Sermons on Mulberry:

What Does It Take To Be A Church? Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jul 11, 2004

The early Christians devoted themselves to: 1. The Apostle’s teaching - learning. 2. The Fellowship - worship. 3. Breaking Bread - friendship. 4. Prayer

This description of the early church is truly amazing. Something had happened to these otherwise ordinary people. The people who were a part of this church no longer thought of themselves — their own rights and possessions — their whole identity was a group identity. They found their meaning ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Denomination: Methodist

Christ, Our Hope

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Apr 11, 2004

A look at the arrest, trial, torture and resurrection of Christ

The images of Mel Gibson’s film are still fresh in my mind. I can see him being arrested in the Garden. I can see his trial and the brutal beating. I can see the crucifixion. And I can see the final scene as Jesus walked triumphantly from the tomb. It was a movie that has profoundly impacted ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:16-22

Denomination: Methodist

Things Are Not What They Seem

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 16, 2004

If we are to understand what is happening around us, we need: 1. New eyes to see. 2. New ears to hear. 3. A new heart to believe.

We have just read about a man named Jacob who checked into what some have called “The Hard Rock Hotel.” He had a vision which turned his ordinary world into the extraordinary. He saw something that he had not seen before, but which was there all the time. He would never have believed it in his ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 28:10-17

Denomination: Methodist

Experiencing The Joy Of Worship

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Mar 13, 2003

1. We need to get in touch with our Creator. 2. We need to get in touch with eternity. 3. We need to get in touch with hope.

Someone has written about the difference in worship styles in story form, using a bit of humor: “An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. ‘Well,’ said the farmer, ‘It was good. They did something ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 5:9-14

Denomination: Methodist

A Crucified Will

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Mar 30, 2003

When it comes to dying to ourselves: 1. Jesus is our example. 2. Willfulness is our problem. 3. Crucifixion is the answer.

In Luke 20:17-18 Jesus tells one of his most mysterious parables. He begins by quoting Psalm 118:22: “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.” And then he says, “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” What a strange ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:1-14

Denomination: Methodist

The Coming King

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 3, 2002

This parable of Jesus tells us to: 1. Be Alert. 2. Be Prepared. 3. Be Filled.

I can still remember the excitement and confusion in the 1980’s which surrounded the publication of a booklet by Edgar Whisenant, a former NASA engineer, entitled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. He sent his book out free to people all over the United States. There must have been ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Denomination: Methodist

What On Earth Am I Here For? Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 22, 2004

1. Why am I alive? -- To be loved by God. 2. Does my life matter? -- I was made to last forever. 3. What is my purpose? -- To get to know God.

(Note: The outline and some of the content of this sermon are from Rick Warren’s Forty Days of Purpose material.) In the scripture we have read today, Paul is speaking to a group of Greek philosophers. Now these men were not atheists or agnostics. Neither were they anti-religious. In ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:22-24

Denomination: Methodist

A New Attitude For A New Year

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 6, 2007

1. Be authentic. 2. Be of good cheer. 3. Be aware of God.

Charles Swindoll says, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important: than facts, than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do, than appearances, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5

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

Desperate Housewives And Their Spouses

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 15, 2006

Successful marriages are built on: 1. Self-giving, rather than self-fulfillment. 2. Building each other up, rather than tearing each other down. 3. Continual growth, rather than taking the relationship for granted.

Henry David Thoreau, the writer and naturalist, once said, “Most men lead quiet lives of desperation.” If you believe television, most housewives do as well. In the show, Desperate Housewives, Susan Mayer, Lynette Scavo , Bree Van De Kamp, Gabrielle Solis and Edie Britt lead us through a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:1-12

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

There Is Hope

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 5, 2004

We have hope because of: 1. Who we are. 2. Whose we are. 3. Where we are.

On November 21, 1943, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a letter to his fiancee, Maria von Wedemeyer, while he was imprisoned by Hitler during World War II. In the letter, he talked about a spiritual lesson he was learning from his life as a prisoner. He wrote: “A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:14-21

Denomination: Methodist

Here Is Joy

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 19, 2004

The things that rob us of joy are: 1. Living a life of isolation. 2. Living for the material world. 3. Living without Jesus.

How much money would it take to make you happy? A million dollars? Two million? Jack Whittaker, 57, won the largest undivided jackpot in U. S. History — $314.9 million — two years ago. But Jewel Whittaker, Jack’s wife, told the Charleston Gazette, “I wish all of this never would have happened. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-14

Denomination: Methodist

Unbelieving Believers

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 18, 2004

We need to make three commitments: 1. Reading the Word of God. 2. Believing the Word of God. 3. Applying the Word of God.

On July 28, 1982, Keith Green, a Christian songwriter, was killed at the age of 28 in a small plane crash. Two of his children were with him and also died in the crash. Keith Green was from a Jewish background, but grew up reading the New Testament. He walked with Christ for seven years, and ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Me Almighty

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 1, 2004

When you think you could do a better job than God, You need to remember: 1. There is one God, and you are not him. 2. God’s job is harder than you think. 3. Our goal should be to be like God, not to be God.

On our plane trip out to San Diego this summer they showed the film Bruce Almighty with Jim Carey. Besides being hilarious, it had a real message behind it. Carey plays Bruce Nolan, a local Eyewitness News TV reporter in Buffalo, New York. He is discontented with almost everything in his life, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:18-25

Denomination: Methodist