As we enter into a New Year, I am looking forward to a new sermon series called “Leading Causes of Life”. We often hear the term “leading causes of death” to refer to trends in the ways that people are dying–such as cancer, heart disease, suicide, accidents, etc. Dr. Peggy Battin, the guest speaker at the November Women’s Spiritual Formation gathering, had an interesting observation: nowadays death is caused by long-term illnesses and diseases that require “management” over the course of several years. For example, instead of dying of diseases such as polio or scarlet fever which took their course fairly quickly, people now find themselves dealing with cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure over the course of several years. Advancements in medicine enable us to manage disease.
Instead of being focused on death, our sermon series will focus on life. What causes life? Not just existence, but Life, with a capital “L”. Jesus Christ was an expert on the factors that bring us Life and has many lessons to teach us. Gary Gunderson’s book Leading Causes of Life with be the basis of my sermons. I invite you to find a copy and read along! I look forward to worshiping with you as we experience God’s blessing in the new year!
Rev. Elizabeth
First United Methodist Church 