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SERMON | John 4:1-42 | "See Her" by Lauren Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

SERMON | John 20:19-23 | PENTECOST - "He Breathed On Them" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana This is the arrival of the Holy Spirit in John. At first hearing we might think, “Well, that’s boring.” “No sound? No fire? No speaking in foreign languages? No Peter giving a testimony that leads to 3,000 people believing in the risen Savior?” Why bother, right? Jesus breathed on them. —a very different effect in our post-COVID world! Remember, this is the first time that all of the disciples who aren’t Mary have seen Jesus alive and breathing once more. What had they been thinking about since Jesus was arrested and killed? How they had run? How they had denied? How they had not stood up for him? How some of the Jewish council were searching for them? How they ached to not have Jesus with them? How much it hurt to not hear his voice? How guilty they felt? How they had no idea what to do next since the one they were following were no  longer there to lead them? How they hoped those locked doors would protect them? And then Jesus is there…seemingly out of nowhere. In the moment they first see him, he offers them peace: “Peace be with you.” — if they had been true Methodists, they would have responded, “And also with you.” Then he shows them his hands and side so they might come to believe. They do and suddenly their fear dissipates AND joy overcomes them. Jesus said again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Here is the key to what it all means. One way we can understand this is to think back to the book which the author we call  John put firmly into our frame of mind with the opening words of the Gospel account. Genesis. “In the beginning…” and now, “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”   The very first human beings received breath from God—the breath of life.   breath/spirit/wind are all the same word in both Hebrew and Greek.   Where the first humans received divine breath, so now the disciples do. Where the presence of God came to walk among the first humans in the evening,  they heard the sound of the evening breeze. The presence of God coupled with their choice to serve themselves as gods in idolatry led them to be in great fear and go into hiding…just like the disciples are in this scene. Where sin, the symptom of the deeper problem of idolatry, had held the world captive from the life which God had envisioned for all people from all places…NOW Jesus breathes new life into the disciples after having dealt with the power of sin and death  on the cross. New Creation had burst forth from that garden tomb — John says once again, “…the first day of the week” we are reminded that a new week and new creation had begun. This new life and creative power is then given to the disciples through Jesus’ breath of life. Then he tells them what it means: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” God is bringing forgiveness and new life to the whole world. It was ALWAYS meant and described as coming through Israel from God to the world. They were God’s elected people to be the vessel through which the great promise was fulfilled…and it had happened in this moment! Now the disciples, filled with the new divine breath of the new creation where forgiveness becomes truly possible, will go out into the world so that God can work THROUGH them…to bring PEACE. Peace is right relationship… wholeness… completeness… shalom. Jesus’ resurrection brings true peace into the world. We can all receive this new peace, this new wholeness, this contentment in our souls. But…we receive this SO THAT we can go and announce that peace to the whole world—to share this peace an

