| search engine by freefind |
Tomorrow I will be driving up to Buffalo, MN for a COM/CPM conference sponsored by our Synod. I will be up there through Thursday morning, so I’ll be taking a break from my new schedule of postings. See you back here on Friday with a picture for Photo Friday!
This sermon is from Jan 13th, the celebration of the baptism of Jesus. The text was Matthew 3:13-17. A major source of inspiration for this sermon was Daniel Clendenin at Journey for Jesus. Also a number of the stories came from the book: The Leaven of Laughter for Lent and Easter by James E. Atwood and Pat McGeachy
Most of us here have been Presbyterians long enough to know that when we baptize our children - and when adults come to be baptized - it is our usual practice to sprinkle with water on top of the head.
Baptists on the other hand never baptize their babies and they never sprinkle with water. Instead they only baptize adults and they fully dunk or immerse those they baptize. Sometimes they do it in a river or a lake or more often in special baptismal pools built right in their sanctuaries.
Recently, I heard a story about a Presbyterian and a Baptist minister who are having their usual argument about what makes for an effective baptism.
The Presbyterian asks: “Would I be baptized if I got into the water up to my armpits?” The Baptist replies “No”
P: Then how about up to my nose?
B: No, that won’t do it.
P: Well how about up to my hairline?
B: Still Nope.
P: See that’s what I’ve been telling you all along…It’s what’s up top that counts…
This sermon is from Jan 20th. The text was John 1:29-42
If you look at classic religious paintings of John the Baptist painted throughout the years – besides the ones with John’s head on a platter following his confrontation of Herod - you will notice two key features:
First: John is often pointing. Sometimes he is pointing nowhere in particular. Other times he is pointing upward. Certainly, he is never pointing at himself.
Second: there is usually a lamb standing or sitting next to him, and if John is pointing at anything he is usually pointing at the lamb.
In these two ways, the artists who painted these pictures communicate a key idea about John the Baptist’s ministry: John always pointed away from himself and to the lamb because his primary purpose was to bear witness to Jesus Christ.
In today’s story from our text John the Baptist is baptizing in the river Jordan as Jesus walks by. John sees Jesus coming toward him, and he declares aloud, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Those of you who read through the Bible in Ninety Days last fall - even if you only made it through the book of Exodus – should be able to recall a story from the first part of the Bible where a lamb plays a very important part. It’s story of the Exodus and more specifically of the Passover.
This sermon is from January 27th, 2008. The text was Matt. 4:12-23.
Be honest: Do you ever stand in the check out line at Hy Vee and glance over at the covers and headlines of all those tabloid magazines? Are you ever tempted to buy one of them? Do you ever buy one of them?
Well, the other day I ran across a strange story of the type that you might find in one of those grocery store rags. In fact, after a bit of research I found out that the original source of this story was one of those famous British tabloids - the Sun.
The story goes that a 38 year old steelworker by the name of Alan Jenkins recently spent over 20 hours under the pen of an artist to have a picture of his wife and their two daughters tattooed on his back. The three faces literally covered his entire back.
It cost him about $1700 in US Dollars to have these three portraits inked into his skin. For Alan it was a celebration of his 15 years of marriage to his wife Lisa Crooks. As he put it, “it was a way of telling her our love would last forever.”
That’s what he thought anyway…
Not too long afterward Alan discovered his wife Lisa was romantically involved with another man who happened to be her 25 year old fitness instructor from Latvia by the name of Kaspars Gavars.
Here in Iowa it’s been really cold this week; many times well below zero. However, I did manage to get out for a few minutes one evening to snap a few shots. Here is one of them:
I just discovered I was tagged by Adam Copeland on one of those meme thingys…this one related to books.
1. One book that changed your life
Ummm…that’s an outrageous claim for any book, but I suppose two books come to mind: The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard and Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott.
2. One book you’ve read more than once
I’m not generally prone to re-reading books. Once is usually enough for me. But as a kid I absolutely loved the book The Mutiny on the Bounty and re-read that novel a number of times.
3. One book you’d want on a desert island
Somewhat contrary to my previous comment, I have re-read parts of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. If I were on a desert island, I think a one volume set containing these three books would keep me entertained for a pretty long time.
