Pastor's Sermon Topics

May 4 Sermon: In the Mean Time     What are we to make of the account of Jesus' ascension? As with the resurrection, theologians can get hung up on whether or not the account is intended to be taken literally, figuratively, or some combination of both. Fortunately the relevance of the ascension for our lives does not depend upon scientifically verifiable proof, one way or the other. The relevance of the ascension for our lives is its affirmation that our final destiny is life in the presence of God. If we are destined for God in the sweet bye and bye, what does it mean for the nasty now and now (as one wag put it)? Join us as we think about living as Christians in the mean time. May 11 - Pentecost Sunday Receiving Confirmands Sermon: Diversity without Division     It is one of the great human dilemmas. Each of us wants to be valued for our uniqueness, to be differentiated from others. My mother dressed my twin brother and me alike for much of our early elementary years. Neither of us minded very much. But the time came when neither of us would tolerate being dressed alike. I was Bob, not Bill, and I didn't want there to be any confusion! I was quiet; Bill was rambunctious. I was more serious; Bill was the life of any party. But even as we struggled to differentiate ourselves from each other, we wanted desperately to be accepted, to be part of a group. How do we reconcile the seemingly conflicting needs? On May 11, Pentecost Sunday, I will lead us in considering the question, How can we assert our uniqueness without incurring the rejection of others? Join us for helpful insights from Scripture. May 18 - New Members Class     Rev. Tom Wick Preaching May 25 Sermon: Controlling Life's Chaos In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster, one of my favorite authors, remarks that "In contemporary society, our adversary (the author's name for false gods) majors in three things: noise, hurry, crowds." He predicts that our preoccupation with "muchness" and "manyness" will surely lead us astray from wholesome living. But what about those who are not preoccupied with muchness and manyness? What about those who are looking desperately for an escape, not from life, but from its prevailing myth that more is better? Who are becoming dismayed with lives that are a mile wide and an inch deep? What if the antidote for a feeling of inner emptiness is a matter of subtraction, not addition? Of less, not more? Of depth, not breadth? Of simplicity, not complexity? Of priorities, not possessions? Curious? Join us this Sunday, May 25, as we sit at the feet of Rabbi Jesus.

April 6 Sermon: On Beyond Emmaus     Dr. Seuss's On Beyond Zebra is about all the letters that most people ignore, the ones that come after Z. The boy who captured "Thing One and Thing Two" in The Cat in the Hat takes his friend, Conrad Cornelius O'Donald O'Dell, on a guided tour of all the weird creatures that begin with letters such as Yuzz, Wumbus, and Glikk. He concludes,            So, on beyond Z! It's high time you were shown,             That you really don't know all there is to be known.     The two disciples traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the first Easter morning arrived at Emmaus, to be sure. But their journey didn't end there, and neither should ours. Join us this Sunday, April 6, to learn what lies on beyond Emmaus, just in case "you really don't know all there is to be known!"! April 13 Sermon: Whose Voices Are You Hearing?     Are you hearing voices? Of course, the answer is "Yes." We are bombarded by external voices. Parents, children, spouses, partners, playmates, and innumerable others, not to mention voices that are present to us through electronic media. But what about internal voices? Do you ever hear internal voices, voices that those around you cannot hear? Again, the answer is emphatically "Yes." Much of our behavior, conscious or otherwise, is conditioned by the internalized voices of teachers, parents, and others. If we all hear voices, and we do, the more important question is, "Which voice/s from among the cacophony do I heed?" It is not a fanciful question. If you've not thought about it before, join us Sunday, April 13 as we reflect upon the many voices clamoring for our attention. April 20 Sermon: A Spirituality of Longing     There's not much of a market for a spirituality of longing. Longing presupposes a degree of  absence, deprivation, and emptiness. It implies patience and delayed gratification, both of which are countercultural. Besides, most of us have the wherewithal to acquire whatever we want or lack with little or no delay. There is nothing inherently illegitimate about longing for something or someone. Longings, or hungers, are largely responsible for the preservation and perpetuation of life. But problems can arise if we choose to satisfy our longings in ways that are destructive to ourselves and others. Like a child who fills up on junk food, we can confuse being satisfied with being nourished. What does any of this have to do with Christian living? Join us Sunday, April 20 and learn more. April 27 Sermon: Experiencing Jesus     Perhaps you've seen it in print or heard it said: "If you haven't felt close to God lately, guess who moved." It's a great example of what I like to call bumper-sticker theology. As far as I'm  concerned, bumper-sticker theology shares the advantages and disadvantages of a political sound-bite. Among the advantages of bumpersticker theology are: it is simple and therefore easily remembered; it requires little or no significant thought; it can be spouted to deceive others into believing you know more than you do; and its intentional vagueness makes it easy to disclaim serious intent if challenged by others. The problem is, however, that neither God nor the solutions to complex social problems can be contained on a bumper sticker. Join us Sunday, April 27 as we reflect upon the role of experience in our Christian faith.