SERMON | 1 Peter 3:13-22 | A LIVING HOPE - 5. "Always Be Ready" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana Daily we should be remembering that Christ IS Risen That the world is in conflict while evil is uprooted and removed That we are a part of this process in our daily living  Maybe we aren’t facing authorities who are punishing us for our faith, but that  day could come: It is a reality for many around the world. It was a reality for the early church. Don’t think that conflict CANNOT come in that form. Even if authorities aren’t the source of conflict, our peers are. Dare I say, even our fellow Christian peers. It’s extremely rare that I encounter a non-Christian who is slanderous, rude, or causing conflict in some way toward me or the church for our faith. Most often it’s a sibling of Christ who is pointing fingers, slandering, and trying to cause turmoil and conflict. Most often these actions are caused by pain they are carrying. Pain due to a lack of hope. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? We’ve lost hope and placed the burden of conflict upon our own shoulders, right? We’ve experienced disappointment and responded with judgment and self-righteousness, yes? We ALL have. So…we should all understand when we see it in our Christian sibling. and we should all be readying ourselves NOT to respond in kind. Not even in our minds, friends! Not in gossip or discussion with others We must MAINTAIN our hope. Rather, we should respond in our hope with grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness. We should not hold things against our sibling in faith due to their reactions.  We all make mistakes and we all are impulsive…because we all have moments  when we have not been prepared to maintain our hope amid pain. I thank God for grace! It is crucial that I remember what God’s grace has done for me! It is vital that I remember what other people’s grace and hope have done for me, too! If we cannot regard our sibling in Christ with an unconquerable hope, how can we ever be prepared for the world around us when it brings the conflict? We need to pray, friends, for hope. We need to start with our own hope so that we are ready to live it out…especially in moments of conflict. Once we get a good handle on maintaining our own hope, THEN we can work on building up the hope in each other. THEN we can know we are ready for the world around us. The day of the Lord has begun…and it will be completed, Amen? Christ IS Risen!  Then let us live into the Easter reality Let our lives reflect A LIVING HOPE Let us prepare for whatever comes our way. ALWAYS BE READY to serve a Risen Christ IN WHOM WE FIND OUR HOPE in any given moment so that: the world may come to know the hope that is within us… so that our hope can disarm a hurting world… so that people around us can know they can lay their weapons down and put their trust in the grace of God revealed in our Risen Christ and find their hope in the same spirit of God they encounter in us.

SERMON | 1 Peter 2:2-10 | A LIVING HOPE - 4. "Like Living Stones" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana. There is a freedom available to you through our resurrected Lord. When you remember, and spend time remembering regularly, that you are a living stone being built into a spiritual house alongside Jesus Christ and every person who seeks to follow him as Lord, you are awakened to freedom. We don’t have to be right when we are free. it is God who makes us stand or fall we become people of grace, mercy, and love Are people who always have to argue their point living a life you desire for yourself? We don’t have to make sure everyone else thinks like we do when we are free. we don’t have to understand why people think the way they do we can simply trust that they are serving a divine purpose, too. Are people who try to control how others understand things living a life you desire for yourself? We don’t have to make sure and balance the scales of justice for ourselves. People are people we can live with a rhythm of forgiveness and not be controlled by vengeance and self-righteous judgment Are people who keep score really living a life you desire for yourself? Where do you see life lived in such a way that you desire for yourself?  Who do you know who has the freedom of Christ in a way that appeals to you? Because someone who doesn’t play by the rules of being right, being controlling, and being self-righteous in their judgment is absolutely perplexing to those who are still living life in the dirt. When you come across someone who doesn’t play the game of the world, it stands out. People have no idea what to do with them, do they? Except…except…those who are desiring to live life beyond the dirt. When you’re pining for something more out of life, you notice it when you find it. I wonder, are we living the type of life that stands out in such a way for others? Are we living a free life as a living stone in such a way that people can see it in us? Are we living it out loud? Are we living it in every way we can all the time we can? As Peter said, if we have tasted the goodness of God through our Lord, then we  desire more…because that is how it works. He is risen!! Jesus Christ was resurrected that Easter morning… and Jesus Christ has been resurrecting us ever since… Jesus Christ is freeing us from the dirt of our old life and into something  entirely different So…go and live the resurrected life. Leave the old life behind you to remain in the dirt. Live as a living stone…a flesh and blood temple…so that we may experience the presence and work of God in and through each other in the way we love and show mercy. Be an entirely different group of people—a kingdom of priests for God—to the world around you that others may come to know of the freedom and truth you have found.

