Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Gift Language (Sermon 12-26-10)

A quick note: this is the chapel version of the sermon that I preached last Wednesday. I edited the original and cut the family stories out a bit, because my family was coming to Bethesda to hear me this last Sunday and I didn't want to embarrass them by talking about them in front of everyone.
----------------------

Luke 2:1-20



I remember once, when I was 14, my family decided to take a trip down to Arizona to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Smith. They’d just moved down there the year before, to a retirement community called Green Valley, because of Grandma’s asthma and Grandpa’s heart issues.  I remember thinking when we first decided to go that, apart from getting to see Grandma and Grandpa, this was going to be the most boring vacation ever- who wants to go visit a retirement community?

Sunday, December 19, 2010

What's in a Name? (Sermon 12-19-10)

Matthew 1:18-25


When I was a kid, like all good children, I loved Dr. Seuss books. I loved Fox in Sox, One Fish Two Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, but most of all, if I remember correctly, I loved the story of The Sneetches. If you don’t remember the story, it starts out this way:

Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.
Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small.
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.

But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches
Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”
With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort
“We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!”
And, whenever they met some, when they were out walking,
They’d hike right on past them without even talking.

The story then goes on to tell of the arrival of one Sylvester McMonkey McBean, a hero of capitalism, the fix-it-up-chappie, who builds a sort of Ruth Goldberg style tattoo machine which can place a star upon the belly of any sneetch. Of course, then, chaos ensues as the Sneetches which had formerly had stars upon thars now wanted no stars upon thars due to the Sneetches which did not have stars upon thars now having stars upon thars. And Mr. McBean, ever ready to make his living, supplies a similar star removal machine. And eventually, all of the Sneetches are running in and out of both machines, paying their money, putting stars on and having them removed, until nobody knows which was which first.

Now, I have long believed that my brain works in funny ways and often draws connections between thoughts which are in no-way related, and here is the proof: every Advent and Christmas season, without fail, and some point while passing a nativity scene and observing the star which is often glued to the peak of the roof of the stable, or when passing some other Christmas decoration including the star which the Magi followed, I will inevitably here the words “the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars,” somewhere in the recesses of my brain.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Of Mary and Signposts (Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent; 12-12-10)

Luke 1:39-56


Mary is a bit of an enigma for we Protestants, or more accurately we non-Roman Catholic Christian Westerners. Though our Methodist lineage is not quite the same as that of other Protestant denominations in the world, we too were influenced by the events of the Reformation, though perhaps in some unique ways. But one thing that did carry over is that, for the average person in the pew at least, there used to be a bit of an aversion to things “Popish” and smelling of veneration.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Advent: Why Wait? (Sermon 12-5-10)

Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19


People love to celebrate. We love to throw parties, dress up, eat big meals followed up by great desserts and coffee or wines, and make a big to-do of things. Any chance we get, whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, or even on the occasion of moving away, we love to get everybody together and have a good time.

It’s in our nature to celebrate. Celebration helps us to remember things, how old we are, how long we’ve been with someone, or how important the people in our current situation in life have been to us. When we don’t celebrate, we have a tendency to forget, or worse, to take for granted. In fact, this is one of the chief reasons we gather together every Sunday, to celebrate the work of God in Christ, to be reminded of the good words of the Gospel, lest we forget. We celebrate to defy forgetfulness.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

No Sermon Today...

Today we had a "Hanging of the Greens" service, and as such I wasn't required to give sermon. I may post what I write up for chapel on Wednesday, we'll see.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

What does this tell us about God? (Sermon 11-21-10)

1 John 5:13-21

Thanksgiving is upon us now, only days away. Dried noodles and frozen pumpkin filling are patiently waiting in their zip locked containers for the upcoming week. And as we prepare our turkeys and mashed potatoes among other things, perhaps amidst the fray we’ll be able to stop and think, if just for a minute, about all the things which we have to be thankful for. Perhaps for having a job during tough economic times. Maybe for having family and friends when it’s so easy to find yourself lonely. If we are so lucky we may even gain a sense of how these things are truly blessings, dependent much more upon the grace of God than we’re usually inclined to give credit for.

Maybe, if we’re watching the game after the big meal, or a special on the History Channel while we’re preparing the food, we’ll think for a moment about the fabled origin of this holiday; not the legalized national origins when an official date was set in 1941, but the story of Plymouth Plantation, the 53 Pilgrims and 90 some Native Americans. We might think of them giving thanks to God after a successful harvest following a difficult year.

