Graceful Christianity by Dr. Kevin Thomas

The holidays are quickly approaching. For many of us, they will be "the most wonderful time of the year," but for many others, they will be the loneliest time of the year. While the world parties, many of our neighbors will experience isolation. We can make a difference. We are only well when our neighbors are well. Let's dedicate ourselves to expanding loving community during this season.

As we celebrate All Saints Sunday, we remember loved ones who have gone before us. We never really "get over" grief. We don't leave loved ones behind. Today we'll talk about how they move forward with us, encouraging us as we go.

We are experiencing times of trouble, but "there will be an answer. Let it be!" This message confronts the challenging circumstances of our time by offering both a calm assurance that God has not forgotten us and a call to action to defiantly represent God's love and joy in a world that has forgotten both.

For centuries, we've used the Bible to hurt women. But when we use the Bible to hurt people, we're reading it wrong. Jesus came to liberate us. This message encourages us to liberate ourselves for the religious misogyny that has already done far too much harm.

This message is the second in our series, "The Gospel According to John, and Paul, and George, and Ringo." The Beatles spoke out about the evil of segregation even while many churches remained silent or even promoted racial division. As they cried out then, the church must cry out now about the evils perpetrated in our culture. This message will invite us to cross lines and break down the walls that divide people.

This message begins our series, "The Gospel According to John, and Paul, and George, and Ringo." Yet, Beatles Mania has come to Birmingham First United Methodist! Today, we affirm that God is love, and love is the defining characteristic of those who follow Christ. In a religious culture so fond of litmus tests for the faith, let's take our cue from Christ. Love is all you need. 

How do we know when enough is enough? Our culture seems to incessantly desire more, even when we already have more than we can use. What if we honestly said, "I have enough," and then generously gave away everything else to make a difference for those who don't have enough?

Imagine a world where everyone has enough and no one has too much. That's the economy of the kingdom of God. It sounds great, but too often I've gotten in the way, hoarding stuff when I could be sharing. Let's reimagine our world as one where we learn to love people more than stuff. 

In today's parable, a farmer has such a huge crop that he has to build bigger barns to hold the excess. For that success, he faces God's judgment. It raises the uncomfortable question, "How much is too much?" At what point have I sufficiently provided for my family and myself so that the rest can be a blessing to others?

This current sermon series is entitled "Our Money Story." We're talking about money because Jesus talked about it more than almost any other topic. We're talking about our money stories because they ARE spiritual stories. "You cannot serve God and wealth!"

If God is both good and all-powerful, then why do the innocent suffer? In today's message, we wrestle with that question, challenging some of our assumptions about God and coming to terms with some of our own responsibility.