Randy Willis

[Note: Instead of a typical "sermon," today we took time to reflect on and discuss Annual Conference.] "Our Communities: Right Here! Right Now!" That was the theme of Annual Conference (Central PA Conference of the United Methodist Church) which took place during the last few days at Messiah College (Grantham, PA). It’s part of the … Read more

Today is Pentecost Sunday. Just before Jesus returned to heaven, he instructed his disciples, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1.4-5). I … Read more

Genesis 32.22-32 Jacob prepares for confrontation But during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. This left Jacob all alone in the camp … (Gen 32.22-24a) Jacob wrestles God … … Read more

Today, we’re going to talk about one more discipleship essential: surrender. Jesus said, "If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your … Read more

There are a few essentials of discipleship, it seems to me: teachability and passion, to name two. Today, I want to talk about compassion. Around here (where we’re in the process of merging two congregations), we are asking the question, "How will this look different?" One way I think we must look different is that … Read more

Recently I talked about the importance of teachability/teachability 2.0. I said teachability is an essential quality of being a disciple. Disciples, by definition, are teachable! Disciples must be passionate! Another requirement, I believe, is passion. Think about it: the word apathy means “without passion.” What do you think about the term, “apathetic Christian”? Isn’t that … Read more

In "The Great Thanksgiving" that we sometimes use for our communion liturgy, there’s this phrase where everyone is invited to "proclaim the mystery of faith" … "Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again." Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. All three parts are essential! The Apostle Paul talks … Read more

In wrapping up this series on the “7 deadly sins,” we’re going to talk about the last two sins on our list: lust and gluttony. Lust and gluttony are twin brothers. Lust is misplaced love and gluttony is misplaced hunger. A woman struggled to lose weight. She had tried everything — all kinds of diets, … Read more

[Note: As part of our devotion/Bible discussion time at beginning of our council meeting tonight, I shared a brief review of Tuesday’s message as well as some additional thoughts on teachability.] Psalm 51 reveals the teachable heart of David. It’s the psalm he writes about his repentance following his sins involving Bathsheba and Uriah. In … Read more

[Note: This sermon was presented at one of the Community Lenten Services coordinated by the Juniata Valley Ministerium. This sermon was delivered at the Zion Lutheran Church.] In this series of messages during Lent, we’ve been focusing on the promises of God’s blessings given in the beatitudes, a section of Scripture that Jesus presents at … Read more