March 2 Sermon: Encountering Jesus: (3) In Judgementalism Healing a man born blind! That's pretty impressive stuff! That's what disciples and onlookers thought when the man Jesus sent to the Pool of Siloam returned with his sight restored. I know I would be impressed - BIG TIME!!! But I wonder, sometimes, if the razzle-dazzle of the miracle distracts us from the message that most speaks to us. Or maybe we prefer the distraction of the miracle because few if any of us can ever expect to be held accountable for healing people born blind? The miracle can provide us with an excuse for evading our own complicity in the situation. But what about the conversation between Jesus and his disciples that sets the stage for the miracle, the disciples' finger-pointing? "Who is to blame?" they ask. Isn't it always easier to assign blame (especially if we can blame someone else) than it is to address the situation? March 9 Sermon: Encountering Jesus: (4) In Hopelessness I grew up watching Saturday morning Westerns. The wanted posters always said, "Wanted: Dead or Alive," always assuming an either-or condition. But there is more to death than mortality. The well-known aphorism, "A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man dies but once," originated from a line by none other than William Shakespeare: "Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once." None other than the Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesians: "You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived." John 11 is about Lazarus' physical death and his resuscitation by Jesus. But what if a word fitly spoken by Jesus overpowers other kinds of death as well? March 16 Sermon: Encountering Jesus: (5) In Betrayal I have been familiar with the Palm Sunday story since I was a little boy carrying palm branches down the aisle of the Presbyterian church in which I was raised. I have been attending Holy Week services almost as long. My first recollections of the pain associated with betrayal go back to the playground of my elementary school. But it wasn't until I was an adult that I began to understand the dynamic of human fickleness that explained that transition from hero to outcast. Few experiences are more painful. If you are nursing the wounds of betrayal, take some comfort in the fact that you are sharing an experience with Jesus. March 23 Easter Sunday Sermon: What's the Why of Easter? What's the point of Easter? Is Easter about an empty tomb? Is it about resuscitation versus resurrection? Is it about whether what Mary Magdalene saw at the tomb on Easter morning would have shown up had she owned a camera? Is it about the nature of Jesus' postresurrection body? Is it about a past-perfect event - an event begun and completed in the past? An event remembered, cherished, and set aside for another year? What's the point of Easter? The Gospel accounts tell us the what, but Paul tells us the why. What's the why of Easter? Come celebrate with us on Easter Sunday to find out. March 30 Sermon: An Inheritance Changes Everything It was one of the most-dreaded moments of the year; I was seated uncomfortably across the desk from my tax preparer!!! After going to great lengths to put me at ease she began the annual litany of questions: "Have you changed addresses? Have you bought or sold a house? Did you receive an inheritance?" Before I could answer her question about an inheritance she continued, "An inheritance can change everything, you know?" I must confess that I hadn't thought about it. After all, an inheritance usually presupposes the death of a loved one. Get the point? No?

