The Gospel text for this Sunday (May 15) is from John 10:1-10. This is the account of Jesus saying “I am the gate…“. Call me goofy but this great scene from the Princess Bride came to mind. There has got to be a way to use this in the sermon 😉
Enjoy
-edh-
I did something yesterday in worship that I had never attempted before…
…I preached the sermon from my Kindle.
I knew I was able to send Word documents to my Kindle for reading later but it never occurred to me to send my sermons to this piece of technology. I have always been fairly low tech in worship but now I am finding myself moving into the realm of high tech (if you want to call preaching from a Kindle “high tech”). I do have friends that preach off iPads and laptops (laptop seems too cumbersome to me and I haven’t justified the plunge to an iPad yet). I know that there are pros and cons to preaching from technology, but I am liking the pro side of this so far.
One of the reasons I made this move to try preaching from my Kindle was a realization. Behind my desk and to my left sits a file cabinet. The top drawer is filled with old sermon manuscripts. I have 5 years worth of sermons sitting in there waiting…but waiting for what? In my nearly seven years here at Salem (I haven’t put 2010 or 2011 sermons in that file) I have never once opened that drawer to look for an old sermon. If I have been curious about a previous sermon I have always looked it up on my computer (but even that doesn’t happen that often. Every sermon I preach is a fresh sermon…never recycled).
So I started asking my self…why am I keeping all these printed sermons?
Why am I wasting all this paper; printing sermons off every week?
What is preventing me from throwing all those old sermons in the recycling box?
Maybe I am keeping them for some selfish reason.
Maybe I am keeping them because they really aren’t my sermons; they belong to God so what right do I have to throw them out.
Or…maybe it’s simply the pack rat in me coming out in force.
I am thinking it is the “pack rat” reason 🙂
But still…it almost seems sacrilegious to throw a sermon in the recycling bin. I guess I could reason that they are being reused in God’s creation; doing some good by saving some trees. That works…I like that.
In any case…whether I fully make the plunge and preach each week from my piece of technology (whatever that turns out to be) or use a combination of high tech and low tech I am thinking I am going to start recycling in my office sermon drawer at some point, but not quite yet. I still need to go pack rat hunting.
-edh-
I have been a pastor for just over 6 1/2 years now (hard to believe sometimes). During that span I have never woken up on a Sunday morning feeling sick (knock on wood). I have woken up tired after getting to bed late the night before or just not sleeping well, but I have never been sick on a Sunday morning…until yesterday.
When I went to bed on Saturday night my stomach wasn’t feeling that great but I figured I would sleep it off. As the night wore on I wasn’t getting better. I wasn’t feeling nauseated but I was still in the bathroom a few times (I won’t elaborate on that). After a very long night my alarm went off at 5:30am. I was shot. I had absolutely no energy. I laid in bed and prayed, “God…I have no energy. There is no way that I will get through this morning on my own power. I feel like crap. Please grant me the energy I need to lead these two worship services this morning. I need you.”
After some arguing with myself I finally rolled out of bed. My programmable coffee maker was doing its job so I made a bee line for the kitchen for a cup of coffee. I couldn’t drink it…believe it or not the coffee just didn’t taste good. You know something is wrong with me when I can’t drink coffee. I got ready and headed over to the church. I got into the pulpit and ran through my sermon. I could feel the lack of energy in the sermon and I prayed again that God would give me the energy that I needed so that God’s Word would be preached despite Satan’s best efforts to keep me from doing so.
At about 7:30am I went back to the house and laid down on the couch (I need to leave for Belmont Lutheran Church by 8am). I tried not to fall asleep because I knew I might not wake up until it was too late. I laid there in a fog and prayed some more. I finally got up at 7:50am. My stomach was feeling a little better and I had a little more energy (but still not 100%). My wife was concerned about me driving the 8 miles out to Belmont but I assured her I would be fine.
Worship at Belmont began at 8:30am and I was feeling good. Not once during the worship service did I think about not feeling well. My energy seemed to return and I preached the sermon with my normal energy and passion (at least that is what it felt like to me). Worship at Salem was at 10:15 and I was still going strong. Salem’s annual meeting followed worship and then our famous potluck. I got home after 12noon and was out like a light by 12:30pm for a 2 hour nap.
So my streak continues…by the grace of God. There is no way I could have survived Sunday without God by my side. I know that if I were sick enough that I couldn’t go, someone would have stepped up and worship would have still happened. But on Sunday God wanted me there and so it happened ~ by the grace of God.
-edh-
This week I am continuing our Old Testament sermon series by talking about the story of Joseph and “unbelievable” forgiveness.
In Genesis, chapter 50, Jacob dies and Joseph’s brothers get nervous. They are nervous that Joseph will unleash his fury since Jacob, the family patriarch, is now gone. So they tell Joseph that their dear ole dad has said that he is supposed to forgive them the wrongs they had done to him. The brothers then throw themselves down on the ground before Joseph and vow to be his slaves.
Joseph weeps.