The sermon material comes from umcdiscipleship.org

SERMON | 1 Peter 1:17-23 | A LIVING HOPE - 2. "Loosening the Bonds" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana. Do you know you are loved? Our full display of LOVE is God coming to us in Jesus Christ… to tell our story in a new way… to bring healing to our very hearts, minds, souls, and bodies… to face and embody our rejection… to suffer at the hands of our sinful pride and need to judge and control… and to not condemn us. to not respond with resentment. to not respond in kind. But to pray for us… to forgive us… to call out to us… to wash our feet and kick in those prison doors anyway… to dust us off and restore us to our original beauty… to offer us LIFE… to LOVE us. Because that’s what God did through Jesus Christ. That’s our trust and hope—in resurrection. And, as people freed, we are to go and LOVE in response. Not because we are supposed to, but because that’s all we know to do when we have arrived at the place of trusting and hoping in God alone. ___________________________________________________________________  Friends, Jesus Christ has freed us and continues to lead us into that freedom. Embrace the full reality of freedom, leave your cell, and walk the path of discovering how valuable and loved you truly are. Live in such a way that reflects this truth…that others in prisons around you may know of the fullness of joy that lies beyond the walls of their prisons. Let us live, as freed people, committed to dismantling the prisons all around us so that everyone may live and walk as free as anyone and everyone else. Let us continue to leave our prisons of judgment and condemnation behind us so that we may live into the true freedom of LOVE as revealed in Jesus Christ. Live in such a way that reveals to people the truth you have come to know… that we all are beautiful, priceless, and LOVED works of art formed in the image of God. Christ IS Risen!

SERMON | 1 Peter 1:3-9 | A LIVING HOPE - 1. "Fullness of Joy" by Rev. Dr. Gary Schaar at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana. Yes, of course, rejoice. And there are times when I can rejoice. Times when things are going well, and I can contemplate the fullness of the promise of eternity. Then, yes, I can look inward and rejoice; feel good about what has been given, content. Satisfied. “Uh, no,” says Peter, grinning in his beard. “You rejoice, even if now for a little while you suffer.” Wait, what? Rejoice while suffering? That doesn’t compute. “I know, right?” says Peter. “But yeah, it really does. Here’s the thing, you’re alive.” I know, and I’d like to stay that way. “No, alive. Not just living. You’re alive, which means that anything that happens is just a moment in eternity. Just a blip on the screen. So, all those things that terrify you don’t mean anything. They can’t diminish you; they can’t break you. You’re alive. I didn’t get that then. I get it now. All there is is love.” Peter laughs at his own thoughts. “Sounds like a pop song, doesn’t it? But it’s the truth. The deep truth. Love that starts with him, the one I turned my back on, but who never turned his back on me. Love of him who loves so deeply it shakes you to the core. Love so profound we are remade. Made alive. Call it salvation; that’s the only word that fits. We are being saved by his love; saved to love as he loves. Saved to live as he lived. Does that sound like a party or what?” His teeth gleam through that tangle of a beard, weathered face wrinkling around his eyes as he reaches out with those big fisherman hands to slap you on the back. “Welcome to the party,” he shouts a little too loudly. “Rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” Amen, Peter, amen.

SERMON | John 20:1-18 | IN AWE OF GRACE - Easter Sunday "The End That Wasn't" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana. JOHN 20:1-18 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark… The WORD of God moves again…and new life bursts forth… He was mistaken for the gardener…a throwback to the first humans… but he wasn’t like any other human who had come before… And then, Jesus says her name… “Mary!” She understands who he is, but he is different. Then Jesus says, “Go tell my brothers…” The disciples had become Jesus’ friends a few nights ago…and now are brothers. And then we hear the good news from Jesus himself to Mary: I’m going to my Father is your Father, my God is your God. The separation of humanity to God has been healed, but in a way that cannot be explained in a Sunday morning sermon. What I CAN tell you is John is making it clear a new creation began that first Easter morning. The first week…all 7 days…had come and gone… and a new week has begun. Out of the darkness sprung forth the dawning of the new week… the new creation… the new humanity perfected in Jesus. Disciples have become more than followers… We have become more than friends… We have become family with God once more. NOW…this is GOOD NEWS. This is literally, the GOOD NEWS. Jesus is Risen. If Jesus is risen, then everything he taught and said is vindicated by God. Jesus rose in a way totally different than Lazarus. Lazarus rose back into a life that would face death. He had to be set free from his tomb by others and unwrapped and unbound by others. Jesus, as the details are told, needed no one to unwrap and unbind him. His rising is not to a life under the rule of death, but of a life that is directly connected with God in what he calls “ascension.” If you are ready to trust in God’s new creation ushered in through Jesus Christ, then know the time is now. You may feel that things have reached an end for you… that you’ve encountered chaos, darkness, and void in your relationships or life… you may feel your hope has ended… you may believe the news cycle and think things are only getting worse… Then, my dear friend, hear the good news… Jesus is Risen! Death holds no power. Darkness is defeated. Chaos and void are on their way out by the power of God’s WORD through whom all things have come into being in a new way. What ended in that tomb on the 6th day and lay still on the 7th… became a new beginning of an entirely different kind… Death did not have the final word then… and it doesn’t now.