February 3 Transfiguration Sunday Sermon Title: Living the Good Life: (4) Freedom Who of us does NOT want to live the good life? And yet so many of us have this nagging sense that the life we are living falls short? This Sunday, Pastor Bob Mitchell's sermon, entitled "Freedom," will conclude his series of sermons on "Living the Good Life." Do you define the good life in terms of freedom? If so, how do you define freedom: unlimited access to anything you want? A life free of all external controls or constraints? The power to control everyone else? Unlimited choice without responsibility or accountability? If we can't define freedom, how can we know when or if we have achieved it? Join us this Sunday as we consider what may be our cultures highest (and often unexamined) value - freedom. February 10 Sermon Title: Encountering Jesus: (1) In Desolation I suspect that most of us are all familiar with landscapes, seascapes, and even skyscapes. But what about "soul-scapes"? I know my own soul has had experiences that are best described in terms of topography and terrain. Who of us have not had a "mountain top" experience? Has your soul ever identified with that of the Psalmist - "in green pastures and beside still waters?" On this First Sunday in Lent, we find Jesus in the wilderness, in a desolate, lonely, dangerous place. Has your soul ever felt threatened? Or, perhaps, "desert-ed?" Have you ever had a wilderness experience? Not only are you not alone; you're in good company. Join us as we encounter Jesus in the wilderness seasons of our souls. February 17 Sermon Title: Encountering Jesus: (2) In Darkness John's Gospel is notorious for its motif of misunderstood double meanings. Water, life, sight, to name a few - refer to both physical and spiritual realities. John 3 records Nicodemus' nighttime encounter with Jesus. We are left wondering - is the night physical or spiritual, or both? From what or whom is Nicodemus hiding? Friends? Enemies? His past? Jesus, perhaps? When spiritual writers speak of the dark night of the soul, does the phrase capture the current state of your own soul? Join us this Sunday as we join Nicodemus in his nighttime encounter with Jesus. February 24 Sermon Title: Encountering Jesus: (3) In Rejection Talk about outcasts! The woman at the well in Sychar was born with more strikes against her than many of us have ever experienced. Then she chose to live DOWN to everyone's expectations. Have you ever asked yourself, "What's the use? If that's what everyone wants to think of me, I'll just prove them right." No wonder she chose to ratify their opinion. But Jesus didn't let her off that easily. No matter how much she might have preferred to give up on herself, Jesus would have none of it. The same is true for you and me. Come encounter Jesus with us this Sunday, especially if you are about to give up on yourself and everyone else.

January 6 Epiphany Sunday Living the Good Life:  (1) Choosing What Is Good     Who of us does NOT want to live the good life? And yet so many of us have this nagging sense that the life we are living falls short? From Sunday, January 6, through Sunday, February 3, Pastor Bob Mitchell will be preaching a series of six sermons on "Living the Good Life." This Sunday, his second sermon in the series will explore the disconnect between discerning what is good and choosing what is good. How do we explain our propensity to ignore, if not reject, what we have discerned to be the best choice among a variety of good options? Join us this Sunday as we wrestle together. January 13 Baptism of the Lord Living the Good Life: (2) Take a Stand     Who of us does NOT want to live the good life? And yet so many of us have this nagging sense that the life we are living falls short? This Sunday, he will preach the third sermon in his series, "Conviction." Politicians on all points of the political spectrum are notorious for aligning themselves with the latest poll results. "Do they stand for anything," we ask, "or do they just flap in whatever direction the prevailing wind happens to be blowing?" And what about us? Do we stand for anything, or do we fall for everything? Join us this Sunday, at Central United Methodist Church as we consider taking a stand. January 20 Living into the Good Life: (3) Define Success for Yourself    Ours is a success-oriented society, a meritocracy. To what degree is living the good life dependent upon success? Who decides what constitutes success? By what criteria is success measured-productivity, sales volume, salary, perks, prestige, power? What price are we willing to pay to achieve success? Any price? Are there any New Testament examples to show us the way? Does it matter? This Sunday, Pastor Bob Mitchell will preach the fourth in his series of sermons on "Living the Good Life." The sermon asks, Who defines success?" Join us at Central United Methodist Church to learn more. January 27 UMW Sunday Betty Mathis      The Executive Director at Wesley Community Center will be preaching for United Methodist Women's Sunday

