09/10/2019
I am still celebrating a wonderful outdoor worship experience on Sunday. The music was outstanding...a little jazz, a little contemporary Christian and bluegrass all in one day. The food and fellowship were what we had hoped to have. Then of course, all praise to our God who answered many prayers lifted asking that the clouds be parted to take the rain away from Carmel...at least for that time!!
A beautiful tent was arranged to the south of the main church building for the worship experience last Sunday. The beautiful white tent is a perfect metaphor for God’s church. What a perfect visual as we launch the upcoming sermon series “Won’t you be My Neighbor”. The church worshiped under a tent that had no walls.
-No sides to keep us inside to simply care for ourselves to the neglect of others.
-No sides to keep others out.
-No sides to prevent those of us from under the tent to go outside of the tent.
That is probably the very best metaphor God desires for His church. God desires of his church to love and care for its members. God desires for His church to grow in discipleship. But most of all, God desires all of that to serve as preparation for His church to go out into the world. God desires for us to make the world one large neighborhood. Yes, God wants us to ask the question of everyone…”Won’t you be My Neighbor?”
Yes, a wall-less tent is a good metaphor for God’s church.
Blessings, Rev. Patti Napier
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…."