July 17, 2011

Sermon for July 17, 2011

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Mugshots and Magazine Covers


Humans really can be easily fooled by appearance.  Most of us assume that bad guys look like they do in mugshots and good guys look like the pretty folks we see on magazine covers.  But what if the real measure of a person has less to do with how we look, and more to do with what fruit we bear?


Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
13:24 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field;13:25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.13:26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.13:27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?'13:28 He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'13:29 But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.13:30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"13:36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 13:37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;13:38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,13:39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.13:40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,13:42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

July 9, 2011

Sermon for July 09, 2011

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"I'm in That Story?"
Today's text invites us to find ourselves in the parable of the sower and the seeds, but which seed am I?  Maybe we are all of them...


Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.13:2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.13:3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow.13:4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.13:5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.13:6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away.13:7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.13:8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.13:9 Let anyone with ears listen!"13:18 "Hear then the parable of the sower.13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path.13:20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
13:21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.13:22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.13:23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

July 3, 2011

Sermon for July 3, 2011

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Energy Crisis

This weekend we celebrate America's independence.  On a fun note we retired our sanctuary flag and installed a new one this Sunday and in the process of planning this we realized that our flag had 49 stars.  Yes, I think that flag was ready to be retired.  As it is an historic flag it will be placed on display.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
11:16 "But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, 11:17 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.' 11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; 11:19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." 11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 11:26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 11:28 "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

June 25, 2011

This sermon is for June 25, 2011
Jazz Service

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So, what do you do?

(June 25th was the date of our first Jazz Service.  Hopefully soon we will have our photos up at our Photo Page and maybe even have the video of it on YouTube)

In every instance of small talk with strangers sooner or later you get to the "do-be-do" question ("So...what do you do?")  We aren't asking what you do for a living, we are actually asking who you are.  Beware, sometimes the answer to that question can surprise you...

Romans 6:12-23
6:12 Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.
6:13 No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. 6:14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 6:15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 6:17 But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 6:18 and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 6:19 I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.  6:20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 6:21 So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.  6:22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life.  6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

June 19, 2011

This sermon is for June 19, 2011
Holy Trinity Sunday

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Can You Define That?


Happy Father's Day.

The miracle of the the trinity is a mystery to even the most well educated theologian, but what we do know is that mysteries require belief.   But, what do we mean by "believe"?

Matthew 28:16-20
28:16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
28:17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,28:20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

June 12, 2011

This sermon is for June 12, 2011

Pentecost Sunday

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Public Speaking...and Other Foreign Languages. 


The miracle of Pentecost had far less to do with the disciples speaking foreign languages and far more to do with them speaking period.  Up till this point they were huddled and afraid to show their faces in public.  The Holy Spirit comes and suddenly they are out in the middle of town proclaiming Jesus to anyone and everyone.  What changed?  How did the Holy Spirit change them?  Can it do the same to us?  And how did they get over their fear of public speaking....

Acts 2:1-21
2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.2:2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.2:3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.2:5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.2:6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.2:7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?2:8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,2:11 Cretans and Arabs--in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power."2:12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"2:13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."2:14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.2:15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning.2:16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:2:17 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.2:18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.2:19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.2:20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.
2:21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

June 6, 2011

This is the sermon for June 6, 2011 
Ascension Sunday (observed)

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Why Pastors are not Stuntmen


(Ascension Day is technically the 40th day of Easter, which is to say Thursday of last week.  But since it is not commonly celebrated in America it is usually observed on the Sunday that follows)


Luke 24
24:44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you--that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled."
24:45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 24:46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,  24:47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 24:48 You are witnesses of these things. 24:49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." 24:50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 24:51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 24:52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 24:53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.