Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Luke 1:26-38
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the focus of our sermon this week, and it's hard to talk about Mary without mentioning her example of living humbly before God. Christmas is a time when we are face to face with eternal questions, assuming we're strong enough to listen to them. Will we respond as well as Mary did?
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on December 21, 2008 at PLWC.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Anticipation
Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; John 1:6-8, 19-28
We're getting closer to Christmas and the end of Advent, of course, and we're continuing to read the prophecies of Isaiah as we wait on our celebrations of Christ. This week we reminded ourselves of what exactly we are anticipating throughout Advent.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on December 14, 2008 at PLWC.
We're getting closer to Christmas and the end of Advent, of course, and we're continuing to read the prophecies of Isaiah as we wait on our celebrations of Christ. This week we reminded ourselves of what exactly we are anticipating throughout Advent.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on December 14, 2008 at PLWC.
Friday, December 12, 2008
"Dawn Treader" watercolor
In keeping with a previous post, I recently completed a watercolor based (somewhat loosely) on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader:
The Dawn Treader
I can't say I'm completely satisfied with it, but the image above was my sixth attempt at getting it right, so at this point I'm ready to move on to something else.
The Dawn TreaderI can't say I'm completely satisfied with it, but the image above was my sixth attempt at getting it right, so at this point I'm ready to move on to something else.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Darkness to Light
This is a graphic I made for use on the invitation we'll be giving out for our Christmas services. It's based on one of the lectionary texts for Christmas Eve.
Isaiah 9:2
Isaiah 9:2Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Comfort Comfort
Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Mark 1:1-8
Continuing through Advent, this week's sermon shows us that one of the values of using this season to wait for Christmas is that it gives us time to prepare, and Isaiah's idea of preparation goes hand in hand with his cry to comfort God's people.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on December 7, 2008 at PLWC.
Continuing through Advent, this week's sermon shows us that one of the values of using this season to wait for Christmas is that it gives us time to prepare, and Isaiah's idea of preparation goes hand in hand with his cry to comfort God's people.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on December 7, 2008 at PLWC.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Human Characters
Reading: Judges 4:1-7, 5:28-31
This was the last Sunday I'll be preaching before Advent -- Carey and I will be on vacation next week -- and since Advent is supposed to be about waiting for the Messiah, this sermon got us ready by reminding us of our need for a Messiah. The lectionary gave us a text from the book of Judges, and if Judges teaches us anything, it's how screwed up things can get apart from God.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on November 16, 2008 at PLWC.
This was the last Sunday I'll be preaching before Advent -- Carey and I will be on vacation next week -- and since Advent is supposed to be about waiting for the Messiah, this sermon got us ready by reminding us of our need for a Messiah. The lectionary gave us a text from the book of Judges, and if Judges teaches us anything, it's how screwed up things can get apart from God.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on November 16, 2008 at PLWC.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Time to Count
Reading: Psalm 78:1-7; Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
We're standing on the brink of either a bold new era or a soul-sucking abyss, depending on your views regarding the recent presidential election and the current economic crisis. Add on top of that that we at Pocono Lake Wesleyan recently completed a week of concentrated prayer in which God met with us powerfully, and it's clearly been a breathless couple of weeks for many of us. How do we respond to these times of change? A passage from the story of Joshua gives us some ideas.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on November 9, 2008 at PLWC.
We're standing on the brink of either a bold new era or a soul-sucking abyss, depending on your views regarding the recent presidential election and the current economic crisis. Add on top of that that we at Pocono Lake Wesleyan recently completed a week of concentrated prayer in which God met with us powerfully, and it's clearly been a breathless couple of weeks for many of us. How do we respond to these times of change? A passage from the story of Joshua gives us some ideas.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on November 9, 2008 at PLWC.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Prayer of Jesus
Reading: John 17:20-23; Matthew 6:5-15
Our week of prayer is in full swing, though we had to deal with an unexpected snowstorm that kept some of our pray-ers at home this morning. As our last look at prayer in the Bible we looked at the prayer of Jesus, or what is more commonly known as the Lord's Prayer.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on October 26, 2008 at PLWC.
