S9E13: Presence (The Vows We Make pt. 1)

Sermon #468

When we as Methodists become members of the local church, we make a vow to fully participate in the ministries of the local church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness (United Methodist Hymnal p. 38).  Frankly, many of us forget that we made such a vow after we join the church and quickly abandon those areas of our Christian walk.  So every once in a while I like to bring out those vows and remind our congregation of the promise they made when they joined the local church.  Today being Reformation Sunday, we look at what it means to participate in ministry by our presence.  How do we find joy in attending to both the outreach ministries and the worship of the local church?  The pandemic gave people permission to worship at home, and I thank God that we had the technology in place to do so.  But if we love God and love our neighbor, then our desire should be to be with each other, and that is what it means to be present in the ministries of the church.

Mark 12:28-34

Recorded at Hudson UMC on October 31, 2021

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S.D.G.