Reading Leading to Sunday Dec 16, 2007

I Corinthians 13 - Jesus’ Purpose - Third Sunday in Advent

Another sermon about love, give me a break. Maybe you are like me, I tire of hearing the same old message dressed up in new clothes and spun forth as if it is an entirely new concept. Love can be like this. Preachers have over-sold the idea for years on end that our God is love and our lives are only fulfilled when we mimic God. Sometimes when I hear there is another sermon on love, I feel like going and laying in the weeds until the sermon is over. Baa Humbug, woe is me, if I have to endure one more sermon on love.

Oh, wait, I am the preacher. And I chose this topic and scripture passage because the context of the season allows us to experience the message in a new way, a new light, with a new heart. Oh my goodness, what was I thinking? Perhaps I was thinking that you have just come through a tough year and your ears and eyes are now open to the new/old story of God’s love come to offer us hope. Perhaps, I was thinking that this topic can be more than ever before; more muscle, more alive, more transformative. Perhaps, I was thinking I might be inspired to “go off” on this subject the way I feel in the depth of my heart that it deserves. Perhaps, I was just dreaming of eggnog instead of a better sermon topic for the third week in advent.

We all need a sermon to help move us gracefully through the final days before the big celebration of Christmas. We need something on which to focus which is bigger than us, bigger than even the holiday it’s self. We need an idea to grasp our attention, move our hearts, and offer peace into our lives. Just maybe love is the only topic, the only idea, worth offering especially right now, to help our souls move gracefully a little closer to home. Funny, even when I am lying in the weeds, I still hear the voice of the preacher, and I even raise my head to listen more carefully to a few words. And I smile. But that is just me.
Blessings, Dave Weesner

Sunday Worship
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13
Sermon Title: “Love is …”