Words of Welcome

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

Revelation 22:12-17 Back when I was in high school, I was really into eschatology. I mean, I read all the end times books, including Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth. I also played Barry McGuire’s Eve of Destruction and Larry Norman’s “ I am the Six o’clock News” on my record player. Sometimes at church we had rapture practice – which involved jumping off chairs in the sanctuary. I think I can safely say that my friends and I thought that Armageddon was just around the corner. In fact, by our calculations, which we took from Hal Lindsey, the end would come in 1988. Now, just in case you didn’t know, it’s now 2008, so I guess we were just a bit off in our calculations. That was then, and as they say, this is now. But, I’m still into eschatology, just not the kind I indulged in back then. This word, eschatology, might sound a bit strange and exotic. It’s not a word we use very often on normal conversation, but even though most people don’t know the word, it’s an impo