FUMC Bentonville Sermon Podcast

Luke 13:6-9, Psalm 85

The Founders of our nation built a government that anticipates human failure. Our civic life includes ways to pause, evaluate, change course, and begin again. That does not make our nation perfect, but it does reveal something hopeful: we are not trapped forever by every mistake we make. As we begin this series reflecting on our nation, we will explore how this imperfect experiment can remind us of the deeper grace of God — a grace that tells the truth about failure, tends what is wounded, and makes redemption possible for all God’s people.

Esther 4:10-17

On this Sunday, Pastor Michelle will give us an update on this fiscal year’s budget, the budget for the year ahead beginning July, and discuss with us the plans for how we will determine what we do with the land to the west of the church building. We find ourselves in extraordinary circumstances. And when that happens, the call on our life from God will lead us into extraordinary things.

Luke 13:6-9 and Psalm 85

The Founders of our nation built a government that anticipates human failure. Our civic life includes ways to pause, evaluate, change course, and begin again. That does not make our nation perfect, but it does reveal something hopeful: we are not trapped forever by every mistake we make. As we begin this series reflecting on our nation, we will explore how this imperfect experiment can remind us of the deeper grace of God — a grace that tells the truth about failure, tends what is wounded, and makes redemption possible for all God’s peop...

Gen. 12: 1-9 (NRSVue)

We are Blessed. Called to respond in Faith. Called to Serve Others.

1 John 5:1-5

John Wesley believed in the radical love and acceptance of all humans. He believed in the Imago Dei. Every person was created in the image of God. This moved him to go to the poor working class in Bristol, England and preach outdoors to large numbers. John also brought recrimination on his ministry in Bristol by being an outspoken opponent to slavery. Bristol was a central market for slaves, and there were many wealthy people who would stand to lose if slavery was abolished. The eighteenth-century world was a challenge for young John Wesley. His...

Acts 2:1-4; Numbers 11:24-30

On this Pentecost and Aldersgate Sunday, it seems appropriate to revisit our wild, Pentecostal tent meeting roots – remembering when we were accused of being too enthusiastic!

Mark 2:13-17

As we begin a new series exploring significant moments in Methodist history, we’ll look at how founder John Wesley challenged religious and social norms in pursuit of the Gospel. United Methodists are proud of our Wesleyan heritage, but some of us still wrestle with an important question: did Wesley’s witness truly resemble the way of Jesus? What does it mean to faithfully follow in Christ’s steps — and if we find the answer, will it change anything about the way we live?

Isaiah 58:6-8

Mama’s got your back… and so does God!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

In this sermon, we are going to address the new trend of AI relationships. A chatbot can fulfill 1 Corinthans 13 easily. But are we creating unrealistic expectations of IRL relationships?

Luke 9:23-24

Jesus challenges his followers to take up their cross and follow him. But what does that actually mean? Pastor Michelle will dig into this important aspect of discipleship for us today.

1 Peter 4:8-11
We should all serve God, but in purposeful ways. If we serve the way we are gifted, then we can't help but feel joy!

Ruth 1:11-18

Love is a choice. Not even God coerces us into love. So what happens when we make that choice? God's will breaks out in astounding ways.

Mark 16:1-8

The women hear the news of Jesus’ resurrection… and then they run away and tell no one out of fear. But we do know the story. So at some point they must have overcome their fear. Courage is not the absence of fear – it is facing it and refusing to let it stop us.

Luke 23:1-25

Why do we call it "Good Friday?" Rev. Dr. Michelle discusses some of the existing atonement theories and the mystery of what happened both on the cross and in the tomb.

John 13:1-9, 12-17

Rev. Dr. Michelle reflects on the humble ritual of foot washing and its parallels in modern society.

Psalm 46:1-11 (NRSVUE)

This Psalm talks about the rage of the world, of kingdoms tearing each other apart. Yet within that we find refuge in God, and particularly in the silence, in the stillness, in the opposition to the madness. A good reminder as we head into the madness of Holy Week.

Psalm 23

There are no Psalms that mention the Sabbath, but this Psalm definitely describes the rest and restoration that Sabbath provides us.

Psalm 19:1-4

This sermon will reflect on how spending intentional time in nature is a spiritual practice. Bill Fernandez will bring the word this week, specifically reflecting on the spirituality of fly fishing.

Psalm 63: 1-8

We will listen over and over to this scripture, with the goal of imagining the space it describes and the relationship with God that it describes.

Psalm 63: 1-8 

Rev. Michelle has a panel discussion with FUMC's music staff about music, worship, and their creative processes.

Ken Weatherford (Contemporary Music and Director of Worship Arts)

Rev. Dr. T. Ray Wheeler,  (Associate Pastor/Director of Traditional Music)

Matt Nelson (Assistant to Music and Worship Arts, aka. pianist, keyboardist, organist, arranger, podcast creator, etc)

Psalm 139:23-24

We will learn about the practice of The Examen, which is an intentional reflection at the end of every day that invites us to reflect on how we have seen God at work in our lives in the day, as well as how we have served God well or not so well. Then we close with an intentional gratefulness and hope for the next day.

