Interpreting Scripture: A United Methodist Perspective

### Summary

Good morning, everyone. It's a joy to gather together, whether you're here in person or joining us online. Today, we continue our series on what it means to be United Methodist, focusing on the importance of Scripture in our faith. Last week, we discussed John Wesley's teachings on giving, emphasizing that giving deepens our spiritual lives. Today, we delve into how we, as United Methodists, approach and interpret Scripture.

We began with a humorous historical reflection on indoor plumbing and how Scripture was once misinterpreted to oppose it. This serves as a reminder that Scripture can be easily twisted if not read with the right intention. We then explored three key terms: inspired, inerrant, and infallible. Inspired means that God is the ultimate author of Scripture, inerrant means it was written without error, and infallible means it accomplishes exactly what God intends.

Our main Scripture passage today is 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which states that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness. This passage underscores the importance of Scripture in our spiritual growth. As United Methodists, we interpret Scripture through the lenses of reason, tradition, and experience. Reason encourages us to ask questions and think critically. Tradition connects us to the 2,000 years of Christian knowledge and Wesleyan theology. Experience involves the Holy Spirit speaking through us and our community.

We also discussed the role of women in Scripture, highlighting how Paul's letters can seem contradictory. While some passages suggest women should be silent, others recognize women as leaders in the early church. This inconsistency shows the importance of interpreting Scripture holistically, considering context, tradition, and the Holy Spirit's guidance.

In conclusion, studying Scripture helps us grow deeper in our relationship with God. John Wesley called us "people of one book," yet encouraged us to read widely, always measuring other readings against Scripture. The Holy Spirit uses Scripture to grow us in love, grace, and relationship with God. As we continue this series, let's commit to digging deeper into Scripture, asking questions, and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us.

### Key Takeaways

1. **The Importance of Intentional Scripture Reading**: Scripture can be easily misinterpreted if not read with the right intention. Historical examples, like the opposition to indoor plumbing, show how Scripture has been twisted. It's crucial to approach Scripture with a heart open to God's true message, seeking understanding rather than just affirmation of our beliefs. [27:00]

2. **Understanding 'Inspired, Inerrant, and Infallible'**: These three terms are foundational to our understanding of Scripture. Inspired means God is the ultimate author, inerrant means it was written without error, and infallible means it accomplishes God's purpose. Recognizing these distinctions helps us appreciate the divine and human elements in Scripture. [27:59]

3. **The Role of Reason, Tradition, and Experience**: United Methodists interpret Scripture through reason, tradition, and experience. Reason encourages critical thinking and questioning, tradition connects us to historical Christian knowledge, and experience involves the Holy Spirit's guidance. This holistic approach ensures a balanced and faithful understanding of Scripture. [30:47]

4. **The Role of Women in Scripture**: Paul's letters show both restrictive and empowering views on women. While some passages suggest women should be silent, others recognize women as leaders. This highlights the need to interpret Scripture contextually and holistically, considering the broader biblical narrative and the Holy Spirit's guidance. [35:38]

5. **Scripture as a Tool for Spiritual Growth**: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 emphasizes that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness. Studying Scripture helps us grow deeper in our relationship with God, guided by the Holy Spirit. John Wesley called us "people of one book," encouraging us to measure all other readings against Scripture. [28:48]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[20:33] - Introduction to United Methodist Series
[21:22] - Ways to Give and Prayer Requests
[22:25] - Opening Prayer
[23:54] - Reflection on History and Scripture
[25:19] - Deuteronomy and Sanitation
[26:17] - Misinterpretation of Scripture
[27:00] - Importance of Intentional Scripture Reading
[27:59] - Inspired, Inerrant, and Infallible
[28:48] - 2 Timothy 3:16-17
[29:46] - Holy Spirit's Role in Scripture
[30:47] - Reason, Tradition, and Experience
[31:46] - John Wesley's View on Scripture
[32:48] - Deeper Dive into 'Inspired'
[34:05] - God-Breathed Scripture
[35:38] - Role of Women in Scripture
[40:34] - Balancing Scripture with Reason and Tradition
[43:26] - Correcting and Growing Through Scripture
[45:17] - Invitation to Wednesday Night Study
[46:19] - Closing Prayer and Communion
[51:38] - Communion Instructions
[01:03:10] - Lectio Divina Explanation
[01:04:47] - Final Prayer and Dismissal