And that’s always how it’s coupled, I think. Blessings in the midst of suffering, boon and bane together. I’ve never subscribed to the idea that bad times make the good times more valuable, rather I think good times make the bad times more bearable. I think, in the midst of difficulties, we get glimmers of hope, things to hold on to, promises that can still create faith amongst the barrage of worries, fears, and doubts; faith in the middle of a world often gone drastically wrong.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

His Burden is Light (Sermon 11-7-10)

I wish this was the version of the sermon I preached this morning. 
Unfortunately, whereas this is the finished product, this morning's 
version was the rough draft, a rough draft which, sadly, probably 
sounded too much like law, though my expressed intent was to go 
in another direction... 
God willing I will do better at Chapel on Wednesday.
----------------------
1 John 5:1-5
In addition to keeping a blog, I check a lot of blogs. Blogs are a quick, easy way to access informative opinions from a broad scope of perspectives. Sometimes it seems like everyone has a blog anymore, and while that can be tiresome, it also means that, in addition to the “isn’t it so great, my baby said ‘poop’ for the first time” type blogs out there, there’s also a load of good theologically oriented blogs out there as well.

A number of the blogs I check are from theological streams outside of my own. I try to keep tabs on just about everybody, whether Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, pretty much everyone aside from the Baptist, because who cares what’s going on with the Baptists? Only kidding of course.
I find, however, that the blogs I check back on most frequently are the ones kept by former professors of mine. I’m five, almost five and half, years out of college, and I still look to many of these men for guidance on some of the tougher issues of the faith. Many of the teachers which I sat under were very intelligent, and very wonderful examples of the faith.

So, after last Sunday, having preached on my own experience at Indiana Wesleyan with regards to the teaching of holiness and sanctification, highlighting how that experience pushed me in the direction of Lutheranism, I found it interesting that one of my former professors posted that same day a note with this heading: “Why Holiness is such a hard sell.”

Sunday, October 31, 2010

He First Loved Us (Sermon 10-31-10)

1 John 4:7-21


            If you weren’t aware, today is actually two holidays rolled into one. In fact, it’s two of my favorite holidays. I’ve always loved Halloween. Just like any other kid, I always thought eating loads of candy, playing make-believe, and being out late at night was the perfect combination of things to do. Any insistence by fellow believers over the years on the evil nature of Halloween’s pagan origin has always fallen on deaf ears for me. I never had the misfortune of running into a witches’ coven or any unearthly malevolent being while out loading up on kit-kats and trading whoppers for the good stuff.
            However, a holiday which I have come to celebrate with, albeit less fervor, but no less sincerity and appreciation, is Reformation Day, which also happens to be today. On this day 493 years ago, the day before All Saint’s Day, according the account of Philipp Melanchthon, Martin Luther strolled up to the doors of All Saint’s Church, or Castle Church, in Wittenberg, Germany, and nailed to the door of the church a paper, or disputation, which he had written and also sent a copy of to his archbishop, Albert of Mainz, containing “95 thesis” on “The Power and Efficacy of Indulgences;” criticizing the sale of indulgences, aspects of the doctrine of purgatory in general, and some of the policies of the Pope.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Greater is He who is in You (or, my Daddy can whip your Daddy) (Sermon 10-24-10)


              What keeps you up at night? Pause to think about that for a moment. Are there things in your past? Things in your future? Questions that are left unanswered? Perhaps, with Halloween almost upon us it’s good to reflect on those things which scare us. As children, of course, the ghouls and the goblins, witches and vampires, all were meant to frighten us but in a fun way. As we grow older, the things which frighten us are no longer fun, in fact we may relish the days when all we had to worry about were whether or not there really was a boogey man hanging out in the closet, or under the bed.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

How We Know What We Know (Sermon 10-17-10)




Though I’ve only been on this Earth for twenty-seven years, over those years life has taught me a number of important lessons about myself. One of those lessons which it has seen fit to teach me over and over again, just to make sure that it sticks, is that I am, in many ways, a bit of an odd-duck.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Family of God (Sermon 10-10-10)

1 John 3:1-3:10

When you hear the word “family,” what do you think of? Maybe it’s your mom and dad, your kids, maybe your grandma and grandpa, your aunts and uncles, your cousins. Or maybe your definition of family is a little broader than that, maybe it includes the friends you grew up with, that one best buddy you’ve had since kindergarten. Are you thoughts about your family great memories? Warm and fuzzy feelings? Or maybe your family is just the opposite; maybe they represent for you everything you don’t want to be. Perhaps your dad was abusive, or your mom was an alcoholic. Who knows?
Family plays a huge factor in determining who you are as a person, whether it’s a good influence or a bad one, it’s impossible to get past the impact your family makes on your decisions and behaviors, the things you love and the things you hate, and the way you deal with them both.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Love of the World (Sermon 10-3-10)

1 John 2:15-27


                 I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a sports fan. I hate football, I absolutely loathe racing, and I can think of a hundred things I would love to do more than watch a basketball game. I don’t know who’s coaching who, I don’t know what players have what stats, I have no idea who’s going to the finals, and I don’t care. I don’t watch ESPN, I don’t wear jerseys, and I find that the majority of athletes who most people love are self-obsessed jerks. But despite that fact, there is one sport which has always held a special place in my heart, and that’s baseball.

Monday, September 27, 2010

How to Spot a Fake (Sermon 9-26-10)



            Some of my favorite memories in life are from family vacations I took as a child. We didn’t take many, but the ones we did take were great. Big family trips down to Florida, weekend trips to, for my family anyway, the eternal city of baseball, St. Louis. Those were our usual destinations. But, there was one summer when we switched things up a bit and instead of heading to the south or the west, we headed northeast. My Dad’s best friend from High-School was living in Pennsylvania at the time, so my parents decided that we’d spend a few days with his family, then check out all the great places out there we’d never been to out there, like Gettysburg, Washington D.C., and New York City.
            Now, Gettysburg and Washington D.C. are great places to visit, but at the moment they don’t provide me with the sermon illustration I’m wanting to use today, so we won’t be talking about them much. As I said, we hadn’t visited a lot of cities, the largest place I’d been to before then was Chicago. And as large as Chicago is, it has nothing on the sheer immensity of New York City.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Walking in the Light (Sermon 9-19-10)

               Starting this week, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to change tracks slightly, or get on a specific track. The first four weeks that I was with you all, I preached using the lectionary. The lectionary is a great tool for preaching, especially during the holidays. It provides a nice set of Scriptures, all pre-selected for you, and thus removes a large chunk of the “work” when it comes to preaching. However, the difficulty with using the lectionary during what we call “ordinary time” is that it often makes the preaching appear disjointed, you hop around from topic to topic with, at times, no apparent rhyme or reason.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Sin and the Believer (Sermon for 9-12-2010)


SIN AND THE BELIEVER

Opening thoughts

            Over the past four weeks, what I’ve found to be one of the most difficult aspects of this job is the slow process of adapting to it. Like everyone else, whenever I start a new job it takes me a few weeks to acclimate; I need to get to know the people I’m working with and be in the work environment on a regular basis for a while before I feel comfortable. When I started preaching at Gibault it was a little bit of an easier transition. I’d been there for two years by the time I took over and I was a regular part of the kid’s lives for at least five days a week.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Really, God? Sermon for 9-5-10

Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man 
       who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked         or stand in the way of sinners         or sit in the seat of mockers.

 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, 
       and on his law he meditates day and night.

 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, 
       which yields its fruit in season         and whose leaf does not wither.         Whatever he does prospers.

 4 Not so the wicked! 
       They are like chaff         that the wind blows away.

 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, 
       nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, 
       but the way of the wicked will perish.


As you already know, the Psalms are the “Prayer-book of the Bible,” or we might call it the “Hymnbook.” Either way, though it may sound strange, it is one of the most “human-esque” books in the Scriptures; it’s filled with dialogue between God and Man. This makes it an interesting book for theological study.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

The Wedding Feast

This post is from last Sunday's sermon. No reason for the delay other than being otherwise busy. Sorry.
------------------------------------------




Luke 14
Healing of a Man on the Sabbath
 1One Sabbath,(A) when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were(B)watching him carefully. 2And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3And Jesus responded to(C) the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, (D) "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?" 4But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5And he said to them, (E) "Which of you, having a son[a] or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?" 6(F) And they could not reply to these things.
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
 7Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed(G) how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8"When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this person,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place,(H)so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11For(I) everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
The Parable of the Great Banquet
 12He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give(J) a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers[b] or your relatives or rich neighbors,(K) lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13But when you give a feast,(L) invite(M) the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid(N) at(O) the resurrection of the just."






