Sermon: Jana Hall

What Disciples Do: "Sharing Jesus with Integrity-Disciples Seek Disciples"

 

This weekend we are excited to welcome a special guest speaker to the pulpit as we continue our What Disciples Do worship series.  Jana Hall is one of our own--a former member of Peace Youth. You don't want miss this Sunday!

Jana was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Kissimmee, Florida. She earned her B.S. in Public Relations at the University of Florida in 2011 and relocated to Nashville a year later. She recently matriculated from Vanderbilt University Divinity School with a Master of Divinity.

During her time at Vanderbilt Divinity School, Jana's passion for social justice and desire to respond faithfully to God's call to ministry flourished. Having discerned an emphasis in her call to ministry on advocacy for people with disabilities, particularly the Deaf and hard of hearing, she began to learn American Sign Language. Jana earned honors distinctions in her field work studying the impact of faith in the lives of people with disabilities at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

Jana continues to respond faithfully to God's call to ministry, preaching and teaching the gospel, and living out the gospel in daily life. In 2014 she married Lee Perkins, an ordained elder in the Church of God in Christ. Together they enjoy spending time with family, traveling and sightseeing, watching movies and staying active in the community's quest for social justice.

 

Scripture: Luke 15:1-10 - The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

3 So he told them this parable: 4 "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 "Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

 

Synopsis: Many mainline Christians are suspicious of evangelism (that's church-speak for sharing Jesus with people and inviting them to church).  A lot of us have been turned off by obnoxious and inappropriate evangelism, so we neglect it altogether.  Yet it is apparent that reaching disconnected, discouraged, and hopeless people was a huge priority for Jesus.  He once said, "For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost" (Luke 19:10).  By living out our faith in word and deed, by building relationships that show we care, and by inviting others to join us on our journey, we can share God's grace with relevance and integrity.