St. Martin United Church of Christ - High Ridge, MO | Podcast on RSS.com

St. Martin United Church of Christ - High Ridge, MO

St. Martin United Church of Christ - High Ridge, MO

by David W Poe

Self-Improvement Christianity

Season 2

God Calls Women Preachers

Exodus 1:8-2:10. God calls two midwives to stand-up to Pharaoh. Then, God puts Moses in the house of Pharaoh under the care of his own mother and daughter. There's no Moses without these women. Jesus, the new Moses, appeared first to women who proclaimed his death and resurrection. Mary sits at Jesus' feet and listens to his teachings like an apostle. Jesus obviously called women preachers, it just took us a long time to hear what the Holy Spirit was saying to the churches! Any of you still believe the world is flat?

Good Times

Based on Genesis 45:1-15. What can we learn from the horrendous story of human trafficking found in the Bible? Joseph is sold into slavery, yet God empowers him to do great things. Along the way, we learn something about how forgiveness works as God's answer to revenge, grief, and sin. I hope you'll join us for this important message.

Bought and Sold

Based on Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28. What can we learn from the tragic story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers? In this message, we will examine these brothers and our own shockingly sinful relationships as well as God's shockingly loving response.

A Christian Nation? Absolutely Not!

Based on Matthew 14:13-21. In today's scripture, Jesus feeds 5,000 people. Over 4 million people in the USA are no longer receiving food aid amid sweeping changes to SNAP. Yet, as we celebrate our 250th anniversary, people are claiming that we are a Christian nation. What does today's scripture tell us about the age old problem of feeding our neighbors?

Valuable Possessions

Based on Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52. Mustard seeds? Yeast? Pearls? Treasure? What do these things tell us about the kingdom of heaven? We have been taught to value our possessions and strive to obtain things of value, but what if these things are actually obstacles in our way of finding real wealth? In today's sermon, we'll tackle this topic and the wealth we can find in the scriptures themselves.

Waiting Time

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. Should we start pulling up the weeds? Maybe want we really need to do is slow down and realize we're the wheat and the weeds... and we shouldn't be in a rush to destroy the fields today! That's what we will explore today.

The Results That Matter

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. The Word of God can't grow without good soil but is this parable really about the soil? In this message, I explore a different angle on this well-known parable.

Heavy Lifting

Based on Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30. Religious people can be difficult to please. John the Baptist stayed to himself; he was a minimalist who lived off the land. He didn't do anything to cause offense, except point out "the condition of sin" everyone was living under and needed repentance of. So, religious people dismissed him as having a demon. Jesus came and looked like one of us. He ate and drank with anyone, even tax collectors and sinners. So, of course, they labeled him a glutton and a drunkard. Before we get ahead of ourselves on this 4th of July weekend, maybe we need to remember that we all stand in need before the throne of Jesus. And, yes, we need someone to do the heavy lifting for us.

Is There a Reward?

Matthew 10:40-42. Isn't it a bad idea to promise rewards? Today, we explore the use of rewards and punishments in the Bible to see if there is something we are missing. And we will talk about why it's a bad idea to drop bombs on the children of God, ALL the children of God.

Family Feuds on Father's Day?

Matthew 10:24-39. If you read through the Gospels, you'll soon discover that Jesus didn't have much good to say about families. In fact, Jesus seems to suggest that the family is a poor substitute for the community he wants to establish on earth, the church! On any given Sunday, the church is full of people whose families are divided. Yes, we need good fathers, but if you don't have one, no worries because God will fill that rule for you in God's church! Join me as we take a much less traveled approach on this Father's Day.

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