Narrator: (Welcome) Since the Fourth Century, Christians have remembered the Passion of our Lord with a service of Tenebrae, or shadows. Tonight we are going to add to that format an even older tradition: the Passover Festival. The word "Festival" comes from a root word meaning "memory." The Passover Festival was a time to remember God’s deliverance of his people from bondage, declaring that even though evil may prosper for a season, God’s way shall ultimately prevail. During our service this evening, as ...
Object: None Text: Isaiah 60:1-5 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." (v. 1) How many of you are afraid of the dark? (Let them answer.) Are you afraid to sleep with the light off? Don’t be embarrassed to admit it! It will be our little secret, just between you and me. What is it that scares you about the dark? (Let them answer.) Maybe it’s the way an ordinary thing in your room like a basketball hoop or a lamp or a large doll can look like a scary monster ...
His name was Jahmai. In the ancient lineage of his people Jahmai was one of the sons of Tola (1 Chronicles 7:2), a worthy man and father of a great tribe by the days of King David. But the Jahmai of our story lived much, much later in the Hebrew lineage and his grand namesake was long forgotten. The Jahmai of our story was a youth, and this day he walked behind the crowds that followed Jesus. His walking was slowed because of his left leg being bent, never going straight. It meant that he would step-slide ...
"I am content with persecutions for Christ’s sake ..." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Characters: Lector Announcer Antagonist Protagonist Participants enter and take their places in the chancel. As they come forward, the congregation sings the hymn "In the Cross of Christ I Glory." When the hymn is completed, the drama begins. LECTOR: I am most happy ... to be proud of any weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ’s power over me. I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and ...
It is said that by the year 2000 one-half the population of our nation will be over 50 and one-third over 65 years of age. Those of us who are growing older will have plenty of company. We have a science, gerontology, dedicated to our well-being. We do not even have to surrender to senility: doctors tell us that it is not a normal state of old age; only 8 percent of older people need to fear such a breakdown. It is possible to remain alert and creative right down to the conclusion of our lives. Marie ...
It was the best of times. A time of prosperity and confidence, a time of relative peace, a time when most everything looked pretty good, a time when most everyone felt pretty good. It was a time maybe not unlike our own time. In such a time, among such a people, naysayers are hardly welcome. Who wants to hear about the bad that could be coming in the future when what’s going on in the present looks so good? Who wants to hear protests when the prevailing winds of prosperity are blowing so strongly? Who ...
Have you ever tried to read the Bible all the way through? Many have told me that they TRIED at one time or another, but never were able to finish. They did fine getting through Genesis and the great stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Exodus was not bad, especially the first half with the stories of Moses and the escape from slavery in Egypt. But the book of Leviticus proved to be a bit much - all those ancient rules and regulations, instructions for priests, directions for sacrifices, dietary ...
More than a generation of preachers at Princeton Seminary were schooled in their homiletical skills by Dr. Donald Macleod. Among the points Dr. Macleod would make during the semester was the importance of choosing a compelling sermon title. In fact, he asked students to give their sermon title before beginning each sermon. He used to tell of Mrs. O'Leary who would hop on the Fifth Avenue bus on Sunday morning in Manhattan and pass the great churches along that thoroughfare. As the bus would approach each ...
Lord Halifax, a former foreign secretary of Great Britain, once shared a railway compartment with two prim-looking older single women. A few moments before reaching his destination the train passed through a tunnel. In the utter darkness Halifax kissed the back of his hand noisily several times. When the train drew into the station, he rose, lifted his hat, and in a gentlemanly way said: "May I thank whichever one of you two ladies I am indebted to for the charming incident in the tunnel." He then beat a ...
[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: Swimming with the Sharks New Title: Transformed by the Transfigured Perhaps you’ve heard the old story that sharks only grow as large as their surroundings permit. I’ve heard that for ...
A couple of years ago, during a sports clinic at Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dan Woodruff, the softball coach, lent his office to Dave Redding, the "strength" coach for the Cleveland Browns. Dave wanted to shower before his scheduled appearance at the clinic. Dan showed Dave the facilities, then left while he was in the shower. When Dave finished showering, he went to leave the office, but found he couldn’t open the door! He wrote a note and slipped it under the door, then sat back and ...
There you are with nine other lepers. What a terrible disease. First the loss of feeling, then the loss of hair, feet, hands, nose, eyes, etc. Your own family treats you like some grotesque monster. You subsist on alms given by strangers. From time to time you cry out, “Unclean, unclean,” to warn away the unsuspecting. What a dread, dread disease this leprosy. Misery loves company, though. Thank God for these fellow lepers. Deep in your heart you long for the company of whole persons, persons who have not ...
