PASTOR’S COLUMN Our theme tonight is “Don’t Leave a Gift Unopened.” It reminds me of the joke about the flood that was coming. The water was knee high when a National Guard truck pulled up in front of a man’s home. “Get in! We’ll get you out of here!” The man said, “Thanks, but no thanks. The Lord will save me.”
By the time the water was half-way up the side of the house, two fellows in a bass boat came along. They said to the man, who was sitting on the roof, “Get in! We’ll get you out of here!” The man answered, “Thanks, but no thanks. The Lord will save me.”
The water rose so high that the man was forced to the very top of his roof. A helicopter came along and dropped a rope to him. “Hold on! We’ll pull you up!” But the man said, “Thanks, but no thanks. The Lord will save me.”
The man drowned. In heaven he complained to God, “Why didn’t you save me?”
The Lord answered, “I tried three times! Why didn’t you respond?”
Do you remember hearing that one Christmas during WWI there was a brief truce between German and British troops facing each other across the trenches? Alfred Anderson, the last surviving soldier who was there, died several years ago at age 109 in Scotland. The year was 1914, and Anderson recalled to the end of his life the eerie
sound of silence as the shooting stopped and soldiers clambered from trenches to greet each other.
The enemies swapped cigarettes and tunic buttons, sang carols, and even played soccer amid the mud, barbed wire, and shell-holes of no-man’s land. The informal truce spread along much of the 500-mile Western Front, in some cases lasting for days – alarming army commanders who feared fraternization would sap the troops’ will to fight. The next year brought the start of massive battles of attrition that claimed ten million lives. The Christmas truce was never repeated.
Maybe this should serve as a
reminder that there is a power
attached to the Prince of Peace that
is yet fully untapped. We have seen
glimpses of this power, and this in
spite of our lack of cooperation, even
opposition. But what incredibly good
things might Jesus occasion in our
lives and world if we would welcome
them with our cooperation?
Seen at a mall recently, a woman
wearing a sweatshirt saying, “I’m
Right 97% of the Time. Who Cares
About the Other 4%?”
Also seen, a high school cheer-
leader in a T-shirt that said:
“Wimps lift weights. Cheerleaders
lift people!”
On a car bumper sticker:
“Humankind: Be Both!”
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Pastor's Column - November 25, 2012
Pastor’s Column. Once upon a time there was a woman married to an annoying man. He would complain about everything. One day he went to the creek with his mule. He complained so much that the mule got annoyed and kicked him to death. At the funeral, when all the men walked by the wife, she shook her head yes, and every time the women walked by she shook her head no. The minister asked "Why are you shaking your head yes for men and no for women?" Her response was, “The men would say how sorry they felt for me and I was saying, ‘Yes, I'll be alright.’ When the women walked by, they were asking if the mule was for sale.” - DJ
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Pastor's Column - Nov. 18, 2012
PASTOR’S COLUMN. Here are the Top Ten Reasons Presbyterians choose the Back Pews:
10. They can see everybody, but everybody can’t see them.
9. Fewer people will hear it if they share an inspiration with their spouse.
8. It won’t be so obvious if they mouth a hymn rather than sing it.
7. They have more time to get their offering ready before the ushers get to them.
6. They are less likely to be caught drifting off during the sermon.
5. It’s easier to kick off uncomfortable shoes.
4. There will be fewer children crawling under the pews to observe their shoes.
3. They can dress more casually than the folks up front.
2. It’s a shorter trip to the restroom.
1. They can bless people going out and coming in to the service.
- from Rev. Denny J. Brake, Raleigh, NC
10. They can see everybody, but everybody can’t see them.
9. Fewer people will hear it if they share an inspiration with their spouse.
8. It won’t be so obvious if they mouth a hymn rather than sing it.
7. They have more time to get their offering ready before the ushers get to them.
6. They are less likely to be caught drifting off during the sermon.
5. It’s easier to kick off uncomfortable shoes.
4. There will be fewer children crawling under the pews to observe their shoes.
3. They can dress more casually than the folks up front.
2. It’s a shorter trip to the restroom.
1. They can bless people going out and coming in to the service.
- from Rev. Denny J. Brake, Raleigh, NC
Monday, November 12, 2012
Pastors' Column - Nov. 11, 2012
Pastor’s Column. There is an advertisement related to our New Testament Lesson today. I haven’t seen it, but others have. It reads, "Now you too can own a Genuine Coin From The Time of Jesus: The Widow's Mite. It’s a minor miracle that this coin has survived, and now people of faith can study, cherish, and protect it for future generations. It’s yet another miracle that they’re so affordable."
