One of the best-loved Christmas carols is Joy to the World. The song begins with “Joy to the world, the Lord has come; let earth receive its King;” and then we sing, “Let every heart prepare him room.” Prepare him room, it says, or, make room for Jesus. The phrase brings to mind […]
A while back an old friend told me he didn’t go to church anymore. He said, “It’s the same old thing: ‘things are bad now,’ the preacher always says, ‘but someday Jesus will return and then everything will be better.’ I’ve heard it all before.” My friend knows I am a
3078) Advent… Again Read More »
************************************** One of the best known of all hymn verses is what is often called the Doxology, written in 1674 by Englishman Thomas Ken (1637-1711): Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Many
3055) An Illegal Hymn Read More »
By N. T. Wright (1948- ), Simply Christian, 2006, Harper Collins, page 123. I use the word “church” with a somewhat heavy heart. I know that for many of my readers that very word will carry the overtones of large, dark buildings, pompous religious pronouncements, false solemnity, and rank hypocrisy. But there is no easy
In my forty years as a pastor, I performed dozens of weddings and presided at hundreds of funerals. Very early in my ministry, I realized I preferred doing funerals. Funerals are sad, and weddings are happy; but I am a preacher and I am not there to reflect the mood of the day.
2944) The Purpose of a Funeral Sermon Read More »
(…continued) When the Peter and Paul movie was first televised several years ago, I was in the midst of a difficult and complicated time in the congregation I was serving. These difficulties and complications had nothing to do with the basic, important things that the early church was focused on, but on far
2896) Back to the Basics (2/2) Read More »
In 2008 there was a global financial crisis which resulted in a recession. At the center of it all was a Housing Bubble caused by years of low interest rates and easy credit. Many creative (and foolish) mortgage tools were developed and widely used. When the bubble burst, some of the largest banks
2895) Back to the Basics (1/2) Read More »
In the traditional liturgy there are certain little dialogs between the pastor and the congregation that, over time, become automatic. For example, if the pastor says “The Lord be with you,” the congregation will respond with, “And also with you,” even if they don’t have their bulletin or hymnal ahead of them. In
2855) He Is Risen Indeed! Read More »
(…continued) We could talk about the purpose of the church and the Biblical theology of worship and how there is something in all humans that reaches out for something beyond themselves, and all that. But worship is, at its center, simply a weekly remembrance of God. Is church the only
2832) Through the Grapevine (2/2) Read More »
Marvin Gaye’s 1968 song “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” is #80 on Rolling Stone magazine’s top 500 hits of all time. Jesus also had something to say about grapevines, and I will get to that after the song. ———- NOTE TO READER: For the best format to display each day’s meditation, always click on
2831) Through the Grapevine (1/2) Read More »
