Grace UMC (Franklin, IN) Sermon Podcast

About Grace UMC (Franklin, IN) Sermon Podcast

Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, Indiana is a body of people who are caring together and growing together. We gather weekly for worship to offer gratitude and celebrate all that God is doing in and through us as we connect with ministry outreach programming that supports several dozen local, state, nation, and world-wide organizations. We believe we are called to walk with and serve the under-served, unhoused, and under-represented people of this world because that is what Jesus Christ did and empowered us with the Holy Spirit to go and do as his church. www.franklingrace.org

Publisher

Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, Indiana

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Jul 2023

Latest episode

27 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

130 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Sept 2026

   SERMON | Matthew 21:23-32 & Philippians 2:1-13 | MENDED 3. "Humility" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, Indiana

   SERMON | Matthew 21:23-32 & Philippians 2:1-13 | MENDED 3. "Humility" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, Indiana So much of the message I have received over the years of my path toward a mended heart emphasized behavior over inner-motivation. So much of what we see around us from the Big C Church emphasizes saying the right thing at the right time…and then turning the emphasis volume down when it’s convenient. This IS our journey toward a mended heart. We know what we should be about, but it’s hard to actually make ourselves about it when it gets tough. If we’re honest, our behavior doesn’t match what we know we should be about ALL OF THE TIME. Sometimes we realize just how hard humility is. We realize how difficult the truth is to face—when it will cost us some honor, or pride, or reputation… Or simply works against what we want in the moment. But let me be clear, failure to remain in humility is not something we should condemn. Struggling with behavior is not a failure of faith. We’ve already confessed to the room that we are not perfect. The question we should ask ourselves when we’ve said “yes” with our lips, but then “no” with our actions is not “am I a terrible person…a hypocrite…or evil.” The question we should ask is, “What can I learn from this about myself?” Or… “How can I reflect on what happened in the moment that led me to resist what I knew to be right?” Or… “How did I lose sight of even asking, ‘what is right here by God’?” A path toward a mended heart is not some straight and broad path—as much as we might feel like it should be for ourselves and others. The path toward a mended heart is narrow…and full of twists, turns, and steep hills. It’s a hard path to find on our own—impossible, really, to find by ourselves. That’s the whole point of faith and prayer and learning to allow the Spirit to lead us—we NEED help. We NEED God. We NEED grace and mercy and forgiveness every single step of the way. And, we have good news to remind us that’s okay. But…as we try… As we truly humble ourselves… As we strive… As we struggle… As we orient ourselves toward honest motivation… We can know that our imperfect effort is enough. God is really interested in our motivation and intent. Paul says that partnership with the Spirit and experience of love from God in Christ comes from us as individuals leaning into humility in our inward journey of faith…extending that humility outward. Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to you down interests, but to the interests of others. Paul says this kind of mind is the same that was in Christ. He then gives us this beautiful poem about the mind of Christ, who gave up all privilege and power and status and peace to come to us in the flesh… To humble himself… To allow humanity’s resistance to God’s way to put him on the cross. This humility of Christ putting humanity before himself is the basis upon which he was exalted above all of Creation itself—as worthy of being called “divine”…as God’s-self in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, the Messiah/King/Christ, could’ve lorded himself over us because he IS God… But he didn’t. Instead of sitting on a throne of power and might, Jesus left all of that worldly power and might and allowed us to put him on a cross. Jesus revealed true power and true might as God defines them…in complete humility and servanthood to the world. He cast off all status and honor we might still like to assign him as we define them and, he redefines status and honor altogether. First becomes last… Greatest becomes least… Power and might become humility and love. THIS is the image of God Jesus showed us. THIS is the will of God Jesus displayed. And through Christ’s example we learn: only through humility and love can the world ever be reconciled together completely with God’s Realm.

2. 

   20 Sept 2026

   SERMON | Jonah 3:11-4:10 & Matthew 20:1-16 | MENDED - 2. "Gratitude" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, Indiana