Then, the ad goes on to quote our scripture this morning, “He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.” And it finishes up with, "While our limited supplies last, you may order the 2,000 year old Widow’s Mite for only $39.95 plus shipping and handling. Remember this is the genuine coin mentioned in the Holy Bible and it makes a perfect gift for your child, grandchild, or favorite clergyman."
The advertisement makes it sound like you’re buying the actual coin the widow dropped into the temple receptacle. This rip-off reminds me of Wolfman Jack in his younger days. He broadcast from an incredibly powerful radio station in Mexico, just across the border from Del Rio, TX. And he offered hard to get items for sale to people in the Southwest, like autographed pictures of Jesus Christ, not to mention Bibles signed by King James himself. Sometimes he wasn’t so religious. He also sold genuine imitation pearl necklaces.
At the beginning of our New Testament lesson today, Jesus warns about the sort of scribes who “devour widows’ houses.” (We’re dealing with Mark 13: 38-44.) It wasn’t enough that widows in Jesus’ day were almost all poverty stricken, those that had a few coins were on the radar of rip-off artists trying to get them. If Jesus says elsewhere, “The poor will always be with you,” he could also have added, “And so will those trying to rip you off.”
Although taken out of context, these words fit the world in which we live. “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” -DJ
Then, the ad goes on to quote our scripture this morning, “He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.” And it finishes up with, "While our limited supplies last, you may order the 2,000 year old Widow’s Mite for only $39.95 plus shipping and handling. Remember this is the genuine coin mentioned in the Holy Bible and it makes a perfect gift for your child, grandchild, or favorite clergyman."
The advertisement makes it sound like you’re buying the actual coin the widow dropped into the temple receptacle. This rip-off reminds me of Wolfman Jack in his younger days. He broadcast from an incredibly powerful radio station in Mexico, just across the border from Del Rio, TX. And he offered hard to get items for sale to people in the Southwest, like autographed pictures of Jesus Christ, not to mention Bibles signed by King James himself. Sometimes he wasn’t so religious. He also sold genuine imitation pearl necklaces.
At the beginning of our New Testament lesson today, Jesus warns about the sort of scribes who “devour widows’ houses.” (We’re dealing with Mark 13: 38-44.) It wasn’t enough that widows in Jesus’ day were almost all poverty stricken, those that had a few coins were on the radar of rip-off artists trying to get them. If Jesus says elsewhere, “The poor will always be with you,” he could also have added, “And so will those trying to rip you off.”
Although taken out of context, these words fit the world in which we live. “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” -DJ
Monday, October 29, 2012
Pastor's Column - Oct. 28, 2012
Pastor’s Column. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, told a story on himself. He was waiting for a taxi outside the railway station in Paris. When the taxi pulled up, he put his suitcase in it and then got in himself. As he was about to tell the taxi-driver where he wanted to go, the driver asked, "Where can I take you, Mr. Doyle?"
Doyle was astounded. He asked the driver if he knew him by sight. The driver said, "No Sir, I have never seen you before." Doyle was puzzled and asked him how he knew he was Arthur Conan Doyle.
The driver replied: "This morning's paper had a story that you were on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi-stand where people who return from Marseilles always wait. Your skin color tells me you have been on vacation. The ink-spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothing is very English and not French. Adding up all these pieces of information, I deduce that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
Doyle exclaimed, "This is truly amazing. You are a real-life counter-part to my fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes."
"There is one other thing," the driver said.
"What is that?" Doyle asked.
"Your name is on the front of your suitcase."
It wasn't the powers of deduction. It was the power of observation. Jesus taught us, “Observe the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?... And why do you worry about clothing? Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
“Do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat or drink or wear?’…Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Mt6: 26-33
It would seem that we don’t have to be a smart as Sherlock Holmes to see God at work behind the scenes. All we have to do is observe. -DJ
Doyle was astounded. He asked the driver if he knew him by sight. The driver said, "No Sir, I have never seen you before." Doyle was puzzled and asked him how he knew he was Arthur Conan Doyle.
The driver replied: "This morning's paper had a story that you were on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi-stand where people who return from Marseilles always wait. Your skin color tells me you have been on vacation. The ink-spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothing is very English and not French. Adding up all these pieces of information, I deduce that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
Doyle exclaimed, "This is truly amazing. You are a real-life counter-part to my fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes."
"There is one other thing," the driver said.
"What is that?" Doyle asked.
"Your name is on the front of your suitcase."
