Skip to content

Sermons

Almost Christian: Living by the Wrong Creed

Bartholomew JoJo “Bart” Simpson is a fictional character from the animated TV series “The Simpsons.”   Time magazine actually named Bart one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.  At ten years old, Bart is the eldest child of Homer and Marge Simpson.  Bart’s most prominent character traits are his mischievousness, rebelliousness and disrespect for authority.  In fact Bart’s name is an anagram of the word brat.  Bart Simpson is the ultimate ten year old brat.  He was created by cartoonist Matt Groening.  Groening received complaints from parents whose children watched The Simpsons and then acted like Bart. The parents said that Bart was a terrible role model.  Groening once responded in this way: “I now have a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old boy, so all I can say is, I apologize. Now I know what you guys were talking about.”Read More »Almost Christian: Living by the Wrong Creed

Tangled: The God Who’s More Involved with Children Than You Might Imagine

The State of the Union is an annual address by the President of the United States. The speech reports on the condition of the nation and allows the president to outline his national priorities.  The practice stems from a line in the Constitution of the United States which states, “He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”  The State of the Union Address has become a hallmark of American society.  It is a popular way for one person to communicate critical issues not only to the Congress and people of the United States, but also to the people of the world.Read More »Tangled: The God Who’s More Involved with Children Than You Might Imagine

Tangled: The God Who’s More Involved with the Forgotten Than You Might Imagine

Fifty two million people in the United States watched the royal wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton.  People were captured by this modern fairy tale.  It began in 2001 when upper class William and middle class Middleton met at St Andrews University in Scotland.  In 2004, they were photographed skiing together in Switzerland, one of the first times they were publicly linked romantically.  In June 2005, the pair finished college at St Andrews and each pursued a career.  In early 2007 it appeared the fairy tale was over.  The couple split.  But later that year were seen back together again.  And then, in October 2010, nine years after they first met, the couple got engaged during a vacation in Kenya. Prince William gave her the same diamond and sapphire engagement ring that Prince Charles gave to William’s mother, Princess Diana. They married on April 29, 2011.  Fifty two million of us watched that wedding.Read More »Tangled: The God Who’s More Involved with the Forgotten Than You Might Imagine

Doubt: When the Pain of Faith is Too Great (John 20:1-18)

During the French Revolution people were being executed every day. Three men were waiting for their death sentences to be carried out.[1] The first one was a priest. As he was brought to the guillotine, he was asked, “Do you have any last words?”  The priest said, “I believe God is going to save me.” He put his head underneath the blade, the blade came down, but then it stopped two inches from his neck. The executioner said, “This is a miracle,” and they let him go. The next man came up. Like the first, he was a priest. The executioner asked him, “Do you have any last words?” The second priest replied, “I believe God is going to save me.”  He put his head underneath the blade.  The blade came down, but then it stopped two inches from his neck.  They said, “This is a miracle,” and they let him go. The third man came up. He was a skeptic. He was a doubter.  The executioner asked him, “Do you have any last words?” Looking at the guillotine, he said, “Well, I think I see your problem.  There’s something jammed in the gear mechanism.”Read More »Doubt: When the Pain of Faith is Too Great (John 20:1-18)