FUMC Bentonville Sermon Podcast

Psalm 19:1-4 This sermon will reflect on how spending intentional time in nature is a spiritual practice. Bill Fernandez will bring the word this week, specifically reflecting on the spirituality of fly fishing.

Psalm 63: 1-8 Rev. Michelle has a panel discussion with FUMC's music staff about music, worship, and their creative processes. Ken Weatherford (Contemporary Music and Director of Worship Arts) Rev. Dr. T. Ray Wheeler, (Associate Pastor/Director of Traditional Music) Matt Nelson (Assistant to Music and Worship Arts, aka. pianist, keyboardist, organist, arranger, podcast creator, etc)

Psalm 69:6-13 We will open this series with a discussion on the purpose of fasting. We will remember that it is related to the Lenten season because through it we honor Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness when he was tempted by the devil. But we will also look at it as a discipline of clearing away the things between God and us. This psalm in particular makes a good case for a technology fast, as technology has become a tool for people to deride us and divide us into enemies.

Genesis 12:1-3; John 21:15-17 We were created to be a blessing to the whole world. As the family of God, we are called to bless and serve each other. And each other means we serve everyone. To do so takes all the gifts at the table. Speakers at this service: Brett Morrison, Hays Plunkett, Lindsay Goodner

Genesis 3:1-7; John 8:1-11 Some think that conviction is about sticking to beliefs no matter what. True Christian conviction, however, is understanding the purpose of those beliefs, and weighing with wisdom what is right and what is wrong in any given moment. This week we see when we fail and when we succeed at such conviction when in one instance we eat of the tree, and in one instance we drop our stones and walk away.

Genesis 1:1-5, 24-31; John 1:1-14 This sermon will be a celebration of God as Creator, but also the God who shared that aspect of who God is – creation – with us. And then, God gave us the responsibility to care for the creation that we co-create with God. We are created to be creators and stewards of creation.

Romans 8:28This is one of those verses that gets quoted a great deal, and shows up on kitschy signs and pretty embroidered pillows. But to make it stand alone like that runs the danger of implying that “Everything happens for a reason.” We will deal with the tension between Calvinism and Arminianism that meets in this verse on our pretty pillows.

Romans 1:15-17 This sermon sets up the series where we examine how the letter to the Romans often gets misused, by quoting the passage that kicked off the Protestant Reformation and is often is cited as justification for biblical literalism. There are problems with both understandings that we need to confront.