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 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...
So many quips and quotes...
So little time to preach
I wonder what Mary and Martha’s phones might look like:
* Martha = the open browser with 27 tabs
* Mary = the single window that matters
* Psalm 46 = God saying, “Close the tabs.”
Quotable Outtakes That Didn’t Make the Sermon This Week
“When you try to control everything, you don’t just exhaust yourself—you quietly replace trust in God with trust in you.” & more
There is a challenge when it comes to preaching the Word of God.
Preachers are called to open up and interpret the word—inspired and written down thousands of years ago—and make it relevant to a very different world. On top of that there’s a degree of persuasion that goes along with the process.
What Jessica Really Meant to Say in Her Sermon…
When Jessica or Rick or a guest preacher takes the pulpit it’s hard for me to write a One More Thing Blog. I can’t share with you what didn’t make it into the sermon because I have no idea, not having written or delivered it.
Jesus Keeps On Ruining Funerals!
I didn’t have anything this last week that didn’t end up in the sermon. No catchy illustrations that didn’t make the cut. No theological insights that slowed down the main point. No one can ruin a funeral like Jesus. Told as I saw it and that was it. So I did some quick research and I thought I’d share just a reminder of what Easter is all about.