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Andrew C. Thompson

Category Archives: Worship

Watching from the Walls – Elizabeth’s Surprise

24 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by Andrew C. Thompson in Advent, FUMC Springdale, Podcast, Preaching, Worship

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Watching from the Walls_Advent 2015Our third sermon in the Watching from the Walls series is “Elizabeth’s Surprise,” which focuses on Luke 1:5-17 and 39-45. In it, we find that Mary’s cousin Elizabeth receives a double surprise — the jolt of John the Baptist leaping in her womb, and the jolt of knowing that her son would be the herald of the Savior himself.

In Episode #14 of our Behind the Sermon podcast, we set the stage for Elizabeth’s Surprise and talk . You can find that podcast episode at this link.

Here’s the sermon, courtesy of Youtube:

 


 

Watching from the Walls – Joseph’s Challenge

23 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by Andrew C. Thompson in Advent, FUMC Springdale, Preaching, Worship

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Our third sermon in the Watching from the Walls worship series this Advent is “Joseph’s Challenge.” It focuses on the challenge that learning of Mary’s pregnancy meant to Joseph, and especially the way that he chose faithfulness to God over adherence to the world’s standards of how he would have been expected to react in the situation he faced. The sermon text is Matthew 1:18-25.

You can find episode #13 of our Behind the Sermon podcast at this link. That podcast episode is linked to the sermon on Joseph’s Challenge and can serve to set the context of the sermon. (It’s also a great way to get to know my colleague Todd Lovell and I a little bit better!)

Here’s the sermon on Joseph’s Challenge courtesy of Youtube:

 


 

Watching from the Walls – Mary’s Unusual Visit

22 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by Andrew C. Thompson in Advent, Angels, Jesus Christ, Podcast, Preaching, Worship

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Watching from the Walls_Advent 2015The second sermon in the Watching from the Walls worship series is “Mary’s Unusual Visit.” It centers on the conversation between the Angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary when Gabriel delivers news to Mary that she will give birth to Jesus.

Episode #12 of our Behind the Sermon podcast is connected to the sermon on Mary’s Unusual Visit. You can find that episode at this link. Todd Lovell and I discuss the meaning the Incarnation—the act by which God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth—in our salvation.

Mary’s Unusual Visit takes Luke 1:26-38 as its text. Here’s the sermon:

 


 

Watching from the Walls – Longing for Jesus

21 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by Andrew C. Thompson in Advent, FUMC Springdale, Podcast, Preaching, Worship

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Watching from the Walls_Advent 2015Over these days leading up to Christmas, I’m going to post the sermons from our Advent worship series on “Watching from the Walls.” I’ll also post the episodes of the Behind the Sermon podcast that go along with each sermon.

You can find the Behind the Sermon Episode #11 at this link. In that episode, Todd Lovell and I outline the worship series and talk a little bit about the image of the “watchmen on the walls” in the Old Testament and what that means.

The sermon, “Longing for Jesus,” begins the Advent worship series. The Scripture text is Isaiah 62:6-7,11-12. Here’s the link to that first sermon:

 


 

Watching from the Walls during Advent

28 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by Andrew C. Thompson in Advent, Worship

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This Advent season at First Church in Springdale, we will be “watching from the walls.” Like the watchmen of old, we will be standing guard and ready to herald the coming of our king.

Here’s a preview:

“Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.”
–Isaiah 52:8

Come and join us in worship each Sunday in December!


 

Family Faith Series — Part 5

28 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by Andrew C. Thompson in Bible, Discipleship, FUMC Springdale, Preaching, Worship

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Our final sermon in the series on Family Faith focuses on “Connection.” The Scripture passages used are Colossians 3:12-17 and John 14:21-24. The emphasis, as we wrap up the Family Faith worship series, is on what it means for us to form deep connections within the family of faith. That is particularly important when we consider all the forces in our culture that tempt us to think of connection in shallower, less real ways.

 


 

Family Faith Series — Part 4

21 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by admin in FUMC Springdale, Preaching, Worship

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Week 4 of our Family Faith worship series focused on the theme of “Formation.” The preacher for this week was my colleague, the Rev. Todd Lovell. He preached from John 6:60-69 and emphasized what it means for us to come to Jesus to learn the words of eternal life. Check it out:

 


 

Family Faith Series — Part 1

06 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by admin in Discipleship, FUMC Springdale, Preaching, Worship

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We were excited to launch our Family Faith worship series at First Church Springdale this past week. The first week’s sermon was entitled, “Covenant,” and was based on Ephesians 2:14-22. It looked at the relationship between the biological family and the family of faith — including the ways in which our faith can become more deeply rooted when it is embraced within the family home.

Here’s the sermon from our 11 a.m. Classic Worship Service:

 

 


 

Family Faith Worship Series

26 Saturday Sep 2015

Posted by admin in Discipleship, FUMC Springdale, Preaching, Worship

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This Sunday we will be launching into a new worship series called “Family Faith.” I’m really excited about it and wanted to share the news.

The sermons in this worship series will be biblically grounded and practically relevant. Some of the questions we’ll be digging into include: What does our Christian faith have to say to families? How does being a Christian make a difference in how we understand ourselves as husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters? What is the relationship of the church family to the biological family?

My colleague Todd Lovell and I just posted our new podcast on this upcoming week’s sermon — “Covenant.” You can find that podcast online here. (It is an episode in our new “Behind the Sermon” podcast that we’ll be posting weekly. So stay tuned!)

My hope is that the Family Faith series will help people of all backgrounds think about their family relationships as Christians: adults and children, married and single, young and old. The Bible offers a great deal of guidance for families. Our faith in Jesus Christ can be greatly strengthened through the Christian family, just as families themselves can be made stronger by the Christian faith!

Here’s the lineup for the next five weeks on Family Faith:

Week 1: Covenant (Ephesians 2:14-22)
Week 2: Witness (Ephesians 5:21-33)
Week 3: Cultivation (Ephesians 6:1-4)
Week 4: Formation (John 6:60-69)
Week 5: Connection (Colossians 3:12-17)

(For the first episode of our new “Behind the Sermon” podcast, click here. We hope to expand the digital reach of First Church through “Behind the Sermon,” so feel free to share it with others!)

 

Holy Love — Part 4

19 Saturday Sep 2015

Posted by admin in Bible, Discipleship, Doctrine & Theology, Eschatology, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Preaching, Worship

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God created the world in love. And he will redeem it in love fully in the end. There is a wonderful, grace-filled symmetry to God’s design.

Part 4 of the sermon series on the First Letter of John is “From Beginning to End,” based on 1 John 4:13-19. When God’s love is perfected in us, we may have confidence on the day of judgment! Here’s the link:

We love because he first loved us! Hallelujah! Amen.

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