December 2 What Gifts Can We Bring?: Peace     "All [people] desire peace," wrote Thomas a Kempis (c. 1380-1472), "but very few desire those things that make for peace." The author of numerous tracts, meditations, letters, and sermons, a Kempis is best known for his book The Imitation of Christ, one of the best known Christian devotional books of all time. As Christians the world over prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), sloganeers and marketers will certainly wax eloquent and romantic about peace on earth. But what can one person, or even one family, do? Join us on the First Sunday of Advent as we consider what it means to ". . . pursue what makes for peace . . . " (Romans 14:19).   December 9 What Gifts Can We Bring?: Hope     The home in which I grew up was on a narrow, residential street canopied with huge maple trees on both sides. For as long as I could remember, the sidewalk in front of our house had been buckled and broken by their roots. I can still remember the uproar in our neighborhood when work crews from the city began thinning the trees. "Safety is our primary concern," the crew foreman said, "safety and the risk of the roots rupturing underground utility lines." For months afterward the street looked for all the world like a smile with teeth missing. Eventually the remaining trees expanded, and the shady canopy returned, just as the foreman promised. The ugly, lifeless stumps marked the site of former grandeur, but not for long. What reason is there to hope that death won't have the final word? Join us on this Second Sunday of Advent to hear more.   December 16 Children's Musical at 9:30 and 11:00 What Gifts Can We Bring?: Joy      I am a native Buckeye (yes, I know - a worthless nut!), born and raised in Martins Ferry, Ohio. My first trip to Arizona was in December of 1969. The girl to whom I was engaged (and whom I married the following summer) grew up in Tucson, and this was my first trip to visit with the in-laws-to-be. We drove from Tucson to Phoenix so that I could interview with the chairman of the ASU Music Department regarding a possible graduate teaching assistantship. Interstate 10 between Tucson and Phoenix seemed pretty desolate back then, nothing like the unending stream of traffic nowadays. Compared to my familiar mid-western surroundings, the terrain reminded me of a moonscape! However, all of that changed a few miles north of the Gila River - all because of irrigation. The promise of Isaiah came to life for me that day: "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; . . .it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing" (Isaiah 35:1-2). If your spirit is feeling deserted and dry, join us the Third Sunday of Advent as we drink deeply from the joy-filled promises of God!   December 23 What Gifts Can We Bring?: Love     "Sticks and stone will break my bones . . . ." Who of us does not know the rest of that childhood taunt? And who of us does not carry the wounds of childhood verbal taunts - not to mention verbal abuse - well into adulthood? So much of our adult self-image and identity is shaped by the words spoken to us by others - for better and for worse. Can you imagine the impact of the words, "This is my son, the beloved" (Matthew 3:17) on Jesus as he emerged from the waters of baptism? Affirmation. Assurance. Affection. What would such an experience be worth? How might our lives be different, if only we, like Jesus, had heard those words? Wait no longer!!! Hear the words of the apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome (and, by extension, to us): "To all God's beloved in Rome" (and Phoenix and Glendale and Peoria and Mesa and Chandler and Maricopa and Scottsdale), "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:7). Join us the Fourth Sunday of Advent to learn how God loves us back to life.   December 24 Christmas Eve What Gifts Can We Bring?: Light     How many different kinds of light do you have in your house? How are they all the same? How are they different? What is the role of light in your life? How would the absence of light affect your life? Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." He also said, "You are the light of the world." Join us this Christmas Eve as we celebrate and ponder the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World.   December 30 Glossary for Living the Good Life     Who of us does NOT want to live the good life? And yet so many of us have this nagging sense that the life we are living falls short? From Sunday, December 30, through Sunday, February 3, Pastor Bob Mitchell will be preaching a series of six sermons on "Glossary for Living the Good Life." The first word - discernment. I am not talking about discerning good versus evil. Most of us can DISCERN between good and evil, though CHOOSING the good may be another matter. The real challenge is, "How do we discern between multiple options that are ALL potentially good?" Join us this Sunday, December 30, to learn some strategies for discerning the good.

