Sermon Notes – Page 7

A Wedding and a Funeral

Posted on April 13, 2014April 14, 2014 by Alan

As many of you are probably aware, the reason Michelle, Augie, and I are here because of a planned marriage. It is institution that goes back to the very beginning of human time.

How do we know that? Because of an interesting conversation between our Lord and Savior and some first century religious leaders:

3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:3-6).

When two are wedded they are “one flesh”…and the ceremony is so joyous that many are often brought to tears of happiness.

Having said that, as we entered the last week before the scheduled nuptials, Michelle and I also got news about Jim—that the Lord is going to call him home potentially within the next few weeks. I got teary-eyed as I wrote those words in these sermon notes, and I am getting teary-eyed right now…as I suspect is true here of many others who love Jim and Gerry as much as Michelle and I do.

A wedding and a funeral…well, a funeral to soon be…

The promise of a new life together and the temporary separation…and let’s be sure to emphasize the word temporary…of two who shared those blessed vows so many years ago… Continue reading “A Wedding and a Funeral”

Eye-Service and the Fear of the Lord

Posted on February 9, 2014February 9, 2014 by Alan

Paul Gets Practical

We are now most of the way through our “walk about” in Colossians. This is talk number nine of eleven in the series, “Dear Least Important Church…”

And after reading today’s section, Colossians 3:18-4:1, I thought to myself, “Finally Paul is getting practical.” Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m not suggesting that everything that preceded this section wasn’t useful. However, when I read these verses they seemed pretty simple “dos” and “don’ts”…without being wrapped in deep theological thoughts. Let’s see if you agree as we review them together. Please turn with me to Colossians 3:18 and we’ll read through the first verse of chapter 4: Continue reading “Eye-Service and the Fear of the Lord”

Clothing for a Name

Posted on January 19, 2014January 19, 2014 by Alan

Royal Priesthood

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10).

If you’ve been a Christian any length of time, it is likely that you have heard those words…and they may instill in you both a sense of honor and feeling of unworthiness. Caught up in the hustle-and-bustle of daily life…along with all its various trials and tribulations…they are easy words to lose track of but awesome ones to remember.

You are a chosen race
You are a royal priesthood
You are a holy nation
You are a people for His own possession
You are God’s people

As we continue our “walk about” through Colossians with this eighth talk in the series “Dear Least Important Church…”…let’s remember those words from Peter as we hear these from Paul in today’s reading from Colossians 3:12-17:

Continue reading “Clothing for a Name”

Where You Once Walked

Posted on January 12, 2014January 12, 2014 by Alan

Ministry of Silly Walks

Although I didn’t really watch much Monty Python while it was being actively created, I have found a lot of what I have seen pretty funny. Now, by mentioning that show it doesn’t mean I recommend Christians imbibe it indiscriminately. They were talented comedians, but not apparently Christian ones…and there is some material that likely falls afoul of Psalm 101:3-4:

3 I will not set before my eyes

anything that is worthless.

I hate the work of those who fall away;

it shall not cling to me.

4 A perverse heart shall be far from me;

I will know nothing of evil.

In either case, one skit worth viewing is “The Ministry of Silly Walks.” Per Wikipedia:

“The Ministry of Silly Walks” is a sketch from the Monty Python comedy troupe’s television show Monty Python’s Flying Circus, episode 14, which is entitled “Face the Press”. The episode first aired in 1970. A shortened version of the sketch was performed for Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl. This sketch involves John Cleese as a bowler hatted civil servant in a fictitious British government ministry responsible for developing Silly Walks through grants. Cleese, throughout the sketch, walks in a variety of silly ways. It is these various silly walks, more than the dialogue, that has earned the sketch its popularity.¹

Since my sermons are presently only audio, I cannot give you a visual…especially since I have long legs and would knock stuff over in the room I’m preaching this in. 🙂

But it is funny…and came to mind with today’s sermon entitled “Where You Once Walked”—the 7 in an 11-part series on the book of Colossians.

Continue reading “Where You Once Walked”

Don’t Be a Sucker

Posted on January 5, 2014January 5, 2014 by Alan

Dear Least Important Church…

Before we jump into this week’s sermon I should probably give a quick review of the five that preceded it. Not the chronological quintet, but the previous pentad in the series it is a member of.

