Sermons by Matt Smith (Page 30)
Testing
We begin our Lenten worship series with reflection on Jesus’ test in the wilderness. Why was Jesus tested? What might Go’d test for us be today? Matt’s message is rooted in Luke 4.1-13.
The Time is Always Right
Matt’s message is rooted in Ephesians 2.10. God’s Grace prepares for us a way of life rooted in good works. How will you reach in love? How will we begin to reflect the teachings of Christ?
The Door
Matt’s message is rooted in Ephesians 2.8-9. God lures us through the door, longs for us to root our lives in Grace and grow in faith. What might it look like for you to walk through the door this day?
DIY
Matt’s message introduces our new worship series, from DIY to renovation by Grace. The message is rooted in Ephesians 2.19-22. What is your foundation? What is your cornerstone? How might God be renovating your life?
Grace & the Work of Christmas
Matt’s message is rooted in Luke 2.41-52.
The Scale of Christmas
Matt’s Christmas Eve message is rooted in Luke 2.1-20.
Parched
Matt’s message is rooted in Isaiah 12. We gather both parched and overcome with tears in the wake of the tragic and senseless killing of children and teachers in Connecticut. We draw water from the wells of salvation. We sing. (3 of 4)
Christmas is Waiting to Be Born
Matt’s message is rooted in Jeremiah 33.14-16 and Howard Thurman’s poem Christmas Is Waiting to be Born. What is waiting within you this Advent season? (1 of 4)
Deep Commitments to Community
Matt’s message is rooted in Parker Palmer’s Healing the Heart of Democracy and the Great Commandment of Jesus. What might our deep commitments be for the coming year? How will we root our lives in Grace? How will we grow in faith? How will we reach in love? How will we share our financial resources generously? Kevin Webb, a seminary student at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC, joined us for the morning to read Scripture.
Baptism
We continue our worship series based on Parker Palmer’s Healing the Heart of Democracy with a celebration of baptism. Eight people were baptized in worship. Jesus was named as God’s beloved child while being baptized by John in the River Jordan. Through the sacrament of baptism we celebrate our belovedness and respond to God’s call in our lives. The baptismal liturgy used in worship is adapted from a renewal of baptism worship service written by Marcia McFee for Annual Conference…
From Illusions of Scarcity to Abundance of Community
Matt’s message is rooted in Parker Palmer’s Healing the Heart of Democracy and the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6.30-44). How is God calling us from scarcity to abundance in our day?
Clear Eyes, Full Hearts
Matt’s message is rooted in Parker Palmer’s Healing the Heart of Democracy, Friday Night Lights, and Hebrews 4.12-16. How are we dividing in our country? Who do we see as “other” and when are we seen as “other”? What might it be like to value “otherness”? God as holy Other came into the world in the concrete form of Jesus. How might this reality shape our lives as we encounter otherness today? (Part 2 of 5)