12/3/17
With Advent we begin the journey to Bethlehem in hopes of coming face to face with the Incarnate God. But are we too quick to assume our encounter will be joyful? Isaiah tells us that while we're hitting the malls God in the meantime is rolling up his sleeves.
Read More11/26/17
Many of the largest churches in the US preach what has become known as "The Prosperity Gospel." How does their theology stack up against Jesus' teaching on wealth as found in the Sermon on the Mount? Spoiler Alert-Not very well at all!
Read More10/29/17
Most of us desire a faith that brings comfort. But what happens when our faith leaves us wounded? As Jacob discovered, sometimes it takes tough love to get us to turn toward home.
Read More10/22/17
Many Christians judge themselves based on how they compare to their neighbors- "Hey, at least I'm better than that dude!" But Jesus insists on a standard that seems impossible. We are to be perfect as God is perfect! How can we even begin to accept such a teaching?
Read More10/8/17
There have been some terrible trades in history! Boston trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees, The Mets trading Nolan Ryan to the Angels. But what would be the worst trade in history? Jesus tells us it would be anyone who trades his or her life for the whole world. Yet we participate in that exact trade in some form throughout our lives; usually it's because we don't realize the choices we make often pit that which is temporal verse that which is eternal.
Read More10/1/17
What does it take to confront the void, come to terms with the mortal feeling of being "alone in the universe?" Too often we do everything we can to avoid facing up to the isolation; as comedian Louis CK tells us, we are so quick to reach for our cell phones! But without confronting our aloneness we will never experience the joy of oneness we experience through faith.
Read More9/23/17
Why were the Jews of Zechariah's time so resistant to change? Why are we? Scientists,, by observing MRI imaging, say it's the way our brain reacts to threats. If that's a biological fact how is ever possible to change? Is it possible to get others (or ourselves) to lower the defensive walls we put up whenever our way of thinking is challenged? What can we learn from Jesus' life and teaching, that transformed the thinking of so many?
Read More8/20/17
Jonah had a choice to make. Obey God and go against his own desires, or high-tail it to the far ends of the earth. How does Jonah's story relate to the decisions we are confronted with in ur own? That's "the Jonah Option."
Read More8/13/17
Each one of us is called to embark on a hero's journey of challenge and self-discovery. This sermon utilizes Joseph Campbell, Gordon Lightfoot, and Ernest Shackleton to help us come to grips with the stakes involved when Jesus calls us into a life of discipleship.
Read More8/6/17
When a woman, bleeding from her womb for 12 years, touched Jesus' garment she was not only healed, she broke Levitical law and rendered Jesus unclean. But Jesus often broke Torah law if that particular law kept us alienated from one another.
Read More7/23/17
A sermon based on Hebrews 2:14-15. We are children of God, both mortal and eternal. As one generation moves on another one comes forth. That's been the way of the church for centuries. We celebrate our Vacation Bible School as we remember those Saints who blazed the trail before us.
Read More7/16/17
Sermon that addresses the ongoing debate of gay ordination and marriage in the United Methodist Church. New Dover UMC, Edison New Jersey. Why do we choose to focus on a few legal passages in scripture, while ignoring others? How did Jesus view the Torah laws?
Read More7/2/17
Reflections on 4th of July weekend. When we recite the Pledge of Allegiance we profess "One nation under God," but what does that mean? For the follower of Jesus doesn't "under God" mean that we prioritize Jesus' words at Nazareth- good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom for the oppressed? If not perhaps we might more truthfully profess "One Nation over God."
Read More6/11/17
Sermon preached by Rev Chuck Coblentz at New Dover UMC in Edison, NJ, based on I Thessalonians 5:1-24. What role does Jesus "Second Coming" have on our Christian ethics? How is the afterlife thought of by individuals at different stages and states of their life?
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