SERMON | John 13:1-17, 31b-35 | IN AWE OF GRACE - Maundy Thursday "Commanded to Love" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana Jesus seized the opportunity to love his disciples…his friends… because why wouldn’t he? THIS is God glorified. to give of God’s self for God’s children. The foot-washing is just a small example of what Jesus was about to do the next day. Is there any greater love than to lay down your life for your friends on the cross? Is there any nobler act than to wash the feet and die for those who betray you and fasten you to the instrument that will kill you Yet…that’s what Jesus did. He washed their feet that night and he would die for them the next day. And none of them understood. Most would abandon him. One would deny him. Another would betray. And yet…here he is this night…washing their feet and preparing to die tomorrow. As I have loved you, love one another. We will take of Holy Communion tonight to REMEMBER how Jesus loved us. Not just to take and eat and ritualize it to a once a year or once a month thing. Let’s see the foot-washing and Holy Communion for what they really were: an invitation into an entirely new way to live a life of LOVE. Jesus shows us LOVE and then invites us to live into this love for others… not one night a year, but in every opportunity we can find to break from the routine and norm and SERVE each other out of love. What would our communities look like if every Christian decided to start loving like Jesus? EVERYONE would experience a love they wouldn’t understand either. Some would overreact one way to such an experience. Others would overreact in another way. There would be confusion… there would be betrayal… there would be denial… But what if our LOVE, the love we’ve come to know from Jesus, outlasted all reactions? What if the church became ONLY a place where people love each other in ways that we were constantly lowering ourselves to one another…because… why shouldn’t we? why wouldn’t we? We are commanded to love As we take of the elements…and as we serve each other… Let us remember what Jesus did during the supper for each disciple… and let us remember what Jesus did the next day for everyone across time and space. Let us REMEMBER…and let our remembrance lead us into the new life to which we are called.