### Bible Reading
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17
- Deuteronomy 23:12-14
- Romans 16:3

### Observation Questions
1. What does 2 Timothy 3:16-17 say about the purpose of Scripture? How does it describe the usefulness of Scripture? [28:48]
2. According to Deuteronomy 23:12-14, what were the instructions given for sanitation in the camp? How was this misinterpreted historically? [25:19]
3. In Romans 16:3, who are Priscilla and Aquila, and what role do they play in Paul's ministry? [38:59]

### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of Scripture being "inspired" by God influence our understanding of its authority and reliability? [27:59]
2. Why is it important to interpret Scripture through the lenses of reason, tradition, and experience, as emphasized in the sermon? [30:47]
3. How do the seemingly contradictory passages about women in Paul's letters (e.g., 1 Timothy 2:12 vs. Romans 16:3) illustrate the need for a holistic approach to Scripture interpretation? [35:38]

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you may have misinterpreted a Bible passage. How can you ensure you approach Scripture with the right intention in the future? [27:00]
2. How can you incorporate the principles of reason, tradition, and experience into your daily Bible study to gain a more balanced understanding of Scripture? [30:47]
3. Considering the role of women in Scripture, how can you apply a more inclusive and contextual understanding of biblical teachings in your church or community? [35:38]
4. John Wesley encouraged reading widely but measuring all readings against Scripture. What are some non-biblical books or resources you can read that might deepen your understanding of faith, and how will you measure them against Scripture? [31:46]
5. How can you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you more effectively in your study of Scripture and in your daily life? What practices can you adopt to be more attuned to the Spirit's guidance? [29:46]
6. In what ways can you use Scripture to grow deeper in your relationship with God this week? Identify one specific area of your life where you need teaching, correction, or training in righteousness. [28:48]
7. How can you encourage others in your small group or church to engage more deeply with Scripture, using the principles discussed in the sermon? What practical steps can you take to foster a community of intentional Scripture reading? [43:26]

Day 1: The Importance of Intentional Scripture Reading
Scripture can be easily misinterpreted if not read with the right intention. Historical examples, like the opposition to indoor plumbing, show how Scripture has been twisted. It's crucial to approach Scripture with a heart open to God's true message, seeking understanding rather than just affirmation of our beliefs. When we read Scripture, we should do so prayerfully, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us and reveal God's truth. This intentional approach helps us avoid the pitfalls of misinterpretation and allows Scripture to transform our lives.

[27:00]

**Bible Passage:**
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV)

**Reflection:**
Think of a time when you may have misinterpreted a Bible passage. How can you approach Scripture differently today to seek God's true message rather than just affirming your own beliefs?


Day 2: Understanding 'Inspired, Inerrant, and Infallible'
These three terms are foundational to our understanding of Scripture. Inspired means God is the ultimate author, inerrant means it was written without error, and infallible means it accomplishes God's purpose. Recognizing these distinctions helps us appreciate the divine and human elements in Scripture. Understanding that Scripture is inspired by God reassures us of its divine authority. Knowing it is inerrant and infallible gives us confidence that it is trustworthy and effective in guiding us in our faith and life.

[27:59]

**Bible Passage:**
"For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21, ESV)

**Reflection:**
Reflect on how the understanding of Scripture as inspired, inerrant, and infallible impacts your trust in the Bible. How does this understanding influence the way you read and apply Scripture in your daily life?


Day 3: The Role of Reason, Tradition, and Experience
United Methodists interpret Scripture through reason, tradition, and experience. Reason encourages critical thinking and questioning, tradition connects us to historical Christian knowledge, and experience involves the Holy Spirit's guidance. This holistic approach ensures a balanced and faithful understanding of Scripture. By engaging our minds, honoring the wisdom of the past, and being open to the Spirit's work in our lives, we can interpret Scripture in a way that is both faithful and relevant to our current context.

