Words of Welcome

Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:8-20 When you came into the church this evening, you left behind the cold and the darkness of the streets, and you entered the warmth and light of this sanctuary. Upon entering you found friends and family gathered, and you shared Christmas Greetings with one another. In doing this, you experienced God’s light shining onto your life. Then, as the service started, you began singing the songs of the season, you shared in a Christmas prayer, and you heard scriptures read that declared the good news that God is present in our midst. Yes God has come to us in a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. And, again, you felt God’s light shining onto your life. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what has happened to you this day, God’s light has touched your life. I know that it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. You get tired and maybe a bit cranky. There’s the traffic and the crowds. Then there’s the weather. It’s one thing t

Isaiah 61:1-11 The day that we’ve been anticipating is at the door step. There are just a few more shopping days and a bit more time for the parties, before Christmas arrives. It’s so close you can taste it and smell it. But, it’s not quite here yet. You may be shaking the boxes and feeling the packages, but it’s not time to open them just yet. The time for waiting is still with us. I know it’s not easy, but I think that it will be worth the wait. Remember how Jesus told the gathered disciples to wait for the coming of the Spirit. The disciples were probably wondering: Why wait? Why not get going now? The answer: There are still things to do before the Spirit can come in its fullness. What was true for them, is true for us. As we wait for the time of revealing, we again listen to the words of Isaiah. These words, as we’ve already discovered, were spoken to people living in exile. The exiles were waiting expectantly, hoping against hope, that their day of freedom wo

Isaiah 40:1-11 To be blunt, this Advent/Christmas season isn’t all that joyous for many of our neighbors. Indeed some of you are wondering what the new year will bring. Will you have a job? Will your retirement benefits be there? Our region stands at the center of America’s economic downturn. There is great suffering in our midst. I wish I could say that everything is going to be okay, that the jobs will be there come January. But I can’t. Things look bad! And as the President-Elect just said, things may get worse before they get better. That’s not the kind of news that we want to hear just before Christmas, but that’s what they’re saying. We live in a time of great uncertainty. I. An Anchor in a Changing World I know that Advent seems to get in the way of the Christmas Spirit, but it’s at times like this that the words of Isaiah, words that we often read only at Advent, speak most clearly to our hearts. This morning we’ve been invited to look at our ever-changing an

Isaiah 64:1-9 Pearl Harbor, Katrina, 9-11, Mumbai, Ike, the economic devastation that has hit this state, nation, and world; these are images that have seared our thoughts and memories. When we face catastrophic events such as these, it’s difficult to know how to respond. Thinking back to Katrina, do you remember watching New Orleans evacuate? Or, more recently, we watched as Galveston and then Houston evacuated in the face of Ike? At least in the case of Katrina, the ones who were left behind were the ones least able to care for themselves. But even those who escaped experienced a sense of exile. And to live in exile is to live with a sense of rootlessness and insecurity. Nature isn’t the only force that pushes people into exile. There are refugee camps around the world, from Darfur to the Palestinian Territories, and beyond. To live in exile is to lose control of one’s life. It is a time when the future is dark, cloudy, and foreboding. In such a situation, it is common t

Psalm 100 The news is bad. Jobs are being lost, homes foreclosed, there are wars on two fronts – of course gas prices have gone down. Things have gotten so bad that this might be a good year to cancel Thanksgiving. I mean, how do you give thanks when the world seems to be crumbling in around you? And yet, giving thanks is something we should do only when the news is good? Whether or not we feel in the Thanksgiving mood, the holiday is upon us and we’re being asked to give thanks. The truth is, if we’re willing to pay attention to our lives, I expect that every day produces something for which we can give thanks. Consider this statement by Jimmy Carter: When we wake up in the morning, when we meet a friend, when someone lends us a hand, when one of our children or grandchildren expresses love, when we go to a job that is gratifying, when an unanticipated opportunity arises, when we see a beautiful sky, or when we have any kind of exciting experience -- all of these are

Luke 2:25-35 What makes for a full life? The film The Bucket List, starring two of my favorite actors, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, explores this question in a humorous and yet poignant way. Two men from the opposite ends of the social spectrum and yet both suffering from terminal cancer, share a hospital room. One is white and rich and self-absorbed. The other is Black, blue collar and extremely well read. Despite their social differences, they share a common fate. Death will come sooner than later. Their conversation is sparse at first, but after a while and a bit of annoyance – Morgan Freeman’s character has a lot more visitors – they begin to talk, and the conversation drifts to the meaning of life. Freeman’s character, Carter Chambers, mentions a bucket list. A bucket list is a list of the things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.” Carter is working on his, knowing that he has neither the time nor the money to do everything on the list. Edward Cole,