SERMON | Matthew 21:1-17 | HOLY WEEK - IN AWE OF GRACE - 1. "This Is the Day" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana THIS IS THE DAY!! Palm Sunday! Hosanna! We have begun Holy Week. Our Lenten journey has brought us here…to this week. We have traversed the wilderness…and we have arrived at the heart of God’s people. Jesus rides into Jerusalem—on two donkeys?? —we see the author’s confusion about the prophecy from which the imagery comes. (there is no “and” in the prophecy, so one donkey becomes two) That isn’t the only bizarre thing about this passage. We KNOW that the people shout “Hosanna!”…but in just a few days time they will be replaced with “Crucify Him!” We KNOW that Jesus came to be the Messiah and cleanse the earth of evil…but then he goes to the Holy Temple of God and cleans IT out! What do we make of this story we tell every year? We must remember that this story is a part of our Lenten journey. We MUST not simply tell the story and then not allow it to speak to our hearts. We MUST NOT assume we wouldn’t have gone from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him” right along with the rest of the people. We are human. We are always going to fall short. We are going to struggle to understand. The more we think we understand, the more we probably do not. Those who should’ve understood and celebrated, instead criticized… While those who were assumed to know little opened themselves to it all. Those who should’ve been displaying hospitality for the world to worship God were setting up shop in the court of the Gentiles ripping off the poorest of the poor. —doves were the sacrifice of those who couldn’t afford anything else After walking and traveling and spending what little money they had, they would need to purchase doves…and the Temple priests made them exchange their money to get the Temple coins—and would rip them off to do it! Worse…this was happening IN the Temple. A house of prayer became a den of thievery. And it were the religious leaders in charge and reaping the benefits of it all. We must NOT assume that we are incapable of losing our way as well. It is SO tempting to get distracted and focused on ourselves. It is SO tempting to exploit the poor and reap the benefits of it. If our clothing was made in Asia… Or our coffee is less than $12/lb. Or our bananas are less than $3/lb. We are reaping the benefits, friends. This isn’t a guilt-trip. It’s a reality check for all of us…me, too! It’s so hard to do things right in a system and world where almost everything is broken. Where we are literally tearing our world apart and have the option of pretending we are not. We need cleansed! We need healed! We need to be put in our place! Amen? We need judgment…not for others, but for ourselves. We want to be put right, don’t we? But there’s a feeling of fear and dread at the thought. But…the beautiful part of this whole story is how the judge, the king, the rescuer, the deliverer comes onto the scene. _________________________________________________ The Son of David has, in fact, arrived. But what does that mean? David had made Jerusalem the city of God’s people long ago. Ever since the time of David and the exile, the people have longed for a king to be like David and lead them out of oppression. David was the prototype king to which all other kings were measured. So there’s that element here. The waving of palms and laying down of cloaks has kingly elements. When Israel welcomed King Jehu, they laid down cloaks. When Judas Maccabaeus led his people to defeat the oppression of the Greeks in Jerusalem, he rode into the Temple area as people waved palms and laid down cloaks. He entered the Temple and removed the Greek idols that had been placed there. Zechariah’s prophecy foretold of God’s king coming to establish the people of Israel and God’s king

SERMON | Ezekiel 37:1-14 & John 11:1-45 | LENT - LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 5. "Who Could Stand" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana Learning to Live Inside Out — a Lenten journey with Jesus… toward the cross… toward the death of sin and self… following Jesus… until what we KNOW in our hearts becomes the REALITY we live in the world. We’ve focused on the importance of fasting and testing… moving from the familiar comforts in the uncomfortable unknown… confronting our thirst… and seeing the presence of God among us… Today we come to a deep question of whether we believe all of this and what it means. WHO COULD STAND? The opening Psalm asked this important question focusing on the choice we have to be weighed down with anxiety scanning the horizon for our enemies… or standing in the hope and trust in God and finding joy in the midst of struggle. We have a choice. We have the POWER to choose: How will we respond? ______________________________________________ Similar to Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones who is asked, “Can these bones live?” Can they live, Ezekiel? Can they stand up and carry on once more? Can they find life and joy and hope and trust? Or is God’s promise just a let-down…a pipe dream? Ezekiel knows the answer…but he won’t say it. He knows better. What is our answer to this question? Let’s look at the bones of today and decide. We’ve heard the statistics for years now… the church is in decline. less and less people are worshiping God on Sunday mornings less and less people are saying they have faith at all We’ve felt the pain of the valley and the bones around us… this church and many others are not what they once were things used to be easier people came to church this room was too full some days…many days… Have we messed it up? Did we mishandle what God gave us? I’m certain we haven’t been perfect…but have we ceased to love our church? Have we ceased to love God? Look at the bones, friends. Can these bones live? Is there a thriving life ahead of us? Our heads have an response…and we know it well. We are all tempted to scan the horizon for the next bit of bad news about our church…about our world… about our own lives. Who could stand in the midst of our reality today in 2023? You might bite our tongue and follow our hearts just the tiniest bit and say in response to the question: “You know, Lord.” Perhaps that response is something like, “Please don’t make me say it. Don’t make me have to offer my breath and effort to utter my hopelessness into existence.” Or maybe the response contains a seed of hope. After all, it’s God we’re talking with, right? Aren’t ALL THINGS possible? This brings us to our scene in John when Jesus is standing in front of Martha. Her brother had died. She had sent word of his illness to Jesus, but never asked him to come directly. She ALMOST implied the question by giving the word of Lazarus’s illness, but she never asked Jesus to come and do anything about it. Was she shy? Was she being respectful? Did she think that Lazarus’s situation didn’t deserve to interrupt Jesus’ mission? When Jesus does arrive, she can’t help but say to him, “If only you’d been here…” Maybe that’s how we feel in our 2023 reality. If only… If only we’d opened our doors wider… If only we’d played our music louder… If only people didn’t focus on working… If only extracurricular sports didn’t have activities on Sundays… If only we’d stayed more traditional with our style… If only we’d gone more contemporary… If only… If only… And now we sit in a pile of bones… The stench of what was having long past… The stillness of death where the bustle of life once was. Jesus prods at Martha’s faith. “Your brother will rise, Martha.” “Sure, sure, Jesus…one day he will…” “I am th