Psalm 69:6-13

We will open this series with a discussion on the purpose of fasting. We will remember that it is related to the Lenten season because through it we honor Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness when he was tempted by the devil. But we will also look at it as a discipline of clearing away the things between God and us. This psalm in particular makes a good case for a technology fast, as technology has become a tool for people to deride us and divide us into enemies.

Genesis 12:1-3; John 21:15-17

We were created to be a blessing to the whole world. As the family of God, we are called to bless and serve each other. And each other means we serve everyone. To do so takes all the gifts at the table.

Speakers at this service: Brett Morrison, Marjie Lewis, Frank Paris, Angela Barrington

Genesis 12:1-3; John 21:15-17

We were created to be a blessing to the whole world. As the family of God, we are called to bless and serve each other. And each other means we serve everyone. To do so takes all the gifts at the table.

Speakers at this service: Brett Morrison, Hays Plunkett, Lindsay Goodner

Genesis 12:1-3; John 21:15-17

We were created to be a blessing to the whole world. As the family of God, we are called to bless and serve each other. And each other means we serve everyone. To do so takes all the gifts at the table.

Speakers at this service: Brett Morrison, Emily Long, Brian Lookadoo

Genesis 3:1-7; John 8:1-11

Some think that conviction is about sticking to beliefs no matter what. True Christian conviction, however, is understanding the purpose of those beliefs, and weighing with wisdom what is right and what is wrong in any given moment. This week we see when we fail and when we succeed at such conviction when in one instance we eat of the tree, and in one instance we drop our stones and walk away.

Genesis 2:18-25; John 15:1-13

It is not good for humans to be alone. It is central to the human condition to be in relationship with God and with each other. We will affirm that we need connection like we need the air we breathe. Without it, we literally die on the vine.

Genesis 1:1-5, 24-31; John 1:1-14

This sermon will be a celebration of God as Creator, but also the God who shared that aspect of who God is – creation – with us. And then, God gave us the responsibility to care for the creation that we co-create with God. We are created to be creators and stewards of creation.

Romans 13:1-7

We will deal with this passage that says we are all under the authority of whatever government is controlling us. Funny how when a person’s candidate is in power, they are happy to quote this verse, and when their candidate is not, this verse is conveniently forgotten. Yet in truth, this verse shows up in a letter that covertly tries to get people to resist the ones in power. What is going on here?

Romans 8:28
This is one of those verses that gets quoted a great deal, and shows up on kitschy signs and pretty embroidered pillows. But to make it stand alone like that runs the danger of implying that “Everything happens for a reason.” We will deal with the tension between Calvinism and Arminianism that meets in this verse on our pretty pillows.

Romans 4:1-13

Paul has set up a double straw man (accusations that the Jews have against the Gentiles and vice versa) in the chapters preceding this one. In this chapter, he argues that we are all made family through our faith in Christ. So quit dividing the family over things that don’t matter! Sadly, we used this very letter to do exactly that – divide us up.

Romans 1:15-17

This sermon sets up the series where we examine how the letter to the Romans often gets misused, by quoting the passage that kicked off the Protestant Reformation and is often is cited as justification for biblical literalism. There are problems with both understandings that we need to confront.

Isaiah 11:1-9

I hate Charles Dickens. Actually, it is more accurate to say I hate the writing of Charles Dickens. Yet I will not let an Advent season go by without watching at least one version of A Christmas Carol. The story of Christmas, the Dickens one and the biblical one, invite us to learn how to love better. They also invite us to let go of our own expectations and live into a better story than the one we might tell.

Matthew 1:18-25

In "Spirited", we learn that Ebenezer Scrooge has regrets still in the afterlife. He still feels like he has to earn God’s love. We will look at that soul crisis up against Joseph having to change his understanding of God’s righteousness.

Luke 2:8-20

The heart of "A Christmas Carol" is a man experiencing change after an encounter with four spirits. Probably the most dramatic moment in the birth of Christ is the appearance of the angels, spiritual beings who reorient the lives and faith of the shepherds on the field. Are we open to the same kind of change?

Luke 2:1-7

The full reality of humanity is on display in the birth of Christ, including our struggles and strains and conflicts, our willingness to love and our tendency to reject. Funnily enough, one of the best displays of the reality of humanity is found in A Muppet Christmas Carol, where over half of the cast are puppets. We look at the walk through the streets of puppet London with the traveling on a donkey for Mary and Joseph and their rejection at the inn.

Matthew 2: 1-12

Who owns Christmas? Or who tries to control Christmas? Or who tries to profit from Christmas? It has been a question since Christ was born. This week’s movie is Scrooged, and we will look at the ways people in power have tried to control Christmas as we look at Scrooge and King Herod.

Colossians 1:9-14

Bishop Whitfield will reflect on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, asking, “Does your vision of living as a disciple of Jesus Christ require a new perspective in which we love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously?”

Matthew 25:14-30; Joel 2:23-29

Pastor Michelle offers our annual State of the Church address and invites us to envision a new future.

Genesis 2:10-15; Revelation 22:1-5

We have been through death and come alive again. We need to be cleansed, cradled, and renewed by the living water of God’s love. We are at the river, the source of life abundant. And in these passages, we are at the rivers of the garden. We are back around, ready to be companions of God once again.