Matthew 25:1-13 It’s important that you not be late to a wedding, especially if it’s your own. If you’re a bridesmaid, and you’re late, you might as well go home! Over the years I’ve been to, been in, and presided over many weddings, so I have a few tales to tell. On one occasion I was sitting in the office with the groom and best man, waiting for the bridal party to arrive. You see this bridal party had decided to get ready at home and come in the limo dressed to go! Well, after some delay word came that one of the bride’s maids had gotten sick, and the limo had returned to the house. We finally got the wedding started, about an hour late. I’ve had to chase down fathers’ of the bride, groomsmen, and even brides maids. It’s not pretty when things go wrong! Fortunately, Bryan and Felicia’s wedding came off without a hitch – in spite of the rain! 1. The Kingdom of God is: Jesus talked a lot about the kingdom of God, or as Matthew puts it, the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 22:15-22 Cheryl and I recently attended the Troy Community Coalition’s annual Celebrity Dinner , and were seated next one of Troy’s City Council members. When one of our table companions realized that there was a politician and a preacher at the table, he said: “I guess we can’t talk about religion or politics tonight.” As you know religion and politics are forbidden topics in polite company, but I love to talk about both of them. I don’t have a choice about the one – I’m a preacher after all – but I’ve been interested in politics for as long as I can remember. My childhood dream wasn’t to grow up a be a preacher, it was to grow up and be a politician. As you can see, I didn’t fulfill my dream of being a Congressman, but I still love politics. Unless you’ve already voted, I expect that most of us will be going to the polls on Tuesday. The issues before us are many. There are ballot measures, local and state races, and of course there’s that historic presidential elect

Luke 1:39-46 If case you hadn’t noticed, the world is in a deep financial crisis. The politicians and the pundits keep telling us that this is the worst it’s been since 1932. I wasn’t around back then, but from what I’ve heard, it was pretty bad. So, Just like it was back then, the stock market is crashing, banks are closing, jobs are being lost, and credit lines are frozen, and, people are both scared and angry. At least that’s what I’ve heard on the news! With all of this bad financial news swirling around us, maybe this isn’t the best time to launch our annual stewardship campaign. No matter how you sugar coat it, asking for money when the economy is in the tank is dangerous! Despite my reticence, and maybe my better judgment, the Stewardship Committee wants to press on anyway! Apparently they have to plan a budget, and to do this they need to know how much you’re going to give. Despite all this bad economic news, or maybe because of it, this just might be a goo

1 Thessalonians 5:15-21 I doubt that many of you would recognize the names Gary Wells or Brett Younger, but both of them were once my pastors, and I have great respect for them. I expect that each of you could name a pastor or two who have been an exemplar of Christian ministry, a pastor who has especially touched your life. October has been designated by someone or some group the month of the ministry. It’s one of those Hallmark occasions when you’re supposed to send out cards to your pastor. The month is waning, and I’ve yet to receive any of these cards, which means that Hallmark is not happy! But seriously, ministry is an important part of Christian life. In fact, ministry is much more than something that a pastor is or does. Indeed, ministry is something that we all do. So to be fair, I should be sending out cards to all of you! This is the final chapter in our six week series on Disciple Values. And ministry is a central Disciple value, but only when we define m

Acts 2:37-42 “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Look at a picture of a smiling young man in a tuxedo, standing hand in hand with a young woman dressed in a flowing white gown, and you know what’s been happening. You don’t need any words. The picture tells the story. You enter the church and you see a table set with a chalice and a loaf of bread, and you probably know what’s going to happen. These ancient symbols bring to mind an ancient story about God’s love for humanity, a love that was most fully expressed on a cross. Words may be shared, but the symbols themselves carry the story. This picture of the table set, or a picture of a baptistry filled, call to mind a sacred covenant that God has made with us. They’re reminders that we, though flawed human beings, may rest in peace while standing in the midst of God’s grace. We know this to be true, because these symbols continue to speak to us, from one generation to the next. I. Why Sacraments? These sac