12/18/2019
We just celebrated the third week of Advent which indicates that Christmas is very near. As it draws closer, sometimes the sense of urgency increases which seems to further shove the reason for the season aside.
I saw this picture of a wreath on a facebook post from a friend. I had never seen it before and think it is very profound. Christmas is the season but Jesus is the reason. It made me stop to ponder…
-With all of the Christmas preparations we seem to impose upon ourselves, do we always remember the truth behind all the trappings? Even as a pastoral staff, this season brings to us additional work and stress in addition to the busy-ness of the season with our own lives. We too are challenged to look beyond all of the deadlines for what is to be accomplished to the real truth and meaning of the season.
-The wreath is divided in half. I had to ask myself, out of everything that I seem to be busy with at this time of the year, does the correct reason get at least ½ of my heart and attention? Or is it getting less than ½?
As we draw nearer to Christmas Day, may we draw nearer to Jesus. May we remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
Rev. Patti Napier
Archived Posts
Gandhi and the Sugar
I wasn’t preaching Sunday, Reverend Jackie Chandler was. And she talked about the power of influence you get when you practice what you preach. This famous illustration came to mind. It fits Jackie’s points quite well. Enjoy!
Not Just for Parents
Our current sermon series is about How To Talk Parent, but it doesn’t require any of us to be parents to appreciate the bits of wisdom OUR parents shared with us growing up.
If Not Higher
Here’s a story I wanted to use when talking about ‘what you do when no one is looking’ yesterday. It’s a wonderful illustration of what Jesus was saying in Matthew 6:1-6—do what you do because of who you want to be, not so that others will take notice and praise you.
The Perfect Church
There is an old joke about the perfect church. We talked just a little about the perfect pastor, but turnabout is fair play. It goes like this:
The Clothes You Wear
Sunday I talked about Joshua the High Priest having his filthy clothing replaced by a cleaned and beautiful garments. I also used the illustration of a boy becomes a dragon—who ‘wears’ dragon scales—and is stripped of those scales in order to be restored to a boy. In fact, I could have done the whole sermon around all the clothing imagery in scripture.
What just missed the cut for Sunday’s Sermon
Naaman’s servants may actually become one of the hidden gems of the sermon. They say, essentially: “If the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it.”
One of the Longest Benedictions I Ran Out of Time to Share
Maybe you know the story of how Joseph and Mary accidentally left Jesus at the gas station on their way home from Jerusalem. Well, not the gas station bathroom in Jesus’ case. Joe and Mary are far down the road before they realize Jesus isn’t with them...