A Little Closer to Home...

A Little Closer to Home…

Ten Things I Believe and will preach here at Salem UMC:

• God, the great I AM, created, creates, will create.


• Jesus was fully human and fully God at the same time


• Jesus was crucified until dead for sin, and then re-gained physical life


• The Holy Spirit speaks and acts today


• Only God’s grace is sufficient for salvation


• Grace is received by faith in Jesus Christ


• The two sacramental means of grace are: Baptism & Holy Communion


• Worship happens when God is celebrated


• The church has only one mission: To Make Disciples of Jesus Christ


• The church in mission will always offer justice and relieve the suffering of humanity

Ten Things I Do Not Believe and will not preach here at Salem UMC

• There is no God


• God of Old Testament: Mean and Bad vs. God of New Testament: Good & Happy


• Jesus was a fictional character, Scripture is a human document


• Jesus was not crucified, was married, and lived in France


• Basically everyone is a good person, Everyone goes to heaven


• I can be a Christian and not surrender my life to Jesus, there is always more time


• Infant Baptism is just a rite of passage for proud parents


• Holy Communion has no real power to save


• Animals have a spiritual life equal with humans


• God loves Americans more than folks from other countries

I am not sure where these lists leave you.  I can tell you they leave me with a list of  sermon topics for the next few years.  If we could preach and teach only one thing, wouldn’t that one thing be that God loves you.  And if we could offer only one action over the rest of our lives, wouldn’t that one act be something which offers grace to a suffering world in the name of Jesus?  
If you could do one thing, would you Baptize, or offer Holy Communion?  Would you get involved with feeding hungry people, or sorting out injustice and setting straight the course for the future?  
Or would you buy something to make yourself feel better.  Would you watch more TV and play more pool?  Would you put your life above others or would you sacrifice your life so that others could also know love and live?  What do you do now?  Like it or not, our actions shout out what we believe?

See you Sunday,   Dave Weesner