We’ve come to the final week in our series on Bishop Robert Shnase’s book, Five Practices of Fruitful Living. Radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity represent a wholistic way of life, a way of experiencing God’s love, and living a life that matters, a life of meaning and purpose that makes a difference in the world. This week we’ll focus on John 15:1-11 and how abiding in Christ, through the practices, leads to fruitful living.

From The Pulpit of DUMC

#184. Rev. David Hockett - October 17

This Sunday we’ll explore extravagant generosity or the fifth practice in our series on Five Practices of Fruitful Living. Bishop Robert Schnase defines extravagant generosity as “…our un-selfish willingness to share and give from all of our resources in a way that exceeds all expectations. Extravagant generosity describes lavish sharing, sacrifice, and giving in service to God and our neighbor.” Being extravagantly generous people and an extravagantly generous church is one of the ways we are the body of Christ in and for our community. The truth about us is that we have a deep-seated need to be generous, because, we are made in God’s image and God is generous. In fact, all of Creation, all there is, ever was, and ever will be is the product of the overflow of the extravagant love that exists within the community of the Trinity. Generosity is a part of the fabric of Creation. We’ll focus our time on John 3:11-17 and the invitation to mirror the generosity of God through the offering of all that we have and all that we are in response to the gift of God’s love poured out for us in Christ.

#183. Rev. David Hockett - October 10

David, Kevin, and Karen record in-person in a new location! During the weekend recap, learn how Kevin saved the day during the Fernando Ortega concert. The topic for this episode is The Way of Salvation. David and Kevin break down what it means, how is it that God saves us, and how can we continue working on salvation.

#182. This Thing Called Church - Episode 10 - October 6

As we move along in our Church-Wide Study on Bishop Schnase’s Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, this week we will be looking at the fourth practice: Risk Taking Mission and Service. We will learn from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16 verses 24-27, what it really means to be a disciple. Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world , yet forfeit their soul?” This scripture lesson challenges us to move beyond a tentative commitment, as we reconsider our loyalties. It calls us to make a commitment that requires a sacrifice. It reminds us that sacrificing for the Lord is what it means to be a disciple. When we take this call to discipleship seriously, we begin to follow Christ in a way that can transform the world around us!

#181. Rev. Dianne Lawhorn - October 3

An encounter with God in worship is a foretaste of a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Cultivating a mature life in Christ requires more than weekly worship. It involves our faithful attention to the means of grace, or staying in love with God by setting aside regular and intentional time for listening to God in prayer, for the study of Scripture, for fellowship and holy conversation in community, and for learning from those who are wiser than us in the faith. This is intentional faith development. St. Augustine observed, “O God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” If we are to still the restlessness in our hearts, know and love God more deeply, and become our true and best God-given self then we must live with an openness and receptivity to receive what God longs to give. On Sunday we’ll focus on Romans 12:1-2 and Acts 2:42 and consider how we lean more fully into the life that is life through the practice of intentional faith development.

#180. Rev. David Hockett - September 26

On this special episode of This Thing Called Church, David, Kevin, and Karen are together in-person and recorded the show in front of the DUMC PrimeTimers audience! They answered a wide range of questions submitted from the audience from how did they meet their spouses, where did they go to college, and is there purgatory, to taking the Bible too literally, Methodist theology, and an update on the Way Forward. As always there are some of the "finer moments" (bloopers) at the end of the episode.

#179. This Thing Called Church - Episode 9, September 22

On Sunday we continue exploring five practices that shape and define a faithful and fruitful life. Last week we explored the practice of radical hospitality, of welcoming God’s love into our hearts and lives recognizing that the most basic truth about us is that we are first, finally, and forever loved by God – and then extending God’s love and radical welcome to every person we meet. This week we turn our attention to the practice of passionate worship. As Bishop Schnase observes, “worship involves setting aside time to focus on God and God’s will rather than our own agendas, to receive God’s word rather than merely offering our opinion. In worship we offer ourselves anew to God’s purposes rather than trying to fit God neatly into our own goals….” Worship reconfigures our interior life and aligns us with the life of Christ. It is the way we orient ourselves or are re-oriented toward God. Using Isaiah 6:1-8 we’ll consider how all of life can become an act of passionate worship.

