Upcoming 2010 Sermon Highlights

Looking ahead to 2010, I'm excited about the sermon schedule. I developed this schedule back in August at a sermon planning retreat and have already been working on some of the sermons. My goal is to offer sermon series that cover the following vital areas 1) evangelism 2) discipleship 3) pastoral care needs 4) equipping for ministry/service.

I haven't listed all of the sermons but here's a quick preview of the sermon series:

January/February

• 3-Part Sermon Series on "Faith, Film, & Fiction"
• Basketball Legend, Jerry Lucas to Speak
• 3-Part Sermon Series on "Mind, Body, & Soul"
• "A Heart for Lancaster" New Ministry Initiative Launch

February/March

• 6-Part Sermon Series on "The Crosses of Jesus"

April/May

• 4-Part Sermon Series on "Big Questions"

June

• 3-Part Sermon Series on "Puzzling Parables of Jesus"

July

• "Christmas in July"

August

• 5-Part Sermon Series on "Biblical Matriarchs & Patriarchs"

September

• 4-Part Sermon Series on "In Concert with God"

October

• 4-Part Sermon Series on "Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service, & Witness"

November/December

• 4-Part Sermon Series on "Christmas According to the Four Gospels"

Sunday Worship Preview - November 22

November 22 - (8:15 A.M. & 11:00 A.M. Traditional Services & 9:45 A.M. Praise Service)

Sermon - "No Worries"

Features - Christ the King & Thanksgiving Sunday

Scripture - Joel 2:21-27 & Matthew 6:25-33

Theme - On this Christ the King Sunday which precedes the Thanksgiving holiday, we are given the opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ teachings on how to deal with the worries of life. What are some worries that you are presently experiencing? Jesus’ teachings during the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew can help us not let the worries of life get the best of us.

Facing a Crossroad in Life

Cross Roads is a small town near where I grew up in southeastern, Pennsylvania. I served as a groomsman for a high school friend of mine at the United Methodist Church in this town (Cross Roads UMC.) I always thought it was interesting that during an important crossroad in his life, he was married in a town named, Cross Roads.

Here at First UMC in Lancaster, Ohio, we have the new Crossroads facility which is also a place for people who are facing those crossroad moments in their lives. In my first three months here, I have experienced several special moments of how God is using this facility to be a blessing to others.

Here are just a few examples:

• A couple of weeks ago, we baptized a little baby boy at our Crossroads Wednesday worship service. It was a special moment to see members of our church who regularly worship at our downtown church to make a special effort to attend this service and surround the parents of this child with a community of love and support.


• During a meeting with community leaders, they told me how grateful they are that we open our facility to groups in our surrounding area. One person said, "We've heard people in our community share many positive comments about how crossroads has been a great addition to Lancaster."


• Before I even moved to Lancaster this past summer, a couple from this area told me that even though they do not attend the church, they often come to our Wednesday fellowship dinners because of the great food and fellowship. They told me, "You're going to love the meals on Wednesday evenings at your new church!" They were right!

I give thanks to God for how our crossroads facility is being used for the benefit of the people in our community. It's exciting to think about how God will continue to use this vital resource to be a blessing to others for years to come.

The mission statement of Cross Roads UMC in Cross Roads, Pennsylvania reads, "A church that you can call home."

I'm glad that we can say the same about this facility as well.
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Dave's Deep Thoughts

Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.

Sometimes when it rains, it pours.

You just don't expect it to be pouring...
INSIDE your house.

My addition project to my home
began with the gutting of the master bedroom and bath.
It was the beginning of what will be a 12 month project.

When I removed the clothes from the closet,
I noticed some faint but defined marks of water on the back walls.
I made note of it,
but didn't think too much of it.

As I began to demolish the closet,
I then felt the back flooring of the closet begin to give way.

Urgency ensued.

I began ripping at the wall to see what was hidden.
As I removed the back wall of the closet,
I gasped.

The interior of the wall and the foundation were compromised......badly.
I hadn't seen anything this bad since a mission trip to hurricane ravaged New Orleans.
This water had been invading for years,
and I had no clue.

Mold....mildew.........water soaked lumber........
I continued to remove the wall surface....

3 feet......6 feet.....12 feet.........
20 feet.

20 feet of compromised wall,
20 feet of wall that was bearing the weight of the house roof.

Sleep for the most part escaped me that night,
as anxiety and worry crept in.

To add insult to injury,
a long heavy rain came through the night
to further remind me that my home
was not the shelter that I believed it to be.

Prayers were uttered as I hoped to fall asleep.
Prayers for the peace of Christ to rule,
for courage, for trust.......

Somehow, things seemed far scarier at 3am than they do at 3pm.
They always do.

Erma once said,
It always seems darker
just before they turn the lights on.

The next day,
as I told my story,
the lights began to turn on.

The lights came in the form of friends,
both old and new,
who offered their time, their tools, their energy, their skills,

The task was daunting.
The roof beams were elevated
to replace the walls one section at a time.

10 days
working whenever time would allow....
often working deep into the night.
A rotation of friends who could have easily looked the other way,

Difficult circumstances
are God moments.

Though not welcomed nor sought out,
they are invitations for the Divine to speak and act.

They are moments in retrospect,
when we can see God's faithfulness.

They are moments
when we can choose to grow in faith.

They are moments
when we can be the hands and heart of God in another's life.

10 days later,
and there is still much to do.
But once again,
my hope, peace, and courage are restored.

Sometimes, when it rains, it pours.
But God is faithful to give us a very big umbrella.

A special thank you to the umbrellas in my life named
Charlie, Randy, Jessie, and Bob.
and to the many others that prayed me through this time.

A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:7

For Those in the Armed Forces of Our Country

Today, President Obama is considering four options for Afghanistan which includes the possibility of sending another 34,000 troops. As difficult decisions are being made, let us pray for the armed forces of our country and on this Veterans' Day, let us pause and give thanks for those who have bravely served our country.

This is the prayer I offer each week during my morning time of prayer. It comes from "The Book of Common Prayer" of the Episcopal Church. Please join me in offering this prayer on a regular basis on behalf of those who serve our country.

A Prayer for Those in the Armed Forces of Our Country

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy 209th Birthday, Lancaster, Ohio!

Today (November 10) we celebrate the founding of Lancaster, Ohio. Ebenezer Zane blazed a trail through this area in 1800 and a community was formed.

Yesterday, at my monthly clergy cluster meeting, new hope and possibilities emerged as we started to think about what it would be like for our area United Methodist churches and pastors to intentionally work together in offering the hope and good news of Jesus Christ to our Lancaster community.

The thought of sharing together in ministry while at the same time honoring our unique local church identities led to all sorts of possibilities - reaching the youth of our community, participating in servant/evangelism events (community acts of kindness in the name of Christ), shared pastoral care, as well as many other ideas for strengthening our ministries began to surface.

How appropriate that on the day before our community's 209th birthday, the possibilities for new beginnings and new ministries emerged from our clergy meeting.

Happy birthday, Lancaster!

November 1st Sermon - "The Breath Taking View of God's Future World"

Sermony by Pastor Robert McDowell