Words of Welcome

Number 5 in a 6 sermon series on Central Woodward Christian Church's congregational core values. ************************************** Acts 1:6-14 There’s a little old song that we’ve all probably sung, and it goes like this: This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. When we sing this song, we know that it’s not talking about lighting candles or turning on flashlights when the electricity goes out. This little light that we’re supposed to let shine is our own life that serves as a sign of God’s presence in the world. It reminds us that what we do and what we say bears witness to the grace and love of God. And as Jesus said, don’t hide your light under a bushel or in a cellar – instead, put it on a lamp stand where it can be seen (Luke 11:33; Mk 14:21; Mt. 5:15). Back in February as we discerned God’s missional calling f...

Core Values Sermon 4 Philippians 4:4-7 When someone always seems to be happy, don’t you suspect that they may be hiding something? Something just isn’t right? Life simply isn’t that wonderful! This is especially true when it comes to religion. I won’t mention any names, but some of those TV preachers, and their imitators, promise us a great life, with little cost – except for what they’d like you to send in to support their “ministry.” And yet, even if faith in God isn’t the pathway to riches and fame like they promise, surely there has to be a bit of joy in this journey of ours. This morning we’re continuing our conversation about the congregation’s core values, and today we focus on joy. There is another word involved in this core value – the word spiritual. But no matter whether you put it first or second, if our faith in God – that is our spiritual life -- is without joy, then something is wrong. That doesn’t mean that we should be happy every moment of the day. It do...

Jonah 4:1-11 If you want to insult a chef or cook, tell them that the dinner was “fine.” Why? Because the word “fine” means: “it was edible, but I’ve had better.” Yes, the word “fine” means “tolerable” or “acceptable.” It could have been worse, but it also could have been better. When you hear the words accept or accepting, do you hear the words “fine” or “tolerable”? Do you hear a sigh of resignation in these words? If you do, hopefully that’s not what you hear in the core value that we focus on today. Hopefully, what you hear in these words is something positive and dynamic. Instead of resignation and toleration, I hope you hear words like including, welcoming, and embracing. 1. What a Day to think about being an Accepting Missional Congregation: It may be fortuitous that today is both World Communion Sunday and Reconciliation Sunday . To top it off, we will also be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address , a document that laun...

Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus’ disciples were having an argument about who was the greatest among them. When Jesus heard what they were arguing about he told them that whoever wants to be first, must be a servant. And with that statement, he pulled a child to himself, and said: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Who is the greatest – it is the one who serves the child. Now, this statement would have made little sense to Jesus’ disciples. While our culture places a lot of value on children, they didn’t. Children were at the bottom of society – at least until they became productive. Children, back then, were among the “least of these.” (Mark 9:33-37). Last week we began a six-week exploration of our Congregational Core Values. These six values help define what it means for us to be a missional church, and the first value we explored was compassion. Now, we move on to a second core value, one that emerges out of compassion. That is the call to be a serva...

This sermon is the first of six that will lift up the six core values discerned to guide Central Woodward Christian Church. **************** John 11:28-35 When we gathered in February for a retreat, we discerned six core values that define our mission and vision as a congregation. We discerned these values in a context of prayer, worship, and study. We talked about our community and what it means to be a Disciple in the context of this community, beginning with our 5-mile radius, and expanding outward in concentric to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). As we discerned these values, we assumed that we are called to be a missional congregation, and that these values will help guide our practice of mission. It’s been a few months since we met, and with a new season of ministry in front of us, over the next two months we will explore these six core values in a series of sermons. As we think about these six core values – compassion, service, acceptance, worship, witness, and spi...

Acts 18:1-4 Tomorrow we celebrate Labor Day, a day set aside to honor all those who labor with a day of rest or play, whichever they should choose. It’s also, quite unofficially, the final weekend of summer. So even as we rest, we will also play. Of course, college students are already digging into their books, the teachers have been meeting and preparing their rooms, and by Tuesday the kids will all be back to school. Soon the leaves will fall and the temperatures will cool. Baseball will give way to football. But, for a moment, we can still bask in the glories of summer, as we enjoy our picnics and barbecues. Labor Day isn’t a religious holiday, but then neither is Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, nor Memorial Day. Still, as with those other days, it’s appropriate to stop and consider the meaning of the day. In this case, we want to consider our labor and our work from a theological and spiritual perspective. Indeed, this is a good opportunity to remember our missional calling to bear wit...

Ephesians 5:15-20 I. The Call to Sing Praises to the Lord Do you know what is great about church? It doesn’t matter whether you’re tone deaf or a professional singer, you get to sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord! In Ephesians we hear this admonition: Be filled with the Spirit and “make melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Psalmist also invites us to praise the Lord. Listen to the invitation found in the 150th Psalm, as it appears in The Message: Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship, Praise him under the open skies; Praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his magnificent greatness; Praise with a blast on the trumpet, Praise by strumming soft strings; Praise him with castanets and dance, Praise him with banjo and flute; Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum, Praise him with fiddles and mandolin. Let every living, breathi...