[30:47]

**Bible Passage:**
"Test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, ESV)

**Reflection:**
Consider a recent Bible passage you read. How did you use reason, tradition, and experience to interpret it? How can you incorporate these three elements more intentionally in your future Bible study?


Day 4: The Role of Women in Scripture
Paul's letters show both restrictive and empowering views on women. While some passages suggest women should be silent, others recognize women as leaders. This highlights the need to interpret Scripture contextually and holistically, considering the broader biblical narrative and the Holy Spirit's guidance. By doing so, we can better understand the role of women in the early church and apply these lessons to our current context, recognizing the valuable contributions of women in ministry and leadership.

[35:38]

**Bible Passage:**
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28, ESV)

**Reflection:**
Think about the women in your life who have influenced your faith. How can you support and encourage the women in your church and community to use their gifts for God's glory?


Day 5: Scripture as a Tool for Spiritual Growth
2 Timothy 3:16-17 emphasizes that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness. Studying Scripture helps us grow deeper in our relationship with God, guided by the Holy Spirit. John Wesley called us "people of one book," encouraging us to measure all other readings against Scripture. By immersing ourselves in God's Word, we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us, helping us grow in love, grace, and our relationship with God.

[28:48]

**Bible Passage:**
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV)

**Reflection:**
Identify one area of your life where you need spiritual growth. How can you use Scripture to address this area and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in this journey?

It's great to be with all of you this morning. I am so glad you came to join us in worship, whether you're online with us or you're in the room.

I would like to invite all of my friends that are going to be in Kids Club this morning to go ahead and join Miss Katie. Y'all have fun. I'm just, I'm blessed to be here. I don't know about y'all, but I feel really even more blessed that we didn't have to take out a boat this morning. Anybody?

I'm so thankful for the rain, but I'm really thankful it did not rain this morning. It feels like in Florida, we either have none or too much. There's no in-between. But I'm really glad that you came to join us.

I just want to take a moment. We're in this series. We're talking about what it means to be United Methodist. And I wanted to share, last week we shared some of the teachings of John Wesley when it talks to why we give. And I wanted to share another one with you, which is that giving is to—John Wesley was indispensable to our Christian discipleship.

We give to grow closer. We give to give to God. And he believed that it was more than just helping the poor and needy, which was a big part of the Methodist movement. It was because when we do so, our spiritual lives grow deeper. Which is a big part of this series. How do we grow deep roots?

So I just want to thank all of you that are such faithful contributors to our church. Not only do you help nurture our children, you nurture our young adults and our youth. But you nurture your own souls when you give to the ministries of our church. So thank you for doing so.

If you would like to contribute to the church, there are multiple ways to do that. You can give at the time of communion when we respond to God's word by bringing physical offerings to the baskets. You'll also see here on this next slide that you can give through multiple ways like the church app or by bringing something up. But I know many of you do so through all these methods already. And I just want to say thank you for that.

So if you have a prayer request, you can drop those in these offering baskets as well. Or you can send them to me by email or bring them to the church office. My one request is you don't just tell me the request. Because I will pray for you, but I will forget to tell anybody else. And I usually get in trouble for that from our care team.

Okay, let me pray.

Almighty Father, I am so thankful for all the things you give us. And that we get to come and study your word today. Please, Lord, show us what it is you want us to know from the scripture. But most importantly, draw us closer to you and to our deeper understanding of what it means to be United Methodist. Bring your word alive to us and to our children. And use your spirit to guide the conversation today. We pray this in your holy name. Amen.

All right, Nate, you can go ahead with that video now.

All right. So today we have the pleasure to continue in this Wesleyan rooted series. I hope that you guys are excited as we dive into what it means to be United Methodist, because I'm excited to be doing it with you.

I know you like to go into the scriptures and other things. There are things in the sermon notes for you for that, and you can find those in the church app or on the e-mag. But this week, we are looking at what it means as United Methodists to look at scripture.

And to do so, I want to start off with a kind of reflection in history. So I have a question. Do any of you know what this on the screen is?