Our week of prayer is in full swing, though we had to deal with an unexpected snowstorm that kept some of our pray-ers at home this morning. As our last look at prayer in the Bible we looked at the prayer of Jesus, or what is more commonly known as the Lord's Prayer.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on October 26, 2008 at PLWC.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Prayer of Daniel
Reading: Daniel 9:1-23a
Our week of prayer at Pocono Lake Wesleyan is getting closer, and we're still focusing on how we can pray. This week we learned from what I think is one of the more challenging and powerful prayers in the Bible: the prayer of Daniel.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on October 19, 2008 at PLWC.
Our week of prayer at Pocono Lake Wesleyan is getting closer, and we're still focusing on how we can pray. This week we learned from what I think is one of the more challenging and powerful prayers in the Bible: the prayer of Daniel.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on October 19, 2008 at PLWC.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The Prayer of Moses
Reading: Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 90
We had a revival speaker in our service on the 5th, but now we're back into the preparations for our upcoming week of prayer. This last Sunday we learned from Moses, a man who spend a good part of his life living very close to God and therefore knew that God wants us to see him in our prayer.
Click here for a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on October 12, 2008 at PLWC.
We had a revival speaker in our service on the 5th, but now we're back into the preparations for our upcoming week of prayer. This last Sunday we learned from Moses, a man who spend a good part of his life living very close to God and therefore knew that God wants us to see him in our prayer.
Click here for a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on October 12, 2008 at PLWC.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Prayer of David
Reading: Psalms 86, 54, 143
We're continuing in our exploration of prayer by looking at some of the prayers we find in the Bible. This week we learned from the prayer of David that prayer is creative.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on September 28, 2008 at PLWC.
We're continuing in our exploration of prayer by looking at some of the prayers we find in the Bible. This week we learned from the prayer of David that prayer is creative.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on September 28, 2008 at PLWC.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Prayer of the Apostles
Reading: Acts 1:12-14, 2:38-47
We're beginning a multi-week focus on prayer with the intent of exploring prayer in the Bible so we can better learn to pray ourselves. This week we began by learning about the prayer of the Apostles in the book of Acts.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on September 21, 2008 at PLWC.
We're beginning a multi-week focus on prayer with the intent of exploring prayer in the Bible so we can better learn to pray ourselves. This week we began by learning about the prayer of the Apostles in the book of Acts.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on September 21, 2008 at PLWC.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The Main Show
Reading: Exodus 3:1-15
We're continuing through the lectionary readings in Exodus; this week we read the call of Moses when God spoke to him through a burning bush. Part of that call, though, is peculiar, because God seemed to think that the worship of the Israelites was more dramatic than a parted sea.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on August 31, 2008 at PLWC.
We're continuing through the lectionary readings in Exodus; this week we read the call of Moses when God spoke to him through a burning bush. Part of that call, though, is peculiar, because God seemed to think that the worship of the Israelites was more dramatic than a parted sea.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on August 31, 2008 at PLWC.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Big Little Things
Reading: Psalm 77; Exodus 1:8-2:10
This week we began reading in Exodus, and right from the start we noticed a couple of forgettable people who actually played a very important role in God's work.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on August 24, 2008 at PLWC.
This week we began reading in Exodus, and right from the start we noticed a couple of forgettable people who actually played a very important role in God's work.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on August 24, 2008 at PLWC.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Funny story, if by "funny" you mean "awkward"
So I use StatCounter to track the traffic on this site, and one of the virtues of tracking software is that it lets me know what terms people are searching for that lead them here. In other words, if someone Googles "sermon on Romans 11" and ends up at my sermon titled "Which God?", StatCounter will tell me that so I know what search terms relevant to my blog are popular. I started noticing that with some regularity people were arriving at this blog after searching for odd things like "bible black solution" and "bible black pics." These terms made no sense to me, so I suspected there was something going on that I didn't know about.
I should mention that I chose the name "Bible Black" for this blog because of a song named "Starless" by King Crimson; it's a fantastic song that makes you feel mellow and dramatic and broody when you listen to it. One of the recurring phrases in the song is "Starless and Bible Black." I like prog rock, I'm a preacher, I wanted a blog name that was vaguely mysterious and hip-sounding, so I picked "Bible Black." And, after a very quick search, I didn't find much else on the internet that wasn't related to King Crimson that made use of the phrase, so I thought I was all set.
Here comes the awkward part.
When I started getting hits from searches like "bible black solution," I suspected there was some association with the phrase that I wasn't aware of, so I did a more thorough search. I checked Wikipedia for Bible Black and discovered that it is also the title of a pornographic occult-centered Japanese comic book series. At that point I thanked my lucky stars that I had checked Wikipedia rather than running a Google image search, and I resolved pretty quickly to change the title of my blog lest there be further confusion and awkwardness.
As my brother said, "This is why we can't have nice things."
This explains the need for a new look and title for the blog. Not only am I a prog rock fan, I am also a screaming fanboy for all things written by C.S. Lewis. If you're familiar with The Chronicles of Narnia, you'll remember the scene in "The Silver Chair" when the Lady of the Green Kirtle uses an enchanted fire to convince the heroes of the story that the above-ground world of Narnia is a myth and fairy tale and her boring underground world is the real one. Puddleglum, who may come second only to Mr. Spock on my personal list of heroes, successfully defeats the witch's enchantment by stamping out the fire with his bare feet. There is a great deal of symbolism in this part of the story, so if you haven't read it, sorry for the spoilers, and if you've read it but missed the symbolism, read it again and pay attention this time.
To the best of my knowledge, no deviated preverts have ruined this phrase to the degree they have done with "Bible Black," so I should be okay for now. I make no promises, though. There are a lot of deviated preverts out there.
I should mention that I chose the name "Bible Black" for this blog because of a song named "Starless" by King Crimson; it's a fantastic song that makes you feel mellow and dramatic and broody when you listen to it. One of the recurring phrases in the song is "Starless and Bible Black." I like prog rock, I'm a preacher, I wanted a blog name that was vaguely mysterious and hip-sounding, so I picked "Bible Black." And, after a very quick search, I didn't find much else on the internet that wasn't related to King Crimson that made use of the phrase, so I thought I was all set.
Here comes the awkward part.
When I started getting hits from searches like "bible black solution," I suspected there was some association with the phrase that I wasn't aware of, so I did a more thorough search. I checked Wikipedia for Bible Black and discovered that it is also the title of a pornographic occult-centered Japanese comic book series. At that point I thanked my lucky stars that I had checked Wikipedia rather than running a Google image search, and I resolved pretty quickly to change the title of my blog lest there be further confusion and awkwardness.
As my brother said, "This is why we can't have nice things."
This explains the need for a new look and title for the blog. Not only am I a prog rock fan, I am also a screaming fanboy for all things written by C.S. Lewis. If you're familiar with The Chronicles of Narnia, you'll remember the scene in "The Silver Chair" when the Lady of the Green Kirtle uses an enchanted fire to convince the heroes of the story that the above-ground world of Narnia is a myth and fairy tale and her boring underground world is the real one. Puddleglum, who may come second only to Mr. Spock on my personal list of heroes, successfully defeats the witch's enchantment by stamping out the fire with his bare feet. There is a great deal of symbolism in this part of the story, so if you haven't read it, sorry for the spoilers, and if you've read it but missed the symbolism, read it again and pay attention this time.
To the best of my knowledge, no deviated preverts have ruined this phrase to the degree they have done with "Bible Black," so I should be okay for now. I make no promises, though. There are a lot of deviated preverts out there.
More of Puddleglum
For the benefit of my mother and anyone else who cares, here is the full image from which I made the banner graphic for this blog:
Puddleglum Stomping
It's an original watercolor, thus explaining why I placed an obnoxious stamp of the site's address on the bottom corner of the image. Higher quality images are available for those who ask nicely, though.
Puddleglum StompingIt's an original watercolor, thus explaining why I placed an obnoxious stamp of the site's address on the bottom corner of the image. Higher quality images are available for those who ask nicely, though.
Two sermons: "The Word Is Near You" and "Which God?"
Again, I apologize for not posting last week's sermon sooner. There's really no excuse this time; I just didn't do it. But to make it up to you I'm redressing the blog, so at least there will be some new colors for you to look at.
These two sermons are based on the book of Romans, which is Paul's letter to the churches in Rome in which he explains (among many other things) what the basic defining criterion is for those who follow Christ. Of course grace is the key, and Paul spends a lot of time working out that grace in different ways. But our first sermon explores the concept of faith in some depth, and the second delves into Paul's discussion of what God's greater plan is for the Jews, who seemed to have rejected Jesus as the Messiah on a large scale. Paul's answer to that issue reminds us and reassures us of some of the most fundamental aspects of who God is.
"The Word Is Near You"
Preached on August 10, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Isaiah 52:1-10; Romans 10:5-15
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
"Which God?"
Preached on August 17, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Hosea 3; Romans 11:1-12, 29-31
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
These two sermons are based on the book of Romans, which is Paul's letter to the churches in Rome in which he explains (among many other things) what the basic defining criterion is for those who follow Christ. Of course grace is the key, and Paul spends a lot of time working out that grace in different ways. But our first sermon explores the concept of faith in some depth, and the second delves into Paul's discussion of what God's greater plan is for the Jews, who seemed to have rejected Jesus as the Messiah on a large scale. Paul's answer to that issue reminds us and reassures us of some of the most fundamental aspects of who God is.
"The Word Is Near You"
Preached on August 10, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Isaiah 52:1-10; Romans 10:5-15
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
"Which God?"
Preached on August 17, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Hosea 3; Romans 11:1-12, 29-31
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Commandos, Spies, and Secret Missions
Reading: Matthew 16:13-20; Revelation 12:1-9
For our last concentrated look at the kingdom of God in our far less than comprehensive series on the subject, we focused on some of Jesus' words that have caused a few Christians to get their knickers in knots over the years. How you interpret Jesus entrusting the keys of the kingdom to Peter can make a pretty big impact on what you think of the pope, but in any case we have to accept that Jesus expects the church to do a lot of damage to the gates of hell.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
For our last concentrated look at the kingdom of God in our far less than comprehensive series on the subject, we focused on some of Jesus' words that have caused a few Christians to get their knickers in knots over the years. How you interpret Jesus entrusting the keys of the kingdom to Peter can make a pretty big impact on what you think of the pope, but in any case we have to accept that Jesus expects the church to do a lot of damage to the gates of hell.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Click here to download a recording of this sermon (recorded in February of 2011).
Preached on August 3, 2008 at PLWC. (Also preached as a recording on February 20, 2011 at PLWC.)
Preached on August 3, 2008 at PLWC. (Also preached as a recording on February 20, 2011 at PLWC.)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Little Kingdoms
Reading: Ezekiel 31:1-14; Luke 13:18-21
There are certain representative sayings of Jesus that especially help illustrate different aspects of the kingdom of God. This week we looked at Jesus' famous saying that the kingdom is "like a mustard seed."
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on July 20, 2008 at PLWC.
There are certain representative sayings of Jesus that especially help illustrate different aspects of the kingdom of God. This week we looked at Jesus' famous saying that the kingdom is "like a mustard seed."
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on July 20, 2008 at PLWC.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Two Sermons: "Factory Settings" and "Thoughts from the Playground"
Sorry about not posting a sermon last week; Vacation Bible School kept things pretty busy around here. The following sermons are the first in our extended look at the Kingdom of God. The first one looks at things from a broader perspective, focusing on how God takes the time to effectively hit the reset button on creation, and the Kingdom is simply a continuation of that theme. Second is a look at Jesus' teaching on how the Kingdom is of/for/belongs to people such as children.
"Factory Settings"
Preached on July 6, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 97; Joel 2:1-11; Matthew 4:12-17
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
"Thoughts from the Playground"
Preached on July 13, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 8; Mark 9:30-37, 10:13-16
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
"Factory Settings"
Preached on July 6, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 97; Joel 2:1-11; Matthew 4:12-17
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
"Thoughts from the Playground"
Preached on July 13, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 8; Mark 9:30-37, 10:13-16
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Clash of the Kingdoms
Reading: Matthew 5:38-48; 1 Peter 3:8-18, 4:1-2
If the gospel doesn't upset us from time to time, we're probably not paying enough attention to it. This week I preached what I think is the main theme of 1 Peter, which is an expansion or application of Jesus' troublesome command to love our enemies. The main question is how Christians should respond when they are faced with injustice, and though we can equivocate all we want, Jesus said to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us. There's less wiggle room there than most of us would like to think there is.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on June 22, 2008 at PLWC.
