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.

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.”

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.

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

1 John 4:1-6  

              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.

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

1 John 3:11-24

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.

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.

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.