09/09/2024
The Importance of A Noise Cancelling Lifestyle
While hiding in a cave on the mountain the word of God asks Elijah, ‘What are you doing here?’ Elijah proceeds to launch into a rather whiney rant along the lines of “No one likes me, Everybody hates me, and all my hard work and sacrifice on your behalf, Lord, has fallen on deaf ears.”
So God tells Elijah to go stand on the mountain because he is going to give Elijah the greatest and most empowering gift of all—God is going to be present with his servant.
Then there are a series of spectacular, nearly apocalyptic events: there is a stone-shattering wind, there is a mountain-trembling earthquake, and there is a all-consuming wild fire. But the scripture says, God was not present in any of these attention-grabbing displays of power. Then there is, depending on your translation, “the sound of sheer silence,” a still small voice, or a gentle whisper. God makes himself known to Elijah—not in the engaging, fast paced, awe-inspiring ways that he is used to—God comes to his prophet in utter silence, wrapped around a whisper.
And here’s what most people miss about this story: Elijah can’t hear it. Elijah misses it. Elijah fails to recognize it for what it truly is. God offers the rarest and most transformative gift God can—his literal presence with one of his creatures—but Elijah is so wired into the impressive displays of power that he is unable to receive the gift God has given him.
In Shaina’s children’s sermon Sunday, she pointed out how many loud and demanding noises, voices, and sounds we are subjected to all the time. When the radio’s playing, the podcast is casting, the TV is blaring, the neighbor’s car alarm is squawking—it is hard to hear our own children, spouse, or friends. Perceiving a whisper is practically impossible. Yet that is exactly how God chooses to make himself known to us—at least some of the time. Woe to us if we consistently fail to turn down and tune out the distractions and really listen. Woe to us if we too fail to hear God’s word or appreciate God’s presence.
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...