St. John's United Methodist Church - Edwardsville, IL

"Baptism, Pt. 1: Incorporated and Initiated" - by Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

May 7, 2017

 

Acts 1: 1 - 5

(CEB)

The risen Jesus with his disciples

¹ Theophilus, the first scroll I wrote concerned everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning, ² right up to the day when he was taken up into heaven. Before he was taken up, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus instructed the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he showed them that he was alive with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days, speaking to them about God’s kingdom. ⁴ While they were eating together, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. He said, “This is what you heard from me: ⁵ John baptized with water, but in only a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

"The Fruits of The Spirit: Life is Sweet!": By Lay Speaker Jan Denby

Sunday,

April 30, 2017

 

 Galatians 5: 22 – 26

(CEB)

²² “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit. ²⁶ Let’s not become arrogant, make each other angry, or be jealous of each other.”

"Holy Help" - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

April 23, 2017

 

Matthew 5:13-16

(CEB)

 

Salt and Light

 

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.”

Easter Service, “The Power of His Blood pt 2: Some Things Will Never Come Out” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

April 16, 2017

 

John 20:1-18

(CEB)

 

Empty Tomb

Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. ² She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him.” ³ Peter and the other disciple left to go to the tomb. ⁴ They were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and was the first to arrive at the tomb. ⁵ Bending down to take a look, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn’t go in. ⁶ Following him, Simon Peter entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. ⁷ He also saw the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head. It wasn’t with the other clothes but was folded up in its own place. ⁸ Then the other disciple, the one who arrived at the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ They didn’t yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.

Jesus appears to Mary

¹¹ Mary stood outside near the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb. ¹² She saw two angels dressed in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and one at the foot. ¹³ The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” ¹⁴ As soon as she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn’t know it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold on to me, for I haven’t yet gone up to my Father. Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them, ‘I’m going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene left and announced to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord.” Then she told them what he said to her.

Good Friday Service, "As Close As You Can Get!" - By Rev. Troy Benton

Friday,

April 14, 2017

 

 

“The Power of His Blood pt 1: It Was Anything, but an Ordinary Day” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

April 9, 2017

 

John 12:12-19 (CEB) 

Jesus Enters Jerusalem

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet him. They shouted, “Hosanna! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the king of Israel!” ¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, ¹⁵Don’t be afraid, Daughter Zion. Look! Your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt. ¹⁶His disciples didn’t understand these things at first. After he was glorified, they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. ¹⁷The crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were testifying about him. ¹⁸That’s why the crowd came to meet him, because they had heard about this miraculous sign that he had done. ¹⁹Therefore, the Pharisees said to each other, “See! You’ve accomplished nothing! Look! The whole world is following him!”

“BOUND, pt 5: Bound to Hope” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

April 2, 2017

 

Psalm 130 (CEB)

¹I cry out to you from the depths, Lord—²my Lord, listen to my voice!  Let your ears pay close attention to my request for mercy! ³If you kept track of sins, Lord— my Lord, who would stand a chance? ⁴But forgiveness is with you—that’s why you are honored. ⁵I hope, Lord. My whole being hopes, and I wait for God’s promise. ⁶My whole being waits for my Lord—more than the night watch waits or morning; yes, more than the night watch waits for morning! ⁷Israel, wait for the Lord! Because faithful love is with the Lord; because great redemption is with our God! ⁸He is the one who will redeem Israel from all its sin.  

 

Romans 8:1-6 (CEB)

¹So now there isn’t any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ²The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³God has done what was impossible for the Law, since it was weak because of selfishness. God condemned sin in the body by sending his own Son to deal with sin in the same body as humans, who are controlled by sin.⁴He did this so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us. Now the way we live is based on the Spirit, not based on selfishness. ⁵People whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the Spirit. ⁶The attitude that comes from selfishness leads to death, but the attitude that comes from the Spirit leads to life and peace.

“BOUND pt 4: Bound to Provision” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

March 26, 2017

 

Psalm 23 (CEB)

A Psalm of David

¹The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. ²He lets me rest in grassy meadows; he leads me to restful waters; ³he keeps me alive. He guides me in proper paths for the sake of his good name. ⁴Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me. Your rod and your staff—they protect me. ⁵You set a table for me right in front of my enemies. You bathe my head in oil; my cup is so full it spills over! ⁶Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the Lord’s house as long as I live.

 

Ephesians 5:8-11 (CEB)

⁸You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. ⁹Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. ¹⁰Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, ¹¹and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them.

“BOUND, pt 3: Bound to Praise” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

March 19, 2017

 

Psalm 95 (CEB)

¹Come, let’s sing out loud to the Lord! Let’s raise a joyful shout to the rock of our salvation! ²Let’s come before him with thanks! Let’s shout songs of joy to him! ³The Lord is a great God, the great king over all other gods. ⁴The earth’s depths are in his hands; the mountain heights belong to him; ⁵the sea, which he made, is his along with the dry ground, which his own hands formed. ⁶Come, let’s worship and bow down! Let’s kneel before the Lord, our maker! ⁷He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep in his hands. If only you would listen to his voice right now! ⁸“Don’t harden your hearts like you did at Meribah, like you did when you were at Massah, in the wilderness, ⁹when your ancestors tested me and scrutinized me, even though they had already seen my acts. ¹⁰For forty years I despised that generation; I said, ‘These people have twisted hearts. They don’t know my ways.’ ¹¹So in anger I swore: ‘They will never enter my place of rest!’”

 

John 4:19-26 (CEB)

¹⁹The woman said, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you and your people say that it is necessary to worship in Jerusalem.” ²¹Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you and your people will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You and your people worship what you don’t know; we worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. ²³But the time is coming—and is here!—when true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. The Father looks for those who worship him this way. ²⁴God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.”²⁵The woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach everything to us.” ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I Am—the one who speaks with you.”

“BOUND, pt 2: Bound to Trust” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

March 12, 2017

 

Psalm 121

(CEB)

A Pilgrimage Song

¹I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? ²My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. ³God won’t let your foot slip. Your protector won’t fall asleep on the job. ⁴No! Israel’s protector never sleeps or rests! ⁵The Lord is your protector; the Lord is your shade right beside you. ⁶The sun won’t strike you during the day; neither will the moon at night. ⁷The Lord will protect you from all evil; God will protect your very life. ⁸The Lord will protect you on your journeys— whether going or coming— from now until forever from now.

 

Matthew 17:1-9 (CEB)

Jesus’ Transformation

¹Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain. ²He was transformed in front of them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. ³Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. ⁴Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I’ll make three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!” ⁶Hearing this, the disciples fell on their faces, filled with awe. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. ⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anybody about the vision until the Human One[a] is raised from the dead.”