Sermon Video: Simeon and Anna, Luke 2:21-38

As Mary and Joseph travel to Jerusalem to fulfill the requirements of the Law, (a redemption of the firstborn of silver and a sacrifice of purification for Mary) as well as the circumcision and naming of Jesus, they are confronted in the Temple by two righteous followers of God.  Simeon and Anna have both spent their lives in anticipation of God's redemption of his people Israel, and on this day are both rewarded for their fidelity with the opportunity to see the Messiah for themselves.  Simeon predicts the mission of Jesus to the Gentiles and warns Mary that he will face opposition stiff enough to "pierce your own soul".  With the exception of the visit to the Temple twelve years later, this is the last we see of Jesus until he begins his public ministry. 

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

Sex and Marriage?

The role of sexuality in the life of those who follow God is a horribly misunderstood topic.  We've twisted it around and screwed it up to no end.  That being said, such a knot cannot be unraveled all at once, let me simply pull on one strand a bit and try to help...

What's the purpose of sex?  To those who engage in sex outside of the covenant of marriage, it is an act of pleasure that often tries to be the glue holding a relationship together.  It is an act of hope that is far too often placed in the wrong person.  It becomes damaged by bad experiences and ends up being something it was never intended to be.  Sex should not be a bargaining chip, nor a tool for getting one's way, it should not be bought or sold, nor should be be withheld or forced.  We, as a society, have morphed sex almost beyond recognition.

Sex within a marriage is an entirely different thing.  It is not the glue holding the relationship together, nor is it simply for pleasure.  The bond that holds the marriage together is honor, integrity, and a promise made in love before God, family, and friends.  Now, sex is pleasurable in a marriage, it is intended to be, but it also so much more.  It is a celebration of the union that exists between two people, of the molding of two separate lives into one, of the submission of two independent wills into one common goal of being a mutually beneficially partnership.

  If all of that sounds a little too idealistic to you, good, it should be.  God created the institution of marriage, and made sexuality as a part of it, for a very good reason.  We're not complete when we're alone.  We all feel it, we all know that the joys and sorrows of this life should be shared with another who is designed to compliment you.  A marriage works best when strengths and weaknesses are balanced out by the spouse, when needs and dreams are worked at together and not in competition.

Is sex a good thing?  Absolutely, all of God's creation was good in the beginning.  Has it been wrecked by sinful man?  Without a doubt, but we can begin to reclaim sex by supporting marriage.  Those who find themselves in the midst of divorce or failed relationships can begin again; you can reclaim your honor and integrity by saving your most intimate feelings for someone who is willing to publicly commit to you.  It may be idealistic, but it's also the truth.

"God doesn't need candles, we do"

That was a line from the Christmas Eve homily of Msgr. Herbein, the priest of St. Patrick's here in Franklin, as he explained that the incense, the candles, Christmas trees, etc. are not a part of worship for the sake of God, they are a part of worship for the sake of the people of God.  That's the best explanation for liturgy that I've heard, the kind of thing I knew I would blog about when I had the chance.  Every church has a liturgy (yes, even Baptists do, try to change the order of worship and see what happens), and every church has things which have symbolic value to them.  Why do we do these things?  Why these and not others?  The answer to that is always interesting, it usually involves history and the choices of men, for both good and ill, that have led us to this point.
The biblical example that inspired Msgr. Herbein's comment was the conversation between David and God about building a temple in II Samuel 7 in which God tells David that he has no need of a house of cedar (the Ark of God had been in the tabernacle, a tent, since the days of Moses), nor had he ever asked anyone to build him a fancy temple.  However, the sentiment, the desire to do something out of love and appreciation for God that was behind David's desire was rewarded by God.  David sought to do something to help God out, God responded by establishing a covenant (a promise) between himself and David, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever." (II Samuel 7:16)  That promise was ultimately kept through the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who has once again established the throne of David.
So, why do we build magnificent churches, elaborately decorate them, and create elaborate ceremonies to worship in them?  It isn't for God's sake, but our own.  By putting so much of ourselves into our worship it allows us to demonstrate the extent of our gratitude for what God has done for us. 
It really doesn't matter if you worship in a humble chapel with bare walls, or a magnificent cathedral full of pomp and ceremony, if your place of worship brings you closer in love and obedience to God then it is fulfilling its purpose.  Do yourself a favor, attend a worship service at a church that is very different from your own, open your mind to other ways in which God can be praised, you might be surprised by what you see.

