I have preached this sermon before but we’ve had enough turn over that no present today, with the exception of my family, was there to hear it before. Amram and Jochebed were the parents of Moses. I reckon he turned out all right; here are some things we can learn from his mother.
In yesterday’s sermon on worship, I briefly mentioned the Song of Moses. The daily Bible reading that I’m doing on The Master’s Table is in Exodus 15 today. Half of that chapter or more is Moses recounting what God has done for the children of Israel, and then his sister picks up a tambourine and leads other women as they sing and dance. The Bible is filled with people that worship and it is clear that’s what God wants his people to do. Here is a link; I’m not going to try to sing Hebrew poetry in English but I will read it to you.
What is worship? Why do we do it, exactly what are we doing? Almost more of a workshop than a sermon, we will identify various elements of worship and attempt to answer these questions.
Okay, I’ve been reading the Bible pretty consistently since 1988. But here lately, starting on March 1st, I’ve been reading one chapter per day and then offering some comments, discussing translation choices, etc. I started at Genesis 1. As Julie Andrews said in The Sound of Music “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”
I decided to read one chapter per day out loud and then offer discussion. There have been a few comments but no lengthy comment threads or debates in the discussion as of yet. The decision to record myself reading and then post online created some issues, however. Any modern translation is still covered by copyright. My translation of choice is the ESV but any modern translation has restrictions from the publisher on how much of the text you can reprint and even greater restrictions on how many verses you can read out loud. The KJV and ASV are in the public domain… but they are so old. Now if you prefer reading the King James that’s fine; the best Bible translation is the one you will actually read and plenty of people not only read King James but in many cases that is the only Bible they read and they feel very strongly about it. My only issue is that is not the language we speak on a daily basis. I believe everyone needs a Bible translation they can read in their first language.
Continue readingThe tomb is empty. Jesus is alive and lives forevermore. Death, hell and the grave have been defeated. It’s good news.
He is Risen, an Easter poem
In the early hours of the morning, after the Sabbath had ended,
a few women walked toward his grave to finish matters left unattended.
They carried spices for anointing, to honor custom and tradition.
For he had been quickly laid in the grave on the day of Preparation.
I posted the poem early this morning then preached the sermon at 11 a.m. (The poem is in there too.)
We do not have a Good Friday service at Unity so today, on Palm Sunday, we will discuss Jesus final arrival at Jerusalem to observe Passover, known as the triumphal entry and the events of Holy Week that end in his crucifixion. Easter is not the time to preach the crucifixion, Easter is a day to celebrate the resurrection. Today is for palm branches and shouting “Hosanna” contrasted with the humility of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey. By the end of Holy Week, or Passion Week, Jesus will be arrested, tried and hung on a cross. It looks like winning at the beginning of the week and that all hope is lost by the end. But the world often has their winning and losing backwards, at least in the eyes of God.
Continue readingAfter spending several months preaching through Romans (with a little break in December for Advent and Christmas things) I did a very rare thing for us on Sunday morning: something different. I went through that list of sayings and catchphrases, statements often repeated, and added a little context and backstory to each one. These will all be things you’ve heard me say before and will probably hear again sooner or later.
One night when I wasn’t there, my friends from Shorter sat down at a Waffle House and scribbled a list of “Clarkisms” on the back of a napkin. I have forgotten most of them since then but I’m sure “This stuff’s green, man” and “just hit it to the fat guy” were on the list. Many of my friends today have heard me say “If you can’t be good, be careful” and in response to “It’s good to see you” I always say “It’s good to be seen.”
I have been preaching at Unity for over 10 years and have been thinking about statements or sayings that my congregation might associate with me. I came up with these, let me know what you think I’m missing:
Deliberate and intentional
Knowing better does not always mean doing better.
God is near.
The Gospel is good news.
Read the Bible and pray.
Some can give, some will go, we all pray.
Missions is sometimes across the street and around the block, not just on the other side of the world.
Romans 8:28 is a lot like making biscuits.
God is in the manger.
Seasons change.
Paul has a long list of acknowledgments, all positive, of fellow workers, patrons and those that have promoted the spread of the Gospel. His final instructions are to a body of believers that they avoid division at all cost. Romans concludes with a doxology.
*I can’t believe I did not explain Tertius in verse 22. I will have to say something next week, amending my statement about being finished with Romans. This is Paul’s letter to the Romans; Tertius is an amanuensis, the writer of what Paul was saying. We believe, for a few reasons, that Paul was losing his eyesight. Tertius steps in at the very end to identify himself to offer a greeting of his own.
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