November 4 Sermon Title: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?Scripture: Luke 19:1-10     It does seem a bit presumptuous, doesn't it; Jesus inviting himself to Zacchaeus' house? Has anyone forced themselves upon you and your hospitality? How did you feel? Imagine yourself in Zacchaeus' place. How would you have felt? Then there were those who felt that it was beneath Jesus' dignity to hobnob with the likes of Zaccheaus and his cronies. Certainly our modern day presidential candidates would know better than to be seen in such seamy circumstances. We might call it "guilt by association." But in fact it turned out to be "salvation by association." Isn't it interesting how Jesus turns so many of our sensibilities on their heads. Maybe it's not so much the company that we keep as it is the company that keeps us. Whadayathink? See you this Sunday?         November 11 Sermon Title: Little Is Much, When God Is in It Scripture: Haggai 1:15b-2:9     "It's not the gift that's important; it's the love behind the gift that's important." Have you ever heard that? Have you ever SAID that? When I was in elementary school, I had a grandmother who bought me socks and underwear for Christmas-EVERY YEAR!!! It became a yearly Christmas ritual for my mother to tell me in advance, "Be sure to thank your grandmother for the socks and underwear...AND MEAN IT!" The word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet and told him to tell the people, "It's not the outward appearance of the temple that's important; it's the love that is represented by the temple that's important." Do your best, most sincere efforts to please God seem puny and of little consequence? Have you ever felt that way about your life? Join us this Sunday and gain a new perspective.         November 18 Sermon Title: Re-Framing the Promises of God Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-25     Are you ever in a hurry to experience the promises of God in your life? Do you ever become frustrated, impatient, and discouraged when nothing you do seems to make a difference? I remember hearing many years ago: "If you want a mushroom, overnight is long enough. But if you want an oak, an entire lifetime isn't long enough." God's frame of reference isn't bounded by our puny lifetime or by our inevitably short-sighted "national interests." God's frame of reference is cosmic and eternal. It can be enormously rewarding and liberating to remember that God's project is not "mushroom-sized," or even "oak-sized," but "cosmossized." Like those artisans in the Middle Ages who dedicated their entire lives to the building of cathedrals whose completion required hundreds of years, we do well to celebrate the privilege that is ours to make our contribution to God's cosmic redemptive plan.          November 25 Sermon Title: God's Icon Scripture: Colossians 1:11-20     Madison Avenue has made an art-form of imageconsciousness, and most of us are eager consumers of the un-reality they spin. The word image often implies a negative connotation-superficiality, deception, vanity. But an image need not necessarily be negative. If an image is an accurate re-presentation of something inaccessible to our sight, then an image can serve as a gracious gift. An authentic image can introduce us to a whole new world. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Get it?

October 7 World Communion Sunday Sermon Title: God's Work . . . and Ours Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-14     I spent a week volunteering at a church camp this past summer. Three days into the week the fire restrictions were lifted, and we were able to have an evening campfire. Needless to say, the campers were ecstatic! I was reminded that it is not enough to start a campfire. Eventually, every campfire, no matter how robust, needs to be tended.     Neglect a campfire and it will go out. That's the bad news. The good news is that it can take a long time for a campfire to die of neglect. Ashes that look cold can be warm to the touch, and an apparently dead fire can come roaring back to life if just the right breeze comes along. 2 Timothy exhorts us to "fan into a flame the gift of God" which is in us. Need I say more?                 October 14 Sermon Title: Stay in Touch Scripture: Luke 17:11-19     No doubt about it; we are blessed to live in America! Sure, there are things wrong with our nation, and we ought to do all we can to participate in improving them. But we dare not ignore the things that are right, and we dare not take them for granted. Though most of us work hard for what we have, the opportunities that we cultivate into prosperity are rarely of our making. And who of us can claim credit for having been born into this time and place? All of us have reasons to be grateful, whether we have religious faith or not, and nothing alienates us from the source of our blessings more completely than ingratitude. How much more important is it for us who call ourselves Christians to acknowledge our gratitude to God as the source of all that is good and perfect? Ten lepers enjoyed the benefit of being made clean by Jesus, but only one of the ten was made whole or well. How? He drew near to Jesus by expressing thanks. Get the point?              October 21 Sermon Title: Taking the Bible to Heart Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5     This passage, and especially verse sixteen, is often quoted in support of the importance of Scripture. Heated arguments over such words as authoritative, infallible, and inerrant are not uncommon. The conversations are important, but they are not more important that the larger context of the passage. Whatever this passage may or may not be saying regarding the nature of Scripture, it is incontestably saying that Scripture is a means to an end.             October 28 Sermon Title: A Tale of Two Worshipers Scripture: Luke 18:9-14     "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector" (18:10). This is a story about a reversal of fortunes-sort of. Nothing is said of the two men exchanging places on the social register. Nor is anything said to suggest that the tax collector went online to find a more respectable form of employment. To the untrained eye there is no hint of a spiritual transaction. That's one thing that makes judgmentalism so risky. But there is at least one thing more. The roles can change in a heartbeat. Suppose the tax collector heard Jesus' words and thought to himself, "Thank God I am not like that Pharisee." Judgmentalism is an equal-opportunity temptation. How do we avoid the temptation? Join us this Sunday, and we'll all find out together!

