Sermons & Musings
I do not write my sermons before I give them, nor do I record them (currently). But I will try here to give a brief understanding of the basics of each sermon. The dynamic of preaching, for me, comes in the interaction with the Holy Spirit and the congregation. I have the outline prepared, pray before preaching, then try and get out of the Holy Spirit's way.
April Sermons
The sermons for April are:
APRIL 1 Palm Sunday Luke 19:28 - 40, Luke 23: 1-49
"Tough Love"
APRIL 8 Easter Sunrise Service 6:00 a.m.
Pancake Breakfast 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
Easter Services - 10:30 a.m.
Acts: 10:34-43; Luke 24:1- 12
"Empty Tomb - Full Heart"
APRIL 15 Acts 5:27 -32; John 20:19-31
"Now You See Me"
APRIL 22 Psalm 30; John 1-19
"Making It Good"
APRIL 29 Lay Leader Speaker - George Shuler
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Many times we find ourselves bound by habits and things that keep us tied in knots. They have become such a part of our lives that we tend to focus on them only. They become so big in our eyes that we can see nothing else. But Jesus promises to free us from any and all bondage that we face, if we just trust in and follow him. The problem is that often we say we trust God to provide, free us, give us help, etc., but we never really believe it. We have been taught to raise ourselves up by our bootstraps, to keep fighting until we win. But God's Word tells us that the winning occurs when we give up. Once we surrender ourselves to God, then we are free to live as God would have us live.
In a society filled with addictions, it is time for us to be set free completely. It is time, not only to say that we trust in God, but to live to God and show our trust in his abilitiy to set free the captives. If you would like to know more about how to deal with your own addictions, go to the following link. Bryan Duncan has some great things about how God can change our lives.
https://WWW.RADIOREHAB.COM/
Love's the Only House
In this song, Martina sings of the many troubles that people face in life and what we can do to control them. For her, the only solution to "all the pain in this world" is to go down to the house of Love. The house of Love is where we find God. It is that place where God resides for us all. We call it a church, a synagogue, temple, cathedral and many other things. But all in all, it must be the place where people can go and feel secure, a sanctuary.
Jesus has a problem with people who disrespected the temple. When he rode into Jerusalem for the last time, he made a jopurney to the temple. In it, he found many who were using the place of worship for their own selfish purposes. People were selling sacrificail animals at high, exorbatant prices. Jesus turned over the tables and drove the people out of the temple, converting it back to a place where everyone can come and participate for free.
When people come to our church for worship or at any other time, what do they find? Is it a place where they can feel comforted? Are they welcomed and encouraged by those around them? Or are they assailed and scrutinized? Every once in a while, as a pastor, I get a Sunday off and I like to go visit other churches, to have an opportunity to worship rather than lead worship. Most places I have gone to I have found very inviting. People are nice and helpful and welcoming. But I have been to the odd church here or there where, no matter how long you are there, you feel like a stranger. I have received stares and frowns and mumblings under the breath. I bet I probably sat in a place that "belongs" to one of the church members. Ever notice that? We all have our comfort zone and routines we like to have for comfort. When those are broken, we become angry or upset. To sit in someone's "designated seat" is definately a no-no.
Jesus is desscribed as the Great Physician. If he is the physician, then the church is the hospital. There needs to be a freedom for people to be able to come and be healed. That means that when they reveal their hurts, they can know that nobody is going to take that outside of the church wallls and spread it all over town. When people come to lay themselves bare before God, they need to know that no one is going to laugh at the nakedness of their deepest hurts and pains.
The catch line of the song is, "Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world." We need to be healers and not inflictors. We need to be inviting, not doing things that will keep people away. As Martina says, "Come on down to my house." God is waiting for you there.
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