It's an outhouse. That's right. Some of you, if you're from places like maybe they have a camping cabin or something, you may have used an outhouse. Probably more likely you've used a porta potty, right?

Yeah. So you may not know this, but indoor plumbing started around 1840 and became popular in the 1880s. Did you know? Most people thought that doing your business inside was not sanitary. They did. The idea of in the house going and doing what you needed to do, that doing the do was not clean.

Even more so, the church people thought it was very sacrilegious to do what you needed to do in God's house. They were some of the last ones. They were some of the last ones. And friends, you can't make this up. They argued it with scripture.

Deuteronomy chapter 23, verse 12: "You must have a designated area outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment. Whenever you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement. The camp must be holy for the Lord your God moves around in your camp and protects you to defeat your enemies. He must not see any shameful thing among you or he will turn away from you."

Well, it's right there in the Bible. You can't have any human excrement anywhere in the house of God. Well, that means we got to take the bathrooms out, y'all. We got to put porta potties out there and we cannot use it in God's house. It says it right there in Deuteronomy.

Anybody feel like we're in the wrong? Here. No. I mean, really for us modern readers, we understand that this law in Deuteronomy has to do with sanitation, right? I mean, and we got anybody who camps. Some people are like, I used to. Most of us camp in RVs today, right? We glamp.

But for anybody who's camped in a tent, you know that you go have a spot that you do what you do away from the tent, right? Right. Right. Right. Right. You take your shovel and you dig a hole and you cover it up because otherwise your camp gets unsanitary very quickly.

We can read that passage in Deuteronomy and we can understand what God's saying, right? Okay. In 1880, the church believed that God would leave the church if they put in indoor plumbing and they argued that.

Now, why am I telling you this? Because, friends, scripture can very easily be twisted if we are not careful. We have to read it with the right intention. And that's what today is all about.

I can bring you lots of examples of how we, even as the church, have done this poorly. But I brought you one that hopefully was funny so that we don't have to get a little too uncomfortable this morning.

All right? Now, I want to share three words with you that help us understand scripture. They are the words inspired, inerrant, and infallible. Those are some I words that this dyslexic person struggles with. So, let's just remember that I'm going to do my very best to keep all I-N words straight.

All right? Now, first, the word inspired means that God is the ultimate author of scripture. This is his book.

So, inerrant means that God used human authors to write exactly what he wanted without error. Okay. And infallible means that the Bible is incapable of error and will accomplish exactly what God wants. They're similar but different.

So, let's read our main scripture passage for today. 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 through 17: "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is real. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."

Y'all heard that I-N word, right? It is inspired. Friends, the Holy Spirit worked through the biblical writers to write in their own voice, in their own style. It was inspired. That is what we, as you know, are inspired by.

The United Methodists believe it is the inspired word of God. You should think about that one for a second. We do not believe that God dictated to a stenographic person to record as he, the Holy Voice, came down. There was not a Siri recorder. Okay. There's no AI. There's nobody who took shorthand for God.

The Spirit inspired people in their own creativity space. The reason this is important is because the style of Scripture changes through the thousands of years. The Old Testament and the New Testament are not written in the same style because the people changed. If it was God's voice, there would be no change because God does not change.

Now, as United Methodists, we then understand Scripture in a realm of things. You see? This is foundational to who we are. We believe we have to interpret Scripture out of three pieces: reason, tradition, and experience.

Reason means using our minds. Wesley believed it was so important that we don't check the brain at the door. We are encouraged to ask questions. Why did God write or encourage his writers to write in this way? Why did Paul write this? Why did Moses write that? The why is encouraging.

I know to all of our children, they are not encouraged to ask why many times. We as parents get tired of the why. But God likes the why. We were created to wonder because God gave that into us to wonder, and he wants us to wonder about his Scriptures.

Then we have what we call tradition, which is all the knowledge that's come before. In Christianity, we have more than 2,000 years of knowledge that forms us. And as United Methodists, Wesleyan tradition that forms our theology.

And then we have experience, which means the Holy Spirit, that's formed us. It speaks through us and people around us in our church. Moments with God. Moments of discipleship. Moments where people have helped form us. And these things are what help us to live into Scripture.