September 2 Sermon Title: Un-boundaries Hearts     Have you ever stopped to notice how much time and energy individuals, institutions, and nations invest in security? Walls, alarm systems, security lights, motion detectors, and on and on and on? The world is a dangerous place, to be sure, but have you ever stopped to consider the potential unintended NEGATIVE consequences of our drive to be ever more secure? In her book Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, author Joan Chittister defines hospitality as "the un-boundaried heart" (p. 123). Sounds risky, doesn't it? . . . Not to mention counterintuitive! Take a chance, and join us to learn more. September 9 Sermon Title: The Potter's House      The hymn "Have Thine Own Way Lord" isn't sung much anymore. It has given way to many of the wonderful, new, upbeat praise choruses. The first verse recalls Jeremiah in the potter's house: "Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Thou art the potter; I am the clay. Mold me and make me after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still." The melody is soothing and the words convey a feeling of peaceful effortlessness. However, the circumstances surrounding Jeremiah's trip to the house of the potter were anything but peaceful. And it has been my experience that, far from being peaceful and effortless, yielding to the potter's hands can be a lifelong challenge. We will sing the old hymn this Sunday, and we will ask God to help us live its sentiment. Join us!!! September 16     Our District Superintendent, Rev. Sharon Ragland, will be preaching at the 9:30 am & 11:00 am services.     Rev. Dean Humbert will preach at the 8:00 am service. September 23 Sermon Title:What Is God's Desire for You - and Everyone Else?     What is your heart's desire? Have you spent time identifying your heart's desire? Is that an easy question for you to answer? Maybe, maybe not. For some of us - maybe for a majority of us - there are times when life is like a child standing in front of an open, fully-stocked refrigerator. We know we are hungry, but we don't know what we want, and nothing we have offers the satisfaction we crave. Whether we consider ourselves Christians or not, maybe we are asking the wrong questions. What if, instead of asking myself what I want, I ask what God wants for me? September 30 Sermon Title: Life That Is, and Life That Isn't     The passage from 1 Timothy talks about taking hold of "the life that really IS life" (6:19). Evidently it is possible to live a life that really ISN'T life? Doesn't sound like much fun to me. How about you? Maybe you should consider visiting with us to find out what kind of life you are living - before - it's too late.