Today’s “Don’t Be a Sucker” is talk number six in “Dear Least Important Church…,” an expository look at Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The first five took us about half way through that book…and I highly recommend, if you haven’t already, that you listen to them (or at least review their sermon notes). I even more highly recommend you read Colossians entirely as we continue through it this year. Pretend you received it along with the original church. They didn’t, at least originally, go through it verse by verse…they likely excitedly read and heard it all at once!

Now, so as not to overly extend this intro (or the sermon itself) I’m only going to list the titles of the sermons plus their very final lines to give you a flavor. That will bring you up to where we jump back in today.

And, I should note, there has been about a 2 year interruption in my presenting the series…caused by a new job 3,000 miles away from the church I started preaching it in.

Ready to jump in? The five titles were:

“Dear Least Important Church…”
“Reacting to the News”
“The Invisible Materializing”
“Mystery Theater”
“The Debt Collector Is Calling”

And, respectively, their final lines were:

“Dear least important church, let’s talk about Jesus…”
“Dear least important church, we pray continuously you keep your eyes upon Jesus…”
“Dear least important church, Jesus is everything…and should be everything to you…”
“Dear least important church, let me explain a mystery to you…”
“Dear least important church, let’s talk about how we are going to take care of this debt of yours…”

In addition to those five, I did a “goodbye” talk for the Antrim Church of Christ that was not part of the series, but was connected. It was “Don’t Let an Earthquake Stop You” and ended with: “Dear least important church, I may be departing, but I leave you in far better hands…His hands…”

Continue reading “Don’t Be a Sucker”

“Mary Had a Little Lamb” Remixed

Posted on December 29, 2013December 29, 2013 by Alan

The Lamb Was Sure to Go…

If you’ve ever attempted to learn an instrument…something I’ve tried to do unsuccessfully more than once (a personal focus issue)…there is a good chance you’ve played the children’s song, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Actually, even if you aren’t a “wanna be” or real musician, it’s likely you have heard and/or sang this simple ditty. In the off chance you haven’t, it starts off with:

Mary had a little lamb
Little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleeces was white as snow

And everywhere that Mary went
Mary went, Mary went
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go¹

Not a whole bunch to it, eh? However, can’t you picture cute-as-a-button Mary, all dressed up for school (since we later find it accompanies her there), being followed by an adorable, fluffy little lamb?

Remixing it…

This sermon is going to be “Mary Had a Little Lamb” remixed…reversed…turned upside down…whatever you want to call it. First, instead of looking to a elementary children’s song, we’ll turn to a very weighty book of the Bible that may be a bit more than an ordinary child could handle:

14 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless (Revelation 14:1-5).

Continue reading ““Mary Had a Little Lamb” Remixed”

A father helping his son learn to ride a bicycle

Learning to Fly

Posted on December 22, 2013December 22, 2013 by Alan

Training Wheels

For Augie’s birthday this past August we purchased a new bicycle for him. His old one was getting a bit small, and a bike is always a great gift in my book. After having no luck at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Augie found one at Target he liked—I suspect the neon-like green on it was a factor. Into the bed of the truck it went…well, after we paid for it, of course. 🙂

Now, I knew we were taking a chance. The bicycle was the right size, but Augie had not actually learned to ride one yet…and there were no training wheels on this model. My hope was that if I took him to the paved play area at the elementary school (right next to our apartment complex) he’d learn quickly (and with minimal spills).

Let’s just say that it soon became clear that my hope wasn’t going be fulfilled. It’s not Augie’s fault; I hadn’t taken him out enough previously on his old bicycle. We had to switch back to his smaller bike with training wheels.

I’m sharing this with you because when I was, unsuccessfully, trying to get Augie to ride his new bicycle I noticed several reasons he did not succeed:

First, he didn’t even sense a need to balance.
Second, he plain just didn’t have the coordination.
And third, he didn’t focus (for instance, he would look over at other kids playing when he should have been looking at where he was going).

Basically, as much as he liked riding the birthday bicycle he wasn’t ready to do it on his own, and he needed training wheels.

There is a sermon hidden in there somewhere…

Of course, a preacher doesn’t need even this much to have something to spawn a sermon from. 🙂

I would suggest that Augie’s experience can be analogized to the spiritual…and let’s see how together…

Continue reading “Learning to Fly”

A Bible, quill, and a picture of Mary and a young Jesus

Pondering With Mary

Posted on December 15, 2013December 15, 2013 by Alan

“Dan, we’ll wait for you…”

I think most parents have moments where their child makes them proud—where their youngster’s act or accomplishment confirms the thing that every other parent should realize—that there kid is the absolute greatest. 🙂

And I have been blessed by God with four awesome children including what was a surprise addition to our family, Augie, who is now six years old.

