Camden First United Methodist Church

Weekly sermons from the 10:30am worship service at First United Methodist Church in Camden, Arkansas.

Faith & Persistence 11/17/2025

Faith & Persistence Luke 18 contains one of my favorite parables - The widow and the bad judge. She persisted even when he refused to care. But we worship a God that does care so if our prayers are not being answered in the timeframe we hope for, do we persist? More importantly, do we believed God is good and cares about our well-being? /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/39061050

Fill Every Seat 11/10/2025

Fill Every Seat Jesus is invited to a Shabbat dinner with local Jewish religious leaders. We are not sure if Luke believed it was a set up but Jesus finally told the Parable of the Great Feast about that great heavenly banquet we talk about whenever we have communion. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38980185

Where You Least Expect It 11/03/2025

Where You Least Expect It Today we look at Luke 10:25-37 which most of us know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In the first century, no Jew would have called a Samaritan "good" which proves once again that God shows up where you least expect it. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38894355

Believe - Isaiah 65:17-25 10/27/2025

Believe - Isaiah 65:17-25 God is doing a new thing, creating a new heaven and a new earth. We must have the courage to believe at work towards that new Kingdom. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38796050

The Answer Is Always Justice 10/20/2025

The Answer Is Always Justice Everything Isaiah has warned about has now come to reality. God's people are in exile in Assyria and Babylon but now those in Babylon have the opportunity to return home and rebuild. It will be hard but Isaiah has words of encouragement. Isaiah 61:1-11 /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38650190

Created, Formed, and Named 10/06/2025

Created, Formed, and Named Today is World Communion Sunday where we celebrate the ties that bind us as a community to Jesus Christ. It is a great day to be reminded of the message of Isaiah 43. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38488025

He Did It for You 09/29/2025

He Did It for You The fourth Servant song is longest and clearest. It many ways it is like a prayer of confession because it exposes what we do not wish to see then reminds us that we are responsible. He was wounded for our transgressions. This Servant song leads to hope and redemption. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38394730

A New Power 09/22/2025

A New Power Today we are focused on the third Servant song found in Isaiah 50:4-9. It tells us of a Servant who is more a learner and a teacher but is brutalized. He does not return the violence against him. This represents a new understanding of God's power. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38311530

A Beacon for All 09/15/2025

A Beacon for All In the second Servant Song, Isaiah 49:1-7, God does something amazing. God decides that the Servant role is greater than just returning Israel and Judah to the Lord. The Servant's message is for all people - and that includes you and me. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38224525

What Is a Servant? 09/08/2025

What Is a Servant? There are fourth Servant Songs in the second section of Isaiah. They tell us of a servant and they define what the servant is called to do and how the servant will accomplish the mission. Today we are exploring Isaiah 42:1-9, the first of the Servant Songs. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38128825

From Grasshoppers to Eagles 09/02/2025

From Grasshoppers to Eagles Our faith is dependent on our memory. The 6th century BCE Isaiah is speaking to a community in exile and he is offering an opportunity to remember. We are offered that opportunity as well. It is remember who is our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/38061735

The Remarkable Love of God 08/25/2025

The Remarkable Love of God This morning we begin chapter 40 of Isaiah which is the first chapter of what scholars refer to as Second or Deutero-Isaiah. First Isaiah contained the oracles of the eighth century and God's judgment and called for repentance. Now we are in the sixth century and the unthinkable has happen. Judgment has been served and God's people are in exile. Now begins the promise of redemption and the gift of grace. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37949705

Pessimists Need Not Apply 08/18/2025

Pessimists Need Not Apply Today, we are taking a little break from Isaiah to talk about mustard seeds and yeast. It is also a retelling of the history of God's call to our church and what God has done through our faithfulness. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37864300

Know When to Show Them 08/11/2025

Know When to Show Them Hezekiah was considered an almost faithful king. Learn why. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37762555

Justice Is the Line 08/06/2025

Justice Is the Line Today we are in the portion of First Isaiah that is called a mini-apocalypse. It goes from Chapter 24-35. We will be exploring the prophetic word found in Isaiah 28:14-22. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37702880