August 12 Faith Is a Verb!     Some form of the word "faith" occurs over 400 times in the Bible, the vast majority of them in the New Testament. Sometimes the word refers to "the faith," meaning the Christian faith. But the majority of the time "faith" has to do with the positive response of an individual's mind, will, and emotions toward the will or Word of God. The proof of authenticity of such "faith" is obedience. What does that kind of faith look like? Join us August 12, and we'll learn together!                   August 19 Lighten Up!     If you have ever enjoyed watching the Olympics, you've doubtless noticed the clothing the runners wear - as little as possible! Unnecessary weight hinders performance. That's why airlines have baggage and weight limits, and ships go into dry dock to have the barnacles scrapped off the hull. Unnecessary weight hinders performance. The same principle applies to our personal travel. The mantra of seasoned travelers is "Pack light!" The same is true for our lives as disciples of Jesus.                August 26 A Lesson to Remember     You've heard me say it before; "80% of all communication is nonverbal." "Your actions are speaking so loud that I can't hear your words." "If there is a contradiction between someone's verbal and nonverbal behavior, the truth lies in the nonverbal." Jesus didn't teach with words alone. In August 26's sermon his actions provide a lesson to remember.              September 2 What's So Great               about Random Acts of Kindness? You've seen the bumper stickers: "Practice Random Acts Of Kindness And Senseless Acts Of Beauty." (Hold onto your seats; what I am about to say is akin to disparaging apple pie, baseball, and motherhood.) I think that bumper sticker is garbage! Want to know why? You'll have to be in worship on September 2 to find out!                         9:30 Service ONLY August 12, The Rookie (G-rated)     Based on actual events, The Rookie tells the story of Jimmy Morris. Morris, a high school science teacher, husband, and father of three, still clings to his childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player, even after falling short several times before. As the high school baseball coach, Morris agrees to try out for the majors again if the school team wins the district title. Against heavy odds, the team wins the title; and Coach Morris holds up his end of the agreement. The scouts are impressed with his 98-mile-per-hour fastball, and he is invited to join the minor leagues. The baseball schedule wears on Morris physically and emotionally since he is much older than most of the other players and must leave his family behind. Only after prompting from his wife does he look deeper and realize that he is living out his dream. This realization rings added vigor to his game, and he is finally called up to play major league baseball. His first game is in his home state of Texas, so the entire community goes to the game to cheer on their hometown hero. Even Jimmy's formerly unsupportive father watches his son pitch; and as a result, their broken relationship egins to heal. This is a warm-hearted family movie that should inspire any viewer to reach for his or her dreams. August 19, A Walk to Remember     (PG-rated for mature themes and mild language.)     Landon Carter runs with the fast crowd at Beaufort High School. When he participates in a hazing incident that seriously injures a classmate, the school principal assigns him to tutor underprivileged children and to act in the school play. Jamie Sullivan, a well-behaved preacher's daughter, also tutors kids and belongs to the drama club; but she participates in these activities by choice. When Jamie and Landon begin to interact, it is apparent that they could not be more different. Studious and serious, true to her faith in God, Jamie is the classic outsider to Landon's crowd. Gradually, however, Jamie's example shines a light in Landon's life. He begins to think about the future, about being connected to something bigger than the small world in which he has always lived. The two fall in love, despite the protests of Landon's friends. But Jamie must reveal something she has known all along: She has leukemia. Nevertheless, the ending is full of hope; for her death is viewed through the lens of the new life she has given to Landon. August 26, Kate and Leopold     (PG13-rated for mild language and implied sexual      relationships between unmarried persons.)     In modern-day New York City, a young inventor named Stuart discovers a portal that allows time travel. When he winds up in 1876 New York, he meets Leopold, the Duke of Albany. Leopold makes the trip back to twentyfirst century New York with Stuart.     The film follows Leopold's adventures, which involve everything from his out-of-date apparel to his intrigue over modern inventions. (Leopold is credited with inventing the precursor to the elevator.) Leopold meets Kate, former girlfriend of Stuart, and attempts to win her affections. Along the way, he instructs Kate's wandering brother, Charlie, in the noble ways to woo a woman. Kate and Leopold fall in love, with a few challenges to their integrity thrown in for a reality check. In the end, Kate sacrifices her job (and her century) in order to have a life with Leopold. September 2, Ice Age     (PG-rated. There is no foul language, but there are      animal fights.)  The ice and snow of a prehistoric ice age are advancing, but most of the animals are just making their annual migration south for warmer weather - unaware of the changes ahead. Manfred, a lone wooly mammoth, is headed north, however. After Manfred saves Sid the Sloth from two angry rhinos, the annoying Sid decides to tag along with the mammoth on his journey to the ice. Meanwhile, humans have killed half of a sabertoothed tiger pack, and the tigers try to avenge their loss by stealing the human clan's baby boy. Diego, the saber- toothed tiger, is unsuccessful at getting the baby because the baby's mother jumps into the rapids with him to save him from the tiger. Manfred and Sid later find the mother clinging to a piece of driftwood, along with her baby. With great effort, she pushes the baby toward Manfred, until he's within the mammoth's reach. As the mammoth picks the baby up with his trunk, the mother quietly slips underwater, gone forever. Manfred wants to abandon the baby, but Sid convinces him to take it back to its "herd," after Diego the tiger shows up and nearly has the baby for lunch.The mammoth, sloth, and tiger form an unlikely trio as the tiger joins Manfred and Sid, with the tiger claiming that he will track the humans and help Manfred get the baby to them. The journey ahead is harrowing at times and full of adventure. By the end of it, Diego changes his plan to have his fellow tigers ambush and kill the mammoth; he also decides to help save the baby. The trio fight off the tigers, find the humans, and safely return the baby to his father before heading south to migrate with the rest of the animals.

