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Dennis Shaw is a musician, marathoner (Boston!), retired military officer, math modeler, muse, and United Methodist Pastor. A keen observer of the human condition, he has degrees in music, quantitative methods (don’t ask!), theology and leadership. He will discuss with other leaders how to become engaged and present in our current leadership opportunities. Critical to leadership is strong self-awareness. Becoming authentic, empathetic, and aware will form the framework of all discussions. You can access and follow this podcast on Apple, Podbean, Spotify and Amazon Music.
Episodes
Sunday Jul 16, 2017
Sunday Jul 16, 2017
Part III of Pastor Mario's series on Luke 15 gives us a closer look at the younger son and his Father. While the younger son thought he was better off without his Father, the Father patiently waits for him to come to his senses and return home. However, the return home is not without its cost as an unwelcoming ceremony awiaits the younger son. Instead of shame and suspicion, the Father receives his wayward son home by taking on the shame that belonged to his son and recieving him back, not as a hired hand, but as his son. The parable still speaks to us today and invites us all to come to our senses, return home and experience the love of Jesus, who sees us when we are still a long way off.
Tuesday Jul 11, 2017
Tuesday Jul 11, 2017
Pastor Mario continues his sermon series on Luke 15, focusing on verses 8-10. These three verses are often overlooked as it sits between two of the more well known stories in this parable of Jesus. However, these three short verses still speak volumes to us today. We can often understand getting lost in the wilderness, but when something is lost in our home, the frustration, the urgency and determination to find it is all the more amplified. (Think about how you turn your home upside down to find your wallet, keys or glasses).
In this parable, the lost coin is finally found, a party ensues, and the coin can now be used for the purposes intended. Being found by Jesus is a lot like that. We are free to become what God desires us to be as his people. Namely, people who will now gladly go and find others who are lost. What does this parable of woman who lost her coin have to tell us today? Give a listen and know that even when we are lost in house, the one who created us searches for us. Once we are found, the party begins!
Tuesday Jul 11, 2017
Tuesday Jul 11, 2017
Have you ever been lost? It's an important question we all must all wrestle with as we consider the three parables. Today's Scritpure reading was from Luke 15:1-7. Jesus tells these stories in response to the Pharisees and Scribes grumbling and complaining about Jesus' social habits. These three stories are meant to be taken as a single unit. In addition to the Pharisees and scribes, we also want to consider the the tax collectors, sinners, and Jesus himself in this famous chapter from Luke's Gospel.
This is the first sermon in a four-week series by Pastor Mario. The first of the three stories begins with a lost sheep in the wilderness and a shepherd who will gladly search until he finds it. This first story ends with a party that the community throws when the lost sheep is found. This story is a glimpse into repentance, reconciliation and restoration. Join us, as we journey together, into the heart of Luke's Gospel and into the heart of Jesus.
*For further reading, see Kenneth Bailey's, The Cross and the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants. *
Friday Jun 23, 2017
Friday Jun 23, 2017
The scripture is Luke 14: The Parable of the Great Banquet. This sermon briefly explores Jesus' answer to the question: Who gets to participate in Jesus' banquet that marks arrival of God's Kingdom? What does it mean for us to compel others to come to this party? What excuses do we often offer and can we, like the servant in this story, capture the host's hospitality, and process our own anger and rejection into grace? This was Mario's first sermon at Hilltop.