Jack Coe was a popular evangelist in the first half of the twentieth century. Like many popular evangelists of the time, Coe held his services in a tent. Coe’s tent was a massive structure which would hold ten thousand people. One day Coe had a dream in which he saw a flood. The dream troubled him so much that he told his wife about it. Later, when he was conducting a crusade in Kansas City, he dreamed once again about a flood. Together these two dreams seemed so real that he felt that perhaps God was ...
Today we observe All Saints. Because it is an important celebration, we need to come to some agreement on what is meant by a "saint." If you Google the word, you discover many different definitions and understandings. Among some Protestant groups, every Christian becomes a saint upon joining the "Church Triumphant." In that understanding, All Saints honors and remembers all who have died in Christ and sainthood is the designation of all deceased Christians. Among other Protestants, saints are understood, ...
I need to ask a question this morning. It’s a question to which I think I know the answer, but still, I need to ask. Do any of you ever feel tempted? How about a show of hands? Yes, yes, yes. I see that we have a lot of folks being tempted these days. I don’t think I will trespass into the question of what exactly tempted you. You can keep that one to yourselves. But truthfully, if we go deeply into this, it’s a tough thing to consider, isn’t it? As one who struggles with extra pounds, I am constantly ...
This is definitely not a text a minister should use if her congregation is thinking of building a new church structure or adding to an existing one. King David, well-meaning to be sure, develops pangs of conscience because he is living in his “house built of cedar” and thinks to do better by God. “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God’s Covenant Box is kept in a tent!” (2 Samuel 7:2 TEV) So David determines to build God a temple, and initially with the prophet, Nathan’s, blessing. Misreading ...
If we’re really honest we have to admit that Peter speaks for all of us when he rebukes Jesus for saying that he would soon suffer. The main reason Peter does this is that following a God who suffers means we will probably have to suffer, too. Sure enough we were right; for immediately after Jesus puts Peter in his place, he says, “Those who want to be my followers must first deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow me.” What Peter probably figured out right from the beginning was that he would ...
What is the matter with you? Why do you never seem to understand what I say? You have ears: Why do you not hear me? Or are you blind? Can you not see what I am doing? You have eyes: Why can't you see? Our Bible lessons for today speak directly to us. It is as if they were written with us in mind. They all make at least some reference to problems of sight and blindness - to the problem that plagues us. "Wait a minute, Pastor! You must be kidding. These lessons cannot have much to do with our parish. To be ...
"... Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting of evil." (NAS) A gentle Christian of the Society of Friends, a lady by the name of May Haviland, lived alone. One night as she entered her bedroom, she found a burglar rifling through her bureau drawers. When she turned on the light, he pointed a gun at her heart. She gently said to him: "Put that thing away. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s guns. Besides, if your ...
This is a fantasy of one person becoming aware of another. It is considered biblical because at one time there was that first encounter. At the same time it must be remembered that each one of us has had that same first encounter; a time when we must admit there are other needs in the world beside our own personal needs, desires, and wants. The costuming for this play must be at the simplest level - black leotards and tights. The stage setting is also simple. On stage there are two tower-like structures ...
"How good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] live together in unity." A good thought...togetherness. That is one of the reasons I enjoy the church. As we gather together for worship, I am reminded that I am not alone. Not only that GOD is with me, but that other PEOPLE are with me...YOU are with me. I need that. It is strange, you know. As important as it is to us, we do not often celebrate togetherness. We gather at Thanksgiving time and express our gratitude for so many things...for food, for ...
Sexy stuff, huh? In our pew Bibles, the heading on the page we just read says "Song of Songs" but, as you know, in many Bibles the heading says "Song of Solomon." So saying, it is not generally thought that King Solomon was the author - granted he was a lusty fellow with 700 wives and 300 concubines, but that in itself, in my view, would mitigate against his authorship (when would he have had time?). More likely, Solomon's name became attached to the book in some sort of dedication. The original-language ...
I heard a story once. A Mr. Jones picked up the wrong umbrella in a hotel, and the umbrella's rightful owner called his attention to it. Embarrassed, Mr. Jones offered his apologies, picked up the right one, and went on his way. But the incident served to remind Mr. Jones that he had promised to buy umbrellas for his wife and daughter, so he went across the street to a store and purchased one for each of them. As he came out from the store and began to get in his car - THREE umbrellas on his arm now - the ...
“But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ “ (John 12:4-6) You’ve got to admit that Judas had a point. His was the voice of sweet reasonableness. “Let’s not let ourselves get carried away,” he said, “Let’s not jump off the deep end. This is wasteful extravagance. This costly perfume could be sold and the money given to the poor.” Never mind that the author of the Fourth ...
