Pulpit Resource for Christmas Sunday

Ministry Matters published my sermon resource for the upcoming Christmas Sunday. In a world all-too-full of sad chidings, let us join the heavenly hosts in proclaiming good tidings: “Rejoice! For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior—Christ the Lord.”

“The good news is that Jesus wants more than a “personal relationship” with you. He is Lord, satisfied with nothing less than being light for the whole darkened world. The good news we’ve heard in Jesus Christ this day is good news for all. Therefore, our gospel word to the world is not one of condemnation, judgement, or criticism. It’s a word that enables us to say to the whole, fallen, suffering, hurting, fearful world, ‘Rejoice!'”

https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/11467/rejoice

Covenanting Service for Dr. Jason Byassee

It was a joy to preach at the Covenanting Service for Dr. Jason Byassee at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church in Toronto. After a distinguished career teaching at Vancouver School of Theology, Jason has come to this historic Canadian congregation to give them leadership into the future. Taking John 3 as my text, I reflected about some of the challenges the church faces in the future and how the Holy Spirit helps us to meet those challenge.

Don’t Look Back Webinars

I wrapped up a series of conversations on Don’t Look Back: Methodist Hope for What Comes Next with the folks at Crackers & Grape Juice a couple weeks ago. We talked through the major themes of the book, and ended with Q&A on how we Methodists might move forward through this moment of division in our corner of the Church. I hope these videos will be a resource for you and your congregation! – Will

https://crackersandgrapejuice.com/dont-look-back/

Worship Attendance as Countercultural

How often do we hear the pastor congratulate us on Sunday morning for being in church and participating in worship? In this sermon, I try and walk us through how this psalm explicitly defines God’s character and how it can make a difference in our lives by participating in the countercultural activity of attending worship each week.

C46: The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year C (2019)

Don’t Look Back Webinar Series

Over the next couple weeks, and beginning tonight at 7pm EST, I’ll be joining my friends at Crackers&Grape Juice for a three-part conversation on my book “Don’t Look Back: Methodist Hope for What Comes Next.”

My hope for these conversations and for the book is that they are constructive, moving-forward talks in a time where we find ourselves stunted by division.

You can find the registration link below. And I’ll note that if you cannot join us live, signing up allows for you to get the access to the conversations after-the-fact. I hope you can join!

https://crackersnjuice.substack.com/p/dont-look-back-livestreams?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year C

Luke 14:25-33 is, well, a daunting passage. We encounter Jesus’ searing words about hating family–even our own lives. Some might read this as too much of a cross to bear, but perhaps we can read this as “a gracious invitation to count the cost…to sign up for discipleship, to take up the cross and follow him, down a narrow,  demanding, but adventuresome way that few want to go.”

C41: The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year C (2016)