If the gospel doesn't upset us from time to time, we're probably not paying enough attention to it. This week I preached what I think is the main theme of 1 Peter, which is an expansion or application of Jesus' troublesome command to love our enemies. The main question is how Christians should respond when they are faced with injustice, and though we can equivocate all we want, Jesus said to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us. There's less wiggle room there than most of us would like to think there is.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on June 22, 2008 at PLWC.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Pacing
Reading: Proverbs 2:1-15; 1 Timothy 1:12-19
This week we looked intently at the book of 1 Timothy, one of those little New Testament books that people quote from without really bothering to understand it as a whole. What we found are Paul's instructions to people who were wondering what to do while they waited on God, because let's be honest, sometimes following God is less exciting than others.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on June 15, 2008 at PLWC.
This week we looked intently at the book of 1 Timothy, one of those little New Testament books that people quote from without really bothering to understand it as a whole. What we found are Paul's instructions to people who were wondering what to do while they waited on God, because let's be honest, sometimes following God is less exciting than others.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on June 15, 2008 at PLWC.
Monday, June 2, 2008
How to Live a Carefree Life
Preached on June 1, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Matthew 10
It concerns me how often religion is pursued as a means to one's fulfillment or happiness, so this week I took that idea and ran with it. If being happy and carefree really is one's motivation, how might we go about reaching that carefree life? I fully expect my brilliant suggestions to be featured on Oprah's Book Club as soon as I can get them published.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Matthew 10
It concerns me how often religion is pursued as a means to one's fulfillment or happiness, so this week I took that idea and ran with it. If being happy and carefree really is one's motivation, how might we go about reaching that carefree life? I fully expect my brilliant suggestions to be featured on Oprah's Book Club as soon as I can get them published.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Raise Your Hand
Preached on May 25, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 63; Exodus 17:1-7; Job 28:12-15, 20-28
Christians (and religious people in general) too often get accused of being credulous, anti-intellectual sheep who never bother to ask hard questions, but we should all ask questions sooner or later unless we're just being lazy. In this week's sermon we looked at Job, which for all its commentary on suffering really has a lot to do with how we handle those tough questions in life.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Psalm 63; Exodus 17:1-7; Job 28:12-15, 20-28
Christians (and religious people in general) too often get accused of being credulous, anti-intellectual sheep who never bother to ask hard questions, but we should all ask questions sooner or later unless we're just being lazy. In this week's sermon we looked at Job, which for all its commentary on suffering really has a lot to do with how we handle those tough questions in life.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Monday, May 12, 2008
As Ordinary as it Gets
Preached on May 11, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Ezekiel 1:4-9, 25-28; Luke 22:14-20
This week was a communion Sunday, so we looked at the paradox of an extraordinary God who reveals himself through such ordinary things as bread and juice.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Ezekiel 1:4-9, 25-28; Luke 22:14-20
This week was a communion Sunday, so we looked at the paradox of an extraordinary God who reveals himself through such ordinary things as bread and juice.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Monday, May 5, 2008
A Gathering of Strangers
Preached on May 4, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Ephesians 4
Continuing our theme of some of the most basic gifts God offers to all who follow him, this Sunday we saw how the church, a gathering of strangers, is one of God's gifts for making us holy.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Ephesians 4
Continuing our theme of some of the most basic gifts God offers to all who follow him, this Sunday we saw how the church, a gathering of strangers, is one of God's gifts for making us holy.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Clean Your Lenses
Preached on April 27, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Isaiah 62:10-12; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 6:19-23
Last Sunday started a brief series focusing on some of the most fundamental gifts God gives us as we follow Christ. This will hardly be an exhaustive list, but we wanted to begin by looking at one of the most precious of those gifts: holiness.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Isaiah 62:10-12; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 6:19-23
Last Sunday started a brief series focusing on some of the most fundamental gifts God gives us as we follow Christ. This will hardly be an exhaustive list, but we wanted to begin by looking at one of the most precious of those gifts: holiness.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Flipping the Ladder