4. Two books that made you laugh
The author who makes me laugh the most is Sherman Alexie. I’ve only read two books of his, Flight and Ten Little Indians, and they both made me laugh.
5. One book that made you cry:
Crying while watching a movie? Yes. While reading a book? No. I suppose the book that came the closest was “The Great Deluge” about New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. Having lived in New Orleans for nine years, the book broke my heart.
6. One book you wish had been written:
Why do we think the world needs one more book??
7. One book you wish had never been written:
All of the Left Behind Series. If I were to have a book burning, these would be on the top of the pile.
8. One book you’re currently reading:
Everything Must Change by Brian McClaren. I got it for Christmas and have been carrying it around in my book bag, but I still am only half way through it. That’s usually the way it goes for me, I either completely devour a book or I carry it around for months in my book bag and eventually finish it or put it away on the book shelf. I’m pretty sure I’ll finish this one.
9. One book you’ve been meaning to read
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. I live in Iowa, the book takes place in Iowa. I’m a pastor, the book is about a pastor. I SHOULD read this book. I started it once but it didn’t grab me. I probably need to give it another chance.
Since this is a meme, I’m supposed to tag some folks. Since I don’t know who likes to play along with these sorts of things this is a shot in the dark, but I’m going to try these folks: Shawn, Mark, Chad, kim, and Jody
1.) I just got around to listening to this November 2007 Nick and Josh Podcast interview with Michael Dowd author of Thank God for Evolution! Dowd, a self-described evangelical Christian, not only believes that faith and science are compatible, he believes that evolutionary science can inform and transform our faith. He believes it so much that he is even offering free copies of his book which you can download from his website.
2.) Fellow Presbyterian Minister, Shawn Coons, writes of a literal real world experience of “as we forgive our debtors.” I’ve not yet tried the whole Kiva Loan thing yet, but it sounds like a wonderful way to do some real good with a small amount of money.
3.) Over the past week, Theolog has had two interesting posts. The first is on the role of Children’s Sermons in our worship services. There are lots of great comments with this post. The second is on misinformation related to Barak Obama and the effect it has had on his home church Trinity UCC in Chicago.
4.) For your viewing pleasure, here are two lovely photos I’ve enjoyed this past week: #1 and #2
5.) U2 is coming in concert to a theater near you! This is likely as close as I’ll ever come to experiencing one of my all time favorite bands in concert. The best part? It’s in 3D.
Those of you who know me well, know that my faith was formed within the conservative evangelical church; though always within the context of mainline protestantism. While I no longer consider myself a conservative evangelical, if you were to press me on the core of my theological affirmations, I think I would still come out fairly conservative holding perhaps the Apostle’s Creed as a minimal affirmation of faith.
While I still hold to a fairly conservative theological core, I don’t have a lick of interest in getting bogged down fighting the various theological battles that have consumed our denomination over the past couple of decades. I realize that to those on the right it makes me look like a sell out, while to those on the left it makes me less than useful for the promotion of their causes. It also probably makes my voting record and various political positions objectionable to both sides.
Now, you might ask, why would I want to be in that sort of a compromising position? Well, Merwyn S. Johnson in an article recently published in the Dec 31, 2007 Presbyterian Outlook explained it well for me when he wrote:
By all accounts we are at an epochal turning point in Church and culture, moving out of one era, Modernism/Pietism, into another, Post-Modernism+. The trouble is, the far right and the far left are still in my estimation, largely trapped in the Modernism/Pietism of the recent past. They are so focused on each other that they cannot see how they mirror each other or why the times are bypassing them both.
Well, one of the more more magical seasons in Packer’s history is sadly over with the Packers left standing out in the cold. After Tyne’s field goal attempt at the end of regulation pulled off to the left sending the game into overtime I said to Lori, “If the Packers manage to somehow win this game the Giants will have been cheated.” They were by far the better team last night.
Now the real question I’m sure all of Wisconsin is pondering: Will Favre retire?? I personally think it’s time; but then I thought it was time for him to go two years ago and I was absolutely certain he wasn’t going to come back this year. I don’t know, I just think it’s time for both Green Bay and for Favre to move on.
For Favre, there just aren’t many more records to break and at the age of 38 there is no way to guarantee that next season will bring the same sort of success he had this year. Of course it will be tempting to think this team will be even better next year and Favre will want to be a part of it, but there is never a guarantee (just look at the Bears…)
And for the Packers, its time for this young team and for the franchise to find its own identity without one of the best QBs in NFL history.
