August 6, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from
Marcia McPhee’s
A Future With
Hope”)
“Planting Seeds of
Hope”
Psalm 145:7-8;
14-21
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT
Ephesians 3:16-19
NIV
Mark 4:1-8 HCSB
Colossians 2:6-8 NLT
Planting Seeds of
Hope…
The Lord be with you…let us pray… (prayer
for the Spirit’s indwelling as bring God’s words of hope this morning…)
Please stand for the reading of the Gospel
according to St. Mark, chapter 4, verses 1-8. Listen to the love sonnet of God
for the people of God…(This may sound a little familiar…Ray read it from the
Gospel of Matthew last week…must be pretty important since it is in more than 1
of the Gospels)
She sat in the back of the church, trying to go unnoticed. She wasn’t sure
why she was there. All
she knew was that there was something missing. She had been through a lot in
life and now she just felt dull and numb. Why was she even here? What was it
she was looking for?
As the choir began to sing she listened for a message, something that would
stop the hurt and loneliness inside. As the choir began the chorus something
began to stir within her…
“No matter the bumps,
No matter the bruises
No matter the pain
Still the truth is the cross has made
The cross has made you flawless”
Could this be what she was looking for? Could there be a message there that
she never realized how much really needed? It was almost as if something or
someone was plowing the soil of her heart for something…but what?
Again, the choir began to sing the chorus but this time she really
listened…
“No matter the bumps,
No matter the bruises
No matter the pain
Still the truth is the cross has made
The cross has made you flawless”
All of the sudden there seemed to be flicker of something she hadn’t felt
for a long time…hope…
Good
morning. Over the past weeks we have looked at hope. We have decided that we
are going to “let our guard down” and allow hope in. We have also decided that
Hope doesn’t happen overnight and it is a process. Now, I have proposed that we
look at the process of a growing of hope. As we look at each step in the
process we will be encouraged. Think
about it for a moment. We have been praying and praying for someone and we
don’t see the hope there. We may have “given up hope” that it would ever
happen. What if…and I am going out on a ledge here, what if as we are looking
at the process we suddenly realize that the person we have been praying for is
somewhere “in the process” and we never realized it? What would you do with
your own renewed hope?
So
the process of Hope, last week, Ray talked about the germination of hope. How Hope
is like a seed it begins to germinate and grow. It begins to sprout and take
root. What do you think should be the next part of the process? Give time to answer. It needs to be planted.
The girls and I decided
that we wanted to plant sunflower seeds this year. So, we went out and got some
of those giant sunflower seeds. We also got one of those little green houses
where you plant the seeds and after they are grown so much…after they have
germinated and started to grow…we had to plant them in the ground outside. Well
ll went well until it came planting time. I had put them out on the porch and
they never got planted in the ground. They ended up dying because the roots
couldn’t go anywhere (kind of like the seeds in the rocky ground). They needed
to be planted in the ground so that the roots could go down deep into the soil.
Why
do you think it is so important that hope…faith…is planted? Give time to answer. If it is not
planted it is a lot like those poor sunflowers. There is no grounding…no
growth. It is shallow and when trials of life some scorching in it is dried up
and withers…
Jeremiah
17:7-8 tells us about when hope is grounded and planted in good soil…
Jeremiah 17:7-8New Living
Translation (NLT)
7 “But blessed are those who trust in
the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.
It
withstands the pressures of life because it has rooted itself in good soil by
the River bank where it receives water…Living Water. When this hope…our hope is
grounded in the good soil of God’s Word and in our Hearts, we are filled with
Joy, Love and Faith. It is in the tilling of the soil…the preparation before
planting that the seeds of love and hope begin to grow and sprout new hope
within us and within those who Go calls us to plant within.
What
do you think happens when we plant Hope? What happens when we are rooted and
grounded in God’s word? Give time to
answer. Paul prays a wonderful prayer in Ephesians about growth in the
Lord…what happens when we are planted…rooted and grounded in Christ…
Ephesians 3:16-19New
International Version (NIV)
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches
he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being
rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together
with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep
is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses
knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
We
are filled to the full measure of God. We get it. We become more like Christ.
Our hope is founded and grounded within Him.