        Up until recently, I unfairly thought this passage to be one of the most “yawn-inducing” passages in the entire New Testament. “It’s not so bad as the genealogies, but only a step above really,” I thought. It comes at such a strange place in the story, too. In the previous chapter, Jesus tells one of the fig tree parables, basically saying “hey guys, I’m holding off God’s wrath for now so that you might bear fruit.” He heals a woman on the Sabbath, then tells the famous parables of the mustard seed and the leaven, the parable of the narrow gate and the door being shut, and it all wraps up with some Pharisees telling Jesus that Herod is out to kill Him, to which Jesus responds that He can only be killed in Jerusalem and tells of it’s coming destruction.
            All of this is major, heavy, plot-building stuff. And then, in the midst of all of it, Jesus decides to sit down and play Emily Post for a little while. Boring. I mean, who wants to hear about table manners at a first-century wedding feast when the Kingdom of God is at hand? Jesus has just given Jerusalem, from a distance, the “I didn’t want it to end this way” old-school “your number’s up” speech; and then segues into telling us about how to not embarrass ourselves at a party?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

What only God can do...

I hadn't posted on here in a while because I had switched over to preaching from notes for a while instead of writing the sermon out; but this week I switched back for my first sermon at Bethesda United Methodist Church, so here's the text
--------------------------------------------------




        My preaching style changes from time to time. As I mentioned when I first met with some of you, I’ve tried out a few different approaches over the past several months that I’ve been ministering to the kids out at Gibault. When I first started out there, I had an idea or two about things I’d like to talk to the kids about; I wanted to talk about God’s presence in the midst of their suffering, I wanted to talk about how God still loved them, even if it didn’t always feel like it; I wanted to communicate hope to them. And, I wanted to address their spiritual needs as best I understood them.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

The Parable of the Good Samaritan 7-11-10

A teacher of the Law came up and tried to trap Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to receive eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "What do the Scriptures say? How do you interpret them?" The man answered, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind'; and 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' " "You are right," Jesus replied; "do this and you will live." But the teacher of the Law wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered, "There was once a man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him, stripped him, and beat him up, leaving him half dead. It so happened that a priest was going down that road; but when he saw the man, he walked on by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also came there, went over and looked at the man, and then walked on by on the other side. But a Samaritan who was traveling that way came upon the man, and when he saw him, his heart was filled with pity. He went over to him, poured oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them; then he put the man on his own animal and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Take care of him,' he told the innkeeper, 'and when I come back this way, I will pay you whatever else you spend on him.' " And Jesus concluded, "In your opinion, which one of these three acted like a neighbor toward the man attacked by the robbers?" The teacher of the Law answered, "The one who was kind to him." Jesus replied, "You go, then, and do the same."
(Luk 10:25-37)

            Tonight we’re looking at one of the most well-known parables of the Gospels, called the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  The parable has had a large impact on our language and culture. When someone helps out a total stranger, they’re often called a “good Samaritan.” There are hundreds of hospitals around the world called “Good Samaritan Hospital.” There are even groups with names like the “Good Samaritan Club.”
            The story strikes a chord with a lot of people. It’s a good story. Let’s look at the background a little bit. First, there’s the teacher of the Law, a Levite, who was trying to “trap Jesus.” Now, what does that mean? This was a frequent occurrence for Jesus. At this point in his ministry, Jesus has pretty much shown where He’s at, what He’s about. Not only that, but, just prior to this story, Jesus had sent out seventy of His disciples as representatives to spread his message in the countryside.  With all of this hoopla going on, the Priests and the Levites, like this guy, had pretty much decided where they were in regards to Jesus as well, and they were against it.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

When it looks like God's abandoned you (Psalm 22 6-20-10)

            Tonight we again return to the Psalms, the Prayer Book of the Bible. As I said last week, there seems to be a Psalm for just about every emotion and almost every situation. Whether you’re happy, angry, sad, tired, whatever, it is in there somewhere. Our passage tonight looks at a common feeling, the feeling of abandonment, particularly abandonment by God, but in a very peculiar way. It’s not peculiar to the Bible I suppose; in fact the Psalmist’s way of looking at the situation seems very consistent with later parts of the Old Testament, particularly the story of Job. Rather, it is peculiar because it is so alien to our way of looking at things.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Being Honest with God (Psalm 32) 6-13-10

            We’re going back to the Old Testament for our passage. Sometimes pulling things from the Old Testament to study can be tricky. The ancient Israelites lived in a very different setting and culture from our own; the type of person it produced might be labeled as “extreme” in all things. They were a highly passionate people, and that passion could lead them to the greatest heights of godly devotion and down into the deepest depths of uncivilized barbarism. 

