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

“BOUND, pt 1: Bound to Forgiveness” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday

March 5, 2017

 

Psalm 32 (CEB)

¹The one whose wrongdoing is forgiven, whose sin is covered over, is truly happy! ²The one the Lord doesn’t consider guilty—in whose spirit there is no dishonesty—that one is truly happy! ³When I kept quiet, my bones wore out; I was groaning all day long—every day, every night!—⁴because your hand was heavy upon me. My energy was sapped as if in a summer drought. Selah ⁵So I admitted my sin to you; I didn’t conceal my guilt. “I’ll confess my sins to the Lord, ” is what I said. Then you removed the guilt of my sin. Selah ⁶That’s why all the faithful should pray to you during troubled times, so that a great flood of water won’t reach them. ⁷You are my secret hideout! You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of rescue! Selah ⁸I will instruct you and teach you about the direction you should go. I’ll advise you and keep my eye on you. ⁹Don’t be like some senseless horse or mule, whose movement must be controlled with a bit and a bridle. Don’t be anything like that! ¹⁰The pain of the wicked is severe, but faithful love surrounds the one who trusts the Lord. ¹¹You who are righteous, rejoice in the Lord and be glad! All you whose hearts are right, sing out in joy!

 

Genesis 3:6-7 (CEB)

⁶The woman saw that the tree was beautiful with delicious food and that the tree would provide wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate it, and also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷Then they both saw clearly and knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made garments for themselves.

“BUILD pt 4: From Fixer Upper to My Father’s House” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

February 26, 2017

 

Nehemiah 12:27-30, 13:14, 13:22 

(CEB)

 

Dedication of the Wall

²⁷When it was time for the dedication of Jerusalem’s wall, they sought out the Levites in all the places where they lived in order to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with joy, with thanks and singing, and with cymbals, harps, and lyres.  ²⁸The singers also gathered together both from the region around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites, ₂₉also from Beth-hagilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, because the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. ³⁰After the priests and the Levites purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

 

¹⁴Remember me, my God, concerning this. Don’t erase my good deeds that I have done for my God’s house and for its services.

 

²²I also commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to come and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy.

“BUILD, part 3: Stay Up There.” - By Rev. Dr. F. Willis Johnson

Sunday,

February 19, 2017

 

Nehemiah 6:3-4

(CEB)

³So I sent messengers to tell them, “I’m doing important work, so I can’t come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?” ⁴They sent me a message like this four times, and every time I gave them a similar reply.

“BUILD, pt 2: The Jackhammer Borrowed From Judah.” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

February 12, 2017

 

Nehemiah 8:7-12

(CEB)

⁷The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—helped the people to understand the Instruction while the people remained in their places. ⁸They read aloud from the scroll, the Instruction from God, explaining and interpreting it so the people could understand what they heard. ⁹Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all of the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Don’t mourn or weep.” They said this because all the people wept when they heard the words of the Instruction. ¹⁰“Go, eat rich food, and drink something sweet,” he said to them, “and send portions of this to any who have nothing ready! This day is holy to our Lord. Don’t be sad, because the joy from the Lord is your strength!” ¹¹The Levites also calmed all of the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy. Don’t be sad!” ¹²Then all of the people went to eat and to drink, to send portions, and to have a great celebration, because they understood what had been said to them.

“BUILD” pt 1: The Most Important Tool for a Builder.” - By Rev Troy Benton

Sunday,

February 5, 2017

 

Nehemiah 1:4-11

(CEB)

⁴When I heard this news, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. ⁵I said: “Lord God of heaven, great and awesome God, you are the one who keeps covenant and is truly faithful to those who love you and keep your commandments. ⁶Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant, which I now pray before you night and day for your servants, the people of Israel. “I confess the sins of the people of Israel, which we have committed against you. Both I and my family have sinned. ⁷We have wronged you greatly. We haven’t kept the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your servant Moses. ⁸“Remember the word that you gave to your servant Moses when you said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. ⁹But if you return to me and keep my commandments by really doing them, then, even though your outcasts live under distant skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place that I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.’ ¹⁰They are your servants and your people. They are the ones whom you have redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. ¹¹“Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in honoring your name. Please give success to your servant today and grant him favor in the presence of this man!” Cupbearer’s plea At that time, I was a cupbearer to the king.

“Inaugurated in Christ” - By Rev. Katie Gholson

Sunday,

January 29, 2017

 

Mark 10:35-45

(CEB)

A request from James and John

³⁵James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” ³⁶“What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. ³⁷They said, “Allow one of us to sit on your right and the other on your left when you enter your glory.” ³⁸Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink the cup I drink or receive the baptism I receive?” ³⁹“We can,” they answered. Jesus said, “You will drink the cup I drink and receive the baptism I receive, ⁴⁰but to sit at my right or left hand isn’t mine to give. It belongs to those for whom it has been prepared.” ⁴¹Now when the other ten disciples heard about this, they became angry with James and John. ⁴²Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the ones who are considered the rulers by the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around. ⁴³But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. ⁴⁴Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all, ⁴⁵for the Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.”

“BEGINNING,” with part 3: “Time Began/Love Began.” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

January 22, 2017

 

Genesis 39:1-5

(CEB)

¹When Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chief officer, the commander of the royal guard and an Egyptian, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. ²The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man and served in his Egyptian master’s household. ³His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful. ⁴Potiphar thought highly of Joseph, and Joseph became his assistant; he appointed Joseph head of his household and put everything he had under Joseph’s supervision. ⁵From the time he appointed Joseph head of his household and of everything he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s household because of Joseph. The Lord blessed everything he had, both in the household and in the field.

“BEGINNING,” with part 2: “We Began” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

January 15, 2017

 

Genesis 8:15-22

(CEB)

¹⁵God spoke to Noah, ¹⁶“Go out of the ark, you and your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁷Bring out with you all the animals of every kind—birds, livestock, everything crawling on the ground—so that they may populate the earth, be fertile, and multiply on the earth.” ¹⁸So Noah went out of the ark with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. ¹⁹All the animals, all the livestock, all the birds, and everything crawling on the ground, came out of the ark by their families.

 

God’s promise for the earth

²⁰Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took some of the clean large animals and some of the clean birds, and placed entirely burned offerings on the altar. ²¹The Lord smelled the pleasing scent, and the Lord thought to himself, I will not curse the fertile land anymore because of human beings since the ideas of the human mind are evil from their youth. I will never again destroy every living thing as I have done. ²²As long as the earth exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and hot, summer and autumn, day and night will not cease.

“BEGINNING” part 1: God Began” - By Rev. Troy Benton

Sunday,

January 8, 2017

 

Genesis 1:1-2, 31, 2:1-3

(CEB)

¹When God began to create the heavens and the earth – ²the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters.

³¹God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good. There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day.

¹The heavens and the earth and all who live in them were completed. ²On the sixth day God completed all the work that he had done, and on the seventh day God rested from all the work that he had done. ³God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all the work of creation.

“The Root of All Evil” - By Scott Gardner

Sunday,

January 1, 2017

 

1 Timothy 6:3-10 (NIV)

³If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, ⁴they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions ⁵and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. ⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.