Beloved
Child of God, we call ourselves “A Hope Giving Church”, and as such, we can’t
give up and lose hope on the very ones that are needing us to give them hope…to
help them cultivate the hope inside. We are not here for our own glory but for
God’s glory. Think about it…if no one ever shared their hope with you, would
you be who and where you are now with your walk with God? If those seeds that
were germinating were never planted in good soil what do you think your walk
with God be like? If someone never planted hope with your life where would the
dance of life lead you?
Colossians 2:6-8New Living
Translation (NLT)
Freedom from Rules and New
Life in Christ
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ
Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your
roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith
will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with
thankfulness.
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with
empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and
from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
Let us pray…pray for the
Spirit of Hope to be evident in our lives as we go forth in Jesus’ name.
Amen!
----------------
August 20,
2017
August 19,
2017
nurturing hope
edited/ new
name August 19, 2017
if the seedling
isn’t planted
August 19,
2017
if the seed
isn’t planted
August 19,
2017
It is hard to
believe
August 19,
2017
Hope begins to
sprout and root
edited August
19, 2017
Hope
germinates and grows – v2
August 19,
2017
Hope germinates
and grows – v1
August 19,
2017
hope is like a
seed
August 19,
2017
a flickering
of something
edited August
19, 2017
a kernel of
hope – v3
edited August
19, 2017
a kernel of
hope – v2 (2)
August 19,
2017
a kernel of
hope (2)
August 19,
2017
seeds of hope
within us
August 13, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from Marcia McPhee’s
A Future With Hope”)
week 4 - “This Living Hope”
Psalm
105:1-6
Mark
4:1-8 NIV
Ephesians
3:16-19 NIV
John
4:13-14
Zephaniah
3:17
Romans
12:12
Romans
15:4
and
sermon, “Nurturing Planted Hope”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
August 13,
2017
&
August 10,
2017
our roots are
anchored in Christ
August 10,
2017
we are
grounded in Christ
August 10,
2017
our hope is
grounded
edited August
6, 2017
we must accept
the seed – v3
edited August
6, 2017
we must accept
the seed – v2
August 6, 2017
we must accept
the seed
edited August
6, 2017
for hope to
grow – v2
August 6, 2017
for hope to
grow
edited August
6, 2017
Hope is
planted – v2
August 6, 2017
Hope is
planted
August 6, 2017
the roots
going deep
new name/
edited August 6, 2017
the seedlings
planted
(editing “the
young plants planted”)
August 6, 2017
let your roots
grow down
August 6, 2017
cultivate the
hope inside
August 6, 2017
plant the
seeds of grace
August 6, 2017
plant the
seeds of love
August 6, 2017
get them in
the ground
edited August
6, 2017
germinated
seeds – v2
August 6, 2017
germinated
seeds
August 6, 2017
the seed
growing
August 6, 2017
living in hope
August 6, 2017
may our hearts
be open
edited August 6,
2017
that we might
understand – v4
August 6, 2017
the young
plants planted
August 6, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from Marcia McPhee’s
A Future With Hope”)
week 3 - “Planting Seeds of Hope”
Mark
4:1-8
Parable
of the Sower
Psalm 145:7-8; 14-21
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT
Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV
Colossians 2:6-8 NLT
Sermon, “Planting Seeds of Hope”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
August 6, 2017
&
August 2, 2017
hidden in our
flesh
August 2, 2017
growing in our
soil
edited/ new
name August 2, 2017
growing in the
good soil
August 2, 2017
growing in the
ground
August 2, 2017
hidden in the
ground
edited August 2,
2017
After the
planting – v2
August 1, 2017
We must water
and feed
August 1, 2017
Like seeds,
like yeast
August 1, 2017
that we might
understand – v3
August 1, 2017
we must
understand
August 1, 2017
not in riddles
but parables
edited July
31, 2017
that we might
understand – v2
July 31, 2017
that we might
understand
July 31, 2017
we must hear
God’s word
edited July
31, 2017
we are
seeking, searching – v2
July 31, 2017
We are
seeking, searching
July 31, 2017
We have the
seed planted
merged July
31, 2017
Before the
planting – v2
July 31, 2017
After the
planting
July 31, 2017
Before the
planting
July 30, 2017
We want to be
