Mendham Hills

Conversations #2 - Faith From The Least Expected by Sunday Podcast

Conversations #1 - Sinners & Winners by Sunday Podcast

Conversations #3 - A Vacation Conversation by Sunday Podcast

In or Out. Us or Them. Haves or Have nots. You know the categories. They have existed for all of time. Winner or Loser. Cool or Uncool. Sometimes they're hidden, but most of the time, it's pretty obvious. From the caste system in India, to the table situation in your kid's high school - the world has, oftentimes painfully, been segregating people one from another. Historically though, perhaps nothing has done it better than religion. Yet, in a sea of segregation, one voice calls across time, beckoning that "all" would come. This Sunday at Mendham Hills, we look at the inclusiveness of the call to cross the line of faith and be baptized.

The claim to be "a little bit pregnant" has always stood as the height of absurdity. Well, the truth is, it's the same with being a follower of Jesus - either you are or you're not. The Bible is pretty clear; at some point, you need to make a decision about what to do with Jesus. This week, as we begin to look towards our end-of-the-year baptism party, we look at "fence sitters and line crossers:" stories of people who hung around the edges of Jesus but never committed, and those who crossed the line of faith and were baptized. Have you crossed the line or are you still sitting on the fence? This Sunday, it's time to make a decision!

You know our reputation, don't you? Not ours at Mendham Hills necessarily, but Christians in general. If I went to the Green in Morristown and asked folks to give me one word to describe Christians, what do you think it would be? Well, as the saying goes - as much as things change, they stay the same. The early church was powerful and beautiful. It was taking Jerusalem by storm and shaking the gates of hell. But then came its first real threat. It did not come from Roman rulers or Temple leaders; it came from within. To this day, there is no force more powerful than the church, yet there is one thing that always threatens its purpose: hypocrites! This Sunday at Mendham Hills - how to handle hypocrisy and actually be who we say we are!

The science seems to have coalesced at this point regarding the key to happiness: Lower your expectations! Sure, there is some truth there that many of us do carry around some unrealistic expectations. Yet, if all we ever do is lower our expectations, then greatness, wonder, healing, achievement, and beauty wind up sacrificed on the altar of "ordinary." You, we, the people of God were created for anything but. We were made extra-ordinary, and maybe, just maybe, it's time to dream big dreams again! This Sunday, we look at the question: If we set our sights too low, do we get only what we expect?

Are You Haunted By What is to Come? Well, it's the final Sunday before Christmas Eve and as we all begin to look forward to that most special of nights, it is also time to turn our attention to the fourth ghost of Christmas - The Ghost of Christmases Yet to Come. Scrooge asks that ghost a particularly poignant question: "Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they the shadows of things that may be, only? Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, can the ends change?" And there you have it - the reason for Christmas, the point of the incarnation! All men are on a certain course. Our lives have a trajectory - can it be changed? Christmas reminds us that the answer is still YES!

The message of Christmas, embodied in the helpless Christ child born in a manger, was subversive and unnerving to the powers of the day. So much so that King Herod, fearing for his own kingdom, considered infanticide a right response. Charles Dickens, in A Christmas Carol, retells the same subversive message - Christmas still has the power to upend the kingdoms of man. This Sunday, we look at our present, this Christmas, and we ask the question, "Has anything really changed?" Jesus is still threatening kingdoms two thousand years later - sometimes even our own. Opening our eyes to the Ghost of Christmas Present, this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Ebeneezer wasn't always a scrooge. Sure, that was his last name, but it wasn't always his personality. He wasn't born greedy, selfish, and miserable. Yet, the circumstances he was born into and the choices he made in is life, the ghosts of his past, haunted him. The truth is that all of us have this in common with Scrooge; we all wrestle with the ghosts of our past. Regrets - we've all had a few, none of which we want to mention. The story of Christmas is not only about the birth of the One who would change our future, it is the truth of the One who can heal our past. Regrets turned to Redemption - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Jacob Marley had it all: wealth, fame, renown, and respect. All the things that make for a life well-lived, and then he died. He was gone and so was everything he had lived for. As we kick off our new Christmas series, "The Four Ghosts of Christmas," based on Charles Dickens' famous "A Christmas Carol," we look at business warnings from Marley's ghost. He told Scrooge, "Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence were all my business." This Christmas, the question is, what's yours?

This Sunday, we finish up our "The Reason for God" series with maybe the most difficult question of all: "How could a loving God send people to an eternal Hell?" Even within Christian circles, this topic has been much debated over the last few years. If this is a tough question for those of us who are committed to Jesus, imagine how hard it is for folks outside of the church to fathom. Yet, the question is important, and even more so is getting the answer right. So this week, we take a look at the question, the answer, and what it means for us as a church.

Ready for the next tough question about Christianity? "What gives you the right to tell me how to live my life?" It's a great question. After all, shouldn't each of us get to decide for ourselves how to live, and what is right and wrong? You have heard it said, "Just because it is right for you, doesn't mean it is right for me." In a culture founded on individual freedoms, how can Christianity and all of its rules make any sense? This Sunday, a new understanding of the basics as we try to comprehend - "What's with all the rules, anyway?"

Have you ever noticed how skeptical and suspicious people are? Can you blame them? It seems like every day there is a new scandal about a politician's abuse of power, an actor hiding a secret life, or someone in authority breaking a promise. It's hard to have faith and trust someone who is consistently untrustworthy. But does that same cynical attitude ever affect your faith? This week, we look at the "One" who is always faithful and who will take away our suspicions and skepticism and replace it with faith.

If you're not - if you struggle with the idea that goodness is the essence of His nature - you will also struggle with manifesting the spiritual fruit of "goodness". This Sunday, we'll explore what the Scripture teaches about goodness and why we get tripped up so often.

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." In a world and nation where people seem to be ever-increasingly consumed with themselves, is kindness and idea and characteristic of the past? This week, we continue our series, "Seeds of Change." Join us as we look at the little known (and hard to pronounce) Mephibosheth, and what the story of his life can teach us about the kindness of God.

"Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is 'timing.' It waits on the right time to act, for the right principles, and in the right way." -Fulton J. Sheen In a society that demands speed, we want everything fast, including justice. We want others to get what they deserve quickly, especially if we are the ones who have been wronged. Thankfully, God isn't like you and me. This week, we look at God's patience, long-suffering and long nose, as we continue our series, "Seeds of Change."

In John 14:27, Jesus tells us, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you." Anybody know where that gift is? When you read the headlines, it sure seems hard to find. But peace IS a fruit of the Spirit and millions of believers ARE finding this dynamic fruit of the Spirit is growing in their lives. Christ-followers are finding deep, life-changing peace even in the worst of times, the saddest of occasions, the most dangerous of places, and the most stressful of situations. So where can you find this fruit of the Spirit this summer? It's closer than you think.

This Fourth of July weekend, as we celebrate our freedom, here is a thought for you: "Everybody wants a revolution, but nobody is willing to die." In order for revolution to come, in order for there to be change on a grand scale, it usually requires the death of something else. This holiday weekend, as we seek change for ourselves and our lives and our destinies, what needs to die and what needs to be born? Did you know that one seed of change underpins an entire heart revolution? This Sunday we fire the first shot of our revolution!

This Sunday we launch our Summer series "Seeds of Change." With that in mind, it might be time for some pre-service self-examination. What is it that you would like to change? Which areas of your life need some growth or transformation? Maybe you have become cynical about your ability to change, or worse, given up hope. Tired of trying to be different and failing? This Sunday we kickoff our summer of change right in the middle of our changing sanctuary. Don't miss your summer take-home assignment, available this Sunday at MHCC!