It wasn't the powers of deduction. It was the power of observation. Jesus taught us, “Observe the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?... And why do you worry about clothing? Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
“Do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat or drink or wear?’…Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Mt6: 26-33
It would seem that we don’t have to be a smart as Sherlock Holmes to see God at work behind the scenes. All we have to do is observe. -DJ
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Pastor's Column - Oct. 14, 2012
PASTOR’S COLUMN. At Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, a ten-year-old boy walked into Rev. Sarah Jo Sarchet’s office. “I’d like to be baptized,” he said. “We were learning about Jesus’ baptism in Sunday School. The teacher asked the class who had been baptized, and all the other kids raised their hands. I want to be baptized too.”
“Cameron, do you really want to be baptized just because everyone else is?” the pastor asked. “No. I want to be baptized because it means I belong to God.”
Rev. Sarchet was impressed by his understanding. “Well, then, how about this Sunday?” The boy’s smile turned to concern. “You mean in front of all those people in the church? Can’t I just have a friend baptize me in the river?”
The pastor asked where he ever came up with such an idea. “Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in a river, wasn’t he?”
Caught off guard, she conceded. “You’re right, but if a friend baptized you in the river, how would the church recognize it?” And then to teach him about what Presbyterians believe about baptism, she climbed up on a footstool to reach her Presbyterian Book of Order on the top shelf.
But before she could reach the book, Cameron said, “I guess by my new way of living.” The pastor nearly fell off the footstool and left her Book of Order on the shelf. Cameron’s understanding was neither childish nor simple. It was profound. Baptism calls us to a new way of living. - DJ
“Cameron, do you really want to be baptized just because everyone else is?” the pastor asked. “No. I want to be baptized because it means I belong to God.”
Rev. Sarchet was impressed by his understanding. “Well, then, how about this Sunday?” The boy’s smile turned to concern. “You mean in front of all those people in the church? Can’t I just have a friend baptize me in the river?”
The pastor asked where he ever came up with such an idea. “Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in a river, wasn’t he?”
Caught off guard, she conceded. “You’re right, but if a friend baptized you in the river, how would the church recognize it?” And then to teach him about what Presbyterians believe about baptism, she climbed up on a footstool to reach her Presbyterian Book of Order on the top shelf.
But before she could reach the book, Cameron said, “I guess by my new way of living.” The pastor nearly fell off the footstool and left her Book of Order on the shelf. Cameron’s understanding was neither childish nor simple. It was profound. Baptism calls us to a new way of living. - DJ
Monday, October 8, 2012
Pastor's Column - Oct. 7, 2012
PASTOR’S COLUMN. On “Oldies” radio stations you constantly hear the following sort of promo, “Bringing Back the Memories!” Or you hear testimonials like, “I just discovered your station, and I love the music! I haven’t heard those songs in years, and oh my, they’re bringing back so many memories!”
Does hearing an old favorite song bring back memories for you or not? People break both ways on this. For some it does, for others they get nothing more than the pleasure of hearing it again. And by the way, most people say that if a song was a dog back then, it’s still a dog. Unlike wine, age doesn’t improve it.
The mind is one of God’s most mysterious gifts, and memories seem to be provoked in a variety of ways. But sometimes we can’t leave remembering to chance melodies. There are thing we need to remember, and the only way is to sit down and actually search through our experiences. For ex., we may need to remember what God has done in our past because it can give us confidence as to how God will act in the present and in the future. In terms of frequency of use, “Remember” is one of the most used words in the Bible. The prophets of Israel would exhort their people, “Remember, O Israel!” referring to the covenant that God had made through Moses with the people at Mt Sinai. In that covenant the people agreed to obey God’s laws, and God agreed to take care of them. This covenant is not to be forgotten even for a moment.
All of us have experienced memorable instances of God’s intervention in our lives. These experiences of God’s help, as well as what Christ requires of us, are something to keep in mind constantly. Not something to be left to chance memory. -DJ
Does hearing an old favorite song bring back memories for you or not? People break both ways on this. For some it does, for others they get nothing more than the pleasure of hearing it again. And by the way, most people say that if a song was a dog back then, it’s still a dog. Unlike wine, age doesn’t improve it.
The mind is one of God’s most mysterious gifts, and memories seem to be provoked in a variety of ways. But sometimes we can’t leave remembering to chance melodies. There are thing we need to remember, and the only way is to sit down and actually search through our experiences. For ex., we may need to remember what God has done in our past because it can give us confidence as to how God will act in the present and in the future. In terms of frequency of use, “Remember” is one of the most used words in the Bible. The prophets of Israel would exhort their people, “Remember, O Israel!” referring to the covenant that God had made through Moses with the people at Mt Sinai. In that covenant the people agreed to obey God’s laws, and God agreed to take care of them. This covenant is not to be forgotten even for a moment.
All of us have experienced memorable instances of God’s intervention in our lives. These experiences of God’s help, as well as what Christ requires of us, are something to keep in mind constantly. Not something to be left to chance memory. -DJ
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