by Chris Walters | Jan 31, 2016 | Politics, Sermons, Theology
When is the last time you ran so fast that you were totally out of breath? Maybe you’re a runner. Maybe you workout and regularly push yourself to your physical limits. That would be a good thing, to keep yourself in shape. But when is the last time your ran so fast...
by Chris Walters | Dec 13, 2015 | Church Culture, Justice, Sermons
The following is a poem I wrote as the message for the third Sunday in Advent. The Chancel Choir sang the parts in bold, and I recited the poetry in between. Sing we now of Christmas … Noel, sing we here! Hear our grateful praises … to the babe so dear....
by Chris Walters | Nov 22, 2015 | History, Sermons
Fifty-two years ago today, November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in his motorcade in Dallas. The Cold War was at its most tense; it was one year after the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. Many people feared the assassination was...
by Chris Walters | Sep 20, 2015 | Sermons, Theology
I was in eighth grade when I first learned about the major types of narrative conflict. We were reading Jack London’s The Call of the Wild, and I remember how frustrated I became when there were different opinions about what was the main type of narrative conflict in...
by Chris Walters | Jul 12, 2015 | Bible, Church Culture, Methodism, Sermons
Recently I read a report from United Methodist Communications titled, “What Does It Mean to Be United Methodist?” This report summarizes the results of a survey conducted of 1250 United Methodists, including 400 lay members, 350 lay church leaders (i.e. past or...
by Chris Walters | May 3, 2015 | Science, Sermons, Theology
(This sermon was titled “Dependence to Service” and coincided with Plainfield’s Big Serve:Change the World, a community-wide effort to serve through numerous projects. The scriptures were Isaiah 5:1-7 and John 15:1-8.) The last time the lower 48...