Sermonettes

Here's some bleating from one of the sheep. I know that I'm not in the mainstream on what I’m about to say, so some of you will read this and conclude that Chris has a screw loose...but nonetheless, here goes.

After a twenty minute, somewhat hurried sermon I find myself just getting ready to settle in for more, lots more. The first twenty minutes seem like an appetizer- leaving me hungry and ready for the main course.

Read through Romans or Galatians or even Philippians remembering those are just letters. Can you imagine what the Apostles in-person preaching and teaching must have been?

If Romans and Galatians, with all their detail and explanations, are merely letters, what would an in-person teaching/preaching session have been like in the early church? Remember in Acts, when Paul spoke all night?

And the early church turned the world upside down.

Yes, I know, if the preaching were to be longer and in greater depth, some folks wouldn't come back the following Sunday.

But different methods each have their own benefits. Lengthy, in-depth teaching might chase away some folks- it’s true. But those who remain will learn more and probably “grow” more- and in turn, make a greater impact for the Lord.

Some folks say they feel that they are not growing in the Lord, they say that their faith doesn't seem real, that God is not close to them. Maybe our attitude of wanting the weekly preaching to be shorter than a thirty-minute sitcom and just a little longer than a McDonald's lunch is the reason why so many of us are stagnating in our Christian lives.

There- I said it.

Confession

Most holy and merciful Father, we acknowledge and confess before Thee our sinful nature prone to evil and slothful in good, all our shortcomings and offenses. Thou alone knowest how often we have sinned in wandering from Thy ways, in wasting Thy gifts, in forgetting Thy love. But Thou O Lord, have mercy on us, who are ashamed and sorry for all wherein we have displeased Thee. Teach us to hate our errors; cleanse us from our secret faults and forgive our sins, for the sake of Thy dear Son. And O most holy and loving Father, help us we beseech Thee, to live in Thy light and walk in Thy ways, according to the commandments of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Woe

Jesus always has a way of turning things around, of shaking us up, of showing us that our way of thinking is just not the same as his, of making us uncomfortable.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you....

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

What did Jesus mean when he said these things? Did he mean that if we truly live for him that some will not understand us, and even hate us? Did he mean that if everyone else thinks well of us, then we're somehow not representing him well?

Headship

The awesome responsibility of being the head, men, is that we cannot simply be neutral and “do no harm” if we are avoiding our responsibility. We are either carrying out the headship responsibility as it should be done, or we are doing spiritual harm to our wives and families.

The Fruit of Silence

The fruit of silence is prayer,
The fruit 0f prayer is faith,
The fruit of faith is love,
The fruit of love is service,
The fruit of service is peace.

-Mother Teresa

Grateful Worship

Adoring angels turned their songs
To hail the joyful day
With rapture, then, let mortal tongues
Their grateful worship pay.

-Amish hymn