In the United Methodist Church (UMC), the “Second Sunday of Lent” signifies the Sunday during the Lenten season where the focus is on the biblical story of Jesus’ Transfiguration, typically read from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, or Luke, highlighting Jesus’ divine glory and serving as a glimpse of his future resurrection.
This Sunday March 16th Second Sunday in Lent the sermon title is I Know Where I’m Going. The scripture is I Corinthians 15:42-53.
The theme of the sermon is Heaven (and going there). The scripture is from Paul’s first surviving letter to the church in Corinth, chapter 15, verses 42-53. It represents the foundation statement about eternity for a Christian.
Looking forward seeing you on Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Pastor Michael
Quadragesima Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent, occurring after Ash Wednesday.
The term Quadragesima is derived from the Latin word for “fortieth”, as there are exactly forty days from Quadragesima Sunday until Good Friday.
This Sunday March 9th First Sunday in Lent the sermon title is Have a Cigar! The scripture is Matthew 4:12-17.
Please join us as we enter the season of Lent.
Looking forward seeing you on Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Pastor Michael
The first known reference to the imposition of ashes at the beginning of Lent is from Ælfric of Eynsham, an English abbot. He mentions ashes “strewn on the head.” This was in about 1000 A.D. Ælfric was the most prolific of the writers who wrote in Old English; and he was the first to translate the Old Testament into Old English. In addition, his translation of the Latin was not word for word, but a translation that would have been more easily understood by the average person who might read or hear the scripture. This was in distinct contrast of the belief of the day when it was believed that not only the word of scripture was sacred, but also the order of the words.
Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter. Easter is determined as the Sunday following the first full moon that happens on or after the March equinox. Lent is 40 days long, not including Sundays. According to the calendar, that means the season is 46 days long overall. Fasting and/or abstinence is practiced during Lent (a season of repentance); but since Sundays are in observance of the Resurrection and are considered feast days, fasting and abstinence are not observed.
Why are birthdays so important? The Book of Job says, “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and fun of turmoil. He comes forth like a flower and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.” (Job 14:1-2) Later it says, “Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You (referring to God); and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.” (Job 14:5) That’s a pretty negative view. Later in the book, Job’s wife, because of the suffering that had befallen him, advised Job to curse the day he was born so that God would take him. (In Old Testament times, it was assumed that the gift of life was of ultimate value since it was a gift from God. Therefore, to curse the day one was born was to reject not only the gift, but God as well!)
As we fast forward to the 21st Century, the celebration of a birthday is a big thing. Anne and I are going to see Amy and family in order to celebrate Olivia’s birthday. Children’s birthdays in New York City are big events. This year, Olivia is having a bowling party! Last year, Amelia took some friends to Broadway. Children may be oblivious to the divine importance of birthdays; but, it is likely that many adults today choose to focus on other things at the annual remembrance of one’s birth. In fact, it has been quite a common thing to hear for the last 50 years that one simply wants to “quit having birthdays.” It doesn’t mean to abandon life. It simply means that one does not want to be reminded of getting older.
Friends, I had rather get older than to stop the process! And, my birthday (many months away) is a big deal to me. I am grateful for life; and, I view life as a divine gift as I believe God intended. A few years ago, Amy gave me a birthday party when I turned 75. When she told her friends in NYC, some said, “Does someone stay with him? Is he able to get about?” To which Amy declared, “He drives a Corvette and is so busy I can’t catch him on the phone!”
Until recently, I was almost frustrated to turn out the light at night. I didn’t want to give up on the day. I wanted to keep on experiencing life—without interruption! Since then, I have begun to notice I am able to do less than I did just a couple of years ago. I have accepted the fact that I am older and weaker. But, I still have a passion for living—and I value that passion, not just because I like what I do and where I am at this point in my life. I also attribute that passion for living because I feel a partnership with God. I believe that God is with me and wants the best for me. I hope you share this passion for life with me!
Michael D. O’Bannon, Pastor
This Sunday February 23rd the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany the sermon scripture is Hebrews 11:1-3.
This coming Sunday I will be preaching a sermon on hope. A working title is, “At the End of the Rope.” The title may change, but the topic will remain the same.
The scripture will be Hebrews 11:1-3, a very familiar passage. There are 157 occurrences of” the word, “hope,” in the Bible (82 in the Old Testament, and 75 in the New Testament).
I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Pastor Michael
This Sunday February 16th the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany the sermon scripture is Luke 15:11-24.
This coming Sunday, I will be preaching on making mistakes. I’ll be using as a basis the Prodigal Son. The parable is in Luke 15:11-24 (It goes to vs 32.)
The reaction of the older son is not a part of the sermon. Hopefully, this treatment will be a little different approach than normal.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Pastor Michael
February 9th the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, the sermon title is You’re Not Going to Believe This! The scripture is 1 Corinthians 15:1-11.
There is recent concern about fake news. Recently, for just a few seconds, I saw something on the internet about the death of Steve Harvey, host of a popular game show on network television. It went away, and I could not make it return–until I left the internet and signed back on. It showed up again, for just a couple of seconds. When I checked, I found that Steve Harvey is still alive.
We have all been duped with “manufactured news,” false statistics, and the like, for many decades. Are you aware that there is a report that Elvis faked his death? Just last week, I read a very credible article, giving evidence to support the claim. Even older is the rumor that JFK survived the assassination attempt and was living in kind of a coma in the top floor of a Dallas hospital.
Such things are not new; but, they gain credibility with the advances of artificial intelligence and the ability to create or alter images with computer programs. And, who of us has not had a Facebook account hacked, followed by someone sending out false information supposedly from us?
Paul had similar problems, especially with the congregation in Corinth. I’ll take a brief look at those and then talk about how ironic it is that people will easily believe the fake news we read on the internet, regardless of the fantastic claims, but at the same time, disregard the stories of simple miracles worked by Jesus–or the wondrous works of God.
That is the essence of Sunday’s sermon.
Blessings your way.
Pastor Michael
This Sunday February 3rd the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, the sermon title is It ain’t over, ’til it’s over! The scripture is Acts 27:13-20.
This Sunday, we will have Holy Communion and my sermon is entitled, “It ain’t over, ’til it’s over!” The scripture is from Acts.
The theme is holding on through hope, even when all seems lost.
The story in Acts is about the storm at sea and resulting shipwreck when Paul was being taken to Rome for trial.
See you on Sunday.
Blessings your way.
Pastor Michael