Sermon Archive
May 6, 2012
He moved to our small rural town right after graduation from USC in Los Angeles. We had to say it that way, “in Los Angeles,” because no one really knew much about USC in Pea Ridge. He was tall and
April 29, 2012
Click to Listen I want to begin with a confession today. When we started this sermon series on “If the church were Christian – Rediscovering the Values of Jesus”, I remember Rev. Mattox shared with us in that first sermon,
April 22, 2012
If the Church Were Christian Click to listen. In this fast-paced Twitter-age we live in, I’m looking for quicker and faster just like the rest of you. I realize that today’s sermon title is way too long. So, the Twitter-title
April 15, 2012
Click to listen. Philip Gulley is no stranger to First Church. His 2010 book, If The Church Were Christian—Rediscovering the Values of Jesus has been the centerpiece of lively discussion in small group settings this past year. The Unity Sunday
April 8, 2012
Click to listen. If you don’t like stories that end abruptly, I doubt you’ll like this ending of Mark’s gospel. Those who need “closure”…who don’t like to leave things messy, dangling, hanging there in “thin air” won’t like the resurrection
March 25, 2012
Click to listen. Pastor Donna has been talking about her upcoming trip with her sons to the heart of Appalachia and United Methodism’s Red Bird Missionary Conference, and it reminded me of a story that I was told when Martha
March 18, 2012
Click to listen. Even the seasoned traveler becomes irritable and unpleasant without stopping a while and re-fueling along the way. Here’s what that looks like for me. After driving about 250 miles, sometimes not even that far, I turn to
March 11, 2012
Click to listen. This sermon is a part of the Lenten series entitled Journey to Hope. The scripture text was assigned in January and material prepared last month. The delivery of this message happened to coincide with the announcement that
March 4, 2012
It’s a good thing Jesus didn’t depend on cheering crowds as he made his journey, because the tide changed quickly. The cheering throng that Mark writes about, shouting “Hosanna!” at the top of their lungs quickly changed to jeers and
February 26, 2012
When Austin began to ask around a month or so ago, concerning who might want to get on the church bus and travel 250 miles on a Friday after school to Rogers, AR for the annual Youth Spiritual Life retreat