Sermon Video: The Angels and the Shepherds, Luke 2:8-20

With the culmination of God's divine plan taking place in Bethlehem, all that remains is to announce the arrival of the Messiah to the world.  For God, contrary to our own instincts, the beginning of his Son's ministry on earth will be announced to lowly shepherds out in the fields.  The "good news of great joy" that a "savior" has been born who is both "Christ" and "Lord" begins as only the mission of a suffering servant could; with humility.  As the shepherds visit in awe, Mary ponders the implications of all she has seen, who will this child be?

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

Sermon Video: The Birth of Jesus - Luke 2:1-7

The culmination of the Divine plan for the redemption of humanity begins with an almost unnoticed birth of a child in the small town of Bethlehem.  The couple to whom he was born were not even important enough to secure a room to stay in, and his witnesses were not kings but shepherds, but this Messiah would soon prove himself to be an unexpected savior, a servant of all.

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

Mustard Seed Missions - moving forward

I've been spending a lot of time working on Mustard Seed Missions related things of late (henceforth it will be MSM to save time), the committee meets every month and the phone calls, e-mails, and visits take place on a daily basis in the process of helping get this new effort off the ground.  I'm happy to report that thus far we've helped several families with situations that range from "easy enough" to "holy cow".  God has been gracious to us, the spirit of cooperation among churches and within the Human Services agencies has been heart-warming, as has been the generosity of volunteers and donors.  We've yet to find ourselves without funds, materials, or people to complete a project at hand once we get ourselves organized.  It has been an incredible journey thus far, one I found myself upon almost by accident (not as if God didn't know exactly what he was doing), but one in which I have been able to use my talents, passions, and position for the service of the kingdom.

The logo for MSM has been created, thanks to my talented wife Nicole, as has our pamphlet and bulletin insert for churches to use in getting the word out and recruiting volunteers.  The days and months ahead will certainly help us sort of the growing pains of any new organization, but I'm confident we'll be fine when I look at the quality of the people whom God has recruited for this effort.
MSM bulletin insert (Word)

Sermon Video: The Birth of John the Baptist - Luke 1:39-66

The Christmas story continues with Mary hurrying to visit her relative Elizabeth, a woman to with whom she can share the story of Gabriel's visit as even now Elizabeth is in the 6th month of her miracle pregnancy.  The unborn John "leaps" in the womb of Elizabeth, prompting her to remark on the blessing that Mary has been given as the one who will bring the Lord into the world.  Following Mary's song of praise, the son of Elizabeth is born to much fanfare as word of the birth spreads far and wide.  At this point, the words of Gabriel are fulfilled and the boy is named John, but not until Elizabeth speaks up (and is disregarded) and then Zechariah confirms it in writing.  Zechariah's speech returns to him (after 9 months of silence) and he begins to praise God, adding to the general amazement and wonder as to what John will one day become.
As the birth of Jesus approaches, all eyes are on John, the one who will a few short years from now travel into the desert to prepare the way of the Lord.

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

The Light of Christ vs. the Darkness of Man's Heart

Here I was spending my day doing Mustard Seed Missions work, trying to help those in need; polishing up my sermon for Sunday on the birth of John the Baptist; real salt and light kind of things; looking forward to the Hobbit tonight...in other words, a good day...then I see that yet another school shooting has happened; the numbers, horrific even when 1 are much higher than you could imagine...is it any wonder that I spend my life trying to help people find there way out of the darkness that envelops our world and into the light of Christ?  Can anybody really say that this world is fine without God, mankind's hopeless situation on his own, sadly on display again today.