   SERMON | Jonah 3:11-4:10 & Matthew 20:1-16 | MENDED - 2. "Gratitude" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, Indiana Grace is hard. Grace isn’t just—by definition it is not just. But…I wonder… If maybe the whole point of our faith is to help us let go of our own idea of justice so that we can come to see that God’s justice is basically just grace. Nobody here deserves what we have, if we really think about it… And I am not just talking about God’s grace in our lives. I made choices along the way, sure, but so much of my life is a product of grace. I am blessed with my talents, desires, and abilities. I am blessed with the opportunity to explore, develop, and make a career of sharing them with others. Plenty of things have gone wrong. Plenty of tragedies have occurred. Plenty of my days are stressful, hard, and frustrating. But it’s all a gift. My best days are had when I remember to have gratitude. My best seasons are when I am not keeping track of what I’ve done compared to someone else. My greatest moments of peace come when I remember just how blessed I really am: health, family, friends, food, shelter, a community that isn’t being bombed by some outside nation or group, a faith that continues to open me up to a much deeper and more fulfilling humanity, and the ability to serve and serve alongside others. When I start with what I’m grateful for…my troubles don’t feel as heavy. When I remember that all I’ve come to know and see about God, myself, and my world and how much it has truly allowed me to let go of so many things that could never offer me what I’ve found in faith…I am so grateful. This is where I START…but it’s good for my soul if I don’t stop there: Now…the extremely blessed place in which I now reside in the world affords me the opportunity to do something with my blessings. I can use my voice and experiences to help serve and share and bless in return. I can take what I’ve been given, which is everything, and offer it back in a multitude of gifts and offerings—in EVERY way in which I am given the opportunity. Giving back is where we truly find fulfillment. Giving back is where we truly find meaning. Giving back is where we truly experience a mending of our hearts. Giving back is really just holding my gifts in proper relationship…because they aren’t mine in the first place. Giving back is founded upon GRATITUDE But if you’re like Peter…and keeping score… If you’re like Jonah…and determining worthiness… Then there will be frustrating days ahead when you will reject just how gracious our God really is—and that will affect your ability to truly connect with God. Let’s choose gratitude. Let’s be grateful for all we have and not worry about what someone else has or what we might or might not be given. Let’s use our gifts to help make the world a better place so that those who aren’t afforded the same opportunities might encounter the grace of God personified in the landowner in us. This means we must personify God’s mercy the best we can—especially to those who simply don’t know any better. We allow the grace GIVEN to us to be the foundation upon which we stand when we live our lives among others. grace always disarms entitlement, ignorance, and hatred Grace allows us to live in a world of Peters and Jonah in such a way that we don’t get caught up in their game…and, perhaps, they can get caught up in our attitude of gratitude. May we see those who are less fortunate, for whatever reason, and shower them with grace so that they might always have what they need. May we love those who are less aware of how mixed up they really are in their own sense of humanity, entitlement, ignorance, and gratitude. Let us choose…every day…to start with gratitude… …So that our gratitude may lead us forward into the fullness of the grace that God longs to show us.

3. 

   13 Sept 2026

   SERMON | Matthew 18:21-35 & Romans 14:1-6 | MENDED: 1. "Forgiveness" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, Indiana

   We can be SO OBSESSED with hunting down the splinters in each others’ eyes instead of dealing with the log in our own. This obsession is a symptom of a wounded heart. This obsession is a symptom of a life in need of grace. Are we willing to let go? Are we ready to live our lives on the path to a heart mended by beginning with understanding just how much we are already forgiven? A good place to start is our own sense of self-identity with the truth of God’s grace? Do we understand the our God has compassion for us? Because God understands that we have lived our entire lives in a mixture of broken systems. we’ve been born and raised in a world that keeps track We are surrounded by leaders and messages and even theologies that tell us it’s okay to keep track—that the best way to live is with ledgers. But there IS another way. God already relates to us in that other way. God’s grace is present with us to lead us into that other way if we are willing to let go of the way of ledgers and keeping track. And…forgiveness is not only about the past. There’s also foregiveness: Romans 14 is Paul’s appeal to the churches in Rome who have differing ideas about what it means to be faithful they don’t agree!! Paul says, “You don’t have to agree. That is not what we are called to do.” What matters to God is not if you agree with each other, but if you are living as faithfully to God as you can in your own heart so that we can live together as family. If a particular practice or behavior is truly right or wrong for you in your own heart, then act accordingly. And…trust others to act accordingly, too. (Trust God’s grace in your own life…and in others’ lives, too) This doesn’t mean we permit anything and everything… This isn’t an argument by Paul that everything is relative… This a way to live right HERE and NOW that doesn’t keep track. This about how to trust God’s grace through the Holy Spirit to get us all where we need to go. Some people in our church are less developed in their faith: They are new… They are young in their faith… They are growing… They simply haven’t had the experience to understand all that they WILL one day when they have more experience and understanding. So…until then…we are all to welcome each other into our space as we are… Doing EVERYTHING we can to help each other learn and grow in our faith. Those who are more experienced…more developed…more capable…stronger in their faith are to enter this space with less expectation of everyone… …focused more on how to nurture unity than uniformity… …giving of themselves to show love and grace and encouragement… This is FORE-giveness. This is how to live with a heart being mended. And it all begins with understanding our own reality in God’s grace. God has been at work through the Holy Spirit in all of our lives from the beginning. God has worked in countless ways—some of which we are aware and some of which we are not. Regardless… A life of faith inevitably brings us to the awareness of God’s grace at work for us. My siblings, when we can start our day… Start a conversation… Start the discernment process about someone who has wronged us… Start an interaction with other people being founded upon God’s grace in our own lives, it changes everything.

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