance in how the world was supposed to work, and in his belief that his stuff would keep him safe. The poor widow will come along and flip all of that on its head. How is Jesus inviting us into the freedom of letting go?

January 28th, 2024 -"Positive Sum Reign: Doubt and Doing" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Mark 6:1-13

This sermon looks at the little difference Jesus can make in his hometown, up against the commissioning of the disciples to go cast out demons! What miracles are at our fingertips that we do not even try to make happen because of the assumptions we make about it being impossible?

January 21st, 2024 - "Living the Dream: Project a Conversation on Future Vision" - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris and Rev. Dr. T. Ray Wheeler

Philippians 1:6-11

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.  For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

January 14th, 2024 - "Living the Dream: Assess" - Rev. Dr. T. Ray Wheeler

Ephesians 2: 19-22 & Ephesians 4:15-16

Where are we right now as a community of faith and United Methodists in this unique place at this unique time. What are the issues we face today? What ways we can continue to uphold our faith while we are in the formidable details of our lived experience. Can we infuse our daily work and life with the joy of worship and stand firm in the path of community, worship, meaning, and joy?

January 7th, 2024 - ”Living the Dream: Reflect” - Rev. Dr. T. Ray Wheeler

Joshua 4:21-24, Revelation 19:5-8

January is a time when we are looking forward to the excitement of a new year. But before we, as a church, strike out on this new shiny new year, let’s pause and appreciate the path behind us. What has come before us and who are the folks whose faithfulness and the corner of 2nd & A have carried this ministry to today? We may not always have been on the best path, but good people called Methodists have worked to listen to God's voice and have left a powerful legacy of faith, community, and joyful worship on this amazing corner of the world.

December 31st, 2023 - ”A New Covenant” - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Revelation 21:1-7

December 24th, 2023 - Christmas Eve Service - ”Mary Had a Little Lamb” - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Luke 2:1-19

December 24th, 2023 - ”There’s Something About Mary: Will You, Mary?” - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Luke 1:26-33

December 17th, 2023 - ”There’s Something About Mary: Mary, Did You Know?” - Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris

Third Sunday of Advent

Luke 2:25-35; 8:19-21;    John 2:1-12