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

How to You: Accepting Help

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Colossians 3:10-17 
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SERMON NOTES:
I. To be human is to need help.
II. God is our constant Helper.
III. We can receive help as an expression of Christ’s love through others.

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
- Describe a time you were a little embarrassed to ask for help. Example; The time when you had to have someone tell you to pull on a door you were pushing.
- Why is it beneficial for us as humans to recognize our limitations?
- What does it mean to you that even Jesus needed help?
- When was the last time you stopped to acknowledge God's help in a situation? When is the last time you sense that God helped you?
- Why does it take humility to accept help from other?
- Name a place in your life where you've been reluctant to admit your need for help.
- What is God saying to you through today's scripture?

How to You: Choosing Values

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Deuteronomy 30:11-21 
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SERMON NOTES:
I. Everyone is committed to something that rules who we are and what we do.
II. Accepting God’s call to follow faithfully is a choice.
III. Rejecting God’s invitation into relationship also has consequences.
IV. Half-hearted values result in a half-hearted life.

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
- Which most influences your decision making: heart, head, or gut?
- When do you think people are most tempted to act like God is truly unknowable?
- What are some big values and commitments people choose that affect every day decisions?
- What are some values people choose today that may not look like "other gods," but can still draw us away from God?
- When you consider how you'll be remembered at the end of your life, what values and commitments will make the greatest difference? How are you investing in those values today?
- What is God saying to you through today's scripture?

How to You: Blessing Health

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Exodus 16:11-31 
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SERMON NOTES:
I. We can honor the gift of well-being, but there are no guarantees.
II. Blessing our health is connected to a sense of sufficiency.
III. Blessing our health requires adequate rest.

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
- What meal would you claim has been sent down directly from heaven?
- How have you seen God work in situations where right living didn't result in ideal health?
- How does our culture skew our sense of sufficiency when it comes to things like food?
- What are some nagging falsehoods that prevent you from getting the fullness of rest that your body needs?
- What is one simple step you can take starting today to honor the gift of health you've been given?
- What is God saying to you through today's scripture?

How to You: Finding Forgiveness

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Luke 7:36-50 
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SERMON NOTES:
I. Forgiveness failures result in a bitter poison.
II. We’re sometimes blind to our own debts and deficits.
III. Forgiveness is an act and process of restorative mercy.
IV. Jesus is our power and freedom to forgive.

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
- What's the nicest party you've ever attended?
- How do we see the bitterness of the Pharisee in this passage? How else can the bitterness of unforgiveness find expression?
- How is our act of forgiveness like cancelling a debt? How is being forgiven like having a debt cancelled?
- What can a forgiven person do as part of the process of restoration?
- Why is it important to acknowledge Jesus' authority to forgive sins?
- What is God saying to you through today's scripture?

Sing We Now of Christmas: Go Tell It on the Mountain

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Luke 2:8-20 
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SERMON NOTES: 
I. Music recalls history that might otherwise be forgotten.
II. There are no nameless people in the kingdom of God.
III. Sharing Good News should be an act of reconciliation.

Sing We Now of Christmas: Silent Night

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, December 24, 2019
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Sing We Now of Christmas: O Little Town of Bethlehem

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Luke 2:1-7 
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SERMON NOTES:
I. Music can transport us to sacred moments and places.
II. God will use each note of our circumstances to compose a song of grace.
III. God will use the unexpected and ordinary to set the stage for the miraculous.

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
- What is your favorite song with a location (like a city) in the title? Why?
- If you were to visit Bethlehem today, what would you want to see?
- Do you believe God prompted Augustus to take a census, or that God simply used the timing to place Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem? Does it matter?
- Where are you frustrated by inconveniences that God may be using to tell a larger story of grace?
- What will you do this week to focus on God's guiding hand through what seem like random circumstances?
- What is God saying to you through today's scripture?

Sing We Now of Christmas: Joy to the World

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Luke 1:46-55 
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SERMON NOTES:
I. Every old favorite was once a new song.
II. The call to joy is a scriptural command.
III. Joy remembers, experiences, and anticipates God's faithfulness.

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
- What is your least favorite genre of music and why?
- Do you think Watts' critics were justified in their disdain for his music? Why or why not?
- When has music helped you express the joy Christ has placed in your heart?
- Mary was in a horribly difficult situation when she sang to magnify God. What about her character allowed her or caused her to do that?
- How will you "focus yourself outward" to increase your joy this week?
- What is God saying to you through today's scripture?

Sing We Now of Christmas: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Mark 1:1-8 
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SERMON NOTES:
I. In every generation, there have been events that can be experienced as signs.
II. Music has the power to bring hope to troubled hearts.
III. This season is a time of spiritual preparation to ready our hearts for more of Jesus.

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
- What's the coolest/most impressive astronomical event you've ever seen?
- What are some of the events that people might interpret as signs of "the end" today? Why do you think Christian people are tempted to do that?
- John the Baptist had a very significant ministry of his own before taking a backseat to the ministry of Jesus. What do you suppose prepared him for that act of great humility?
- Where do you see opportunity for spiritual transformation during Advent? Where might you need to build in opportunity?
- What is God saying to you through today's scripture?

Sing We Now of Christmas: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Isaiah 64:1-9 
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SERMON NOTES:
I. Uncertain times can give birth to songs of anticipation.
II. We’re meant to move from song to scripture to Savior.
III. We still long for the resolution Jesus brings to our uncertain times.

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION
- Finish the phrase: "It's just not Christmas until I've heard the song..."
- In what ways do our preparations for Christmas still anticipate the eventual return of Jesus?
- If you were to rewrite "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" today, what longing will be written into your lyrics?
- What types of things turn our hearts into the hard clay that God needs to break before it can be pliable again?
- As we wait for Christ's return, what are you going to do this week to represent Jesus' presence in the world?
- What is God saying to you through today's scripture?