Today I want to share the story and testimony about one of God''s most faithful servants. His name is Epaphroditus. According to some scholars who share his name, it was common in the era and culture he lived in. It is certainly not a common name today. As Max Lucado shares: "`Epaphro-what-us?'' you say. Just ask the apostle Paul. He''ll give you the correct pronunciation. He''ll also give quite a character reference. To describe this fellow with the five-syllable name, Paul used more succinct words, like ...
The Rock opera, Jesus Christ, Superstar, pictures Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking God if it is really necessary for him to die on the cross. In deep anguish he prays, among other things, "I'd have to know, I'd have to know, my Lord, if I die, what will be my reward?" We don't think or talk much about the reward of the Christian life. I suppose we feel reluctant to ask because we think that, if we are being Christian just for what we get out of it, we are probably doing it for the wrong reason. ...
He is a comedian… and he was very, very funny,… but in recent months he has become very, very political. And now (in my opinion) he’s not so funny anymore… because now he considers himself an authority on everything that has to do with politics. Now, he considers himself the final word on everything that has to do with life in our country and in our world. He is brash and cocky. He is rigidly opinionated, closed-minded and even insulting towards anyone who disagrees with him. Now, let me hurry to say that ...
There was a young preacher who was going to preach his very first sermon, and he wanted to have a smashing introduction. So he went to an older pastor he knew, and said, "Do you know of any surefire introduction that is guaranteed to get everybody's attention?" The old preacher said, "As a matter of fact I have an illustration that works every single time." He said, "When you walk to the pulpit, make this statement: ‘Some of the greatest days of my life I spent in the arms of another man's wife.'" He said ...
Lord, out of the silence, we come into Your presence. Truly help us to set aside all thoughts and distractions. Help us to lay them at the Altar as we give this offering of time to hear Your word for our lives. Help us to put our worries and concerns about all of life into Your hands for safe keeping as we worship. In Your hands they don't look quite so big, so urgent, so burdensome. Help us to come into Your presence this morning ready to receive what you would have us hear. Introduction There's an old ...
A good woman is a superwoman, or so it appears to me as I read the list of things she can do. In this famous passage from Proverbs, we read that a good woman is precious and that her husband trusts her. A good woman is a good marketer and bargainer, buying fields, trading wool and flax, finding good food from far away. She makes her arms strong! There is certainly no picture of twenty-first-century "typical" femininity here. She is not just precious to her husband or a good businesswoman: she also opens ...
It is always the longest, most solidly stocked stacks in any bookstore — the “self help” nonfiction section. Maybe it’s a holdover from the old American adage of “pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps.” We’ll use some “self-help” suggestions offered by others only as long as we get to pick and choose what kind of help we’ll consider acceptable, only as long as we are still ultimately in charge of the direction and duration that the “help” we seek takes. “Self help” books, whether they are focused on ...
We usually don't spend too much time thinking about our own sinfulness. On occasion, of course, our feelings of guilt overwhelm us. We can't stop thinking about our sinfulness. If we are in that situation, we may need to talk that out with someone. Apart from times like that, we don't think much about our own sinfulness. We have ways of getting around that. We don't think about our sins because we are too appalled at the sins of others. The news media throws in our faces the outrageous sins of other people ...
It all sounds so simple. It’s just so nice, so easy, and so straightforward; almost comfortable. And we’ve heard the story told so many times that many of us know it by heart. “This John the Baptist guy was standing in the middle of the Jordan River, yelling at people and baptizing them. He was yelling at some of the priests who didn’t like him, when suddenly Jesus stepped out of the crowd, walked into the water, and stood next to John. At first, John wanted Jesus to baptize him, but finally, he went ahead ...
''Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.'' While you were away over the summer, the Presbyterians (P.C.U.S.A ) discovered sex. They issued a big report on sex at their General Assembly, voted it down by a margin of 95 to 5, the report that is. But not before Presbyterians captured many headlines, so shocked was the media to see staid Presbyterians talking in public about a subject like sex. The report advocated ''justice-love'' for ...
“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold." Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9 Do you believe that? It's from the book of Proverbs. You get this sort of moral platitude there. "A good name is better than silver or gold." Sounds a little quaint, this talk of "a good name." But this is typical of Proverbs. Here is ethics done the old-fashioned (600 B.C.) way -- an older person telling a younger person how to live in order to have a good life. The book of Proverbs is, ...
"Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid,...I hid your talent in the ground. " You know with whom we identify in this story of the Parable of the Talents. We are on the side of the little one-talent man. Perhaps because few of us are overburdened with talent, perhaps because we love stories of the little guy who makes good. The woman who stood up to the powers of the IRS and won. Toe worker who fought the great ...
“You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place .... no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” You had a hint of what was coming next. In the procession, George brought in the Bible and laid it upon the desk. That's on the table for today's business, that's our main agenda, this book. Now, having heard the word read, you are to hear the word preached. Not my word, the word. You're uninterested ...