Sermon Series - The Hard Teaching of Jesus
Matthew 19
Marriage, Divorce, Eunchs, and Covenant!
What do we do with the brokenness of Covenant?
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Special Announcement - Pastoral Appointment
Jay Sporl - Chair of SPRC makes a new announcement introducing the new pastor that will begin on July 1, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Jesus and the Sword
The Hard Teachings of Jesus - Series
Matthew 10 - I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Find life through the sword
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Tears for Food
A Lenten Reflection
Psalm 42: 2-3
My soul thirsts for
God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears
have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long,
“Where
is your God?”
As the Deer - One of the classic old school praise and worship
choruses comes from Psalm 42. I am sure that most of us have sung ‘As the
deer’ for so many years that it has been filed away in the “songs to never ever
sing again file”. (Other songs could also include Lord I lift your name
on High, and Every Move I make – the motions also banned). There are even some that when the song is
sung, they shout “BANG” - after you repeat the first line about a deer.
Classic- Sigh.
With the familiarity of the song we can fall into the trap of
losing the beauty of the message. The familiar fades the truth away, and
when it is too familiar it is no longer relevant. The word of God,
however, is that which desires to communicate to us the very grace and life of
God.
Take a look at verses again- .
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
3
My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
Are there any songs that talk about eating ones tears or food
all day and night? With the hungering and thirsting for God comes often a
physical response. Jesus promised that those who hunger and thirst after
righteousness would be filled. The psalmist here is not after just that;
they are after the living God.
Often we hear of the altar stories where the pastor/evangelist/speaker
can point to the place at the altar and say it was HERE that they met
God. One night for me, I couldn’t even make it to the altar because of
the paralysis that came from my tears. I stayed in the pew eating and
drinking my tears because God met with me in a powerful way I never had
experienced before. I surrendered my life and my future to God that night. It
seems that even now as I walk by the tears are stained into the dusty
floor.
During the season of Lent, we are called to take time to pray,
reflect, and sacrifice. This is a time to eat our tears. Would you
create some space in your life to meet with God? Do you thirst after the
living God? I believe that God will meet with you. Seek God out
during this time of Lent and you will discover the tastiness of your tears.
Shed a tear for your soul, the church, and our world. Weep over our inactivity when justice
was calling out. Weep over our
over-activity on matters related to our own personal needs rather than the
world. Bon appétit on your tears
during this season of Lent.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Take up thy cross
Series - The Hard Teachings of Jesus
Matthew 16: 21-26
Guest Speaker - Rev. Jerry Crossley
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Cost of Discipleship
Series - The Hard Teachings of Jesus
Luke 9: 57-62
Foxes have holes, birds have nests... dead bury their own dead.... those who look back at the plow are not fit for the kingdom....
The Cost of Discipleship is investigated through three potential followers of Jesus in Luke 9.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Wes Anderson and My Dreams
This weekend a new Wes Anderson movie is released. The Grand Budapest Hotel is sure to be another installment of quirky writing, cinematography, and classic British tunes underscoring the whole thing. Each time he does a movie it seems to get weirder, but each time more incredible and famous actors are chomping at the bit to work in his films. I am a fan. With this new movie out I reflect upon where I was.
When I was in college and his early films were coming out they spoke to me in a way that affirmed my life. The story, taste in music, and overall style just seemed to fit me. I was introduced to some new musicians that were part of the soundtracks, and it was great to see my favorite music on the big screen. This was the only place in film where some of the Indie stuff was really making it out. Of course Elliot Smith and Good Will Hunting will forever be a match, but Anderson takes it to a whole other level for me. The only other director I think comparable is Cameron Crowe - but that's another story for another time.
Anderson's films also have repeated actors in it. Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman are two of the standards. The Wilson boys also have their way in it - much in part that Owen was a co-writer for most of the early films. It is as if they don't care what part they play, they just want to be involved. The parts they do play also seem as if they were written specifically for them. It is a beautiful match. You see the friendship involved on the screen and can tell that the people genuinely must have enjoyed creating this. Part of my love for these films come because I shared them with a friend.
This friend understood me and together we would anticipate each new release. It was always so much fun to go and see them together. When we were apart this would of course be a topic of conversation and we would quickly get the DVD box set to watch at home together. My friend is a musician.
We played together and a lot of our set list at the coffee house was comprised of these tunes. One in particular was 'The Wind' by Cat Stevens. It was a great piece for 2 guitars. Simple. Beautiful. My friend dreamed of being a musician. It seemed like a long-shot because often dreams are the things which we cannot obtain in reality. He dreamed. Fast forward some years later and I receive word that my friend was invited to play on an album that honors Wes Anderson and his impact on music and film. The song that he is covering is 'The Wind' by Cat Stevens.
This is far from being a college kid enthralled by Anderson films and covering these tunes at a lame college coffee house. I look back to who I was and the dreams I had. As I watch this new movie I will be taken back to the moments that shaped me as a young adult. I will remember my dreams and realize that maybe they are not as far off as I thought. I will think of my friend, the musician, and smile.
When I was in college and his early films were coming out they spoke to me in a way that affirmed my life. The story, taste in music, and overall style just seemed to fit me. I was introduced to some new musicians that were part of the soundtracks, and it was great to see my favorite music on the big screen. This was the only place in film where some of the Indie stuff was really making it out. Of course Elliot Smith and Good Will Hunting will forever be a match, but Anderson takes it to a whole other level for me. The only other director I think comparable is Cameron Crowe - but that's another story for another time.
Anderson's films also have repeated actors in it. Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman are two of the standards. The Wilson boys also have their way in it - much in part that Owen was a co-writer for most of the early films. It is as if they don't care what part they play, they just want to be involved. The parts they do play also seem as if they were written specifically for them. It is a beautiful match. You see the friendship involved on the screen and can tell that the people genuinely must have enjoyed creating this. Part of my love for these films come because I shared them with a friend.
This friend understood me and together we would anticipate each new release. It was always so much fun to go and see them together. When we were apart this would of course be a topic of conversation and we would quickly get the DVD box set to watch at home together. My friend is a musician.
We played together and a lot of our set list at the coffee house was comprised of these tunes. One in particular was 'The Wind' by Cat Stevens. It was a great piece for 2 guitars. Simple. Beautiful. My friend dreamed of being a musician. It seemed like a long-shot because often dreams are the things which we cannot obtain in reality. He dreamed. Fast forward some years later and I receive word that my friend was invited to play on an album that honors Wes Anderson and his impact on music and film. The song that he is covering is 'The Wind' by Cat Stevens.
This is far from being a college kid enthralled by Anderson films and covering these tunes at a lame college coffee house. I look back to who I was and the dreams I had. As I watch this new movie I will be taken back to the moments that shaped me as a young adult. I will remember my dreams and realize that maybe they are not as far off as I thought. I will think of my friend, the musician, and smile.
Special Announcement
Special announcement made concerning the direction and future of Tabernacle UMC. Thanks for tuning in.
Next week's series - The Hard Teachings of Jesus.
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