Doctors are so busy nowadays. More and more of them are running their practices like an assembly line. Doc Blakely tells about a fellow who walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had. He said, "Shingles." So she took down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat. Fifteen minutes later a nurse’s aide came out and asked him what he had. He said, "Shingles." So she took down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told him to wait in an ...
Newspaper Columnist Mike Royko tells about a practical joke that was played on a man in Madison, Wisconsin. This man and three friends were enjoying a fishing trip at a secluded lake. They fished all day, had a few beers and played some poker. Every night they went to bed at about 10:00 and got up before dawn for more fishing. One of them, who we'll call Joe, was the first to his bunk one night. He was exhausted, and was snoring within a few minutes. Then one of his friends had an idea. He got Joe's ...
Writer Adele Hooker remembers a point when she and her family were going through some rough times. They had very little to eat, but one day her husband unexpectedly asked some friends over for dinner. Adele was dumbfounded: there was no food in the house! How could she possibly feed guests? So she went into her bedroom, knelt down and asked God what she could do. As she prayed she seemed to hear a voice telling her, "You have meat in the freezer." Right. Half a pound of hamburger. That wouldn't go very far ...
Sometimes it's called sweet revenge. This report is from London. Janine Brooks was a dental student when a man ran into her car and drove away. That was ten years ago. Her damaged car resulted in a considerable financial burden on her student income but the motorist neither apologized nor ever paid for the damage he had done. Now it is 10 years later. Janine Brooks, the former student, is a dentist, and guess who comes to her office needing a tooth to be pulled. He did not recognize her; she did recognize ...
In the movie, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, you get an idea of what it might be like to spend the rest of your life behind bars; forever watched, hardly ever time to be alone, except in the rare instance that you might have a small individual cell to yourself in the evening, where when the lights are turned out for sleep, you cannot even turn on a light. You have plenty of time to think; prisoners have a difficult time sleeping. Life becomes routine; you are told when to rise and when to lie down; when your ...
[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: All That From A Little Bit Of Water? New Title: All That From A Little Water There was the Baptist minister who, at his first baptism, became stage-struck. Standing in the baptismal pool ...
There was a man who did not feel well for an extended period of time. His pastor suggested he go to a certain internist who was good at making accurate diagnoses. The doctor examined this man and ordered a variety of tests. The doctor was concerned about the man's heart, and how the health of his entire body was affected by his heart. The man's arteries were clogged. The man had been overweight for some time, and he was always under stress. He allowed good health to deteriorate into bad health. The doctor ...
A commercial airline pilot on one occasion made a particularly bad landing. The wheels of the big jet hit the runway with a jarring thud. Afterward, the airline had a policy, which required that the pilot stand at the door while the passengers exited. He was to give each of them a smile and say, "Thanks for flying with us today." In light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment, but no one seemed annoyed. Finally everyone ...
A few years back, Jim Stovall decided to become a stock broker. Even though he is blind, Jim has a determination and commitment to hard work that has helped him to transcend his disability. Jim also has a wife, Crystal, who supports and encourages him in everything he does. Jim and Crystal studied hard to get through the broker exams, then went through training sessions together. Most of the other students in the training sessions were better educated and better trained than Jim. They had no handicap to ...
The Associated Press carried a story from New York sometime back that I thought was interesting. Let me read part of it. "The author of the best-selling book How to Make Love to a Woman pleaded guilty to punching his former girlfriend in the face. `We had a heated argument and for one second I lost control,' Michael Morgenstern said of the incident in which he hit his former girlfriend, 22-year-old fashion model Ethel Marie Parks. The guilty plea was entered after Morgenstern agreed to settle a civil ...
A psychology professor at Yale University has listed the 12 most persuasive'' words in salesmanship. Third on his list is the word "new" as in "Buy it, it''s new." We like the word new, don't we? We like it in the cars we drive and the houses we live in and the clothes we wear. "Give me something new," may be the slogan of every American. And that is what our message is about today. What a magnificent opportunity Christ has given us—the opportunity to make new starts and fresh beginnings. The word "new" ...
There is a story in the Bible that, for some of you, happened yesterday, and for others will take place tomorrow; for a few it may be lived out today. It is the story of a boat ride across a beautiful lake. As Mark, the Gospel writer, tells it, it was on the lake of Galilee toward the end of the day. It was late afternoon and the scene was very soothing and pastoral as they cruised across the lake. The followers of Jesus were full of friendly chatter on the events of the day that Jesus had already done. ...
I love the picture which shows two ladies in Las Vegas, running for their lives down a quiet street, being chased by a six foot, 200-pound ostrich, their leisurely morning walk turned now into a desperate chase. The incident is a great picture of how our normal lives can quickly change into one of desperation. The power of "fear" or "faith" is a constant choice we make every day of our lives. Let''s face it, living in an urban area like the Greater Easton area can be frustrating. You fight traffic every ...