Westbrook Park United Methodist Church

May 2022 Covenant Group discussion of Worldly Justice vs Biblical Justice.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw…

Paul has been addressing a hypothesis: Christ has not risen from the dead. That hypothesis leads to some difficult conclusions: Faith is vain or meaningless. See 1 Corinthians 15.14 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. Faith is vain or meaningless.…

A study on Good Friday to Easter with a deeper look at a general Roman cruicifixion.

Mixed Emotions Smokey Robinson- If you feel like loving me, if you got the notion, I second that emotion. Plutchik proposed eight primary emotional dimensions: happiness vs. sadness, anger vs. fear, trust vs. disgust, and surprise vs. anticipation. However, you can mix these to create new ones; i.e.,…

The Triple Threat 1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. One of the key notes of this verse is that this is the Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead in the previous chapter. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there.…

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 1/3 of the estate. According to Jewish law. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he…

What On Earth Are You Waiting For? 1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. We don’t know exactly what is being discussed here. Some believe it is when Pilate took money from the temple treasury to build an aqueduct,…

Why Jesus Isn't Afraid Of Today or Tomorrow 31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” A strong sense of destiny comes with this verse. Jesus is going to Jerusalem to die. The last time Herod was heard from in Luke, he was perplexed at…

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. Lured to temptation, Jesus was.... much like 40 years for the people…

The Glory of Heaven Hard times make strong men. Strong men make easy times. Easy times make weak men. Weak men make hard times. The Russian war on Ukraine. I’ve watched in horror. I’ve been shocked. I’ve been sad. I’ve been angry. I’ve been a lot of emotions. But I’ve not been hurt personally, as far…

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, Love your enemies- understood as having genuine concern for someone regardless of their outward beauty or likelihood of reciprocating towards you. 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. You’ll note that…

Churches, and their people, are not perfect. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are lying. I have now had 37 years of pulpit ministry as the pastor of local churches. I’ve loved it. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve preached a lot of sermons, and one thing I’ve learned is that you are either holding your listener’s…

Have you ever awakened from a nightmare and been in a cold sweat from what you were dreaming? It seemed as real as the day is long, but it wasn’t? Or maybe you are like me.... I dream about normal things- work, family, etc., I typically dream about conversations, and typically it will be because I have…

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. It is important to see how many times Luke is going to mention the special activity of the Holy Spirit. In a moment,…

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. John’s introduction of Jesus, in the book of John, has occurred less than a week ago. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have…

The new year As we look back at 2021 there will be things we would want nothing more than to bring into 2022; there will also be things we would want nothing more than to leave in 2021. An then there is the hope of a new year which most see as a way to a new start. Looking for a new start - from what?…