Written by Joel on February 7th, 2010Here are some church news highlights from the past week…
“Pope can fly with us” says easyJet. Silly easyJet, Pope’s don’t fly; nuns do!
Baptist in Texas spread the Gospel using CDs. (Washington Post) The Gospel on CD, how futuristic! What will they think of next?
Churches start Mixed Martial Arts Ministry in order to attract more members. (NY Times – A version of this article appeared in print on February 2, 2010, on page A1 of the New York edition) The bouts are extremely short because of the “turn-the-other-check” tactic. But it does give young Christians the opportunity to bash the devil out of each others hearts. Bringing the coliseums back to Christianity will mean only one thing – new martyrs.
Check out FightPastor.com which hosts the blog of Brandon Beals, a pastor who practices mma as a ministry.
Posted in Bulletin | No Responses »
Written by Joel on February 1st, 2010
Yesterday was the first time church was canceled due to snow since starting my pastorate. Our church certainly wasn’t the only one, but it still feels weird – canceling church?
I don’t recall it happening for me before. The church I grew up in was on a major road that was treated rather quickly in a snow emergency. Attendance may have dwindled on snow days, but I don’t recall cancellations. In college, a snow day actually helped church attendance – it was a minuscule town and the two churches were about the only places you could get to on a snowy Sunday. And then my seminary years were spent in sunny southern California – no breaks for the preacher between December and April out there.
Don’t hear me wrong – there was certainly good reason to cancel yesterday. This is a rural area and those mountain roads were horrible.
But, what does it mean to cancel church? Church cancellations were displayed on the local news channel and I couldn’t help but notice a few of them were worded “so-and-so church: morning worship canceled.” Worship is canceled? Could you imagine a town, state, or entire region in which God is not worshiped on a given Sunday morning? Or what about on a given day? Good thing it didn’t snow when Jesus died for our sins.
Let’s not mistakenly say that worship is canceled. It is at the very least a work-from-home situation. God must be worshiped – and not only on Sundays, but every day of our lives. It is our job as Christians, and God deserves it! I wonder how many Christians from yesterday’s canceled churches worshiped God at home versus how many thought they had the day off.
The physical gathering of the people of God may be impossible due to the weather; but our union as the Body of Christ is never hindered. The next time it snows on a Sunday remember that the gathering called “church” may not happen, but worship is never canceled.
Posted in Op/Ed | 1 Response »
Written by Joel on January 29th, 2010I know I haven’t been writing much since the new year, that’s because I have begun my first pastorate! It is exciting, humbling, and a bit scary all at the same time.
I am still settling into a routine and hope to get back to some regular posts soon. Until then, one of the great benefits of serving a church is that I get to preach every Sunday. So, until I establish a more regular blogging schedule, I plan on posting the sermons on here.
Hope this first month of the new year has treated you well.
Posted in Housekeeping | No Responses »
Written by Joel on January 29th, 2010 Jan 24, 2010 Nehemiah 8:1-10 Hat-tip to Dr. Bill Long for the illustration about the duration of the scripture reading. [link]
Posted in Sermons | No Responses »
Written by Joel on January 29th, 2010 Jan. 17, 2010 1 Cor. 12:1-11
Posted in Sermons | No Responses »
Written by Joel on January 29th, 2010 Jan. 10, 2010 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 St. Luke’s United Church of Christ Timberville VA
Posted in Sermons | No Responses »
Written by Joel on January 10th, 2010Here’s some news for the second week of the new year…
Rick Warren exceeds fund raising goal. LA Times
Egyptian church attacked. NY Times
Malaysian churches attacked after Allah ruling. Washington Post
Louisiana prison offers ministry degrees to inmates. NY Times
Brit Hume becomes a televangelist. USA Today, NPR (interview with audio), NY Daily News “He is said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith.” I can’t say I disagree.
Blasphemy now illegal in Ireland. NPR (Thanks Adrian for sending this in)
Posted in Bulletin | No Responses »
Written by Joel on January 6th, 2010Jan. 3, 2010
Matthew 2:1-12 & Ephesians 3:1-12
St. Luke’s United Church of Christ
Timberville, VA
Outline:
- “Won’t you be glad when Christmas is over?” Christmas is not over; Merry Christmas!
- What is Epiphany?
- The wise men were Gentiles.
- The mystery of Christ is that Gentiles (people like you and me) are sharers in the promise of Christ.
- Billy Currington’s People Are Crazy
- Epiphany Proclaimation
Posted in Sermons | No Responses »
Written by Joel on January 3rd, 2010Pope attacked during Christmas eve mass. Reuters, LA Times, CNN, BBC, NY Times
Pope Pius XII moved closer to sainthood. Pope Pius XII is accused of not doing enough to help Jewish victims during the holocaust. USA Today
Jonah Goldberg, in an LA Times opinion piece, examines the faith themes in Avatar. The faith aspect is not controversial because the good guys adopt a new age religion. “What would have been controversial is if — somehow — Cameron had made a movie in which the good guys accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts…If the Na’Vi were Roman Catholics, there would be boycotts and protests. Make the oversized Smurfs Rousseauian noble savages and everyone nods along, save for a few cranky right-wingers.”
Church fined for offering to shelter the homeless. Times Leader
4-year old killed in church on New Years Eve. WCTV with video, WSB Radio, Fox News
Malaysian Court Rules that Christians May Use ‘Allah’ to Refer to God. AFP, Wall Street Journal, NY Times, The Baltimore Sun, BBC
Saddleback Church Faces $900,000 Budget Deficit. OC Register, NY Times
Posted in Bulletin | 2 Responses »
Written by Joel on December 30th, 2009Recently I shared a story about a boy who was sent to undergo psychological evaluations for drawing a crucifix to fulfill the assignment “draw something that reminds you of Christmas.” The boy’s family took him to The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette to view a Christmas display. In addition to the Christmas display were several crucifixes throughout the shrine. School administrators were concerned when the boy put his name above the Jesus figure. When asked about the drawing, the boy said the person on the cross was himself. He was sent for psychological evaluations which determined that the boy is not a threat to himself or others.
This boy may understand what many older and wiser people fail to see their whole lives. That Jesus died for our sins. The ten cent theological word for this is atonement. The idea that Jesus took punishment in our place is substitutionary atonement, an idea made popular in Western Christianity by St. Anselm of Canterbury in the 11th century. It is also interesting that when thinking of Christmas, the boy immediately went to the cross. That Christ’s primary work on earth was his passion.
I think the school administration is right, it is crazy: That God became man in order to die for our sins. In the church we call this the mystery of Christ. It is a mystery many will spend a life time attempting to grasp.
For further reading:
Posted in Op/Ed, Uncategorized | No Responses »
