Tag: Resurrection

Sunset with light and beams

The Reunion

Posted on by Alan

Sunset with light and beamsDenver International Airport

Yesterday, Michelle, Augie, and I got up a bit early for a Saturday, headed over to Denver International Airport and picked up…

Who did we pick up Augie?

That’s right! His big brother Mikey…or “Michael” as he is more formally known to most others. 🙂

And although mom and dad were also excited for his return, clearly Augie couldn’t wait…telling lots of people all week that his big brother was coming home.

We look forward to reunions with the ones we love, don’t we?

And speaking of Denver International Airport…although it basically stopped the latter half of this year, many of you know that, historically, I have travelled a lot for work. One of the blessings in doing that is, while at the airports, seeing couples and families reunited. The same joy and happiness we three felt yesterday when Mikey came up the escalator and crossed over into our “un-secure” area in the airport is repeated millions of times a year all over the world.

We are blessed by reunions with the ones we love, aren’t we?

Now, I have to admit that if I drove out to the airport to watch something it might be the planes taking off and landing…but sometime, if you are in a funk and want to break out of it, you may want to drive 30-40 minutes to DIA and watch the holiday reunions. Joy and happiness are infectious. Even watching the anticipation itself is fun and spirit-lifting. People just can’t wait for that special someone to suddenly come in sight, because…

We look forward to reunions with the ones we love, don’t we?

We are blessed by reunions with the ones we love, aren’t we? Continue reading “The Reunion”

Empty tomb with crosses in the background

Do You Understand?

Posted on by Alan

Empty tomb with crosses in the backgroundFiverr

Has anyone here heard of Fiverr? The description in the title on its web site’s main page is:

Fiverr: The Marketplace for Creative & Professional Services

And it is a great marketplace for various services. For instance it’s main menu lists Graphics & Design, Digital Marketing, Writing & Translation, Video & Animation, Music & Audio, Program & Tech, Advertising, Business, and Fun & Lifestyle. I have used it for logos and some video intros and outros…and have found it a relatively inexpensive place to get quality work.

However, it does have one problem that has caused my hairline to shrink a little…related to its providers being all over the globe.

Can you figure out what that is?

Not time zones…if anything that seems to work in my favor with work getting done while I am sleeping. Instead…

It is language.

I think I am being very clear about what I would like and the responses…very congenial and timely…often show English is not their first language…or second, for that matter. This past week it just meant more back-and-forth than should have been needed…but one time it was so bad I had to cancel the order. Sometimes…

They just don’t understand.

However, even when you and someone else both fluently speak the same language, can’t you get in the same situation? Where you think you’ve explained something very clearly, but…for whatever reason…even after restating it several different ways…sometimes..

They just don’t understand.

Sometimes it is just a lack of knowledge. I can try to explain quantum mechanics to a four year-old, but nobody would be surprised if the kid stares blankly at me and just burps. 🙂

However, and I don’t want to psychoanalyze this too much, I think occasionally the incapacity to comprehend is because of a mental block. It could be an inability to pay attention, an unwillingness to accept the truth, and so on…but it’s not that that they cannot understand…sometimes…

They will not understand.

Continue reading “Do You Understand?”

Jesus' empty tomb

Noah’s Sermon on Our Resurrection

Posted on by Alan

Jesus' empty tomb

Three of Two 🙂

Last week I started my talk by saying it was the second of a pair of sermons for kids. Basically two of two.

This week is three of two. 🙂

The reason we are going to have a third sermon aimed at children is because my heart was drawn to Noah and his family. If anyone is unfamiliar with Noah (for instance, our listeners on the Internet), he is a little boy who has brain cancer. The prognosis is not good, and although we’ve been praying for his healing…there is a really good chance that he will not make it into the new year.

Adults, if your child did not have long to live, what would you tell them?

Kids, if your friends…or their brothers or sisters…didn’t have long to live, what would you tell them?

Today, I will suggest what you should tell them.

And it makes sense that “Noah’s Sermon on Our Resurrection” be connected to “Augie’s Sermon on the Cross” and “Augie’s Sermon on the Second Coming,” because the first explained exactly why we, including little boys sometimes, die…and the second one mentioned our resurrection as we learned three things we know for sure about the end times.

As a quick review:

In “Augie’s Sermon on the Cross” we learned we die because of cause and effect:

Cause: Sin.

Effect: Death.

And we also learned that Jesus had to die on the cross to make sure our death would only be temporary, not for eternity.

As for the three things we know for sure about the end times from “Augie’s Sermon on the Second Coming,” do you remember what they were?

  • Jesus will return.
  • Jesus will return visibly.
  • Jesus will return when people don’t expect it.

Today, I will add a fourth thing we know for sure.

Continue reading “Noah’s Sermon on Our Resurrection”

Running on Empty

Posted on by Alan

Last week I mentioned the sermon's title, "And Then There Were None," was unintentionally the same as a book by Agatha Christie. This week, I chose "Running on Empty" fully well knowing that there was a song and record by Jackson Browne with the same name. Now, that's not my favorite Jackson Browne song—if I had to choose one it would be the combo of "The Load Out" and "Stay" on the same record…although if I was going to choose my favorite song about touring, nothing beats the live version of "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

Although I'm sure you all wish we could keep talking about 70's music, just like last week's talk didn't parallel the Christie novel, this one really has no connection to the Jackson Browne song. I just like the title. 🙂

And Then There Were None

Last week's sermon wrapped-up like a television show's season finale. It ended with Jesus "yielding up his spirit" (Matthew 27:50)…but that really wasn't the worst of it. Instead, before His end…

Continue reading “Running on Empty”

No Man Can Know

Posted on by Alan

Knowing more than Socrates

While researching the resurrection of the dead, I ran into a related quote from Socrates, a very wise and famous Greek philosopher from the fifth century B.C.–perhaps most known for his method of death (forced to drink hemlock).  But before I started typing my notes for this sermon I ran into something else of his I just couldn’t help but share:

“By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you’ll be happy. If you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.”  [http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Socrates]

☺

However, that’s not the quote that is pertinent to this discussion.  Instead the Gospel Herald notes that when asked  “‘Shall we live again?” [by his friends] The dying philosopher could only reply, ‘I hope so, but no man can know.’” [ Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications. ]

“I hope so, but no man can know”…

Continue reading “No Man Can Know”