We're going to come back to this in a little bit more. So when we read and study scripture, it helps us to grow deeper in our relationship with God. It is the book. John Wesley called it the one book, which is ironic.

See, he said we are people of one book, yet he told his people to read all the time. Not just the one book, all sorts of books. But every book was held against scripture. We have to know it to hold things against it, right?

The Holy Spirit grows us in love and grace and relationship with God as we study the story of God and humanity. This is our story.

I'm going to just pause for a second. Our preteens are watching this, and they're going to go and head into a conversation about some of these things and talk a little further. So I'm going to tell them that that's this time. And we, in here, are going to go a little deeper into these concepts.

All right? So I want to talk a little more about this word inspired. You know, we don't know a lot about what this Greek word means, the word translated and inspired. The reason is because Paul, who wrote this letter to Timothy, made the word up. It doesn't exist anywhere else.

He took two Greek words and smashed them together. We never do that in English, do we? And the two Greek words he put together are God and breathed. So he's saying God breathed out. Or you can literally translate it, all scripture is God breathed out.

In the Old Testament, in Genesis 2, when God created humanity, it says God breathed out the life breath. He breathed life into them when he created and gave us. Indicating the presence of God. God's spark of spirit within us.

In Methodism, we call that pervenient grace, the spark of the spirit we all carry within, just waiting for God to set it ablaze. Now, the message translates this passage so well. I'm going to read it for you once more in their translation because they got it.

"Every part of scripture is God breathed and useful in one way or another, showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the word, we are put together and shaped up for the task God has for us."

Can you picture the prophets and so forth of old as they, empowered by the Holy Spirit, received the message from God and recorded it?

Now, if you think about those four things I just said a second ago, I'm going to read them to you. I'm going to go scripture, reason, tradition, and experience. It's hard sometimes to apply all of that to what we are learning in the Bible.

But I want to give you an example of how you can do it. And the one I'm going to give you is Paul and women. And the reason I'm going to do this is because it is so easy to take this one in scripture. And people love to tear this one apart.

So, figure, let's just tear it apart. You ready? All right. You have to hang with me because we are going to jump through some passages real fast. But I hope it's going to be interesting.

Now, Paul, I want to start by saying, all the letters we have recorded in the New Testament, he did not write them to be in a canon. He didn't write them to be in Holy Scriptures. Paul was just writing letters to people.

Has anyone expected your emails that you send to people to be recorded for everybody to analyze in a thousand years from now? Now, that's not why he wrote these things. He wrote them to give words of wisdom to people he knew.

Who would have imagined that when the Council of Nicaea formed and decided to put a Bible together, they were going to take all these letters of Paul that he wrote to specific people in specific churches and say, this is going to be the future of the church's Bible right here?

And they took all these things that he wrote. And you're going to see as we go through it that they don't always agree with one another. Because that's not what he was trying to do.

So, let's look. We're going to start in 1 Timothy. This is people's favorite when they love to talk about Paul. 1 Timothy 2, verse 12: "I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly."

Why don't we go to the other letter, to the Corinthians? Y'all remember Corinthians? Two weeks ago, we talked about how horrible Corinth was. Paul writes to the Corinthian church and says, "Women should be silent during church meetings."

How many of you are silent? Husbands are going, "Oh, and can we please get this one to happen?" "Women should be silent during church meetings. It's not proper for them to speak. They should just be submissive, as the law says."

Yeah, church, we don't do this one. We're never silent or submissive or quiet. If I listen during coffee time, I'm going to hear more women talking than anything else. But according to Paul, we're supposed to just be all the time.

But, you know, the interesting thing here is that some of Paul's letters, but he sure says a whole lot of other things. That's the two places, only two places, he says this in his letters.

Let's jump to some other places. Let's look at the book of Romans, where he talks about Priscilla and Aquila. I preached on them two weeks ago, the tent makers that he lived with.

Romans 16, verse 3: "He now claims this husband and wife as his fellow ministry workers. Not just the husband, the husband and the wife."