Preached on April 20, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Genesis 28:10-17; John 1:1-14
Last Sunday was the climax of our last month of sermons, intended to present people with the opportunity to respond to the message of the gospel. Our focus, then, was God's action in response to our hurt.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Genesis 28:10-17; John 1:1-14
Last Sunday was the climax of our last month of sermons, intended to present people with the opportunity to respond to the message of the gospel. Our focus, then, was God's action in response to our hurt.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Life in the Family
Preached on April 13, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Luke 19:1-10; Acts 1:8; Revelation 7:9-12
This week's sermon is the last piece before we invite our friends and neighbors to come with us to our worship service next Sunday, and to round out our discussion of acting as witnesses, we're talking about reaching out to the last ones we want to reach out to.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Luke 19:1-10; Acts 1:8; Revelation 7:9-12
This week's sermon is the last piece before we invite our friends and neighbors to come with us to our worship service next Sunday, and to round out our discussion of acting as witnesses, we're talking about reaching out to the last ones we want to reach out to.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Telling Stories
Preached on April 6, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: John 18:19-27; Acts 1:8, 2:14-24
While last week was focused on prayer -- specifically prayer for those who are not yet a part of God's kingdom and for our own sensitivity to the Spirit's movement -- this week we focused on how we go about approaching someone with the good news of what God has done in Christ.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: John 18:19-27; Acts 1:8, 2:14-24
While last week was focused on prayer -- specifically prayer for those who are not yet a part of God's kingdom and for our own sensitivity to the Spirit's movement -- this week we focused on how we go about approaching someone with the good news of what God has done in Christ.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Someone Ought to Do Something
Preached on March 30, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Isaiah 49:1-2, 5-13; Acts 1:1-8
We began a sort of a series this last Sunday, with the goal being to prepare us for sharing with others what God has done in our lives so that we can invite people to join us for our worship on April 20. This week we began, as we should probably do more often, by focusing on prayer.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Isaiah 49:1-2, 5-13; Acts 1:1-8
We began a sort of a series this last Sunday, with the goal being to prepare us for sharing with others what God has done in our lives so that we can invite people to join us for our worship on April 20. This week we began, as we should probably do more often, by focusing on prayer.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
When the Ground Shakes
Preached on March 23, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 18:1-20, 46; Matthew 27:62-28:10
This last Sunday was, of course, Easter, and so this year I started from that curious order Pilate gave the guards for the tomb: "Make it as secure as you know how." Just how secure can we be in the face of something like an emptying tomb?
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Psalm 18:1-20, 46; Matthew 27:62-28:10
This last Sunday was, of course, Easter, and so this year I started from that curious order Pilate gave the guards for the tomb: "Make it as secure as you know how." Just how secure can we be in the face of something like an emptying tomb?
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Almost?
Preached on March 16, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Zechariah 9:9-13, 16; Matthew 21:1-11
This Sunday was Palm Sunday, when we celebrate Jesus' entry to Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week. The question for us is whether we are like those people showering him with praise on that day -- and how much should we be like them?
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Zechariah 9:9-13, 16; Matthew 21:1-11
This Sunday was Palm Sunday, when we celebrate Jesus' entry to Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week. The question for us is whether we are like those people showering him with praise on that day -- and how much should we be like them?
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A Strange Victory for the Man in the White Hat
Preached on March 9, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; Colossians 2:13-15; Romans 12:14-21
This is our final sermon exploring why Jesus died on the cross. This week we saw that the cross is the place where Christ conquers all things demonic.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; Colossians 2:13-15; Romans 12:14-21
This is our final sermon exploring why Jesus died on the cross. This week we saw that the cross is the place where Christ conquers all things demonic.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
"Justice Is Not Blind" and "Recycling the Disposable"
"Justice Is Not Blind"
Preached on February 24, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Romans 1:18-25, 5:15-21
This is the second of our sermons dealing with the atonement, or the actions of Christ on the cross that reconciled us to God. Previously we looked at the cross through the lens of a sacrifice; this time we're looking at it from a legal standpoint. How does the death of Christ satisfy the justice of God?
