Sermons on Rodney Buchanan:

The Homecoming

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Sep 1, 2002

It is interesting to try and identify with the three characters in the story: 1. The prodigal. 2. The older son. 3. The father.

I realize that I have recently preached on this passage of scripture, but I feel compelled to speak on it again. The reason is that while on vacation I picked up Henri Nouwen’s excellent book entitled: The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. It is one of those books that pulls you ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Denomination: Methodist

Someone's Knocking

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Sep 8, 2002

When we read Rev. 3:20 we need to ask: 1. To whom is he speaking? 2. What is his purpose? 3. What should be our response?

I recently finished reading Dallas Willard’s book The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. Willard is the kind of writer that leaves you saying, "That makes so much sense." But I was struck by an illustration he used toward the end of the book regarding William Holman ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:14-22

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

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

The Second Coming Of Christ And The Last Battle Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 17, 2002

At the second coming: 1. Christ will return with great power. 2. Christ will return with great glory. 3. Christ will return with great people.

Ray Bakke tells a story which happened during World War II: “I knew an old Glasgow professor named MacDonald who, along with a Scottish chaplain, had bailed out of an airplane behind German lines. They were put in a prison camp. A high wire fence separated the Americans from the British, and the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:11-21

Denomination: Methodist

A New Heaven And A New Earth: The Way It Was Meant To Be Series

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Mar 3, 2002

Heaven is: 1. Real 2. Right 3. Relational 4. Rewarding 5. Residence of God

The Bible is full of wonderful promises, but perhaps the most wonderful of all is this: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). There are many things we do not know about what heaven will be like, because it is ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-14

Denomination: Methodist

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 Best Of Times In The Worst Of Times

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 16, 2001

In a bad-news, good-news world, we need to remember that God’s good news 1. Is greater than the world’s bad news. 2. Transforms the world’s bad news. 3. Will do away with the world’s bad news.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7

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

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

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