Brush UMC - Sermons by Rev. Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D.

Below are listed some of my recent sermons. Please feel free to listen to them and I would enjoy hearing what you think. To facilitate your response, you can either send me an email by clicking on the email image below, or go to our Sermon Blog and discuss with others what you think. Enjoy the sermons, and my prayer is that God speaks to you from these words.

If you like what you hear and would like to support our sermon ministry with a contribution, please send it to the address below. If you sent a $20 or greater contribution, we will send you a "Disk Full of Sermons" by Rev. Anderson. Brush United Methodist Church Attn: Sermon Ministry 1701 Edmunds Street Brush, CO 80723
	If you do not have a CD player, we will send you a cassette disk full of sermons (Note: We cannot fit as many disks on a cassette as we can a CD).

NOTE: You will need Macromedia's Flash Player 4 or greater to hear these sermons. To get a free version, please click the image to the right.

The following sermons are a series of sermons that Rev. Anderson is preaching on the Church. Several of these sermons on in a text format (pdf) only because of equipment problems. However, most are presented in both textual form as well as in audio format so that you can also listen to them. (All material in these sermons is the property of Rev. Anderson and any reproduction of their content, written or otherwise, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of Rev. Anderson.)
	This is the Introduction to the series. It outlines what Rev. Anderson will be speaking on during this series and why it is important to consider what it means to be a part of the Church, the Body of Christ. The series is entitled "On Discovering the Resurrection: Becoming a Part of the Body of Christ." It is available in text format (pdf) only and may be accessed by clicking on the title below.
	Building a Thriving Church: An Introduction to Dialogue
	This is the first sermon in this series. The issue it addresses is worry. Certainly we should be concerned with our church's ministry, but we should not worry about it. Worry differs from concern in that it obsesses upon the negatives and betrays a lack of faith and trust in the promise of redemption given us by God through Jesus as the Christ. This sermon addresses this issue and is available in text form (pdf) only. You may access it by clicking on the sermon title below.
	Faith and the Church Luke 12:1-13:9
	This sermon speaks of what it means to be a part of the Ekklesia, those who are called or invited to the table of communion with Christ. What does this mean, and what is the significance of calling ourselves a part of this fellowship? This sermon addresses these questions.
	Becoming a Part of the Ekklesia: The Body of Christ Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.
	*Access the text of this sermon by clicking here.*
	This sermon addresses what I call "the four pillars of the body of Christ." These pillars are nurture, edification, mission and prophecy. Put simply, where the Assembly we call the Church, the body of Christ is, there also will be an assembly committed to nurture, edification, mission and prophecy. NOTE: The quality of this recording is not good. You might want to download the text before listening to the recording.
	The Four Pillars of Ekklesia *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*
	Access the text of this sermon by clicking here.
	What does it mean to say that "Where the Church Is, There is Nurture"? This sermon examines this question and argues that the nurture function of the church is best understood when we examine nurture in light of what Rev. Anderson calls "the ecology of nurture," "the economy of nurture," and the "anthropology of nurture."
	Where the Church Is, There Is Nurture *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*
	Access the text of this sermon by clicking here.
	In this Sunday's sermon, Rev. Anderson examines the process of edification. It is that process of learning, study and discipline through which the will of God is revealed to the body of Christ. As such, it teaches those who call themselves followers of Jesus how to be the master builders, as Paul puts it, of the body of Christ.
	Where the Church Is, There is Edification *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*

	One of the last commissions that Jesus gave to his disciples was what I call the "mission commission," but which is most commonly known as the "Great Commission." However, we all too often use Jesus' words to justify our own ends, and when this happens, anything but the Body of Christ is the result. What then is the mission that Jesus' commissions his followers with? This sermon seeks to answer this question.
	Where the Church Is, There is Mission *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*

	The notion of prophecy has become quite sensationalized over the years, especially in the United States. However, the word of prophecy is grounded in being able to hear God's word as it speaks God's righteousness against the injustices of humanity. It is this prophetic activity that this sermon explores and which is the fourth pillar of faith.
	*Because of technical difficulties, this sermon is unavailable in auido form. The text is forthcoming.*
	In the Second Epistle of Timothy, two important notions are introduced designed to help us discern between the will of self-gratifying human beings and the will of God. These phrases are "God-breathed" and "itching ears." This sermon examines these concepts and what they mean for Christians today.
	The Case of Itching Ears, II Timothy 3:14 - 4:5 *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*

	The prophet Joel imagines a day when God will redeem God's people and all of Israel will live in peace and harmony. It is a big dream that grows out of what David Brueggeman calls "the prophetic imagination." The question is, does the church today have such an imagination? It will if it wishes to thrive and this sermon addresses this question.
	Dreaming Big Dreams, Joel 2:18-29 *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*
	Martin Luther's inspiration is found in Romans 1:16-17, where he quotes Habakkuk who states that the righteous will live by faith. But what does this mean? What does it mean to have faith? What does it mean to be righteous? This sermon examines these questions based upon the Habakkuk text as well as the story about Zaccheus, the vertically challenged man who went out on a limb just to see Jesus.
	Faithing Righteously, Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, Luke 19:1-10. *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*
	What do people see when they look at you? Do they see someone who faithfully represents their family of faith? Do they see someone who is committed to Christ and following the will of God? Or, do they see someone who is committed to profane ways of life, a life full of bickering, finger pointing and fighting, something that is a denial of God's holiness. The scripture calls us to a life of holiness through the process of sanctification and this sermon examines what this entails.
	Salvation through Sanctification, II Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*
	Isaiah 65 is a perfect example of the dream brought to us in apocalyptic literature. This is the literature of oppression that grows out of a time when Isreal was no longer and independent nation and its people suffered the oppression of a foriegn government. As such, apocalyptic literature has authored some beautiful dreams, of which this chapter is an example. It is a dream of God's redemption and it tells us that because God is in control of our lives and destiny, we need not fear. This thought was also carried over into the New Teastament and this sermon examines this notion: Do not fear.
	Are You Afraid, Isaiah 65:17-25 *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*
	We have been speaking of the dreams that are given by the prophet Isaiah and throughout the pages of scripture. This sermon covers another one of those dreams, a dream of peace, which is the dream given to us during the first Sunday of Advent. But the dreams of the Bible will do us little good unless we make these dreams our dreams, dreams that dictate our thoughts, actions and behavior. Paul calls making the dreams of the Bible "putting on the armor of light." This sermon examines this concept.
	Put on the Armor of Light, Isaiah 2:1 - 5 *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*
	The passage of Scripture that Mary, Jesus' mother sings following the announcement of her being with child, has become one of the important poems of the New Testament. In it, Mary sings her praise, but she also sings of her joy. Her joy, however, has a source, the God of Abraham, Moses and David, but it also has an object. By examining the object of Mary's joy, we can determine the nature of her joy's source, but we can also determine if the source of our joy is that same as Mary's. On this, the Third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Joy, this sermon examines the source and object of Mary's joy.
	Marys Song, Luke 1:46 - 56 *Note: You may have to click twice to start the sermon.*
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