Let's look again. I think we're going back to Corinthians. And remember, this is the city he just said women should not speak in. And now here in Corinthians, we read that he says, "The church here in the province of Asia sends greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others gathered in their home for the church meeting."

One letter: Women, just shh. Oh, by the way, Priscilla and Aquila, who are leading the church together, they say hi.

Okay. Maybe Paul's a little confused. Oh, you know what? Some people say that's because Priscilla and Aquila are a couple. So Aquila is doing all the talking. Priscilla is sitting passively. That's what some say.

So let's jump to another one. Because if we go back to the book of Romans, we meet Phoebe. And Phoebe is a single woman. And Paul says this. He says, "She's a deacon." Ooh. She's got some status, y'all.

Paul doesn't tell her she needs to shh. He says she's important. Caesarea is right next to Corinth.

Now, why do I point these things out to you? Because when we talk about Scripture and holding it in balance with reason, tradition, and experience, what we're saying is you have to hold Scripture first in balance with Scripture.

And you have to think critically about it. I could take these one or two passages of Paul and believe that they are above every other passage in the Bible. Or I could take all these other passages of Paul and all the teachings of Jesus and every example in the New Testament where women are given authority in the church and go, hmm, I'm not too sure.

I'm not too sure these two passages have as much authority as everybody thinks they do. And then if I start to think about tradition, right, because we said that's everything that's gone before us.

And I look into our Wesleyan tradition. And I look at the fact that in 1761, John Wesley licensed women to preach himself, not just to women. He licensed women to preach to everybody. 1761, friends. Long time ago.

And I realize that our Methodist movement has been built on a combination of men and women together that I stand here in the legacy of amazing men and women of God. This church right here.

Do you know this is the first time I have served in the church and in any local parish where I am the third female pastor? Praise God that I am not having to pave the way for being female. Y'all don't know what a blessing you are for me.

See, when we hold these things together and we look at all of it together, and I can ask in the scripture passage, what did this mean then? I could teach this whole passage to you. That's not the intention for today.

It's not about what did Paul mean then. And y'all want that Bible study. We can do that at a separate time. The intention is to say, sometimes how do all these passages connect together?

Sometimes it's digging deep into a single passage and understanding what's the history and background behind it. We did some of that in our Old Testament studies over the summer.

Sometimes it's saying, what has the church done? What has the church always believed in this? Sometimes it's saying, what's the Holy Spirit saying to me through this? And being willing to dig in and say, God, speak to me.

Because the purpose of this book is not to find something to affirm what I believe. Because if you want to, you can find a passage that tells you that indoor plumbing is bad. You can find a passage to affirm anything.

When you take scripture out of its meaning, you can find anything to affirm anything. But when we hold scripture as the voice of God through the power of the Spirit, what happens is, what did that verse say? We are corrected and grown.

I brought some resources again for you this week. And one of those things is one of my favorite study Bibles. If you don't have a study Bible, I brought them so you could look at them.

And the reason it's my favorite is because the study materials are not in the Bible. The study side is on a phone or tablet, making the Bible small. And if you've been in the church a long time like me, you remember our big old study Bibles where we had to carry them like this?

And you felt like your shoulder was like sagging down because you're cold in the big old Bible? And so they've merged the beauty of paper and technology. So your Bible is this size. But you keep getting beautiful commentary and information on the passages you're reading.

Because I believe the easier it is to read, the easier it is to read. And the easier it is to get information, the more likely you are to study. If you've got to go looking for stuff, you're probably not going to do it.

But as a church, I want you to ask questions. I want you to dig in. I want you to gain the thoughts of saying, what does this mean for me? That's why we're doing this Wednesday night study for this sermon series.

We had a fantastic turnout this Wednesday. I've got to make the table bigger in admin. I'm so excited. I love making more space. It's just the best. It's the best feeling in the world.

But talking about what it means to be United Methodist and how we grow in our faith for it. And if you didn't join last week, it's okay. You can come join us this week.

And if you've got to leave early or come late, it doesn't matter. We're a church that comes late all the time anyway. Why would a Wednesday night be any different?

Friends, if you're not being grown and changed by church, then what is the point of coming? If God's not doing something different in your life, then why do you get up on Sunday morning? Or why do you turn on the live stream?