            With the same mouth they could praise God in some of the most beautiful phrases ever written, and then wish deaths on their enemies that would make even a serial killer blush. That is particularly true in the Psalms, where our passage comes from tonight. The result, though, is that though they can often make us squeamish, these ancient people are easy to relate to, if we’re honest with ourselves.
           
And that’s what tonight’s message is about, being honest. Without further ado, let us begin…

Sunday, June 6, 2010

The Lord's Prayer [pt. 2] 6-6-10

Give us today the food we need. Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us. Do not bring us to hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One.' "If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.
(Mat 6:11-15)

Last week, for those of you who weren’t here, we started discussing the Lord’s Prayer. We covered a lot, but let me highlight the main points:
-First, in this passage Jesus is giving us guidance on how to pray by giving us a prayer which can both serve as a model for our own prayers, but which also is intended to be repeated as given, with the understanding that different sections of it remind us to pray for things we would otherwise forget or not realize.
-Second, we touched on the fact that prayer is something which can be done both publicly and privately, but we ought to be aware of our intentions in public- prayer is not meant to be something which we do for others to see. It’s not meant to be a public display of how holy we are. In discussing this, we discussed repentance, which we will cover in more detail tonight. We noted that having a saving relationship with Jesus, like the marriage analogy I’ve used over the past few weeks, does not amount to making a few oaths, then you’re set and never have to worry about Jesus again. You can’t just go back to living your life. Jesus wants all of you, not just your sins, and He wants to give everything of Himself, not just His forgiveness.
-Third, we noted that we don’t have to “sway God over to our side,” in our prayers. He knows what we need before we ask for it, but He does still want us to ask. This is, in part, because prayer doesn’t just produce an action on God’s part, but affects us. The ways in which prayer changes us is a large part of its benefit.
-Fourth, we wrapped things up by discussing how our acknowledging the holiness of God (i.e. “hallowed be your name”) and our submission to His will (i.e. your kingdom come, your will be done) are acts which ought to be done especially when we don’t want to do them. By doing so, in a sense, our hearts follow our actions, rather than vice-versa. You see, we often act on the basis of wear our heart is leading, but by acknowledging these truths about God when we don’t want to, eventually our hearts will change.
This week we’re moving into discussing the rest of the prayer. Last week focused on the truths we acknowledge about God in the prayer, this week we are focusing on the things we ask for in this prayer, and what we really mean when we ask for them. So, starting at verse 11…


The Lord's Prayer [pt. 1] 5-30-10

As this is my first post, perhaps a bit of explanation is due. I currently serve as the Chaplain for Gibault Children's Services, a residential youth treatment facility in Terre Haute, Indiana. In my sermons so far, we have worked our way through the Gospel of Luke. We finished that up two weeks ago, and so now I am going over some of the essentials of the Christian faith with the kids until I start filling in as a supply pastor at a United Methodist Church, at which time I'll begin preaching from the lectionary. The first topic I wanted to introduce the kids to was the Lord's prayer, so I've broken it up into two sermons, the first of which is here, and the second of which I'll post tonight after I have preached it.

--------------------------------------

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. "When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. Do not be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven: May your holy name be honored; may your Kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need. Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us. Do not bring us to hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One.' "If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.
(Mat 6:5-15)

            Of all the religious activities there are, prayer is probably the one that comes most naturally to human beings. It seems as if, almost as soon as they could speak, humans began to pray, began to speak to God, or gods. It is ingrained in us. You all have heard the saying, regardless of whether it’s true or not, that “there are no atheists in foxholes.” A foxhole, of course, is a term which comes to us from the military, I remember hearing about it in history class when they’d talk about Vietnam, but they were also used in the World Wars; I don’t know how far back their history goes though. Anyway, a foxhole was, of course, a hole in the ground that a soldier would crawl down into for various reasons. Maybe they were setting up for an ambush, or hiding if they were running from the enemy. And sometimes they’d go down in there looking to see if enemy soldiers were inside. From what I understand, a foxhole was a bad place to be whether you were hiding in one, or if you were looking for someone. If you’re sitting in one, all a person has to do is toss in a grenade and you’re done for.