A few weeks ago I offered the leftovers from my Sunday sermon preparation and people seemed to enjoy it. So, here we go again!
The Disclaimer: Every sermon is a series of small and large choices. Once a theme and direction are chosen many good/great things are left on the cutting room floor. Otherwise you’d get a 75 minutes sermon OR a hodgepodge of ideas that would leave you wondering, “What was that all about?” So, below you’ll find a random assortment of notes and quotes; images and ideas; stories and thoughts. Enjoy. (also: if you want to listen to yesterday’s sermon you can find it here.)
So, what is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. ~ Frank Viola and Len Sweet
Ludwig Wittgenstien, believed to be by many the greatest philosopher of the 20th century held that his greatest discovery and addition to the philosophical conversation was not anything he had written. It was the duck-rabbit. The image that has two images and shows that we (humans) see at many different levels.
Ravi Zacharias: Jesus did not come to make bad people good; Jesus came to make dead people live.
The Living Christ still has two hands. One to point the way and the other held out to help us along. ~ Thomas Walter Moss
This world pulls our eyes downward. It fills our minds with the ordinary and the mundane. Its rulers require their subjects to bow and scrape and to approach them submissively, figuratively, or literally on their knees. But the kingship of Jesus insists only that we walk in dignity, with head erect, so that we may see–and rejoice in–the beauty of the earth and the glory of the skies, bask in his goodness, and give ourselves to his service for the sake of others. ~ James Robinson
Our faith says that God is the final source of truth, and Jesus is truth that leads to God. Thus, any honest search for truth leads us to God. In fact, the French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil once said, “Christ likes us to prefer truth to him because, before being Christ, he is truth. If one turns aside from him to go toward the truth, one will not go far before falling into his arms.” ~ [lost the reference]
Doing the truth means living out of the reality which is HE who is the truth, making His being the being of ourselves and of our world. And again, we ask, “how can this happen?” “By remaining in Him” is the answer of the Fourth Gospel, i.e., by participating in His being. “Abide in me and I in you,” he says. The truth which liberates is the truth in which we participate, which is a part of us and we a part of it. True discipleship is participation.” ~ Paul Tillich, The New Being
Prayer of the Day (from Evangelical Lutheran Worship):
Almighty and ever-living God,
you anointed your beloved Son
to be priest and sovereign forever.
Grant that all the people of the earth,
now divided by the power of sin,
may be united by the glorious and gentle rule
of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
The goal of Christ the King Sunday: Simply proclaim that Christ is King, then try to describe what our life would look like if we believed this.
This picture also got cut from the final edition (things we gullibly believe without checking):
If you’re interested in other things people believe but aren’t true, check out my favorite website for urban legends: www.snopes.com. I’ve used it at times to actually debunk stories I was going to use in sermons. Turns out that many of the stories preachers have used (and published!) through the years aren’t true!
Have a great Monday!
Thanks, Eddie. After yesterday’s sermon, I told Rex I wish you had had time to elaborate on just what the “truth” means insofar as we understand that Jesus the Christ is the “truth, the way, and the life.” In my small way, I have reasoned that the “truth” the Christ reveals is the truth about man and the truth about God and the Christ leads us to both.