July 1     Sermon Title: So Much for Being Seeker Friendly!     The phrase "seeker friendly" is part of the jargon du jour in the literature of evangelism and church growth, and Paul's words to the Christians of Corinth are among the commonly cited explanations for such an approach: "I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22b, NRSV). How, then, do we harmonize Paul's approach with Jesus' strategy of emphasizing the demands of a life of Christian discipleship? To borrow words whose origin I have long since forgotten, do we risk inoculating people with a weak form of Christianity and thereby prevent them from getting the real thing? July 8    Sermon Title: New Creation     "Give it to me in a nutshell!" Has anyone made that demand of you? Get to the point! Cut to the chase! K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid!) As the Apostle Paul approached the end of his letter to the Christians in the region of Galatia, he found himself rattling off one challenge after another. There was so much to say, and he didn't want to leave anything out. Finally realizing that he couldn't list everything in detail, he gave them a sweeping generalization, "A new creation is everything" (Galatians 6:15)! If the details of Christian living are dragging you down, maybe Paul's words can help. July 15    Sermon Title: Who Is Your Neighbor?"     Mister Rogers had a knack for encapsulating important life lessons in a song. His show's theme song concluded with the words, "Please, won't you be my neighbor?" One day Jesus and a lawyer had a conversation about eternal life. In the course of the conversation the lawyer asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" As Jesus often did-and still does, he didn't so much answer the question as change the question. Are you asking the right question? July 22    Sermon Title: Distractions     Many years ago I encountered a pamphlet entitled "The Tyranny of the Urgent." In his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People author Stephen Covey distinguishes between the urgent and the important. Jesus' encounter with his friends Mary and Martha is a wake-up call for those of us who are inclined to allow other people to order our priorities for us.

June 3 Trinity Sunday Rev. Tom Wick is a retired United Methodist elder who currently resides in Glendale. Tom has served Camp Verde UMC, Creighton UMC in Phoenix, St. Matthew UMC in Mesa, and Catalina UMC in Tucson. He retired from Catalina in 2006. Tom enjoys making light of his diminutive physical stature, but he is a spiritual giant both in the pulpit and as a pastoral presence. I am honored by his willingness to preach in my absence and regret that I will not be present, but I will be sure to request a video of his sermon for my own spiritual nurture. June 10 Timothy Boyle, missionary to Japan, will be our guest speaker on Sunday June 10 at the 9:30 and 11:00 am worship services. Tim attended Central United Methodist Church as a youth, and is one our special missionaries. He and his wife, Juji, are working at the Tsukuba Christian Center in Tsukuba Science City, Japan. June 17 Sermon Title: "I" Surgery Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" confronted millions of us with the savagery of crucifixion and Good Friday. Speaking for myself, I will never read the Gospel accounts of Jesus' final hours in the same way. But I wonder how many of us have considered the implications of Gibson's "Passion . . . " on crucifixion language elsewhere in the New Testament? Jesus tells his followers to take up their crosses, and Paul speaks of our co-crucifixion with Christ. Even assuming that Jesus and Paul are speaking figuratively, what are we to make of the application of such a violent metaphor to our own lives and to the church as we know it? June 24 Sermon Title: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished What are we 21st-century Christians to make of Jesus' healing of the demon possessed man? Even if we replace demon possession with a psychiatric diagnosis- schizophrenia, for instance - we still have to deal with the healing. And if we can explain away the healing to our rationalistic satisfaction, how can we explain the perverse response of the people? How do we account for the seemingly universal tendency to de-humanize and then distance ourselves from those whose behavior doesn't measure up to our standards? What can we learn about ourselves from this story?