Sermon Video: Jesus' winnowing fork - Luke 3:15-22

Why was Jesus baptized by John the Baptist, and why did John tell everyone that the Messiah would be carrying a winnowing fork? Oh yeah, and why is John talking about untying somebody's shoes?


The humility of John is on display as he denies that he is the Christ. Furthermore, he assures the crowds that the Messiah will baptize with the Holy Spirit, a more potent and permanent baptism than the water with which John is baptizing.
 
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

"Where a people prays, there is the church"

That's part of a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was executed for his part in the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler (the same one in Tom Cruise's movie, Valkyrie)  The whole quote is: "Where a people prays, there is the church; and where the church is; there is never lonliness."  Dietrich wrote those words before moving away from his family and friends in Berlin in 1928 to spend a year as the vicar (pastor) of a German church in Barcelona, Spain.  To me, those words ring particularly true in light of the past few months.  Nicole and I moved 450 miles away from home, leaving family and friends behind.  What we have found here in Franklin is a new group of people, not brought together out of common interest, but out of a common bond far more strong; our love of Jesus.  In our prayers for each other, for the work of this church, and for this town, we find a new community.  I won't claim to have not felt any homesickness, nor could Nicole say that, but I understand Dietrich's point.  Here, in this place, is the church.  We left a loving community of believers behind in Palo, as well as our friends at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, and before that Galilee Baptist in Saranac, but we have found another loving family of believers here.  Why do they accept me and follow my leadership?  Because they see the hand of God in it; not that there's all that much special about me in particular, but God prepared this path long in advance.
When you feal disconnected, lonely, or sad, do yourself a favor, pray with God's people.

FYI, the quote is from the book, Bonhoeffer: pastor, martyr, prophet, spy by Eric Metaxas; it has been fascinating thus far to read about Dietrich's childhood and the influences in his life that lead him to stand up against the Nazis when so many other German pastor did not.

Sermon Video: Joseph in Potiphar's house - Genesis 39

How would you react to being sold into slavery by your own brothers?  Would your faith by ruined by their betrayal?  For Joseph, his time spent as Potiphar's slave proved that his faith was still strong the indeed the LORD was still with him.  When he began to have success, and was placed in charge of the household by Potiphar, Joseph was confronted by a new challenge; the sexual advances of Potiphar's wife.  Rather than believe sin's lie of sex-without-consequences, Joseph refuses to dishoner himself and sin against God.  Despite her repeated enticements, he stand firm.  In the end, Joseph's honor is rewarded with a prison sentence, so is the LORD still with him??  Once again, in prison, Joseph proves worthy of God's favor by keeping his faith in spite of the dark road he has been forced to walk down

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Joseph: The all grown-up version

The story of Joseph is one of those that kids raised in the Church learned about early on.  We were told about his coat, his dreams, his brother's jealousy, his time in prison, and his eventual triumph and reunion with his family.  What strikes me as I prepare a series of sermons on Joseph is how brutal the life he lived must have been at times.  Not only was he betrayed by his own brothers and nearly killed, but he spent YEARS as a slave.  When things finally looked like they were turning for the better, Joseph found himself in prison for YEARS.  I don't know about you, but suddenly Joseph doesn't seem like a safe Sunday school story anymore.  There must have been huge swings in his emotions, from fear to rage, from fragile hope to crushing doubt.  How on earth did Joseph remain a man who followed the LORD through all of this?  My faith is strong, but is it that strong?  How would I react to betrayal by my own family, to loss of my freedom, and to years of waiting for things to get better?  The Old Testament saints may make for interesting Disney-style stories for children, but I have to look long and hard to find one of them I'd switch places with.  The next time you feel like looking down at the mistakes of the men and women of Scripture (and there certainly are plenty to point out), make sure you real the whole story with your eyes open first.

Sermon Video: "Joseph: From favorite son to slave" - Genesis 37

Have you ever wondered how Joseph turned out to be such a man of faith?  His family and childhood were full of exploits that seem more at home in the tabloids than the Bible.  At seventeen he was set upon by his own brothers and sold into slavery.  This sermon explores the sin that crept over his brothers, their chances to put a stop to it, and leaves us wondering how Joseph overcame such as dysfunctional family.  The second part of the sermon will follow next week.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" - Luke 3:7-14

When the crowds began to come out to the Jordan to John to be baptized he responded with dire words, calling them a "brood of vipers".  Why would John respond harshly to those seeking to repent?  The answer lies in the covenant that God's people had broken by wandering away in disobedience.  John doesn't criticize new believers, nor should we, his message is for those within Israel (and the message is the same today for the Church) who already know God's grace but fail to act upon it.  What should we do to confirm our repentance?  We must produce fruit through acts of kindness in service to others, only then will the genuine nature of our repentence be confirmed.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

My first Ministers' meeting in Franklin...

I was at the monthly meeting of ministers and lay leaders in Franklin this morning.  We had a fairly large turnout of local pastors and lay ministers who attend the group, but even this is a paltry amount compared to the 52!! churches within a few miles of Franklin.  Who knew there were so many?  How can so many churches hope to cooperate and work together to serve the poor and advance the cause of Christ?
One of the things that this group has decided is that we will move forward with various projects and events in the hopes that our activity will prove to be the catalyst that brings more churches, and their leadership, into the fold of cooperation in Franklin (and Venango County as well).
I have to say that this is exciting stuff, I certainly didn't have so many church neighbors back in Palo, MI.  When we had a town wide church leadership meeting I only needed to call the Methodist minister and that was all of us.  Now, I have 2 Methodist churches, 1 Episcopal, 1 Catholic, and more within the blocks next to my own!  This is an amazing opportunity to serve this town from many different directions with the same Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also a warning to us all that we need to grow OUTSIDE of our normal church circles if all of us are to maintain vibrant churches in the future.
Needless to say, the future here in Franklin holds much promise, much work, and much need of prayer support.  May God continue to bless us for seeking to bridge the gaps that our forefathers created between our churches.  Christ only has one bride, HIS Church.