Sermons on Rodney Buchanan:

Looking For Pennies

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Nov 19, 2001

Looking for Pennies (story from Annie Dillard) is important because: 1. The created world is a window into the heart of God. 2. The created world provides opportunities to praise the goodness of God. 3. The created world is a source of joy for thankful

Annie Dillard, in her wonderful Pulitzer Prize winning book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, tells a story about pennies. It was in her chapter entitled “Seeing” that I read her wonderful childhood story. I will let her tell it in her own words: “When I was six or seven years old, growing up in ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:15-17

Denomination: Methodist

Mary's Song

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 9, 2001

Mary’s Song talks about: 1. Forgiveness 2. Victory and 3. Covenant

Many people have been waiting since last January for the mystery to be revealed. The Internet has been abuzz about it. Variously called “Ginger” or just plain “It,” entrepreneur Dean Kamen, a college dropout, has been claiming that his invention, the Segway Human Transporter, will transform the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:39-55

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

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

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

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

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

What Does It Mean To Be The Family Of God?

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Aug 13, 2006

What does it mean to be the family of God? What does it look like for us to live in community? 1. A commitment to the hard work of relationships. 2. Having compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 3. Risk

Max Lucado, in his book In the Grip of Grace tells the story of the family of God in the form of a parable. He writes, “God has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on his ship. The boat has one purpose — to carry us safely to the other shore. This is no cruise ship. . . . We aren’t called to ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17

Denomination: Methodist

Worldviews

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Aug 20, 2006

A look at the religious groups of Jesus day and how they were affected by their culture (as might be): 1. Zealots 2.Phariasees 3. Saduccees 4. Scribes 5. Herodians 6. Essenes

How would you like it if someone spit on you? In our cultural setting it would be a sign of disrespect, an attempt to shame and humiliate a person. But for some cultures, it has an entirely different meaning. I am reading a wonderful book entitled Christianity Rediscovered. It is written by a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:18-34

Denomination: Methodist

The Bread

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Aug 27, 2006

Do you want bread, or The Bread? Are you willing to live a life of abandon for Christ?

Plato’s Cave is an allegory told by the ancient Greek philosopher. In the allegory he tells of people who live in a cave who have been chained there since childhood. Their limbs have atrophied and their heads are fixed so that they can only look at one wall in the cave. Behind them is a fire. ...read more

Scripture: John 6:53-69

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 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