Sermon Blog

Daytime television is flooded with them.  Judge Judy, America’s Court, Paternity Court, Maury, Jerry Springer, The People’s Court, Judge Mathis, Steve Harvey, Dr. Phil…the list could go on and on and on.  They are all people who want someone, actually seemingly want everyone with a television, to hear their story…and evidently, with the number of those shows on the air, people like to hear their stories.  Is it any wonder that social networks like Facebook are a success?  It allows anyone to share their story, from what they are thinking at a given moment to pictures of themselves with their friends all crowded in front of a bathroom mirror to the results of a survey suggesting what city they ought to be living in and they share that part of their story with anyone willing to be their friend…or the friend of their friends…or anyone.  People like to share their stories. We may not take to the airwaves or cyberspace, but most of us like to share our stories....

Maybe it has happened with one of your children.  It’s a Saturday morning.  You’ve been working hard trying to take care of all the stuff that needs to be done around the house.  You’ve fixed breakfast and then cleaned up the kitchen.  You’ve cleaned bathrooms.  You’ve gotten the laundry washed, dried, and folded.  You notice your teenager stretched out on the couch, watching television and dozing on and off. “Son, please go put away all your clothes now.  Your grandparents are coming over in a little while.” You get some grumbled response that you take as an affirmation, and head back to your list of chores. Thirty minutes later you walk by and neither the pile of clothes nor the teenager have moved.  You want to shout (and maybe you do), “Did you hear what I said about your clothes?” Just to be fair, you may have a great teenager in your house.  It may be that older child in your house that just makes you want to pull out your hair...

How many of you have ever tried to walk across the room in the dark?  It could be a room we’re very familiar with and think we can do it without a problem.  How does that usually work out for you?  A stumped toe?  A busted shin?  A bruised waist?  A broken bone?  All possibilities if we try to navigate a space without turning on the light—running into things we cannot see because we do not know the safe path through the room.  I’ve done that very thing many times in the fellowship hall just down the hallway, as I try to leave at night to go to the parsonage.  For some reason there is a light switch at the hallway door, but not by the door on the far wall where I go out to get home.  If the fellowship hall is empty, it’s no problem.  If it has been set up the same way for weeks or months, it is not a problem.  However, if it has been rearranged for some special event, then on more than one occasion where I have tried to navigat...

We were living in Northampton County and Anita was working in Ahoskie, over in Hertford County. She traveled highway 561 and it was not unusual for license checks to be set up along that highway. She stopped for the license check, produced her license, but after the officer walked around the car, she was asked to pull over to the side, he was going to have to write her a warning ticket. Why?  Her license plate had expired.  We have to do it with all sorts of things. Magazines. Newspapers. Insurance policies. Club memberships.  Cell phone plans. License tags. We renew them on a regular basis. While we most of us remember to renew this things, how often do we think about renewing our covenant with God?  Do we let our commitment to God occupy our minds continually, or is it like that renewal notice that comes in the mail that we set on our desk or our dresser, knowing that it's important, but figuring we'll get around to it another day...and as days and weeks pass ...

Every year folks sit in their living rooms, dens, or the movie theaters watching specials or movies whose plots hinge on Christmas being in jeopardy.  In Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, it is a massive snowstorm socking in the North Pole; in Santa Claus is Coming To Town, there is a two-fold danger of the cold and cruel Winter Warlock and the Burgermeister’s ban on toys and declaring Kris Kringle to be an outlaw; in Disney’s Santa Clause 2, it is the lack of a Ms. Clause; and in Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas, it is evil cunning genius of the Grinch and his desire to steal Christmas away from the Who’s to bring their celebrations to an end.  Most of us have our own favorite Christmas specials or movies that we enjoy watching. However, on Christmas Eve of this year, there were many people who were not at home watching those “Christmas is in jeopardy” specials on television.  They were glued to their computer screens, tablets, or smartphones, not because they ...