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
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.
Practical Tips To Avoid Judging Others
When I research a sermon, such as Sunday’s message on judgmentalism, I always try to think through some practical steps or tips in how to implement God’s desire for our lives. I rustled together a herd of ideas this week and I offer them to you.
The Shepherd, the King, and the Rescuer
God has got a long list of names, but some of those names are better than others. There is a small child who thought God’s name was Harold since the Lord’s Prayer includes the phrase “Hallowed be thy name.” When you think of all the scriptures that are most likely to be memorized you would have to include Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and John 3:16. The danger for us is our tendency to focus on the wrong thing.
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.