Here are two photos from the week:
This one was taken out at Morgan Creek Park here in Cedar Rapids. I got there just before sunset and captured a few photos of the setting sun through the trees.
I really should have stuck around a little longer to catch some pictures when the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky turned some gorgeous colors, but I was really getting cold!!
I didn’t get cold shooting this one as it was taken from the patio door in our dining room.
1.) On Semper Reformanda, Thom Stark offers some reflections on a funeral gone bad. The question: Is a funeral an opportunity to provide families and friends with a chance to grieve, or is it a chance to reel them into the Kingdom? While this pastor chose the latter, I say let’s error on the side of hospitality and grace!
2.) The Book of Acts: Is it descriptive or prescriptive? Julie Clawson offers some insights in relation to Barna’s new book Pagan Christianity.
3.) Thanks to Bruce Reyes-Chow, I’ve become huge a fan of Yelp, a website where you can rate and review restaurants, stores, services, and, yes, even churches. Check it out and see what has already been reviewed in your area.
4.) What’s good parenting? Check out the Meanest Mom on the Planet.
5.) Josh Brown has some thoughts after watching some kids playing ’sniper’ in the park. I’m reminded that the doctrine of ‘total depravity’ is also about the depravity of society that ingrains our kids with the values of violence and war. Friends it all starts at an early age!
Last night, my wife and I watched The Mission. It’s been nearly 20 years since the first time I saw this film but it still retains the power it held back then.
For us in the post-colonial era this movie helps bring to light the reality that the church was not monolithic in its intentions. You often hear gross generalizations that the church and colonialism worked hand in hand in exploitation of the colonies. In contrast, this film presents the Jesuit missions as places where the native population was offered protection from the exploitation of colonial power. The Jesuits also provided a sense of voice and dignity that was not found with others who simply saw them as ‘animals.’
Good intentions aside, what was really at issue was this: The Catholic Church was losing its hold on power in Europe as the various nation states were gaining power and flexing their muscles over the church. While the Jesuits had been granted control of mission territories in the South America, the colonizing powers wanted access to the land’s resources. If the church did not give up its claim on these territories, the Jesuits were threatened with expulsion from Portugal and the potential of a chain reaction throughout Europe.
In the end the institutional church chose to sacrifice the mission territories - and inevitably the natives that were under their protection - in order to insure that it preserved its dwindling power and authority in Europe. Maybe it was all inevitable, but the question could be asked does not Christ call us - even the church - to pick up our cross and to follow him? Putting the institution of the church ahead of Christ’s mission is idolatry no matter how you slice it, even if the church may loss its power in society or suffer the threat of expulsion.
The question remains for us today and is one that I think both the emerging conversation and advocates of the ‘missional’ church are working to address and that I hope we can continue to engage for those of us in denominational contexts: In what ways have we put the institution of the Church over the mission of Christ in the world?
I’ve been pondering establishing a weekly schedule of some regular features to create some regularity on this blog. Right now this is my thought:
1.) Meaty Monday - I can’t keep up with the quality and quantity of reflection of one of my favorite power bloggers, Tribal Church, but I want to provide some significant reflection at least once a week on a particular issue I’ve been thinking or reading about.
2.) Wednesday Weekly Roundup - I started this feature a few weeks ago. This is a chance for me to share with you some of the interesting things I’ve run across on the web. This is meant to be both a little serious and a little fun.
3.) Photo Friday - I’ve been going through a bit of withdrawal since I wrapped up Project 365. So to keep the camera clicking, I’m committing myself to posting something here once a week.
Of course I will continue with movie briefs, book reviews, sermons, and other reflections as things come across my mind, but for now this is the sort of regular schedule I hope to keep up with here at the church geek.
My church has never had a Lenten study before at least not in recent years. I’ve been pondering offering something, but I’m not quite sure what that would be. I know of a handful of folks who have been dealing with issues of forgiveness and wondered about offering an in depth course related to that, since I think studies around lent ought to be about some of the more meaty issues of our faith.
I’m wondering what have you done in the past and what has worked in your congregation?
Powered by Twitter Tools.