Every Saturday morning, usually around 9:00, Augie and I head to a local Burger King with the ever-so-important play area and have breakfast. If you’ve ever had Burger King’s hash browns properly smothered in ketchup you’ll understand why. 🙂

(Although for those listening in Antrim, New Hampshire…we’d really still prefer to go to T-Bird.)

After we are done eating, more often then not we head into the play area. Augie especially enjoys his time in it when there are other kids…needless to say dad is a bit too big to join him. 🙂

Well, a few weeks back he was playing with a girl a couple years junior to him when another child, not sure exactly what his name was…perhaps Dan…came into the room and raced over the the play area. The boy’s dad quickly spoke up, “Dan, aren’t you going to take your shoes off first?”

Next thing I hear Augie say to the little girl, “We should wait for Dan” followed by him turning toward the shoe rack and saying, “Dan, we’ll wait for you.”

After which they both sat down and…well…waited for Dan.

You could say that I “treasured up” Augie’s words and action…and that I “pondered them in [my] heart.”

Wouldn’t you? If you are a parent, what have your kids done that you were similarly both proud and amazed by?

I’ll be telling that story about Augie the rest of his life. And considering what age does to memory, my friends may hear it a myriad times. 🙂

Continue reading “Pondering With Mary”

Yeah, Well, Consider the Source

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Alan

Bad Compliments

What is the worst compliment you've ever gotten?

Does that seem like a strange question? Doesn't it seem like I should be asking, "What is the best compliment you've ever received?"

Well, before I did some quick research on compliments I didn't realize just how many categories of bad compliments there are. For instance, I knew of "damned by faint praise." An example of that would be at the end of this sermon I ask you how I did and all you say is, "I liked your tie." 🙂

Thanks mainly to a site called TV Tropes I learned there were many more types of negative compliments. For example, there is one similar to "damned by faint praise" called "overly narrow superlative." You may have kiddingly used this one yourself…for instance, if you said to your only aunt, "You are my favorite aunt!" TV Tropes' myriad examples included "This Buzzfeed article about UHF: 29 Reasons 'UHF' Is The Greatest Weird Al Movie About A Fake TV Station Ever."¹

Just how many movies do you think fit in "Weird All movies about a fake TV station?" 🙂

Or perhaps you've heard of (or provided or received) a backhanded compliment? On Askville by Amazon, these were a few of my favorites:

Continue reading “Yeah, Well, Consider the Source”

God Will

Posted on December 1, 2013December 1, 2013 by Alan

“Man Will” Versus “God Will”

We’ll start off this sermon with a disconcerting set of verses from James…James 4:13-16 to be specific:

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Anyone listening right now have great plans? You know exactly what you are going do today…tomorrow…and maybe years down the road?

In those verses, an inspired James reminds us that no matter what we think we are going to accomplish, we are at the mercy of our mortality. You and I may not even be alive at the end of this talk.

Well, I suppose…with me…if the Lord calls me home…then that is the end of the talk. 🙂

Continue reading “God Will”

Ya Got Trouble

Posted on September 22, 2013September 22, 2013 by Alan

Navy Yard

Quoting from USA Today’s “Moment by Moment: How the Navy Yard Shooting Unfolded”:

For more than 30 agonizing minutes, Aaron Alexis stalked his human prey with a 12-gauge shotgun, eluding several attempts by law enforcement officers to gun him down, police said Tuesday.

Details emerging about the chaotic morning of violence at the Washington Navy Yard paint a picture of man with a calculated plan bent on indiscriminately killing as many people as he could.

He slayed 12 before police ended his life in a gunbattle.¹

I suspect everyone sitting here who pays attention to the news is aware of what the story I just quoted from is about. This past Monday, September 16, 2013…in a very determined way…an apparently mentally troubled man decided to kill as many people as he could at the Washington Navy Yard. In the end, 13 people, including the murderer himself, had their lives cut short.

And, as most everyone could have predicted, immediately the horrendous, inexcusable crime was used as an excuse to call for more gun control.

Don’t worry, I am not here to debate the merits, or lack thereof, of additional gun control. However, in one of her radio shows this week, Janet Mefferd said…and this is not an exact quote since I listen while in bed and not at my desk with pen and paper…

We don’t need more gun control laws. We need more pastors preaching, “Thou shalt not kill.”