If you feel like God is doing something and you want to mark what God's been doing in your life, I don't want you to forget that October 13th, we are going to have a time for people who want to join the church. They want to be baptized or renew their baptism or any of those things.

If you're interested, contact me. Because I believe this is a new season for us as a congregation. And I've seen what God's been doing. I want to know what God's been doing. I want to partner with you in growing your spiritual life.

Would you pray with me?

God, I'm thankful for all the things that you have done for us. But most importantly, I'm thankful that you have given people into our traditions that have shown us what it means to study and to ask and to wonder and to think.

We don't have to take things at face value and just say this is what it is and I just have to accept it. God, you have given us witnesses of what it means to study, what it means to dig in, what it means to desire more information and to come to a deeper understanding of who you are.

As we come to your table, bring us into a place of wonder and draw us into community with you. Pray this in your glory and honor. Amen.

Friends, this is your time to respond to God. Whatever is going on in your life, wherever you are spiritually, I encourage you. Find whatever is your hold, if you're holding something back, give it to God this morning.

If I can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to let me know. But the only requirement of this table is that we confess our sins together. If you're watching online, I pray you'll grab something from your kitchen so you can join me and that you will also confess your sins with us.

Would you join me now in this confession?

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will. We have broken your law. We have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Friends, hear the good news. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. That proves God's love towards us.

In the name of Jesus Christ, friends, you are forgiven. Would you join me?

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Glory to God. Amen.

Holy are you, Lord, and blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ. Your Spirit anointed Christ to preach to you. He preached the good news to the poor, proclaimed and released to the captives, and recovered the sight of the blind.

He set liberty to those who were oppressed, and he announced that the time had come when God, you, would save your people. Christ healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners.

By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church and delivered us from slavery to sin and death. And God, you made with us a new covenant by water and spirit.

When the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, he promised to be with us always in the power of the Holy Spirit and in God's word.

On the night which he gave himself up for us, he took bread and he broke it. And he gave it to his disciples and he said, "This is my body which is broken for you. Eat this in remembrance of me."

When the supper was over, he took the cup and gave thanks. And he said, "This is my blood of the new covenant, shed for the sins of all people. Do this as often as you drink in remembrance of me."

And so in remembrance of these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and in thanksgiving as a living and holy sacrifice in union with Christ's offering for us.

As we proclaim the mystery of faith, would you join me?

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here and on these gifts of bread and juice. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ that we may be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son, Jesus Christ. With your Holy Spirit and your Holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.

Those who are going to help me with communion will come forward. As they do, just a word of instruction. You'll get a small piece of bread to dip into the cup of juice.

And if you would like your communion to not be touched by anyone, you'll find prepackaged communion and gluten-free right here in this center. After I serve my helpers, I'll invite everyone forward.

Give me just a moment to serve those who are helping. The Lord's table is open and all are invited to come. We'll start in the back, come up the center, and out the outsides.

You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything.

You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything.

You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything.

You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything. You're changing everything.

Please either see us at the end if you want to pay by cash or check, or you can click the church app, and it's right there in the church app if you want to just pay online.

But please let us know because I do need to know how much stuff other than pork to buy for you. So that would be very helpful if you would register with Etique.

The other thing is that in the back there are some sheets for you, and it's a thing called Lectio Divina. And some of you may not know what this is, so I'll just explain.

You remember those things I said, the reason, tradition, and experience? We as Methodists have a tendency to be heavier on the reason side than the experience side, just being honest with you. We tend not to be very spirit-y people.

So we live really heavy in the methodical and not as heavy in the experiential. So Lectio Divina is kind of a methodical way. So it's a way to kind of sit with Scripture and ask God to speak to you and not have to feel like you don't know what to do to have the Spirit of God kind of live into Scripture.

So if you like to try it, then there's a worksheet to kind of give you the steps of how to take any Scripture passage that you want to live into what that looks like. So those are on the table in the back. Feel free.

It's also in the sermon notes on the church app if you are watching online and you like to experience that.

All right, let me pray you out. If you have questions, you come. Come find me.

