Do You Believe?

The following is the sermon I delivered at Grace United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 23, 2025. In addition to reading this article, you can also view the sermon (and the entire church service) HERE.

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Do You Believe? I Don’t Think They Did

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I’ll begin today by asking a few deep questions that seem simple at first, but, in fact, aren’t necessarily so straightforward nor easy.

  • What do you believe in? 
  • Do you believe in God?
  • Do you believe in Jesus, the Messiah?
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My Sermon – December 29, 2024

On December 29, 2024, I served as the Lay Minister at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, NJ.

This is the complete worship service:

A Simple (but profound) Prayer

A long time ago, while the disciples were sitting with Jesus, they asked him how to pray.  Jesus answered them.  He first told them that God already knew what was in their hearts.  He then shared with them some simple words to be used for prayer.  These are words that have profound meaning.  We know these words as The Lord’s Prayer.

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He Chose…US!

I had the privilege of serving as the minister at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, NJ on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

The following is the sermon I delivered:

THE CHOSEN…

Have you ever looked at a common word and thought that it was spelled incorrectly?  You see the word, you can read it but it just doesn’t seem…correct.

I remember being in high school, probably not paying much attention to the teacher, and noticing the word “exit.”

I simply didn’t look right.

But it was, of course.

Sometimes words, properly spelled, don’t look right.

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Pinch-Hitting for Christ

On December 11, 2022, I delivered the following sermon at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, NJ

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I’ll begin my sermon today by sharing some names that are out-of-date and out of season both in the holiday sense and in the sense of the sporting world.

I promise this will all come together…

Eventually.

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Run In God’s Name

October 30, 2022

Earlier today, I had the honor of delivering the sermon as the guest preacher at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

I am always humbled when I have the opportunity to write and deliver a sermon at church.

Next week, I’ll share a version of this message at the Interfaith Service before the New York City Marathon.

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Pizza and God

On February 27, 2022, I was the guest preacher at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, NJ. The following is the sermon I delivered.

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Closing and Opening Doors To God

On July 11, 2021, I was asked to deliver the sermon at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

The following is the transcript of my sermon.

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God asks a lot of us.  All the time.  He wants us to be reverent.

He wants us to love him.

He loves us…

He asks us to pray.  He even had Jesus teach us how to pray.

God wants us to follow the Golden Rule.

He wants us to be kind, to be generous, to love… to love one another as he loves us. 

He asks us to honor our mothers and fathers, to not lust, or want, or use his name in vain.

Or take false idols.

Or to kill.

He asks a lot of us.

Because he loves us.

Continue reading “Closing and Opening Doors To God”

Praying Is Easy

On January 10, 2021, I was asked to deliver the sermon for the worship service at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

Here is the worship service along with the written sermon (my reading notes) below that.

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Learning to Appreciate

Sometimes we think we know the answers.  Sometimes we are asked to tell the answers.  Sometimes we think that we probably know everything.

But, many times we don’t know the answers. 

And, often times the people we think we are telling the answers to actually have better knowledge than we do.

I’m just glad that sometimes (certainly not always), sometimes, I have the good sense to actually listen to those whom I am trying to teach. 

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