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
"Recycling the Disposable"
Preached on March 2, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Genesis 3:17-19, 23; Romans 5:12-15; Philippians 2:5-11
And continuing the discussion of the atonement, for this week's sermon we talked about what is technically called recapitulation: that is, Jesus served as the new Adam, a new head for a new human race, summing up God's acts in creation.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Preached on February 24, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Romans 1:18-25, 5:15-21
This is the second of our sermons dealing with the atonement, or the actions of Christ on the cross that reconciled us to God. Previously we looked at the cross through the lens of a sacrifice; this time we're looking at it from a legal standpoint. How does the death of Christ satisfy the justice of God?
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
"Recycling the Disposable"
Preached on March 2, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Genesis 3:17-19, 23; Romans 5:12-15; Philippians 2:5-11
And continuing the discussion of the atonement, for this week's sermon we talked about what is technically called recapitulation: that is, Jesus served as the new Adam, a new head for a new human race, summing up God's acts in creation.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Wondering Why
Preached on February 17, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Romans 3:21-26; Hebrews 9:11-15
I haven't posted anything in a while because I haven't been in the pulpit for about three weeks, but now my little break is over. This week was a communion Sunday, and it also started a series of sermons focusing on atonement theology -- in other words, what exactly happened on the cross, and how are its effects transferred to me? This week we looked at the life and death of Jesus as a sacrifice offered to restore our relationship with God.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Romans 3:21-26; Hebrews 9:11-15
I haven't posted anything in a while because I haven't been in the pulpit for about three weeks, but now my little break is over. This week was a communion Sunday, and it also started a series of sermons focusing on atonement theology -- in other words, what exactly happened on the cross, and how are its effects transferred to me? This week we looked at the life and death of Jesus as a sacrifice offered to restore our relationship with God.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
A Stack of Invitations
Preached on January 20, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 40:1-11; Isaiah 49:1-7; John 1:29-42
This Sunday's lectionary reading was one of the Epiphany readings. I haven't come across many evangelical Protestant churches that have given Epiphany much air time, but the focus of Epiphany can help inform our efforts of evangelism.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Psalm 40:1-11; Isaiah 49:1-7; John 1:29-42
This Sunday's lectionary reading was one of the Epiphany readings. I haven't come across many evangelical Protestant churches that have given Epiphany much air time, but the focus of Epiphany can help inform our efforts of evangelism.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Things Are Looking Up
Preached on January 13, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 37:1-9, 23-24; Matthew 6:25-34
This week's sermon is sort of the second half of what we started last week, because stewardship goes far beyond just money and material things.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Psalm 37:1-9, 23-24; Matthew 6:25-34
This week's sermon is sort of the second half of what we started last week, because stewardship goes far beyond just money and material things.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Monday, January 7, 2008
How To Play Second Fiddle
Preached on January 6, 2008 at PLWC.
Reading: Psalm 84; Matthew 21:33-46
January is the time of the year when many Wesleyan churches focus on the concept of stewardship, which is all too often reduced to nothing more than teaching people that they should tithe. But, as you might guess, stewardship is a much bigger principle than that.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Psalm 84; Matthew 21:33-46
January is the time of the year when many Wesleyan churches focus on the concept of stewardship, which is all too often reduced to nothing more than teaching people that they should tithe. But, as you might guess, stewardship is a much bigger principle than that.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Time's Up
Preached on December 23, 2007 at PLWC.
Reading: Isaiah 40:3-8; Luke 3:2b-9, 18-20
This is the last of the Advent sermons for 2007. It begins with John the Baptist, because the locust-eating prophet John teaches us a lot about the baby Jesus in the manger.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
Reading: Isaiah 40:3-8; Luke 3:2b-9, 18-20
This is the last of the Advent sermons for 2007. It begins with John the Baptist, because the locust-eating prophet John teaches us a lot about the baby Jesus in the manger.
Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.
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