September Sermon Series
September 2: Week 1 - “Loving Ourselves, Loving Others” 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (The Message) & Matthew 22:36-40 How do we look to the great commandments of Christ and relate them back to our own lives? When Paul speaks to “love” what does he mean exactly? This week we will use such great examples as Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood to explore how his own focus on “love” and genuine care of neighbor relates back to our own lives. What does it mean to not only love ourselves but also share that same love with others as well?
September 9: Week 2 - “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Romans 15:1-17 & Matthew 5:43-48 What does it mean to actually neighbor to those around you? What would it look like to “live as Christ calls us to live?” And how might we take Christ’s challenging words from the Sermon on the Mount as we go about our daily walk within the world? As Mr. Rogers reminds us, “Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person.”
September 16: Week 3 - “In Some Ways We Are Different” Micah 6:8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26; John 13:3-5 What does it mean to live out life in a “right” sort of way? What does it mean to acknowledge our differences and instead of focusing on how we are different, instead embracing our differences and acknowledging that we are all a part of the same “Body of Christ.” How did Fred Rogers’ perspective and “way of life” express what it means to “love all?” How was his love of neighbor a potential expression of what the Gospel calls us to in “love of neighbor?”
September 23: Week 4 - “Look for the Helpers” Luke 10:25-37 How might the Parable of the Good Samaritan be calling us to live out our lives in our neighborhoods and the world? How might we give thanks to all those who “serve” and “assist others” in the community around us? (We hope to invite local law enforcement officers, paramedics, firefighters, teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, etc. to come and receive a blessing for the numerous ways they serve others on a daily basis.)
September 30: Week 5 - “Exploring the Neighborhood of Make Believe” 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 & John 14:1-4 How might Mr. Rogers’ world of make believe be an example of what the church could be like? How might we more effectively see, recognize and value one another as unique children of God? How might we live out loud what it means to be a Good Neighbor to all those around us taking notice of all around us and acknowledging them for who they are?