In Sermons: showing 226-240 of 312

What Does It All Mean? Series

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Apr 20, 2011

A meditation for Good Friday reflecting on the meaning of Christ's death as a sign of God's great love for all.

Could you show God's love to those whom you have rejected? What about sharing God's love with those who have rejected you? The thought seems terribly difficult, doesn't it? It's hard to wrap our heads around the idea that we could be loving to someone who is terrible to us. Yet, that is what Jesus ...read more

Denomination: United Methodist

Who Is This?

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Apr 13, 2011

As Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the people there asked, "Who is this?" Palm Sunday invites us to look at Jesus the Prophet, our King, and our Savior, and to make a choice to follow him in praise like those great crowds so long ago.

So, it's not something we terribly often in the South, particularly around Soddy Daisy, but every now and then we will see a limousine drive by on the freeway, or pulled up to the expensive hotels downtown. Usually, it's around prom time, but if you're like me, it nevertheless makes you wonder ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11

Denomination: United Methodist

If Only... Series

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Mar 29, 2011

As we stand like Martha in the road, struggling with the messes, pain, grief, and thoughts of "if only..." Christ meets us, he weeps with us, and he shows us a new way of life and hope.

A few years ago when I was living in Washington, DC, and working part-time at a church in Alexandria, Virginia, I did a ride-along with an Alexandria police officer on an early morning shift one Saturday. Most of the morning was uneventful. We drove through the parking lots at the cheap hotels ...read more

Scripture: John 11:1-45

Denomination: United Methodist

Around The Watering Hole Series

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Mar 24, 2011

As Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well, we see clearly that Jesus cared more about the person than the cultural mores that should have prevented him from having such a conversation. We, too, should care about and seek out the "outcasts" so th

A couple of weeks ago, I got a pretty funny email from my Mom. It was crazy headlines or stories found in real newspapers. I laughed for a good 10 or 15 minutes as I made my way through all the crazy news. As we get started this morning, I want to share a few of these newspaper headlines with ...read more

Scripture: John 4:5-42

Denomination: United Methodist

A Life Of Dependence Series

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Mar 17, 2011

Seeing, knowing, and experiencing the kingdom of God requires being born again through the Spirit and placing our full dependence on God for our life.

Have you thought recently about how different your life might be if you were not as independent as you are now; if you had to rely on someone else to do things for you that you normally do for yourself? When I was in fifth grade, a friend of mine had a pretty serious (if not somewhat humorous) ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-17

Denomination: United Methodist

From Fear To Courage Series

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Mar 10, 2011

We face difficult temptations throughout our lives, but through the grace of God in Jesus Christ, we cannot only be forgiven of our past mistakes, but empowered to overcome future temptations.

A young man was sent to Spain by his company to work in a new office they were opening there. He accepted the assignment because it would enable him to earn enough money to marry his long-time girlfriend. The plan was to pool their money and, when he returned, put a down-payment on a house, and get ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Denomination: United Methodist

Don't Worry, Be Holy

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Feb 23, 2011

We can be self-reliant and find ourselves mired in worry about money and possessions, or we can seek first God's kingdom and find the happiness that Jesus himself lived and offers to each of us!

(Holding up U.S. currency) "In God We Trust." "In God We Trust." So reads the slogan on every piece of United States currency. It seems awfully ironic, doesn't it? Every day we carry around in our wallets and our purses and our pockets pieces of money that say we trust in God. But when it comes ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:24-34

Denomination: United Methodist

Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Feb 16, 2011

Jesus' teaching and commands in the Sermon on the Mount strike at the root of our personalities and stand in contrast to our most basic instincts. But if we are to break the cycles of violence and persecution, and experience God's kingdom fully, we have t

So, perhaps you've heard. When Jesus came to earth, the whole point was so that people could see and learn about this "new thing" that God was doing. When our Lord took flesh and walked among us as Jesus Christ, it was so that God's kingdom might be established on earth! And as we've been learning ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

Denomination: United Methodist

A Blueprint For Being Fully Human

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Feb 10, 2011

Our natural tendency is to hold on to anger and harbor grudges, but Jesus teaches that if we are to be fully human as God intends us to be, we have to humble ourselves and seek forgiveness and reconciliation.

It happens all the time. We're watching it unfold in Egypt. Some say it prompted the shootings aimed at Representative Giffords in Arizona. It is sadly common. A leading politician makes a gesture of contempt towards the opposition. Someone on the other side reacts angrily. Soon dozens of people ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26

Denomination: United Methodist

A Signpost And A Dash Of Salt

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Feb 2, 2011

As salt and light, Christ's followers are to be change-agents in the world, making God's kingdom real on earth!

For most of my thirty years of life, I have thought of salt simply as a seasoning. Like pepper or curry or Mrs. Dash. Salt is something added to food to alter the flavor a bit; at least, that's the way I looked at it, until about a year ago. I took notice when my husband sat down at the dinner ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-20

Denomination: United Methodist

Be!

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jan 20, 2011

The Beatitudes are not a new set of commandments, but a description of God's kingdom. To know the full measure of God's blessings, there is nothing we have to do, we only have to be in Christ's presence.

Modern Christians love the Beatitudes. The poetic beauty of Jesus' opening to his Sermon on the Mount has captured our attention and inspired awe for so many. We learn about the Beatitudes as we grow up in church, we sing songs about them, there are probably many of us that could recite at least a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Denomination: United Methodist

The First Testimony

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jan 12, 2011

As those who have encountered Christ and been transformed we, like John the Baptist and Andrew, should point to Christ and invite others into his presence.

What do people seek when they follow Jesus? Why do you follow Jesus? Such questions matter for us. If we can’t answer these questions for ourselves, then it seems as if our faith is empty. But our answer to such questions matters for other people too. According to John’s gospel, and the ...read more

Scripture: John 1:29-42

Denomination: United Methodist

Water + Call = Miracle Grow

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jan 6, 2011

In our baptism, God's love takes root and grows through our ministry to others in the name of Christ.

Endings and beginnings. We think about them a lot at the start of each New Year. With this passage of time, we mark all that has happened in the last twelve months, and we anticipate what the coming year will hold. As Ken and I prepared for activities with my family on New Year's Eve day, Ken ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17

Denomination: United Methodist

A Savior For All Times

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Dec 22, 2010

This Christmas Eve sermon is a celebration God's greatest self-revelation, the "Word made flesh;" a celebration of the story of God in the world, and a celebration of our opportunity for new life because of the birth of the Christ-child.

Words. They seem such a small thing. But a word is far more than a mere sound. Great turning points in history have been marked by the use of words: the first spoken language, the first written language, the invention of the printing press and the rise of widely published newspapers and books. ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-14

Denomination: United Methodist

Gotta Have It! Series

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Dec 16, 2010

We are the recipients of the greatest gift ever given. Paul tells us that part of that gift is our savior Jesus Christ, and that the other part of of that gift is the call to share the gospel with others. Will we give that gift this Christmas?

Paul's letter to the Romans is interesting. In fact, it's probably his most detailed and intriguing letter. Yet, when Paul wrote this letter to the Romans, he was writing to a church that he did not know personally and in which he had never been! When you think about the fact that all of Paul's ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:1-7

Denomination: United Methodist