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Showing posts from August, 2022

Looking to John the Baptist

There were several denominations who emphasized the ministry and passion of John the Baptist this month. His account is detailed in the Book of Luke in Chapters One and Three . John is clearly a pivotal figure in the salvation history of God. Although most of his formative years were lived in obscurity in the desert, his public ministry ended nearly four hundred years of prophetic silence. John was truly that voice ā€œcrying in the wildernessā€ preparing the way for the coming Messiah.  John preached the Good News without compromising his convictions or calling. This means going beyond the gentle, non-offensive sermon topics, and addressing the truth of the Good News that teaches repentance, freedom, healing, and restoration through Jesusā€™ death and Resurrection. John was truly a transitional Biblical figure, forming the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments. He spans the generations with one foot firmly planted in the Old Testament and the other squarely placed in...

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

I have to admit that it can be mind-boggling when I learn something new that changes the dynamics toward understanding something I have been accustomed to knowing nearly all my life. Especially, if it involves ā€œre-thinkingā€ parts of a fairly adaptable ā€œmemorizationā€ from the church such as Psalm 23, The Apostleā€™s Creed, and even the Lordā€™s Prayer.   One such encounter led our church into a full-hour discussion as our Sunday School lesson. It was part of the Lordā€™s Prayer found in Matthew 6:13 , ā€œAnd do not lead us into temptationā€¦.ā€ What, exactly, does it really mean to ā€œnot lead us into temptation?ā€   I found is that it does not literally mean ā€œkeep me from being tempted.ā€ The key word here is ā€œtemptationā€ which means ā€œ trial ā€ or ā€œ proving .ā€ It has a stronger, spiritual meaning than a mere whimsical approach such as ā€œhelp me resist the temptation to eat another slice of cake!ā€ It also puts to rest that God is ā€œmessing with usā€ to see if we ā€œtake the baitā€ and choose to sin....

Keeping it Simple

  The Sunday sermon. Just that statement, alone, provokes many different thoughts and opinions. It isnā€™t easy. The Pastorā€™s challenge is how to be faithful to the Scripture without diluting the truth to conform to the pressures of social norms, or the latest philosophical fads of progressive thinking. Also, there is the battle of not succumbing to the world of entertainment by downplaying the holiness of Scripture by the over-use of humor, theatrics and boisterous antics in the pulpit. Whereā€™s the balance? We donā€™t want to bore our people to sleep? We really donā€™t want people to mentally check out on usā€¦.do we? How do we maintain interest and connect with people on a deep spiritual realm so that they desire to listen, learn, and become dynamic members of the church who reflect the light of Christ?   The dynamic involved is keeping the message simple . However, simplicity does not mean hovering in the realms of shallowness. Simplicity is not a ā€œfree passā€ for the pastor not...

Matters of Opinion

As a pastor, I have always thought of the people sitting in the Sanctuary during a Sunday morning worship service was much like the ā€œone-room school houseā€ I have seen many times in episodes of ā€œLittle House on the Prairie.ā€ Why, so?   Regardless of what grade the children were in and no matter what level of their true knowledge and wisdom, they were still altogether in one room learning together under the guidance of one teacher.   However, in the learning process, it was expected that all students show patience and respect towards their fellow students who struggled with learning or were much younger and at a different level of curriculum.   It would be cruel for a senior student to laugh and jest at a six-year-old learning to read for the first time. The difference between 12 th grade and Kindergarten is beyond obvious and should be understood and respected. It is no different in the Church.   Sitting in our church pews (chairs) each Sunday is a group of people...