Sermons on Mulberry Trees:

New Wineskins

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 15, 2005

1. Wineskins were made to be filled with wine. 2. New wine calls for new wineskins. 3. Wineskins were made for pouring.

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician and philosopher. In his writings, which were entitled Pensees, he traces the logical progression of his thought on many subjects. But something happened to Pascal which was beyond logic and rational thought. After his death, his servant found a piece of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-13

Denomination: Methodist

Broadway Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 29, 2005

Why is the narrow way the road less traveled? Because 1. It is difficult. 2. It is against the majority. 3. It includes persecution.

Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). (A spontneous skit can be done here. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Denomination: Methodist

Entering The Harvest Field

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 12, 2005

Jesus: 1. Saw the crowds. 2. Had compassion. 3. Called to his disciples.

The story goes that Mark Twain loved to go fishing, but he hated to catch fish. The problem was he went fishing to relax, and catching fish ruined his relaxation, since he had to take the fish off the hook and do something with it. When he wanted to relax by doing nothing, people thought he was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38

Denomination: Methodist

Faith & Future

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 8, 2006

1. Our faith in the future is built on God’s faithfulness in the past. 2. Our faith determines our Future. 3. We need to build an altar of faith for future generations.

An old Chinese proverb says, “May you live in interesting times.” That has certainly been the case for the world this past year. Mark Bowden, editor of The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, offered this observation about the year we have just come through: “The world was wracked with pain in 2005, ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

The Dance Of Law And Grace

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Apr 30, 2006

There are ditortions and blessings of both law and grace. It is not one or the other, but a dance of the two.

Elizabeth Elliot, in her book The Liberty of Obedience, tells the story of a young man who said to an older Christian, “I am in earnest about forsaking ‘the world’ and following Christ. But I am puzzled about worldly things. What is it I must forsake?” The response he received was this: ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:1-12

Denomination: Methodist

How Can I Experience God?

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 22, 2006

1. Confession 2. Repentence 3. Conversion 4. Faith

I just spent a horrible week in the Ozarks. Two friends and I planned a canoe trip and had been preparing for months. If you followed the weather two weeks ago, you know there was a line of storms that kept sweeping through the South, one right after the other. Our campground had to be ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-17

Denomination: Methodist

The Blessed Hope

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 28, 2006

It is the "blessed hope" because: 1. God is in control. 2. There will be final justice. 3. We have hope. 4. We have the power to overcome.

I remember sitting in an auditorium listening to a woman who was supposed to be an expert on the second coming of Jesus Christ. She had charts and a very large painting of Jesus returning to the earth. She was explaining how the church (the believers and followers of Jesus) would be “raptured” ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14

Denomination: Methodist

Thoughts On Heaven

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 11, 2006

1.Heven is a place of joy. 2. Heaven is descibed as a city. 3. Heaven takes seriously the difficulties we are facing now.

I was tremendously impacted by a funeral I once had. The service was for the mother of a member of the church who was a great Christian woman. During the service, one of her former pastors stood to share his gratitude for the life of this woman. He was retired from ministry at the time, and he ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-7, Hebrews 11:13-16

Denomination: Methodist

True Manhood

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 18, 2006

True manhood is marked by: 1. Sacrifice 2. Responsibility 3. Faithfulness

The Arrow shirt company ran an ad in magazines for Father’s Day. It used an acrostic using the word FATHER. It is a takeoff on the acrostic for mother: “M is for the miracle of Being. O is for its origin in love. T is for the tenderness of seeing. H is for a home no wind can move, and so on.” ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Blessed Are The Hurting Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 19, 2005

A look at the Beatitudes and how an understanding of the Kingdom of God, present and future, helps us to face the difficulties of life.

Mary Lewis tells this story: “Alexander M. Sanders, Jr., is the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals. When his daughter Zoe graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1992, he told this story that happened when she was just three years old. Sanders came home from work one ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:20-23, Luke 6:27-31

Denomination: Methodist

The Perfect Storm

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 16, 2005

1. Storms will come. 2. Jesus will be with us in the storm. 3. Jesus will calm the storm. 4. It is only in the storm that we really know who Jesus is.

It has been interesting to watch the blame game during the recent disasters which hit the southern part of our country. The mayor was to blame. No, it was the director of FEMA. No, it was the governor of the state. No, it was the people who refused to evacuate. No, it was the people who built ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41, Mark 1:21

Denomination: Methodist

What Is Faith?

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Apr 22, 2007

1. Faith is born from doubt. 2. Faith brings a reward.

A recent headline in the Sacramento Bee read: “Ignorance of the Good Book Reaches Biblical Proportions.” You can say that pun again! The other day I read about a chain of supermarkets in the U.K. which decided to lecture shoppers about Easter. In a press release sent to the London Times ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Blindness & Light

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jul 23, 2007

This story addresses: 1. The question of suffering. 2. The reality of spiritual blindness. 3. The hope of a new world

A recent article reported, “The blind will be able to see the light with a new bionic eye implant which is said to be available within 2 years. The development of the bionic eye will at last restore blind people’s sight. The prototype high tech implant will be fitted to approx 50 to 75 patients, ...read more

Scripture: John 9:1-11, John 9:1-26

Denomination: Methodist

Living The Life

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 15, 2006

A look at the lifestyle of the Christian

The story goes that: “A young soldier and his commanding officer got on a train together. The only available seats were across from an attractive young woman who was traveling with her grandmother. As they engaged in pleasant conversation, the soldier and the young woman kept eyeing one another; ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:17-31

Denomination: Methodist

The Added Dimension

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Nov 13, 2006

The Holy Spirit 1. Inwardly transforms us. 2. Spiritually empowers us. 3. Liberates us from the bondage of sin.

Earlier this month one of the country’s leading evangelical pastors finally admitted to using drugs and being involved in homosexual relationships. The irony was not only that Ted Haggard was a pastor of a 14,000 member church and president of the National Association of Evangelicals, but that he ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:4-8

Denomination: Methodist