From The Pulpit of DUMC

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#230. Rev. David Hockett - June 26 Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

Following Jesus isn’t a program of self-help, by which we gain greater control over our lives in order that we might achieve the success and happiness for which we long. As we learn from this week’s reading from Luke (Luke 9:51-62), following Jesus is about giving up our lives, surrendering our lives, and learning to take up the life of Christ. Jesus says, if you want the life that really is life, if you want to be your truest and best self, your God created self, if you want to be free, then you must let the old, self-centered, control oriented life go, and take up your cross, and follow in his way. Discipleship is a long-obedience in the same direction in which we learn to let go of all that distracts and preoccupies us in order that we might walk in the way that Christ has opened before us, so that we might experience the expansive vision that God has for our lives.

#229. Rev. Brad Hinton - June 19 Jun 20, 2022

Show notes

This week we will be reflecting on the passage from Galatians 3:23-29. In this passage we hear the well known verses that in our baptism we have clothed ourselves with Christ (27), as well as, that we are all one in Christ Jesus (28). We will reflect on what this means for us today and how we can embody these verses.

#228. Rev. David Hockett - June 12 Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

In the liturgical year, the Sunday following Pentecost is Trinity Sunday. The doctrine of the Trinity states that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – all are God and God is One. The doctrine of the Trinity is not some philosophical formula to be interpreted, or some kind of higher math to be solved, rather it is the way we name who God is, and how God is at work to heal and save us. To say that God is Trinity, three in one or Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is simply another way of saying that the God we worship and love, the God who created all there is, who came to us in Jesus the Word made flesh, and who is with us through the power of the Holy Spirit, is a God of relationship. Trinity means that God is a community of love. By and for love, God reaches out and invites us into the divine relationship, to participate in the holy communion, the friendship that exists between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And so, sharing in the divine life, or the fellowship of the Trinity, is what it means to be saved. John points to this when he writes, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; and….All that the Father has is mine.” (John 16:12-15)

#227. Rev. David Hockett - June 5 Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

This week, we gather to celebrate God’s breathing the Church into existence by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2) Pentecost is about our being filled with the presence and power of the resurrected Christ that we might continue the mission of Christ to heal and save the world. It’s about having Christ’s Spirit flow in and through us. It is not so much about our feelings. And it’s not about being overcome with emotion, having a nice religious high, raising our hands in praise and then returning home, back to life as usual as if nothing significant had happened at all. No, being filled with the Spirit of the living Christ means having our lives consumed by Christ. It means having our hearts set on fire with love for God and love for the world for which Christ came. It means that we come to look and sound like Jesus, until as Paul says, “…it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me….” (Galatians 2:20a) Pentecost is a celebration, pointing us to the potential implanted within and imparted to Christ’s followers to be the change and transformation for which we pray.

#226. Rev. Jim Humphries - May 29 Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

According to Acts 1: 1-11, the resurrected Jesus spent 40 days with his disciples, teaching them about the kingdom of God before ascending to heaven. So on the church calendar, we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord each year on the 40th day of the season of Easter (this year, May 26). Throughout Christian history, the Ascension of the Lord has been a celebrated, honored holiday and feast day -- though good luck finding any “Ascension Day” cards at the Hallmark store today. We tend to gloss over the story of Christ’s ascension these days, which is unfortunate. So this Ascension Sunday, we will seek to determine what Jesus’ ascension means for us today, particularly in the midst of tragedies and difficult times our country currently faces. (Parents, please note that this Sunday’s sermon will discuss the recent shooting in Texas).

#225. Rev. David Hockett - May 22 Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s reading from the gospel of John (John 14:23-29), Jesus comforts his friends by encouraging them to not be afraid. The phrase “fear not” or “do not be afraid” appears at least 100 times in Scripture. While we may acknowledge that there are things which frighten us, Scripture urges us to not be controlled by fear. Instead, we are called to love, trusting that love casts out fear. Fear narrows the circle of our lives. It constricts, and it can choke the life out of us as individuals and as the church. Jesus was always about widening the circle and loving and inviting others in even when it was risky. The decline we see in the Church in the U.S. is, in part, the result of the Church’s unwillingness to take the risk to love. Instead, our witness is too often motivated by fear – fear of decline, fear that resources are scarce, fear that strangers might change us, fear of the unknown, fear that keeps us planted in the past while Jesus is calling us to follow him into God’s future. A Church motivated by fear is powerless to change the world. But friends, if our life as Church is in Christ’s hands, we can take the risk of love, knowing that love casts out fear.

#224. A Place at the Table - Episode 2, May 18 May 18, 2022

Show notes

Davidson UMC Youth hosts Sarah Payne and Anna Liz Turner talk with graduating high school seniors Shelby Liebler and Mitch Dreffer. The four discuss the importance of being engaged with the church as students, share some of their memories, and also what their plans are for the future. You won't want to miss this fun and insightful episode.

#223. Rev. David Hockett - May 15 May 18, 2022

Show notes

On Sunday, we listen in as Jesus says to his disciples, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”(John 13:34-35) Discipleship is the name we give to the process of our becoming, of how, in spending time with Christ we become more like Christ and reflect Christ’s will and way in the world. As Eugene Peterson points out, “Christian discipleship is a decision to walk in Christ’s way, steadily and firmly, and then finding that Christ’s way integrates all our interests, passions, and gifts, our human needs and eternal aspirations. Discipleship involves our coming to see more clearly the way of life for which we were created, and that way is love. Indeed, the world will know that we belong to Christ by how we love.

#222. Rev. David Hockett - May 8 May 10, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s gospel reading (John 10:22-30) Jesus calls us sheep. It was a reference folks in his context could identify with and understand. Beyond that, I think he did so for a couple of reasons. He knows that we need someone, or something to define the way for us, to lead us, to push us forward, to call us in the way that we should go. He also knows that we have a tendency to wander off. It may not even always be intentional, but sometimes we become absorbed with what’s in front of us, preoccupied with many things, we get distracted and like sheep preoccupied with grazing, we look up and discover that we’ve slipped away and are not as centered in our faith as we might like to be. It’s like the hymn says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” Jesus called us sheep, because he knew we needed a shepherd. Someone to watch over us, to show us the way, to call us home when we’ve wandered a bit too far, and someone to lead us to green pastures and to help us in the midst of chaotic and uncertain life to find the still waters (Psalm 23). Of course, for this relationship to work, we, like sheep, must listen to the shepherd. Herein lies the importance of worship, prayer, loving our neighbors, and holy friendships. These are among the places where the voice of the Good Shepherd can be heard above the din of our hectic and hurried lives. Thankfully, if we listen, God is still speaking.

#221. Rev. David Hockett - May 1 May 10, 2022

Show notes

Sunday will be a beautiful day at Davidson UMC as we celebrate the confirmation of almost 40 youth. For several months they've learned together and journeyed together, growing deeper in their faith. We are grateful for the energy, creativity, and gifts they bring to our life together. They make us a better church. This week we will focus on the Gospel of John and Peter's second call. As we celebrate with our youth and their families, we are reminded that we are all, as Church, called to follow Jesus and love the people he loved. See you on Sunday.

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