Central United Methodist Church (knoxville, Tn)

Our first in the series called Faith and Film. This week we look at our invitation to live into our baptismal vows and to follow Jesus using the Hobbit as our illustration. The scriptures are John 15:11-17; Genesis 12:1-9; Hebrews 10-23.

The final sermon in our three-week series called Making Christ Known. This week, we close out using our the final part of our vision, embracing all. We reflect on God's love for us and how we are called to expand the circle to include people in God's love and grace. The scriptures are Mark 1:35-45 and Matthew 9:9-13

In the second of three sermons on Centrals' new vision, we explore the imperative to serve and bless others. Using the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) as our foundation.

Drawing from Romans 12:9-13 and Luke 24:13-35, we begin our three-week series unpacking our vision. This week's focus is on Extending Hospitality.

Celebrating Pentecost Sunday.

Closing out our series called Now What by exploring how we specifically use our gifts to be resurrection people. I Corinthians 12:12-31

As we near the end of our post-Easter series called Now What, we will spend two weeks exploring our specific gifts. This week is a call to search, explore, and find those specific gifts and to remember that living fully into them is living as resurrection people.

We cannot really live as resurrection people apart from the vine, which is Jesus. As branches that are called to do the work of God and to bear fruit, then we need to be nourished by our relationship with God through Jesus. In this sermon, we will explore where we spend our energy, how we approach our spiritual relationships, and what we might do to stay connected.

Using John 13:3-15 as our guide, we dig further into the question -- now what? How do we live in a such a way that reflects our call to be resurrection. It begins with a call to serve.

This first sermon in a series called Now What focuses on our challenge/call to discipleship and to live as resurrection people. Did Thomas not believe that Jesus was raised from the dead or was it perhaps that he didn't believe because the disciples were still locked behind closed doors?

Easter 2015! Mark 16:1-8. Mark's Gospel (the shorter, most likely original version) does not include an encounter with Jesus in the garden or at the tomb. It ends rather abruptly, leaving the women with the question, "Now What?" It leaves us with the same question.

Jesus shared with Nicodemus that the crux of why he is there is to save and heal the world only through giving up his life. Then he shares, "For God so loved the world that whoever believes..." This week, we talk about letting go of our unbelief.

John 2:13-22. The story of Jesus clearing the Temple of the moneychangers brings us face to face with how we may have created Jesus in our own image. In this week's sermon, we will look at how we have created God in our own image, rather than seek the Gospel and allowing it to shape and create us.

Second in the Lenten series called Letting Go. The gospel is not comfortable. It's not something that will guarantee us happiness. There is no other passage that demonstrates that more than when Jesus calls those who follow him to deny themselves and pick up their cross. Mark 8:31-38

The first in our Lenten Series called Letting Go. The scripture is Mark 1:9-15.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. A day where we face our own brokenness and mortality. A day where we acknowledge our dependency on God's grace and move into a season of examination and preparing of our hearts for Easter.

Mark's story of Jesus' transfiguration is a story of the revealing of Jesus as the divine Son of God. In today's sermon, we look at it from the perspective of how we try to make faith something is private, when it is the complete opposite of that.

The second and final sermon in our series called Drama at the Well. We look at the power of story, particularly the impact our stories have on others and vice versa. We also take a look at the Woman at the Well in a different way. The scripture is from John 4:17-29