The Connection Podcast

Conversations on the Road to Emmaus // Episode 1

Sermon recorded on 4/24/22 at Connection for new sit down series with Rev. Charlie.

Easter Sunday

Recorded sermon from Easter Sunday April 17, 2022.

Falling Into Goodness // Wrestle with God

Job eventually comes to see God in the midst of his circumstances. He
wakes up to the fact the wisdom of his friends, and his own understanding cannot deliver him. But God has the power to. Like Job, we can lament our circumstances, we can express our anger, frustration, doubt and show God our ashes. God can handle it and wants us to invite him in the mess. He knows. He knows us. He knows how it turns out. For Job, it was dire. God replaced all he lost two times over.
Jesus’ triumphant entry wasn’t what Israel thought it was, but it was a
picture of what is to come. Our worst day, will be turned into our day of triumph.

Falling Into Goodness // Take the Humble Path

The Israelites have learned nothing. God sends them back into the wilderness for what ends up being 40 years. Why? They still did not trust God’s provision. To enter into their promised land all they had to do was trust the God who had brought them there. If we are going to enter into the life that God has promised us, full of grace and mercy, we have to take the humble path. We have to come to the end of ourselves.

Falling Into Goodness // Imagine The Kingdom

Paul did not reject the Athenians for their idolatry. In fact, he worked within shared beliefs. What if our efforts to make disciples, and participate in God’s kingdom looked more like Paul’s work in Athens. We are all made in God’s image, and we have things that we believe that we share, but there is more to be discovered. Let me tell you about it. What would you imagine that approach to the kingdom would look like?

Falling into Goodness // The Vocation of Our True Self

The vocation of our true self is love and compassion. Love for God is not an achievement or checklist. Love for God comes easily and naturally from our true self, especially if we truly realize how much we have been forgiven.

Falling Into Goodness // Conflicted Within

When you take a commitment, you now realize that you are setting yourself up for internal conflict. Whatever you give up, when you are confronted with the option of partaking again, you find yourself in conflict with your desires. Perhaps we are consumed with keeping the law instead of trying to live by the spirit. Perhaps we are too consumed with sin avoidance verses seeking to love perfectly.

Falling Into Goodness // Lent is...

Lent is awareness that the father loves us no matter how broken we may be.

Lent is rest. You don’t have to perform. You can rest from trying to be perfect. One son built a life of pleasure and possessions to hide the pain of his brokenness. One son relied on duty and discipline to earn the father’s love. Both tried to be something they were not.

“Perhaps Lent is about paying attention. Perhaps Lent is about removing the blinders of our illusory life of self-fulfillment in order to feast on the life that is already ours in Christ Jesus.”—Chuck DeGroat

Transformed By Glory // Rev. Charlie Harper

Today, Rev. Charlie preached at Traditional Worship marking Transfiguration Sunday. Hear his sermon on why this was such a big deal and what we can take from it. 

Beloved Still // Rev. Trey Harper

This week, Rev. Trey Harper spoke at Connection. Rev. Trey Harper is the pastor at Taylorsville FUMC and the director of spiritual leadership for the Mississippi Conference of the UMC.