11/12/2024
No One Said It Would be Easy
Amy Jill Levine, a New Testament teacher of some renown, said the following:
“Jesus never said being a disciple would be easy; to the contrary. But he did assure his followers that being a disciple would be worth their while. The task of the disciple is not to take the easy road, for as the Sermon on the Mount puts it, ‘the road is easy that leads to destruction’ (Matthew 7:13).
But he did offer a promise to those who could accept and follow him whole heartedly: “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life” (Luke 18:29-30).
To love Jesus first is to learn to love all the other people in our lives with greater intensity and less selfishness; to care for our families for their sake and not our own; to exude humility when all around us are trumpeting their own horns; and to want what is best for those close to us so that we are willing to work toward what is best for them, even if it is not necessarily what is best for us. It’s not hating Mother/Father, Sister/Brother, or child. It is allowing Jesus to love them through us. And that’s a whole lot better than what we are capable of on our own!
Archived Posts
What Jacob Marley Would Do,
If He Could Do It…
I thought about using the following for a benediction—since Jacob Marley was warning Scrooge about the danger of loving money and what it could buy. Ends up with the Cantata and everything else going on, I didn’t have the time. So here is what you might have heard if the sermon itself was 5 minutes shorter!
A Confirming Word on Old King Herod
I just want to echo what Rick said in his fine sermon yesterday (Nov. 23). Herod was a ruthless tyrant and skilled politician. When the Magi don’t report back to him, he decides to kill all the male children of Bethlehem under the age of 2. That’s one paranoid dude.
Power Without Conscience?
I ran out of room for this vignette in Sunday’s sermon. Remember the quote that could be the headline for Ahab and Naboth: “All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The following reinforces that truth.
The Cars Are Looking for A King
I don’t have a thing to add to Pastor Jessica’s excellent sermon this last Sunday. The fable/parable she shared has been one of my favorites for all the lessons she pulled from it in her message. I was playing around with my friend Chat GPT and after several abortive attempts, we came up with the following modernized version of Judges 9:7-15.
The Lost Benediction
Depending on the length of the sermon, I try to add a little something extra in my benedictions. This week I wrote up a benediction but then realized we’d be singing and waving our umbrellas to some New Orleans jazz.
Change of Focus This Week
Instead of sharing with you about yesterday’s sermon I’d like to invite you to do some background reading for next Sunday’s “Only Murders in the Bible.” Seeing that it is All Saints Day this Sunday, we are going to look at the very first Christian martyr, Stephen.
You Might Be Thinking It’s All About You If…
In working on Sunday’s sermon I asked my computer’s AI if she/he could come up with a few suggestions in answer to the above: "You Might be thinking it’s all about you, if…."