1 Corinthians 1.18-31

This coming Sunday the text that we will be focusing on is 1 Corinthians 1.18-31. Much of these verses are dealing with wisdom. Paul is highlighting that wisdom of the world is different than God's wisdom. For the Lord's great power is shown in the cross of Christ. In the cross we can boast because the Lord has made us new creatures. One interesting string of verses is found in in chapter 1 verses 27-29. One part says: "God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." In your own life ----- have you had experiences where the weak things of life have shamed the strong? I immediately think of back pain or a penetrating question from a child. I remember when I hurt my back so bad I could not even stand up. That was a humbling experience. Or when a question from a little child, would cause me to have to change behavior. Have you all had experiences like that?

Ohio State Football Fan and Legos Fan?

I was listening to a story on National Public Radio yesterday afternoon about a professor who had built the replica of the Ohio State Football Stadium. I thought that the story was a little hard to believe ----- so I checked it out myself. And I thought I would share with you what he created. It is all out of legos and it took him 5 years to plan, buy, implement and build this replica. It is unbelievable. You can read more on ESPN: http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/index?id=6037754 or listen to it on NPR: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=133058130&m=133058791

1 Corinthians 1.10-18

This coming Sunday I will be focusing on 1 Corinthians 1.10-18. In this group of verses the Apostle Paul brings up the division that is going on in the church of Corinth. Apparently, Chloe still had some inside information about the quarrels that are going on in Corinth (verse 11). Paul feels like these quarrels need to be addressed because it is an error for the church to be operating this way. There were divisions about who was more important because of their baptisms. Paul confronts this error and advises the church to cling to the initial message he shared. Now this message is foolishness to some. But, to those who are being saved it is the power of God (verse 18). This message is is found in the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ is the power of God revealed to all the world. But, I would like to hear from you ---- how do you think the cross of Christ is the very power of God in your life?

1 Corinthians

This coming Sunday I am going to begin a sermon series on 1 Corinthians. This will go till Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent). This Sunday I will start with 1 Corinthians 1.1-9. For the most part this is the Apostle Paul's preliminary comments to the church in Corinth. But he also says something very intriguing. It is found in verse 9. It says: "God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Those words ---- the fellowship of his Son ---- have really stuck out to me. What is the fellowship of his Son? What does this have to do with the God who is faithful? Does this have anything to do with the relationship of the Trinity? What does this have to do with our fellowship as believers? Interestingly, if you go to the next few verses the Apostle Paul begins addressing the division that is found in Corinth. I think there is an important point to understanding this verse by looking at the division. I would love to hear what you all think. Look it over and comment back.

Bible Translation in Indonesia

Kimyal New Testament launch in Indonesia from United Bible Societies on Vimeo.

The Journey of the Magi - By T.S. Eliot

A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times when we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities dirty and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wineskins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

This was written by T.S. Eliot on August 25, 1927. This was after his conversion to Christianity and his subsequent confirmation in the Church of England.

We Three Kings

Matthew 2.13-23

This coming Sunday I will be preaching on Matthew 2.13-23. I want to spend some time looking at verse 23, that says: "There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, 'He will be called a Nazarene.'" The question that has caused me to spend time with this verse is this: What is the importance of Jesus being called a Nazarene? I think that this has two important aspects: 1) the unclean spirit in Mark 1.24 calls Jesus the one from Nazareth, and then in the same breath describes him as the holy one of God. This has a great deal to do with Numbers 6 ----- and figureheads like Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist and others. 2) This also has to do with the incarnation. For Jesus still introduces himself to Saul as Jesus of Nazareth in Acts 22.8. Why this is important is due to the fact that this is the resurrected Jesus answering Saul's question: "Who are you Lord?" How does this change our understanding of the resurrected Jesus when we confess that he is Jesus of Nazareth?

The Digital Story of the Nativity

Christmas Eve Preparation

I had to share with you all this awesome quote that I read while preparing for preaching on Christmas Eve. It comes from Alan Culpepper and he says: "A humility born of need may be the prerequisite for entry into this new kingdom." Now that can preach!

Luke 2.1-20

This coming Christmas Eve I will be preaching on Luke 2.1-20. I love this passage ---- and especially how the King James Version (KJV) puts verses 11-14: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." The KJV just makes my heart remember days of sitting around and listening to my Dad read from Luke. When I hear "for unto you is born this day", I think that it is addressed to me. That this child ----- was born to me. Interestingly, notice that this address is presented to shepherds in the fields ----- and not to the child's parents. For this child ------ who has come to bring salvation to sinners ----- was born for the whole world. Even poor, peasant shepherds ------ even poor fisherman ------ even tax collectors and prostitutes ------ even the lame, the blind, the destitute ----- and even you and me. This child is our King ----- one who is to reign in our hearts and over all the earth, as we do like the shepherds did in verse 20: "glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." Merry Christmas to all of you.

Westboro Baptist ?Church?

I have been doing a great deal of research lately on Westboro Baptist Church. I have actually found their protest schedule website. Apparently, this morning they are protesting a Methodist Church in Mulvane, Kansas. I would like to ask a question. After reading this snippet --- they actually make the case that this is helping them to love their neighbors. What do you all think of that claim?

Mulvane United Methodist Church in Mulvane, KS December 19, 2010 7:45 AM - 8:15 AM
WBC will picket the Mulvane United Methodist Dog Kennel to warn all who attend that there is death in that pot! So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. (2 Ki. 4:40.) Don't walk, RUN from this place! The Methodists long ago dropped any pretense of believing or preaching truth when they allowed women to be preachers and when they began the satanic ritual called "affirmations" - blessing sodomite "couples". The same God who said "thou shalt not lie with mankind as with woman kind, it is abomination" (Lev. 18:22), also said "thou shalt not kill" (Ex. 20:13). When you teach the people that it's okay to be a sodomite, you teach them it's okay to conspire to commit murder. You have utterly failed in your duty to your neighbor to love them as yourself by lying to them about their sins. You did this because you hate God and you hate your neighbor. Not to worry though; we love our neighbor, so we will tell them the truth because that is the only hope for any human. If any of you have an ear to hear, come out from among them, do not partake of their filthy deeds and obey your God! Do that TODAY!