Sermons on Mulberry:

The Driving Force Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 6, 2004

1. Without the resurrection, the story of Christ would be just a beautiful story with a bad ending. 2. Without the resurrection, it would have meant that Evil had won. 3. The resurrection is the prelude to the second coming.

Former NFL player Pat Tillman’s name has been in the news a lot lately. He played football for Arizona State University and then the Arizona Cardinals. But he had voluntarily enlisted with the Army Rangers following the terrorist attacks on September 11; turning down a $3.6 million contract with ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:22-33

Denomination: Methodist

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

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

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

I Believe In The Resurrection Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jul 20, 2003

1. The resurrection of Christ is more than a story. 2. It is the core doctrine of the Christian faith. 3. It is the distinguishing mark of Christianity.

In one of the great novels by George MacDonald, a Scottish writer from the 1800’s, an agnostic questions a young clergyman and asks, “Tell me honestly, do you really believe one word of all that? Did you ever notice how these Christian people, who profess to believe that their great man has ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3-20

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

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

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

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

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

Redemptive Relationships: Our Relationship With God Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 13, 2003

If we are to enjoy our relationship with God, we must realize 1. God is for us. 2. You have to want it. 3. You have to enter into it completely.

Ferdinand Magellan was the Spanish explorer who led the first expedition to sail around the world. As he approached the tip of Argentina, in the year 1520, he came to the region he named Tierra del Fuego (land of fire), because there were natives on the shore tending several large fires. But as ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:24-28

Denomination: Methodist

Making Disciples: The Gift Of Teaching Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 5, 2003

1. Teaching imparts truth. 2. Truth brings about maturity. 3. Maturity brings about usefulness.

We are emphasizing spiritual gifts in our church because we believe that every Christian’s life should be used by God for kingdom purposes. God’s plan is that his people, first of all, take on his character and likeness, and then be a part of the divine conspiracy — the transformation of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Denomination: Methodist

The Gift Of Faith Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 18, 2003

In order to grow in faith you need to have the right concept of 1. God 2. The World 3. Yourself.

There were many dramatic answers to prayer in the recent war with Iraq. The short duration of the conflict, the relatively few lives lost, the recovery of many of our POW’s, and many more things of which we are not even aware. I watched the interview with two helicopter pilots who were shot down ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6, 1 Corinthians 12:9-10, Acts 3:1-10

Denomination: Methodist