Read: Matthew 22 - 23
Our world clamors for a word by which we can live. Our world demands a thought, a sound bite, which offers the fullness of life in one digestible morsel. Over and over in my pastoral life persons have begged for the correct path, the best way, to travel for the next few days or weeks. My answer usually leaves folks under whelmed. And I feel much like Jesus must have felt when he told the rich young ruler to go and sell all his possessions and then come and follow. The path, the word, the thought to live by is simple, not complex. It is quite accessible and not some hidden secret code. There is no conspiracy theory leading us to a yet unknown conclusion.
Jesus was asked by some leaders of the church, who were trying to trap him, what he believed to be the greatest commandment. Jesus responded by offering back to them a saying known as the Shema. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and your entire mind.” Now that was the correct answer for those who would trap Jesus with words, however, this was the correct answer and so they were silenced.
Words, however important they might sound, were not what Jesus was offering for an answer. He was telling them that the actions the words attempt to describe are the real commandments. To speak with grace is one thing, to act gracefully is quite another. Which do you think God honors, our words or our actions? Or perhaps the better question, which honors God more? Can you see the subtle, but important difference? When we act with God in our hearts, we are moving just a little closer to home.
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Matthew 22:34-46
Sermon Title: “The Great Commandment”
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Wisdom and Knowledge
Wisdom and knowledge two sides of the same coin. One will answer questions, the other will question answers. Now, which is which?
Thursday, October 02, 2008
It is Fall
I rate fall as one of my favorite seasons. It has color and crisp feeling frosty mornings. It comes right after summer and I tend to get bored with summer after a while. Green, green, green. How many green and growing days in a row can a guy take? I like my late summer tomato’s however. And the entire gardens produce. I will miss the smell of an early morning summer showers and the wonder of full summer sunsets. Yes, summer is good too, one of my favorites. Spring now there is a strange season. Mud everywhere and the weather is so unpredictable that I never know what to wear for sure. Spring has flowers shooting through the last snow, and an explosion of new life colors upon the bare landscape of grey dull winter. Spring is one of my favorite seasons. Winter is hard, cold, and basic. Survive or else. The snow can be so brutal and unforgiving. But have you ever noticed that when those cold hard storms come, they are also breathtakingly beautiful? I like to get cozy and rest during a winter storm. For sure, winter is also one of my favorite seasons. But this is fall; and did I tell you it is one of my favorite seasons?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Notes for Sunday October 12, 2008
Read: I Timothy
Some have asked if I was planning to preach on upcoming presidential election. I said no. They wondered about my preferences and ideas. I said it would not be in the best interest of the kingdom of God to use the pulpit to share my personal thoughts. Our non-profit status also assumes we will not choose sides in the political debate. However, just because we are considered a non-profit, I sincerely hope we are also not considered a non-prophet organization. As I considered my role, our congregation, and the national figures on voter registration, I have changed my mind and decided to preach about the election.
Now before you go red or blue on me, let me assure you I will be attempting to offer a prophetic voice in regards to the Christian responsibility in voting. I will not be lifting one party or one candidate over another. As Christians, there are just some things we should be clear about before we go into the last weeks of an election which will lead us into a new place in our history as a nation.
I am looking forward to an interesting sermon. You can e-mail or text me your thoughts to the following question this week as I prepare. As a Christian, what is our responsibility in voting? I trust God the answer will bring us all just a little closer to home.
Worship Next Week
Scripture: I Timothy 2:1-2
Sermon Title: “A Word on Voting”
Some have asked if I was planning to preach on upcoming presidential election. I said no. They wondered about my preferences and ideas. I said it would not be in the best interest of the kingdom of God to use the pulpit to share my personal thoughts. Our non-profit status also assumes we will not choose sides in the political debate. However, just because we are considered a non-profit, I sincerely hope we are also not considered a non-prophet organization. As I considered my role, our congregation, and the national figures on voter registration, I have changed my mind and decided to preach about the election.
Now before you go red or blue on me, let me assure you I will be attempting to offer a prophetic voice in regards to the Christian responsibility in voting. I will not be lifting one party or one candidate over another. As Christians, there are just some things we should be clear about before we go into the last weeks of an election which will lead us into a new place in our history as a nation.
I am looking forward to an interesting sermon. You can e-mail or text me your thoughts to the following question this week as I prepare. As a Christian, what is our responsibility in voting? I trust God the answer will bring us all just a little closer to home.
Worship Next Week
Scripture: I Timothy 2:1-2
Sermon Title: “A Word on Voting”
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Notes for Sunday October 05, 2008
Read: Luke 15
When we think of the empty nest we instinctively think of the parents and their adjustment to an empty bedroom. Our first thoughts are about the family when one member leaves and the changing dynamics of schedule and space. We consider the primary unit as the most important part. However, the one who has moved, left the family nest, is also in stress. Just perhaps we are missing the real need if we look only to the parents and the family unit.
To leave home is stressful. It is also exciting and full of promise. Most of us were scared out of our wits about leaving our homes. I remember standing on the Iowa State University campus looking out at the moving mass of people during a class break thinking to myself, “What am I doing here?” I was afraid of failure, but was also just as afraid of success. I experienced some of both. We all do.
A word from home, a note of encouragement, home-baked cookies in a foil lined box can mean the difference between lost and found. What would it cost you to write a note to the kid down the block who has left home this fall? What would it cost you to offer a note of encouragement to a young person whom you may have never met, but understand because we are all human in our feelings and emotions. Has it been so long since you were the new chick pushed out of the nest that you have forgotten the anxiety and fear that accompanies this step in life?
In the story of the lost son, there are actually two sons who are lost. One has physically left home; the other has stayed physically, but left home in his heart. Now let the sermon begin, bringing us all just a little closer to home.
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Luke 15:11-32
Sermon Title: “The Empty Nest II
When we think of the empty nest we instinctively think of the parents and their adjustment to an empty bedroom. Our first thoughts are about the family when one member leaves and the changing dynamics of schedule and space. We consider the primary unit as the most important part. However, the one who has moved, left the family nest, is also in stress. Just perhaps we are missing the real need if we look only to the parents and the family unit.
To leave home is stressful. It is also exciting and full of promise. Most of us were scared out of our wits about leaving our homes. I remember standing on the Iowa State University campus looking out at the moving mass of people during a class break thinking to myself, “What am I doing here?” I was afraid of failure, but was also just as afraid of success. I experienced some of both. We all do.
A word from home, a note of encouragement, home-baked cookies in a foil lined box can mean the difference between lost and found. What would it cost you to write a note to the kid down the block who has left home this fall? What would it cost you to offer a note of encouragement to a young person whom you may have never met, but understand because we are all human in our feelings and emotions. Has it been so long since you were the new chick pushed out of the nest that you have forgotten the anxiety and fear that accompanies this step in life?
In the story of the lost son, there are actually two sons who are lost. One has physically left home; the other has stayed physically, but left home in his heart. Now let the sermon begin, bringing us all just a little closer to home.
Worship Next Week
Scripture: Luke 15:11-32
Sermon Title: “The Empty Nest II
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