#178. Rev. David Hockett - September 19

This week we begin our church-wide study and a series of sermons focusing on Bishop Robert Schnase’s book, Five Practices of Fruitful Living. Bishop Schnase asks, “How do we cultivate lives that are abundant, fruitful, purposeful, and deep? What are the commitments…and practices that open us to God’s transforming grace, and that help us discover the difference God intends for us to make in the world? And how do we live the fruitful flourishing life of a follower of Christ?” We lean into this flourishing by an intentional commitment to five practices that are central to fruitful living - radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith-development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity. Like an artist or athlete who must practice their craft in order to develop the muscle memory that enables them to flourish, these five practices…are essential to growth in Christ and to the deepening of the spiritual life. The repetition and deepening of these practices, like Wesley’s means of grace, enables us to cooperate with God in our own growth and maturation in Christ. Regular, ongoing, and intentional practice of the practices opens our hearts – to God, to others, to a life that matters, a life rich with meaning, relationship, and contribution. In short, the practices help us flourish.” With this in mind, we begin by focusing our attention on Luke 15:11-32 and the practice of Radical Hospitality.

#177. Rev. David Hockett - September 12

David, Kevin, and Karen give an overview of the book "Five Practices of Fruitful Living" by Robert Schnase for our upcoming church-wide book study and also discuss ways you can participate. They also have conversations about officiating weddings and parenting moments.

#176. This Thing Called Church - Episode 8, September 8

Christianity is an embodied faith, a way of life, a way of living and being in the world that reflects the love and mercy of God. Jesus calls us to come and follow, to live and love like him. With that in mind James reminds us that “faith without works” is dead. Now to be clear, salvation is God’s gift to us. Our works or acts of service cannot and do not earn us God’s love and acceptance. That said, it is not enough to simply confess “I love and belong to Christ” if that confession isn’t obvious in our way of life. As Eugene Peterson puts it, “God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense.”

#175. Rev. David Hockett - September 5

Now that we have wrapped up our summer sermon series from the book of Ephesians, we continue journeying through our lectionary texts, with a mini- series, from the book of James. This mini-series will carry us through until we begin our Church-Wide Sermon Series on The Five Practices of Fruitful Living! This week’s message will focus on James 1: verses 2-8 and 16-18. This is a rich passage that speaks to the trials and temptations that we all experience in the Christian life that test our faith. This passage offers encouragement to persevere in light of these trails, as we seek wisdom from God. It reminds us that when we ask for God’s help, we must believe and not doubt. Instead, in light of our doubts, and in light of our fears, we should have faith, as we trust in our unchanging God.

#174. Rev. Dianne Lawhorn

The Lord's Prayer is the topic for today's discussion. It's a prayer the majority of us know by heart, but David, Kevin, and Karen dig deeper into where it came from, the meaning behind it, and why you should pray it every day.

#173. This Thing Called Church - Episode 7, August 25

This Sunday we will conclude our journey through the letter of Ephesians, focusing our attention on selected verses from chapter six. Here Paul reminds us that our struggle is not against enemies of “blood and flesh.” Contrary to the divisive and dehumanizing rhetoric and behavior that occupies too much of our common life, we’re not at war with or seeking to defeat or destroy those individuals with whom we disagree or are in conflict. Rather, our struggle is with what Paul often terms the “principalities and powers”. The powers are known by various names - racism, toxic politics, sexism, unjust economies, and more. Paul affirms that Christ has defeated and is Lord of the powers. As such we have been set free to live differently. Part of this different way of living entails putting on the armor or truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and God’s word, and naming and resisting the “rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers” that seek to dominate and control individuals, institutions, and systems. This is, in part, what it means to be the body of Christ in the world.

#172. Rev. David Hockett - August 22

In writing to the Church in Ephesus, Paul reminds us that our calling is not to superficial faith, casual Christianity, or cheap grace.  Our calling is to imitate God, to be holy.  What Paul hopes we’ll see is that the resurrection means that God’s new world has come, that there is a better way to be human, and that we are invited to take part in it.  As such Paul urges us to wake from our spiritual slumber and live as children of light.  In short, God wants nothing less than to make us new, set us free, and to give us life and life abundant.  Why would we ever settle for anything less?  

#171. Rev. David Hockett - August 15

After a short summer break from recording, David, Kevin, and Karen are back together again and recap what has been happening lately. Kevin and Karen give David a special mug to add to his collection. Recapping the Youth Choir trip that happened this summer creates a conversation about keeping people engaged and connected at church and why it's important to be together in-person.

#170. This Thing Called Church - Episode 6, August 11

Sermons and Scripture delivered from the Pulpit of Davidson United Methodist Church, Davidson, NC

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From The Pulpit of DUMC

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