SERMON | 1 Samuel 16:1-13 & John 9:1-41 | LENT - LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 4. "In the Presence" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana Learning to Live Inside Out — a Lenten journey with Jesus… toward the cross… toward the death of sin and self We’ve talked about fasting… About a life of faith taking us from the familiar and comfortable into the unknown… About recognizing the deeper thirst we have for a life only God can lead us into… Today we wrestle with the question of how to know when you’re in the presence of God. How do we know that we can, in fact, see clearly with our hearts and minds and souls and bodies? In a world where so many claim to be able to see clearly… how can we know what to believe? Who to follow? Who to trust? Art museum story… We all want to see clearly in our lives. We want to have a sense of certainty and comfort in our knowing. We want to be assured that we are on the right track… standing in the right place… seeing the picture clearly. We want to know that we are living a life in the direction of Jesus Christ and in the presence of God. We want to be a part of what God is doing in the world as well things are being brought together and summed up into the renewal of all things. Our lenten journey is to get ourselves looking at ourselves and our world in a better way so that we can actually see… Amen? __________________________________________________ Samuel the prophet had lived his whole life in devotion to God. His devotion began before he was even born because he had an amazing mother named Hannah. Samuel had been a part of what God was doing. He anointed Israel’s first king, Saul. Saul looked the part. He looked and seemed like a king when Samuel anointed him. But Saul didn’t pan out. Samuel had been so focused on the details of what he thought made a king that he had, somehow, missed the bigger picture…and things didn’t go well. It had been, well, a disaster. But God is still at work and called him to anoint a new king…while Saul was still on the throne. Step by step, Samuel follows God’s instructions, until we come to the home of Jesse who parades his sons in front of Samuel. Samuel, still looking to finely at the details, sees a few that look like a king… But God keeps saying, “No…next…” until no sons remain. That’s when David is summoned to join the party. David…an afterthought…comes in and God says, “Yes…he’s the one…” God sees not like people see—on the outward appearance… God sees the heart. David gets anointed…and then Samuel immediately leaves the scene and the story altogether. Did he ever come to see clearly? Or did he just follow God’s command? We don’t know. _____________________________________________________________ The story in John is one of great discussion and debate. Much is said today about thinking someone’s lack of certain abilities means they aren’t every bit as capable as anyone else. Much is said about forcibly rubbing mud into the eyes of someone who never asked or gave you permission to do so. Much is said about people not believing the word of someone who has or did have a disability of some sort. These are important discussions in their own regard, but I fear it is focusing too much on the brushstrokes of the story as a whole. When we stand back and see the story as a whole, we find a challenging invitation. Will we recognize the work of God right in front of us? We get so caught up in the details that we miss the bigger picture. And not just about what’s happening in the world around us…but in our own lives. Like the man in the story, we are all CALLED to share our story. — not know all of the answers — BUT to tell what we DO know — and no guessing!! Maybe your story doesn’t seem miraculous…yet. Maybe your story seems boring or simple. Friends, God works in the boring and s