I have never really thought about why Joseph is weeping. But now I am wondering if Joseph is sad because after all these years of providing for them in Egypt his brothers still believe Joseph doesn’t really forgive them. When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers in chapter 45 he gave no indication he was going to lash out at them even though Joseph had the power to do so. But Joseph told his brothers not to be distressed or angry with themselves; this was part of God’s plan. Joseph showed nothing but love towards them by taking care of them through the terrible famine. Now…after all these years…the brothers still don’t believe Joseph really forgives them. If I were Joseph I think I would be sad as well.
I wonder if God weeps when we doubt his amazing forgiveness. I mean…there are times when I wonder if God actually forgives ALL my sins. Surely there is something that God holds on to. Surely there must be a limit to God’s patience. Forgiving ALL my sins? That almost sounds to good to be true…almost unbelievable.
But God says, “What more do I need to do to prove it to you? My beloved son, Jesus, died on a cross and rose from the grave to forgive your sins. I would think that would be proof enough.” And yet we have our doubts from time to time. God’s forgiveness of our sins, at times, almost seems unbelievable…there must be a catch.
But there is no catch.
When we go to God in confession, through Jesus Christ we have forgiveness…period. No strings attached. That, my friends, is pretty amazing. Unbelievable? Nope…it’s true. Through Jesus Christ we have forgiveness of ALL our sins.
So don’t be afraid and don’t be distressed. Go to God and know his amazing love for you…forever and ever. Amen.
-edh-
I am experiencing a strange sermon prep situation…
I have been a pastor now for about 5 1/2 years. Over that time I have written many sermons (not including the ones I wrote during my year of internship) for Sunday worship, funerals, weddings, holidays, Lent, etc. I guess one could say that I feel somewhat comfortable writing a sermon (even though I have my moments when I get stressed out).
But this week I am experiencing a first.
Today is Thursday and I have three sermons to write, but the strange thing is that I am writing 2 funerals sermons at the same time. I have a funeral tomorrow (Friday) and one on Saturday…both out at Belmont. I was working on these yesterday a little bit and found myself confusing the two; getting the two families mixed up. I found myself working on funeral sermon #1 and then suddenly I would think of something for funeral sermon #2 and vice versa. And all of this is in the context of trying to prepare a sermon for Sunday. It should not be a big deal since the basic message of the sermon is the same, but when you are speaking and ministering to a particular group of people in a particular place in a particular context…it is definitely a big deal. I know what I want to say for each sermon…I just need to pull the messages out of my head…untangle them and put them on paper. Easier said than done. God help me.
I just need to focus on one thing at a time. I need to get to my office and get the funeral bulletins ready and then write my Sunday sermon (since Thursday morning is my normal Sunday sermon prep time). After lunch I will work on funeral sermon #1 and only that one and then work on funeral sermon #2. Hopefully I can keep everything straight. It should be an interesting day. And I pray nothing else happens to mess up my schedule (can you hear me chuckling).
In any case…say a prayer for me that I can stay focused and that the Good News is proclaimed. I don’t want Satan to use this craziness to distract me from want needs to be done.
Have a great day and God bless!
-edh-
P.S. Oh ya…and I have to try to focus on all of this while a winter snow storm is going on. Oh well…it can never be too easy…can it 🙂
I normally go on vacation right after Christmas Day worship…but not this year. This year my wife and I thought it was a wiser decision to stay through Sunday, Dec. 27 so I wouldn’t be doing sermon prep for Jan. 3 while on vacation. Makes sense but it does throw me off a little bit…hence the needed prayers.
Since our Christmas storm (a.k.a Winter Storm Eric) kept us home for a couple days my brain switched into vacation mode. Now it is Sunday and I am trying to switch back into non-vacation mode and get ready for worship. I have two worship services this morning; Christmas worship at Belmont and First Sunday of Christmas worship at Salem; which means two different services and two different sermons. On a normal Sunday this would be challenging, but today…well…I need some prayers:
–Prayers that I stay focused and not look ahead to vacation starting this afternoon. The people here deserve my best and complete attention and not just part of me. I don’t want Satan to use this to distract me.
–I need prayers for energy. Many pastors know that tons of energy is expended on Sunday and therefore many pastors I know (me included) take naps on Sunday afternoon. This morning I will need some extra energy (more than my pot of coffee can give me).
So thank you, in advance, for your prayers. I know I joke about needing my coffee in the morning to keep me going but I do know that my (and our) true source of energy and strength comes from God alone. So I pray that YOU have a very blessed day and that you may continue to know and experience the love of God in Jesus Christ our Savior.
Take care and God bless!
-edh-
P.S. If Winter Storm Eric wasn’t enough this past week…we got another inch plus last night. What a mess for a Sunday morning.
I am doing some sermon prep for this Sunday (Christ the King Sunday). My question for you is this:
How do we speak to people about Jesus being “King” and “Lord” in a world where those two words/titles mean very little?
Our culture and context is radically different from that of Jesus’ day. “King” and “Lord” meant something to people then. Those titles conjured up images and definitions for them. They understood their roles and meaning for their lives. So how should we understand these today?