the good soil
July 30, 2017
we need that
hope to work within us
edited July
30, 2017
we must embrace
the seeds – v2
July 30, 2017
we must trust
in God
edited July
30, 2017
a little more
hope – v3
(editing
original again)
edited July
30, 2017
we must
embrace the seeds
edited July
30, 2017
embrace the
seeds
July 30, 2017
embrace the
seed
July 30, 2017
hope is alive
within us
July 30, 2017
hope planted
within us
&
July 29, 2017
we are the
soil – v2
July 29, 2017
do we nurture
the seed – v2
July
16, 2017
do
we nurture the seed
edited July
16, 2017
do we care for
the message – v2
July 16, 2017
do we care for
the message
July 16, 2017
do we welcome
the seed
July
16, 2017
are
we the soil
July
16, 2017
we
hold the seed
July
16, 2017
we
are the sower
July
15, 2017
we
are the soil
edited
July 15, 2017
held
by the thorns – v2
July
15, 2017
held
by the thorns
July
15, 2017
choked
by the briars
Matthew
13:18-23
Matthew
13:1-9, 18-23
The
Upper Room Disciplines for 2017
“The
Promise and Work of God’s Word”
July
10, 2017 to July 16, 2017
by
John Adcox
devotion
for July 15, 2017
read
July 15, 2017
&
edited
July 29, 2017
a
miracle in the seed – v2
July
29, 2017
searching,
seeking - 2
July
29, 2017
a
miracle in the seed
edited
July 29, 2017
seeking
treasure – v2
edited
July 29, 2017
Finding
Treasure – v2
merged/edited
July 29, 2017
Seeking
treasure, Finding treasure
July
29, 2017
seeking
treasure
July
29, 2017
Finding
Treasure
Matthew
13:44-52
The
Upper Room Disciplines for 2017
“Treasures
from God”
July
24, 2017 to July 30, 2017
by
Chris Folmsbee
devotion
for July 29, 2017
read
July 29, 2017
&
July
28, 2017
tiny
acts of love
edited
July 28, 2017
out
of God’s great love – v2
July
28, 2017
the
kingdom of God growing
Matthew
13:31-33
The
Parables of the Mustard Seed
the
Parable of the Yeast
Matthew
13:31-33, 44-52
The
Upper Room Disciplines for 2017
“Treasures
from God”
July
24, 2017 to July 30, 2017
by
Chris Folmsbee
devotion
for July 27, 2017
read
July 28, 2017
&
edited July
27, 2017
Germinating Seeds
of Hope – v2
July 27, 2017
Germinating
Seeds of Hope
July 30, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from Marcia McPhee’s
“A Future With Hope”)
week 2 - “This Living Hope”
opening prayer
video
Psalm 128
Matthew 13:1-9
Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:18-24
Christ explaining the Parable of the Sower
Psalm 139:13-16
Matthew
13:31-33
Parable
of the Mustard Seed
Parable
of the Yeast
prayer
before sermon
and Sermon, “Germinating Seeds of Hope”
text:
video:
by Raymond A.
Foss
Children’s
Message
by Raymond A.
Foss
closing prayer
video
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
July 30, 2017
&
edited July 26, 2017
a little more hope – v2
July 26, 2017
a little more hope
July 26, 2017
we are imprisoned by our fears
edited/ new name July 24, 2017
we are strangled by anxiety
July 24, 2017
immobilized by fear
July 24, 2017
freed by hope
July 23, 2017
Hope is Trust
July 23, 2017
why are we so anxious
July 23, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series: This Living Hope
(Adapted from Marcia McPhee’s
“A Future With Hope”)
week 1 - “This Living Hope”
Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24
Jeremiah 29:11-14 Amplified Bible
Romans 5:1-5 Amplified Bible
John 3:16-17 Amplified Bible
and Sermon, “This Living Hope”
video and
text:
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Children’s
Message
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
July 23, 2017
All of my
poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001,
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014,
2015, 2016, and 2017. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See
all 44,770 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
Christ,
Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, hope, prayer, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church, John 3, Jeremiah 29, Jesus, poem, Matthew 13,
Psalm 139, seed, germinate, Mark 4,
#Christ #God
#Spirit #Faith #prayer #love #grace #Psalm139 #Matthew13 #disciple #hope #poem
#seed #Mark4
Christ,
Spirit, God, Faith, love, grace, hope, prayer, Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church, John 3, Jeremiah 29, Jesus, poem, Matthew 13,
Psalm 139, seed, germinate, Mark 4,
#Christ #God
#Spirit #Faith #prayer #love #grace #Psalm139 #Matthew13 #disciple #hope #poem
#seed #Mark4
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