A Mary vs. Martha kind of day

In Luke 10:38-42, Martha invites Jesus to her home and then becomes swamped with the preparation that had to be made.  Martha's sister, Mary, sits at Jesus' feet and listens to what he had to say.  When Martha grumbles to Jesus that Mary is helping her with the work, Jesus replies, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only on thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
This passage is often interpreted as a reminder to focus upon the important things and not get bogged down in the details; it can be applied to the functioning of a business, a family, or a church.  We must be aware of what is critical and not let what is important get in its way.
When you're a pastor, these sort of questions can pop up every day.  This past Friday I still had a lot of work to do on my sermon for Sunday, because of prior meetings earlier in the week I was a lot less done than usual for a Friday.  The meetings earlier in the week were important in their own right, they were about expanding the work of Mustard Seed Missions; worth doing, necessary, but time consuming.
Thus as Friday began, I was hoping for a relatively quite day to get my work done.  If there is one thing that most pastors don't like, it's being unprepared for the Sunday sermon as the end of the week approaches.  God had other plans in store for me that day.  Late on Thursday I heard of a local grandmother who had been kicked out of her apartment by a new owner and found herself, and her two grand kids living with her, living with virtually no furniture.  After a couple of phone calls, one bed and a table was located; the woman herself had obtained a fridge and range, it seemed that a couple of hours of delivery were in order. 
I was able to find a helper for moving the stuff, Cheryl's husband John, and we set to work on it.  Several hours, and a sore back later, the furniture was moved and a person in need was helped (a start on it anyway, this project, like so many MSM projects is ongoing).
At that moment, I was eager to get back to my office, sit and my desk and finish that sermon.  Mere moments after I sat down, however, the phone rang, it was a man who hadn't eaten or slept in days; someone in need of emergency help.  After looking for the man for an hour (he had given me the wrong street number in his sleep deprived state), I was able to take him to a local group, Heart to Heart, who were able to meet with him and get him some food.
By this time it was nearly 3 PM and I had a Christmas party to go to; yikes.  When did I finish the sermon?  Saturday morning, my day off.  Was there any help for it?  Not really, that message is one of my most important responsibilities each week, but if I can't set it aside to help those in real need, who am I being Mary or Martha?  By the way, the sermon went fine on Sunday morning; God knows what he's doing.

Sermon Video - The Angel's Message, Luke 1:26-38

As the Christmas story continues, Gabriel goes to the small backwoods village of Nazareth to seek out a descendant of David, a carpenter named Joseph.  When he arrives, Gabriel speaks to Joseph's fiance, Mary, instead.  The message he has for her is unlike any other; a child is to be born, before Mary has union with her future husband.  Mary is rightly confused about how this could be possible until Gabriel explains that the child will be called the Son of God; the Holy Spirit will come upon Mary and God will "overshadow" her.  The end result: Emmanuel, God with us.  Mary's response to this shocking news is a credit to her character, "I am the Lord's servant".

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

Is the relationship between a pastor and his church like a marriage?

I've been thinking about the turmoil that can happen between a pastor and a church when the relationship goes sour.  I know of several pastors to whom this has happened over the years, some of which you might expect it, and others of whom anyone would be surprised to find them in that situation.  The same could be said of the churches, there are some whose "personality" is such that you aren't surprised to learn they ran another preacher out of town, and others that you thought it would never be involved in a bad pastor/church relationship.
So, is the best analogy to describe the relationship between a pastor and his church the familiar marriage covenant?  On the surface we know that most pastors will not stay at the church they begin with until "death do us part"; in many denominations they have no choice in the matter, a Bishop makes those decisions.  But aside from the realization that the relationship is not forever, the dynamic is very similar.
The foundation of marriage: mutual self-sacrificial behavior, is also crucial to a healthy ministry.  If the pastor simply gives, and the church simply takes (or vice versa) it won't last and it won't be healthy.  Likewise, the policy of honest communication and holding your tongue if you don't have anything constructive to say will help foster peace between a husband and wife as well as between a pastor and his congregation.  This sort of comparison could continue.  In the end, what is needed is a mutual relationship where neither side is dominated and neither side is used or neglected.
If the relationship between a pastor and his church runs into trouble that goes beyond the ordinary bumps in the road the same sort of messy divorce that sadly plagues marriages in America today also occurs.  There will be some who love the pastor and feel upset that he's been shown the door (or left of his own accord) and there will be some who hated the guy and are happy to see him go.  Children who have grown up in a divorced household will recognize this blame game and the guilt and regret that go with it.
Bad endings to a pastor/church relationships cannot be entirely avoided, neither can the hurt feelings that accompany them.  The burden that is placed upon us, as Christians, is to be people of healing and reconciliation.  To follow our God's example and offer second chances to those who have gone astray, and to protect and defend the God ordained relationship between a pastor and his church much as we would a marriage within our own family.  In the end, without mutual sacrifice, respect, and love; no marriage, whether between a husband and wife or a pastor and a church, can be expected to last.

Sermon Video, The Promise of John the Baptist - Luke 1:5-25

The opening act to the Christmas story begins with the morally upright priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth.  This ideal Jewish couple have only one problem, they can't have kids.  What would be seen as a difficulty to be overcome today was a shameful deficiency in the 1st Century.  While serving in the Temple, Gabriel appears to Zechariah and promises that God has answered their prayer in the form of a miraculous child who will take up the mantle of the prophet Elijah and lead his people back to their God as well as prepare the way for the Lord's advent.  If this is God's opening act, imagine how amazing the Messiah must be.

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