Description: Turning the other cheek is not passive acquiescence. Far from it. In an oft misunderstood biblical passage, we detour from the lives of unsavory biblical characters and find Jesus’ direct teaching on how to confront the “bullies” of our lives. Jesus’ recommendation is neither retaliation nor acceptance. Jesus opens the path of deescalation, approaching situations of conflict in such a way that the anger and tension is diffused rather than heightened.

Description: Though Jesus’ confrontational approach to many religious leaders is well-documented in the gospels, he is not always overtly “in-your-face.” This is true even when interacting with people whom the public might consider an unsavory character, like Zaccheus the “chief tax collector.” In this morning’s passage, Jesus demonstrates how simply gestures of kindness, love, presence can change the hearts of bullies and enemies. In fact, this same love is the way Jesus redeems our own hearts.

Description: Jesus’ cleansing of the temple in both the Synoptic Gospels and the gospel of John is a very curious incident. We are told it is evidence of Jesus’ zeal for the true worship of God (2:17), but the passage itself is complicated by the fact that the purchase and exchange of animals for sacrifices was a necessary component of the cultures religious practices. Jesus, however, seems to believe that the merchants and money changers are operating in inappropriate or ungodly ways. Through this passage, the Scriptures relate to us that there are some moments in life when we must confront and stand up to our bullies, even if that bully is our own self.

Description: Until Lent, we will be traveling through a sermon series titled “Biblical Bullies: What They Teach Us About Ethics, Living Like Jesus, and Romans 12:21.” The purpose is to look at some unsavory characters in the Scripture to discover various truths about living as God’s children and “overcoming evil by good” (Rom 12:21). This week’s message keys in on the curious case of Saul, the vehement Pharisee who has a heart-change and becomes one of the greatest of the apostles. In his story, we are reminded that no person–whether bully or victim–is without hope for a new or changed life.

Description: The Sermon on the Mount is one of Jesus’ five great teaching moments in the gospel of Matthew. Here, we take a look specifically at the eight “blessings” or Beatitudes that Jesus pronounces, blessings that seem counterintuitive. It would be a mistake for us to see the Beatitudes as simply a new list of moral imperatives. Jesus is offering the disciples–and us–a concreted description of how we need to be transformed from the inside out into the image of Christ.

Description: After leaving on a spur-of-the-moment mission trip to Furcy, Haiti, Pastor Ryan returns to WUMC and shares his experience with the congregation. Apologies ahead of time for any of the dead spots. The talk featured a large portion of Q&A.

Description: While Pastor Ryan serves on a mission trip in Haiti, Lay Servant Tedd Brungard blesses WUMC by preaching on the topic of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

Description: The baptism of Jesus Christ in the gospels has been a theological conundrum for at least two millenia. Early Christian writings wrestle with the topic of why a sinless savior (Heb 4.15) seeks to be baptized  by John, who is out dunking people for repentance from sin (Mat 3.11). For insight into the role and purpose of baptism, we turn to Matthew’s gospel and Jesus’ curious insistence on getting wet.

Description: Compassion can be a hard sell. Enemies, outcasts, those we deem unworthy, we can be very selective toward those whom we believe do not deserve compassion or forgiveness. By praying–on the cross–for his enemies, Jesus nullifies any excuse we might have for not reaching out in love. If Christ can do it from the cross, we should do it every day.

Description: Faith can be difficult to claim or achieve in the midst of trying and difficult life situations. As a pastor, when I sit with families and individuals who struggle, I often hear prayers asked for God to come in and fix the situation or get the out of the hardship. In this passage from Jeremiah, the Jewish exiles are down and out; they’ve just lost a major siege of Jerusalem and have had the temple ransacked. But, rather than proclaim quick release, Jeremiah tells them to hunker down, wait it out, and bless their enemies! We are reminded that God’s perspective over our lives is often bigger, grander, and contains more hope than we could ever imagine. So when God brings us to unpleasant circumstances, do not think “why me,” but know that God can see farther down the road than we can.