I am curious on your thoughts about this.
-edh-
There has been much discussion about the ELCA vote last week at its Churchwide assembly. And no doubt that many pastors wondered how to handle this at their respective congregations this past Sunday. I know that I number of us dealt with the issues at hand and a number that choose not too. Whatever you did in your congregation I trust that you are doing what you feel is best for your particular congregation.
Following is an article I came across by Dr. David Lose, the Marbury E. Anderson Biblical Preacher Chair at Luther Seminary (and the prof I had for my senior preaching class). Dr. Lose posted this article on http://www.workingpreacher.org — a sermon prep website. The article is titled Preaching Amid Controversy: Pastoral and Homiletical Counsel. I found this to be a very helpful article and a great reminder what we are called to do. The article specifically mentions the ELCA Churchwide assembly, but it provides some wisdom for any difficult/trying situation in our congregation’s life.
I invite you to check this out and offer your comments.
As a pastor/preacher did you deal with the ELCA vote in your sermon this past Sunday? Do you find Dr. Lose’s counsel helpful?
-edh-
We are continuing in John 6 this week with verses 24 – 35. This scene picks up where we left off last week; Jesus feeds the 5000 and then goes for a walk on the water; scaring the disciples half to death. After calming the disciples down and climbing into their boat they head to the other side of the lake. Once over there the people that were fed by Jesus realize Jesus and the crew are gone, so they climb into their boats in search of Jesus (looking for breakfast). Once again, the people still have no clue who Jesus really is and what he really did for them.
Now we get some talk about Jesus being the “Bread of Life“. The people are looking for real bread; talking about how Moses gave the Israelites manna from heaven. But Jesus fires back and says that it’s not Moses that gives bread from heaven but God who gives the TRUE bread. And this bread means life.
“I am the Bread of Life” Jesus says.
The quote that jumps out to me (besides, of course, the Bread of Life comment) is the one Jesus says to the people when they come looking for him. Jesus tells them that they are only there because he gave them something to eat. Jesus then goes on to say “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” This statement may not have shocked the people too much then, but what about today…a society that is based on “working for food that spoils“? This verse is reminiscent of the verses that talks about storing up treasures in heaven where moth and rust can not destroy. This is an intriguing connection.
So maybe I will “play” with this connection some more…Hmmm…
What do you think of this connection; not working for food that spoils and storing up treasures in heaven?
-edh-
O.K…time to share with you what happened at worship on Sunday.
I said that worship was awesome on Sunday. Two things contributed to that: (1) My wife and her team of singers lead worship with the guitars (with me playing as well…which I really enjoy); and (2) continue reading below…
…The Gospel text was from John 6:1-14 (The Feeding of the 5000). This is one of my favorite miracle stories (next to the Resurrection of course). I talked about the miracle as something that the people (the 5000 present) did not really get. I mean…after they had eaten and realized what happened they thought Jesus was the prophet who had come into the world. They probably likened him to Elisha who fed 100 in 2 Kings 4 (the OT text on Sunday). In any case they wanted to take Jesus and make him king by force, but that is not what Jesus came to do. They missed the point…they did not get who Jesus really was.
From that I moved to talking about Holy Communion…another great meal that we a lot of times miss. We come forward for Holy Communion in a ritualistic kind of way and totally blow off the words that are being spoken. I mean think about it…Holy Communion is about the death and resurrection of Jesus and the promise of the forgiveness of sins, but how many times do you REALLY really think about that when you receive the bread and the wine? I urged the people on Sunday to think about this.
Then I went on to say:
“When you come here to Salem on the 1st or 2nd Sunday of the month you expect to receive Holy Communion. You know that Holy Communion happens towards the end of the worship service. You know the liturgy and how to respond. Well…I am going to throw you off guard today. It may be the 4th Sunday of the month but we are going to celebrate Holy Communion right now. I did not get permission from the altar guild, the worship/music committee, the deacons or the church council. We are just going to do it.”
I did not use the “normal” liturgy…actually I didn’t use any liturgy. I went on to invite people to come forward whenever they felt ready to encounter a miracle. I urged them to listen to the words “The Body of Christ broken FOR YOU…the Blood of Christ shed FOR YOU“. I urged the people to listen to these words and hear the miracle…the forgiveness of your sins. I invited them to pray before hand and confess if they would like and then come forward. There was going to be nothing that was ritualistic about this celebration of Holy Communion.
Everyone came forward (except for one person) to partake in this miracle. And after the worship I got so many comments from people who were very appreciative of what happened in worship (Praise be to God!). I think people liked it because Holy Communion was not ritualistic. Maybe some people were hearing for the first time the miracle of this sacrament…I don’t know…but what I do know is that is was powerful for me (and for my wife who was helping serve communion and obviously for a number of others).
Worship was awesome on Sunday. And all I can say to summarize it is: “PRAISE BE TO GOD!”
-edh-
The Heart of a Pastor 