The Rock of our Refuge 07/28/2025

The Rock of our Refuge In Chapters 13-23, Isaiah calls out those nations that have conspired against Judah, including Israel and Aram. Israel forgot who is the rock of their salvation. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37581975

Fearful and Faithless 07/21/2025

Fearful and Faithless One man's lack of faith resulted in disaster for three nations. God sent Isaiah to speak to him and God promised him directly. He did not listen. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37485795

Called to Fail 07/14/2025

Called to Fail The calling of Isaiah has helped many of us understand the pattern of worship but we usually stop at verse 8. This week, we will go through the reminder of the chapter and discover that God was calling Isaiah to a ministry of failure. But what looked like failure then turned out to be a promise to keep hope alive. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37400575

Betraying God 07/07/2025

Betraying God Jesus used vineyards as the setting for many of his parables so it should not be a surprise to see Isaiah using the setting of a vineyard for one of his early oracles. Rotten grapes betrays God. How should we respond as Christians if we find ourselves in a surrounding of bad fruit? /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37308420

Blessed Are the Peacemakers 07/01/2025

Blessed Are the Peacemakers Today we look at Chapter two of Isaiah, a chapter promoting peace. It contains the famous line, "Then they will beat their swords into iron plows and their spears into pruning tools." Peacemaking is not just between nations. Nations are made up of people. Our pride musr be subdued if we wish to make peace with our neighbors. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37237465

Houston, We Have a Problem 06/23/2025

Houston, We Have a Problem Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970 in hopes of making a lunar landing but two days into the mission, an oxygen tanks exploded, disabling the electric system and life support system in the main capsule. Apollo 13 Commander addressed this issue with NASA with the opening line of, "Houston, we have a problem." That has become a key phrase to use whenever a problem crops up. It is the calling of the prophet Isaiah as he tried to help God's people understand that there was definitely a problem. For Israel and for today, the problem is greed. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37116490

The Office of Prophet 06/16/2025

The Office of Prophet Today we start a new series on the book of Isaiah. We will begin by understanding the role and responsibility of the prophet. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/37026605

The Measure of a Man 06/02/2025

The Measure of a Man This is our last Sunday in the Epistles of John and we are looking at the third letter where John the Elder is writing to Gaius. In the brief letter, he defines three men by one trait - truth. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/36820380

Love Is Doing What Is Right 05/25/2025

Love Is Doing What Is Right What we do is driven by where our faith lies. In the 5th Chapter of John's first letter, John said our victory is possible through our faith in Christ - not our faith in systems or family or even our country. They are powerful but often flawed. Our faith in Jesus never fails. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/36704750

Taking the Word to Heart 05/19/2025

Taking the Word to Heart God is love and we are called to love one another. So why are Christians marketing fear? /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/36628100

An Active and Truthful Love 05/12/2025

An Active and Truthful Love We know that Jesus was the ultimate example of self-giving and self-sacrificial love but what does that means for us? /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/36536600

Spiritual Self-Awareness 05/05/2025

Spiritual Self-Awareness I John is to the Gospel of John as Acts is to Luke. Luke and John tells us about Jesus' ministry, his death, and his resurrection. Acts and I John helps us understand why that has made a difference in our world and in our lives. Today we begin our series on 1 John and the call to knowing yourself. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/36438805

The Road Less Taken 04/28/2025

The Road Less Taken Jesus Said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Do you understand what this means? The disciples were busy asking lots of questions but they will eventually discover that Jesus was giving the all the answers in that one sentence. You just have to understand Jesus to know what it means. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/36339305

The Cross and the Table 04/21/2025

The Cross and the Table This Easter sunday we are exploring the I AM saying from the 11th chapter of John where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Jesus tells Mary and Martha, "I am the Resurrection and the life." What does he mean by "the life." Let's explore where Jesus appears to the disciples. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/36244295

Connection 04/08/2025

Connection "I am the true Vine." This is the fifth of Jesus' I Am saying in the gospel of John. Jesus' first sign in John is creating wine out of water at a wedding in Cana. Like many of the other saying, it has toos in the Old Testament. /episode/index/show/camdenfumc/id/36045985

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