Miami Beach Community Church

Musical Selection - "Breathe On Me"http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Sermon text unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.The Rev. Dr. Garth R. Thompson Pastor, M.B. Community ChurchA sermon is a simple truth told by someone whobelieves it to people he knows and loves (Phillips Brooks)January 13th, 2008 10:30 a.m.May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our heartsbe acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Musical Selection - "Rise Up Shepherd and Follow"http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Sermon text unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.The Rev. Dr. Garth R. Thompson Pastor, M.B. Community ChurchA sermon is a simple truth told by someone whobelieves it to people he knows and loves (Phillips Brooks)January 6th, 2008 10:30 a.m. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our heartsbe acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Musical Selection - "There Is No Rose"http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Musical Selection - Handelhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Sermon text unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.The Rev. Dr. Garth R. Thompson Pastor, M.B. Community Church. A sermon is a simple truth told by someone whobelieves it to people he knows and loves (Phillips Brooks)December 23, 2007 10:30 a, m. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our heartsbe acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Musical Selection - "Patiently"http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Musical Selection - "I Belive O Lord"http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

"New Lives For Old""When it was the right time, John the Baptizer began tellingpeople a message from God" - so says our Scripture lesson today.John the Baptist (as we call him) is obviously known for baptizing people.Actually, he should be remembered for his message - he should be "Johnthe Preacher" not "John the Baptizer" because it was his direct,confrontational preaching that made people remember him. It was hispreaching mouth that got him in trouble, not his baptizing hands. Hismessage? Repent! He told Herod, the ruler of Galilee to repent fortaking his brother's wife, Herodias, as his own. Herodius plotted with herdancing daughter to have John's head - literally - killed as if he were anannoying gnat flying about in the royal box.But Jesus said, "The truth is that John the Baptizer" is greaterthan anyone who has ever come into this world."...(John 11:11)"Before John came, the law of Moses and all the prophets toldabout the things that would happen. And if you believe what theysaid, then John is Elijah. H

"What's New?!"Happy New Year! This is the beginning of the church year -which begins with the season of Advent - filled with the anticipation of thearrival of Christ into the world. He came and He comes again - wheneverwe invite Him. Even the saints like to have an invitation - a welcome.But Jesus was rejected while still in the womb - the Inn was fullyou remember - and his mother delivered him in the stable - among thefriendly animals. Animals know so much more than we give them creditfor - witness the animals who went to higher ground before the gigantictsunami. How does my god know to go which day to go the door to waitfor the maid to come - whom she loves dearly because Elsa stays homeand keeps her company all day, whereas I run off to church. How do theswallows find Capistrano? How do pengins know where to march to?In this world of ours, there's a miracle around every corner -something new to be discovered - something different to understand.Jesus was something new - something different - we've neverquit

Musical Selection - Jonathan Burton performs "I Will Sing New Songs" by Dvorakhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

"KING ME!"When I came to this community 33 years ago, Miami Beach wason a downward spiral - which had a very negative effect on the church.The congregation dwindled, the funds lessened. I realized that I wouldhave to be the glue to hold things together until the City itself turned around.That came to my mind when I read this commentary on ourScripture lesson from the first chapter of Colossians: "The historicalJesus is here being proclaimed as that grand beginning point of awhole new creation that will displace the old. In verse 17, the mostsweeping claim for this new king of creation is that "all things holdtogether in him" Christ the King is the glue that keeps the cosmostogether."I don't know about you, but I think we're hanging on by a thread-as a result of the direction in which we're going ecologically and politically- we could drown ourselves or blow ourselves up if we don't change.The Apostle, Paul could pray the same prayer for us he prayed for theColossians: "This is what we pray - that you will kno

"WHO'S THE GOOD GUY?!"If I were to choose a hymn to go with the Scripture today - Luke18:9-14. in which the hated tax collector is shown mercy and the selfrighteousness religious leader is sent away without any, I would chooseAmazing Grace.Growing up as we do in a tit for tat world, where the good shouldbe rewarded and the bad should be condemned, we just don't understandthe way God does things. God saves those we would damn, and setsfree those we would capture. God restores those whom we might leavebroken. While we set about to be righteous and look down upon thosewho have not climbed to our heights, God is busy blessing the unrighteous,and calling our self righteousness into question. God's Grace IS amazingand downright disgusting - depending upon where we placedourselves in the Scripture. God's Mercy is unfathomable exceptperhaps to those who need it most.The wretched tax collector who collected from his fellow Jewswhat taxes Rome required and a lot more that he could get away with tokeep for himself, fina

Musical Selection - For the Beauty of the Earthhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Musical Selectionhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

"Jesus - With Me, It's All Or Nothing!"Climb Every Mountain! Jesus has given us a very high mountainto climb - asking us in today's Scripture, Luke 14:25-33, to leaveeverything to follow him - loving him more than you love your " father,mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters - even more than yourown life." "If you come to me, but will not leave your family youcannot be my follower" or to say it another way, WITH ME IT'SALL OR NOTHING!I thought a little about that when finishing seminary. It wasn't likeI was going back home to Ohio - my first call was in Wisconsin, thesecond in San Juan, Puerto Rico and the third in Miami Beach Florida!My calling would keep me long distances from father, mother, brotherssisters, nieces, nephews - all. But it was the only way I could do what Iwas called to do.Jesus did not mean that we must all leave our families. He simplymeant that we must give first priority to our spiritual task - to being aperson of Spirit. You are here on this planet to grow your Spirit and to bea f

Musical Selectionhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch

Musical Selectionhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch