Sermons
Kingdom living 101: service
After announcing that God’s Kingdom has broken in upon this earth, Jesus calls some fishermen to join him. And as they do, he shows them what it really means to live in the Kingdom. It’s a course in Kingdom Living 101.
If you recall from last week, Lesson 1 was about authority. That’s the logical place to start. You can’t have a kingdom without a king. And Jesus demonstrated that he had the authority of God. Not only in the things he said, but in the things he did. He was able to face down the forces of evil and send them running.
Now it’s time for lesson 2.
Measuring Out You Life with Coffee Spoons
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. Words from one of TS Elliot’s poems that have always stuck with me. I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. Would that describe you? Do you measure out your life with coffee spoons?
This could certainly be said of one of the characters in the parable that Jesus told about a man who was going on a journey and entrusted some of his wealth to his slaves while he was away. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to the another one.
A Matter of Perspective
Leo Tolstoy tells the story of a rich man who was never satisfied. He always wanted more. One day he heard about an opportunity to get more land. For just 1,000 rubles he could have all that he was able to walk around in a single day. The only catch was that he had to make it back to the starting point by the end of the day or he would lose everything. So, he arose early in the morning and set out. He walked and walked, thinking that he could get just a little more land if he kept going.
She Knew Who She Was (Memorial for Pamela Renee Jones)
Pamela Jones knew who she was. I can’t say that about very many people I’ve known. But then, not many of the people I’ve known have been as passionate as Pamela was about being who they really are. Oh yes, she knew who she was!
Squeezing God into our pea-sized brains
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Was Shakespeare right? Doesn't the name we give to something matter? Well, that may depend on what we’re naming. When it’s God that we’re naming, it does seem to make a difference.
Kicking and Screaming into the Kingdom of God
Imagine gathering together with people from every nation under the sun and they’re all talking at once. That’s the way the Christian church began, in a demonstration of diversity, like the Tower of Babel after people became divided over language and culture. But the day of Pentecost reversed the division of diversity. The cacophony of voices talking past one another was transcended and suddenly God’s people were communicating and connecting with one another. A bunch of uneducated guys from Galilee spoke so each person could understand what they were saying, each in their own native tongue.
Much Ado About Nothing?
The classic T.V. show, Seinfeld, was known as a show about nothing. They could do an entire episode about waiting to be seated in a restaurant, or trying to find a car in a parking garage. Nothing ever really happened. Could we put Easter in that category, as well? Is it a Seinfeld-esque holiday that’s all about nothing?
Worth Every Breath
I enjoy deep, theological discussions. But I admit that I’m pretty selective about who I choose to have them with. If I’m honest about it, I confess that there are some people I won’t waste my breath on. Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses who come knocking on my door. I won’t talk with them because experience has taught me that they really aren’t interested in a conversation. They’ve come to give me all the answers. I feel that way sometimes about engaging Evangelical Christians, too. I try to avoid talking with them.
Naked Before God
I’m thinking of a word. Can you guess what it is?
Synonyms are: affinity, communion, confidence, familiarity, understanding
Definition: closeness between people
And the word is…? INTIMACY
A misunderstood word in our culture, we usually use it as a polite way to say that two people are having sex. We’ll say, “they’re having an intimate relationship.”
Extravangant, Over-the-Top Love that Doesn’t Hold Back
We continue this week with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and get to the very heart of Jesus’ message to his followers. And what a message it is. Turn the other cheek, if someone wrongs you don’t retaliate, love your enemies, pray for those who are out to do you harm. It’s a heavy list. And then, Jesus sums it all up with the words that cut through us like a knife: “Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.” Say what?
