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
Old Jokes Are The Best Jokes
Sunday morning, we took a look at Jesus’ command to make our enemies into neighbors and loving our neighbors as ourselves. One of the obstacles to doing this is our growing sense of tribalism—whether it’s a political, socio-economic, or even theological tribe.
Public and Private Sin
All Was Fair Game for John the Baptist and for Christians Today
Sunday, we looked at the way John the Baptist was uncompromising about sin wherever he saw it at work. We in the church have tended to focus mostly on private or personal holiness and have ignored prophetic judgment against public behaviors. We didn’t have time Sunday, but I’d originally included examples of what would have been public sins back in the time of John and Jesus...
Let’s Not Overlook Joseph of Nazareth
I asked my research assistant—a certain ChatGPT—what the most interesting facet of Joseph’s life might be. She shared a couple of things that didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon but you might still find inspirational...
Key Takeaway from Sunday
If I had to identify a specific take away from
Sunday’s sermon it would probably be this:
The Rest of the Story
I mentioned Russell Conwell in Sunday’s message. He was a famous preacher, educator, and lecturer. His sermon/lecture “Acres of Diamonds” was turned into a book and sold rather well. I used Conwell’s illustrations to talk about sharing the good news of Jesus with those closest to us first—family, friends, coworkers, and church family. The wider world is our ultimate aim, but until you invest in the people God has already put in your life, you are unlikely to have much success.
No One Said It Would be Easy
To love Jesus first is to learn to love all the other people in our lives with greater intensity and less selfishness
What’s Saved Is Often Lost
Here’s the benediction we didn’t have time for yesterday (Sunday, November 3). It’s one of my favorite quotations (portions of a newspaper column). I hope you find it as inspiring as I have