07/01/2024
The Irrepressible Forgiveness of Our God
We just finished an important sermon series on the power of forgiveness to heal our souls, restore our relationships, and bring us into a right relationship with God. If you missed any of the sermons in the series, though I am biased, you might want to go back and listen to them. But when I was a kid there was a song I was taught—though I long ago forgot the tune. It was called Love is like a Magic Penny. The lyrics include these words:
Love is something if you give it away,
give it away, give it away;
Love is something if you give it away -
you'll end up having more!
Love's just like a magic penny,
hold it tight and you won't have any!
Lend it, spend it and you'll have so many
they'll roll all over the floor.
The same can be said of forgiveness. If you withhold it from others, you will find less and less for yourself. But if you learn to ask for forgiveness and offer forgiveness—and appreciate the irrepressible forgiveness of our God—then you’ll only have more and more love to give and to keep. It’s a bit of a paradox, but that’s exactly how it works. If you want to find your life you have to be willing to turn your existing life over to God and let God offer you a richer, fuller life in return.
Archived Posts
The Loss of a Great Christian Leader
The death today of Pope Francis was particularly poignant, falling as it did on the day after Easter. As Protestant Christians we have a once removed interest in the leader of the Roman Catholic church. Yet the pope is the authoritative leader of 1.4 billion women and men around the world. It is worth our time to pause and consider what kind of man and what kind of legacy Pope Francis left behind.
Everything You Wanted To Know About Judas Iscariot
(Drawn from online sources)
Jesus Hears A Who
Few people know that Horton Hears A Who comes from the 25th Chapter of Matthew.
Matthew 24: One More Thing...
I sometimes stumble on old documents I’ve created but have completely forgotten about. I cannot remember why I created them or what purpose they were originally supposed to serve....
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.
What Was the Crowd Celebrating on Palm Sunday?
I came across this list which feels a little like a "Greatest Hits of Jesus' Ministry". I share it with you today for your inspiration and edification. Enjoy!
The Best Kind of Trouble-maker
While working on this last week’s sermon I was looking through Phillip Yancey’s excellent book—The Jesus I Never Knew—when I came across a section that I found profound. It didn’t quite fit my sermon, but it caught my eye enough that I copied it down.