Do I Really Need to…?

What do you think? Is that radio host right?

I mean, is there anyone here today who has any question that what Aaron Alexis did was wrong?

Continue reading “Ya Got Trouble”

Please Return to the catholic Church

Posted on September 15, 2013September 15, 2013 by Alan

Happy Birthday President Taft!

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, today is the birthday of our 27 President, William Howard Taft. If he were still alive, he’d be a spritely 157 years old.

Not only that, but it’s the birthday of:

Tommy Lee Jones (66)
Oliver Stone (66)
Dan Marino (51)
Prince Harry (28)
Agatha Christy (whose books I enjoy and who helped inspire my sermon, “And Then There Were None,” would have been 123)¹

Of course, the history of a day isn’t limited to birthdays, and The Old Farmer’s Almanac also notes (in part) that on this day:

Continue reading “Please Return to the catholic Church”

Steppin’ Stone

Posted on September 8, 2013December 6, 2013 by Alan

Escaping

Is anyone here that also has felt that a perfect life would be a log cabin in the middle of nowhere—a million miles away from the hustle-and-bustle of modern times?

Totally unplugged and just communing with nature and God?

Go ahead and throw in space in your cabin for your loved ones…that is, if you want to. 🙂

Especially when it comes to spiritual growth, doesn’t it just seem that it would be so much easier if you didn’t have the stressors around you? No annoying neighbors? No bills arriving faster than income? No impossible deadlines at work? Nobody treating your Christianity as a disease on society?

Just you, your Bible, and God?

Continue reading “Steppin’ Stone”

If It Wasn’t for Bad Luck…

Posted on August 4, 2013August 10, 2013 by Alan

Ray Charles

Preaching back in Antrim, New Hampshire I was famous for quoting songs in my sermons…and sometimes having them be the actual inspiration for the talk.

Or perhaps it might be more accurate to say I was infamous for it 🙂

In either case, don’t worry…I’m not going to start singing up here. I already like all of you too much to do that. 🙂

However, I am going to quote the late Ray Charles, who famously…and quite soulfully…sang:

If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all.¹

Do you ever feel that way? That nothing…at least nothing major…ever goes right for you?

That if you get mail it’s going to be a bill?
That if you are going to hear from your boss it is because he or she is mad at you…and you didn’t do anything wrong?
That if you get a call from long distance family it’s going to be to tell you someone has died, has cancer, or some other awful news?
That the one time you don’t watch the speedometer closely you are guaranteed to see flashing lights in your review mirror?

What else would you add to the list? How long is your list?

I suspect there are some sitting here before me who aren’t being unreasonable to feel that way. The last half-decade has been especially hard on many of us, and it seems tragedy is striking closer to home…and more often. As a church family we still mourn the recent loss of Tyler…who should be in our pews instead of in our memories. I’m sure there are others of us who are fighting a disease whose outcome isn’t yet sure. Still others may not know how they are going to pay their upcoming rent or mortgage.

In our sin-scarred world there seems to be one thing that is as sure as death and taxes:

We will suffer.

Continue reading “If It Wasn’t for Bad Luck…”

My Very Last Sermon Ever

Posted on March 10, 2013March 23, 2013 by Alan

This is it…

The title of this sermon, “My Very Last Sermon Ever,” is likely an exaggeration, but this is the very last time I’ve been scheduled to preach anywhere. Michelle, Augie, and I don’t yet know what church we’ll be attending in the Denver area, and there is a pretty good chance they won’t be in need of a preacher. As such, I’ve been thinking about what I would say if I knew for sure this was it…that I’d never get to stand before others in the body of Christ on a Sunday to provide a lesson.

I am reminded that Paul was in a similar, albeit much more severe, situation when he wrote today’s Scripture to his son in Christ, Timothy. Let’s turn together to 2 Timothy 4:1-6 and see what the Apostle to the Gentiles had to say:

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come (2 Timothy 4:1-6).

Now, obviously, I cannot claim to be “being poured out as a drink offering” — I am moving because of a new (ols) job God has blessed me with (again). Also, my “departure” is far less significant than the one Paul was speaking of. I’ll be climbing into a Nissan Frontier along with Michelle, Augie, Bear, Granite, and Sunny…and the last three will probably be drugged a bit to lesson the impact of an 1,800 mile trip.

We’ll see a couple days in if Michelle wishes she had been drugged. 🙂

Continue reading “My Very Last Sermon Ever”