Sermon Blog

A man was talking in the mall on his cellphone. "I know it's something you want," he said earnestly, "but I don't think tattoos are a good idea. And the same goes for body piercing. As long as you're living in my house, I think you should respect my wishes." After a few moments, where the person on the other end of the phone had to have been arguing their side of the argument, the man said, "Besides, Mom, you're 75 years old! You don't need a tattoo!" Tattoos seem to be a growing trend these days…almost everywhere you turn there is a new tattoo parlor and more and more folks, some you would never expect, bearing tattoos.   In that sense, more and more folks are becoming marked…and being marked is where we are going in Revelation today… Last week, we began the cosmic battle which was the historical survey that was an attempt to explain why the people found themselves in the intense situation of persecution that they found themselves in...

“In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight.   Let those who worship evil’s might, Beware my power…Green Lantern’s light!”   That quote may not be familiar to many here, in fact, I’d be surprised if more than a hand full of folks here have ever heard it before…but for DC Comic fans, it is a line they are pretty familiar with, and anticipate hearing from the big screen in a little less than a month when the live-action movie Green Lantern hits the screen.   Within the DC Universe, Green Lanterns are long time protectors of peace and justice throughout the universe…and so when a great power of evil threatens any part of the universe a cosmic battle ensues. It is a cosmic battle that we come across in our reading from Revelation this morning.   As we talked about early on in our series on Revelation, apocalyptic literature such as Revelation is made up of visionary units.   We have completed three of those visionary units so far.   T...

We are back on our journey through Revelation…finding the hope that God offered the people of under Roman persecution, the hope he offers us now, and the hope he offers for the future.   Two weeks ago, as we reflected on John’s encounter of the angel with the little scroll, we witnessed, through the parallels with Ezekiel, we encounter the verification of John’s call to be a prophet, to act on God’s behalf, to deliver God’s word, and to give warning of the coming judgment of God.   This morning we see John’s first assignment following this commissioning as a prophet, and we see a glimpse of what it looks like to be a true witness for Jesus Christ. The first thing we encounter is John’s assignment, and it is a word of hope.   John is “given a measuring rod like a staff, and…told, “Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will t...

Yes…we have departed from Revelation once again.   The events of early this week have weighed heavily upon my heart, with mixed emotions running through my head and heart.   After prayerful conversations with God, I felt that this was the message that must be shared.   However, before you hear anything else, please hear this.   I recognize and agree that Osama Bin Laden was the mastermind behind acts of unspeakable evil that took thousands and thousands of lives, and caused many folks in the United States and around the world to live in a state of fear.   I also recognize that he was a man who had to be stopped.   I am not going to address or debate the way in which he was stopped.   I do recognize that the Navy SEALs who conducted the raid on the compound in Pakistan put their very lives on the line in an effort to put a stop to one that could be called in “mob-language,” a godfather of terrorism, so that we, in the United States, and people around t...

It gives new meaning to the phrase, “eat those words.”   When we usually hear that phrase, it usually involves either saying something we regret saying, or suggesting that we are going to make someone regret saying the words they have said.   However, Judith Hoffberg and Béatrice Coron brought new life to that phrase in creating what has become the International Edible Book Festival.   Held in cities around the world, including Penland, North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains, around April 1 st of each year, this festival invites folks to come to a “banquet where delicious, surprising bookish foods will be consumed.” [i]   Examples from this year include “Pride and Pepperjuice” both an x-rated “hot” version that uses graham crackers, cheese-cake filling, jalapeno jelly, and frosting, and an “approved version” that uses red pepper jelly instead of the jalapenos; “Chicken Little” featuring Peeps, licorice and pretzels; and, “Charlotte’s Web” a flatbread BLT with h...