Sermon Notes 3/4/2007

Some thoughts that entered my radar while preparing this sermon

"My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no
meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out.
What am I doing right?"
  - Charles M. Schulz

I haven’t always been a Christian.  I didn’t go to
religion to make me happy.  I always knew a bottle of
port would do that.  If you want a religion to make
you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t
recommend Christianity.
C.S. Lewis

Proverbs 10:24
24What evil people dread most
  will happen to them,
  but good people will get
  what they want most.

And now on with the sermon "Pressing Business"

[carry a Linus Project blanket out, and tell a little about the Linus Project]

Linus and his blanket. What are the blankets we have,
where we rely on our blanket to bring about our future
rather than God? For me I have my inhaler and I have
my coffee mug.

We have levels of security just for the sake of
security. Can anyone tell me what today’s security
level for the country is? Why? What does it mean?

We are a fear driven society. If we cow to fear and
cover our heads waiting for the next disaster to
strike it seems to be self-fulfilling. How do we grow
and nurture those great visions and hopes of the
community that draw us into God’s space, and allow for
God to work in the fullness? God is there in the
in between. When our security blanket is gone, and
before we have seen the fruit of God’s will done God
is still present and still at work, we have to turn
ourselves over completely for that purpose.

This church seems to have the parsonage and its trust
fund and endowment fund. For Abraham it was the son he
wished to protect and manufacture against God’s ways.
For the disciples it was keeping Jesus alive, rather
than letting him die. What are the things we need to
let die, and allow God to grow new?

those are the notes folks, the sermon didn't pan out with the same texture,
but the gist of it was this:
"We have our security blankets (the things we want to happen, the way we want to happen)
and there is the way God wants to fulfill his promises, and God is in the
between time when we let down our security blanket for good, and when the
promise is fulfilled - 5 seconds from now or 5000 years from now"

Some insights about the Genesis text:
We have the foreshadowing of the Exodus, including the cloud and the column of fire
that led the Israelites out of Egypt.
Abram still didn't let go completely, let alone trust God's original promise.

And from Luke:
For the uninitiated ear Jesus calls Herod a "fox" akin to calling him a "bastard" in modern times
Jesus now claims the role of prophet.
Jesus is there in the moments of great fear. And God will be there when Jesus is no longer there.

Peace,