Almighty God, thank you for the amazing day of worship that you provide. Because, Lord, I know we give the very best that we can give, but in the end, we are renewed by you and your power and your Spirit.

So thank you for that. I want to thank you for all the amazing things that you give and you do. God, I was just speaking with our preteens and the joy that's in that space and the things they were just sharing.

The sharing that you shared with them this morning was just wonderful. I'm just blessed by so many things that you're doing here.

So I pray, God, that as we leave this space, that you show how your Bible, your Holy Scriptures, your Word, the Word of God, is more than just pages of words. It is alive in the Spirit.

Make it alive within us as we go through this week. And bring us back next week ready. We go deeper in what it means to be United Methodists.

Pray this in your holy name. Amen.

1. "We give to grow closer. We give to give to God. And he believed that it was more than just helping the poor and needy, which was a big part of the Methodist movement. It was because when we do so, our spiritual lives grow deeper. Which is a big part of this series. How do we grow deep roots? So I just want to thank all of you that are such faithful contributors to our church. Not only do you help nurture our children. You nurture our young adults and our youth. But you nurture your own souls. When you give to the ministries of our church." [20:33] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "Scripture can very easily be twisted if we are not careful. We have to read it with the right intention. And that's what today is all about. I can bring you lots of examples of how we, even as the church, have done this poorly. But I brought you one that hopefully was funny so that we don't have to get a little too uncomfortable this morning. All right? Now, I want to share three words with you that help us understand scripture. They are the word inspired, inerrant, and infallible." [27:00] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "The Holy Spirit worked through the biblical writers to write in their own voice, in their own style. It was inspired. That is what we, as United Methodists, believe it is the inspired word of God. You should think about that one for a second. We do not believe that God dictated to a stenographic person to record as he, the Holy Voice, came down. There was not a Siri recorder. Okay. There's no AI. There's nobody who took shorthand for God. The Spirit inspired people in their own creativity space." [28:48] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "Reason means using our minds. Wesley believed it was so important that we don't check the brain at the door. We are encouraged to ask questions. Why did God write or encourage his writers to write in this way? Why did Paul write this? Why did Moses write that? The why is encouraging. I know to all of our children, they are not encouraged to ask why many times. We as parents get tired of the why. But God likes the why. We were created to wonder because God gave that into us to wonder, and he wants us to wonder about his Scriptures." [30:47] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "When we read and study scripture, it helps us to grow deeper in our relationship with God. It is the book. John Wesley called it the one book, which is ironic. See, he said we are people of one book, yet he told his people to read all the time. Not just the one book, all sorts of books. But every book was held against scripture. We have to know it to hold things against it, right? The Holy Spirit grows us in love and grace and relationship with God as we study the story of God and humanity. This is our story." [31:46] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




6. "In Methodism, we call that pervenient grace of the spark of the spirit we all carry within, just waiting for God to set it ablaze. Now, the message translates this passage so well. I'm going to read it for you once more in their translation because they got it. Every part of scripture is God breathed and useful in one way or another, showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the word, we are put together and shaped up for the task God has for." [34:05] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




7. "If you're not being grown and changed by church, then what is the point of coming? If God's not doing something different in your life, then why do you get up on Sunday morning? Or why do you turn on the live stream? If you feel like God is doing something and you want to mark what God's been doing in your life, I don't want you to forget that October 13th, we are going to have a time for people who want to join the church. They want to be baptized or renew their baptism or any of those things. If you're interested, contact me. Because I believe this is a new season for us as a congregation. And I've seen what God's been doing. I want to know what God's been doing." [46:19] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




8. "I want to thank you for all the amazing things that you give and you do. God, I was just speaking with our preteens and the joy that's in that space and the things they were just sharing. The sharing that you shared with them this morning was just wonderful. I'm just blessed by so many things that you're doing here. So I pray, God, that as we leave this space, that you show how your Bible, your Holy Scriptures, your Word, the Word of God, is more than just pages of words. It is alive in the Spirit. Make it alive within us as we go through this week. And bring us back next week ready. We go deeper in what it means to be United Methodists." [01:05:47] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)