03/18/2025
Keeping the Church Doors Unencumbered
Sunday, we considered Jesus’ disruptive actions in the Temple in light of his frustration with keeping gentiles from worshipping in their designated courtyard. We then reflected on how we still tend to throw up roadblocks to those who don’t normally attend church. I found the following, but didn’t have space for it in the sermon. It’s provocative and worth chewing on for a while.
In the book, unChristian: What a New Generation really thinks about Christianity and why it matters, research by the Barna group came up with six main reasons why young people who aren’t involved in church, have stayed away.
Hypocritical – Many believe that Christians say one thing but live differently, failing to practice what they preach.
Too focused on getting converts – Non-Christians often feel that churches treat them as projects rather than genuinely caring for them.
Antihomosexual – The perception is that churches are hostile toward LGBTQ+ individuals rather than engaging with them in love.
Sheltered – Christianity is often seen as out of touch with real-world problems, lacking cultural awareness.
Too political – Churches are frequently viewed as being overly involved in political issues, aligning too closely with particular parties or agendas.
Judgmental – Many feel that Christians are quick to judge others rather than being compassionate and understanding.
We don’t live our lives to meet the expectations of others, but we can live our lives with the kind of faithfulness and consideration that make these kinds of obstacles obsolete and false. Go now with the blessings of God, and be the blessing of God to whoever you met and wherever you go this week. Amen.
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...