Narrowing Down Our Responsibilities I assume most of us here today are very familiar with the story of the good Samaritan. To conserve time we won’t read it all, but let’s turn together to Luke 10:25-29 and see what led up to it: 25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test,…
Category: Sermon Notes
Oops There Goes Another Rubber Tree Plant
Clouds on a sunny day I’ll admit I’ve been feeling guilty lately. It seems to me that most of my recent bulletin articles and sermons have been less-than-positive. For instance, after a recent talk a young man’s mother told me that it scared him. And although she said afterward it was good to be scared…I…
Adoption at the Cross
Out of character for the Son of God? One of the sins of Christianity is that we have a habit of parsing God into pieces and then, for all intents and purposes, just keeping the parts that fit…that confirm…our picture of Him. And it’s not just God the Father we do that with…God the Son…
Don’t You Dare Tell Sinners that Their Sin…!
Dr. Dobson steps into it… I don't always agree with Fox New contributor Brit Hume, but I respect his work and levelheaded-ness. I also appreciate Christian psychologist Dr. James Dobson, although I'll admit that his shows are generally too foofy for my tastes. So, when Hume tweeted: Christians seeking meaning in the horror of Newtown…
A Super-Apostle’s Kryptonite
Bad Boys, Bad Boys… Have you ever wondered why it seems that a lot of women seem to have a penchant for only dating “bad boys”? A really nice, well-established, and good looking guy either isn’t on their radar (regardless of what they may claim) or is quickly ditched… But the guy who treats her…
I’m Not the Church Lady, But…
The Moral of the Lindsey Stone Story If you are active on social networks, there is a decent chance you heard the story of Lindsey Stone from people posting notes of complete outrage at something she did. An article from November 21 on BostInno gives a good summary of what happened before and after Lindsey’s…
Abomination!
Underworld So, when you hear the word “abomination,” what comes to mind? Is there an image, a situation, or something else that immediately pops into your head? As I chose that single word as the title of this sermon it seemed like it demanded an exclamation point at the end…do you agree? And as I…
America Demands a King
One Tuesday in November… After Tuesday night’s election, there were various reactions to the results. Although it was actually before any polls closed, one example of a response is this tweet from someone I follow on Twitter (and who follows me): A US Veteran said he felt betrayed by people voting for Obama. I could…
“We All Need Forgiveness…Forgiveness”
Driving a few hours too long Back in September I had to get our Cube back from South Dakota to New Hampshire, and had decided to take three days for the trek. When it was time to stop on day two, by the time I found what would be a good location, it seemed like…
Teach Your Children Well
Bill Nye the Science Guy and a child with a verboten name… This was a sermon I planned to preach last week…but postponed it when a difficult verse in Hebrews came up during the previous Wednesday’s Bible study…a verse that warranted a little more attention. Although I do realize that some still disagree with me…
Passing the Point of No Return
Betrayal How many here have experienced a devastating betrayal from a friend, a spouse, or a family member? I suspect if you have spent more than a couple decades on this earth it has happened to you…and that by me causing you to think about it you immediately recalled a taste of the same pain…
Advice from a Stuffed Tiger
At this point I know I am probably famous (or infamous) for using secular songs as jump-off points for my sermons. However, today’s inspiration came from a comic instead of a tune. Any Calvin and Hobbes fans here? Although I wish Bill Watterson was still producing more of that strip, there is something to be…
The Reason
It's Jesus I'm going to turn this sermon, "The Reason," upside down and tell you the punch line right from the start. The reason is Jesus. There you go…now we can quickly finish the rest of the service and go grab some coffee and cookies in fellowship hall about 30 minutes early. 🙂 One could…
Lord, Why Have You Forsaken Us?
Questions After last week's sermon I got two bits of implicit advice, one right after service, one late in the work week. First, get into the meat of the talk more quickly. Second, keep it shorter. So, let's jump right in with some questions: Did God create the heavens and the earth and everything that…
Fight the Good Fight
Canadian Bands Those of you who made it to church last Sunday know that for my sermons this month I am using secular (that is, non-Christian) songs as fodder for sermons. This week we look to our neighbors up north, Canada, for inspiration. How many here can name a Canadian band our musical artist? Other…