Mar 23rd, 2008 by admin
“At dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb…An angel of the Lord…rolled back the stone…The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen just as he said.” - Matthew 28:1-6
Sermon: What does God want us to understand about the story of Easter?
Text: John 20:1-18
Mar 22nd, 2008 by admin
They are assembled, astonished and disturbed
round him, who like a sage resolved his fate,
and now leaves those to whom he most belonged,
leaving and passing by them like a stranger.
The loneliness of old comes over him
which helped mature him for his deepest acts;
now will he once again walk through the olive grove,
and those who love him still will flee before his sight.
To this last supper he has summoned them,
and (like a shot that scatters birds from trees)
their hands draw back from reaching for the loaves
upon his word: they fly across to him;
they flutter, frightened, round the supper table
searching for an escape. But he is present
everywhere like an all-pervading twilight-hour.
– The Last Supper by Rainer Maria Rilke
On seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”, Milan 1904.
Tran(slated by Albert Ernest Flemming)
Mar 16th, 2008 by admin
Palm Sunday, Matthew 21:1-11
“For God so loved the world…” God redeems all of creation. Christ includes animals and plants in the Palm Sunday procession. Do dogs go to heaven?
Mar 15th, 2008 by admin
What a letdown it was going to be. On the occasion we remember today, Jesus was treated by ordinary people as a hero. Before the week was over, the same people would clamor for His death. The reason for their apparent change of heart was that they feared their religious leaders, who wanted Jesus dead, more than they feared God. To this day, many of us have still not learned that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10 and elsewhere). “How many times have we nailed You up today?”
Bible brain teaser – What is the significance of the palm leaves on Palm Sunday? Last week’s brain teaser: Where was Jesus arrested, and what was the significance of the location? Jesus had often met with the disciples at an olive grove near the Kidron valley, which Judas well knew. On the last such occasion, Judas and the authorities met Jesus there, and Jesus was arrested (John 18:1-12).
Projects and events to come
Holy Communion – Thurs., Mar. 20 and Sunday, Mar. 23
Maundy Thursday, Mar. 20, 7:00 P.M. - Evening service
Good Friday – Mar. 21
Easter Sunday – March 23
Church yard sale – Saturday, April 5 - “Your inner self you cannot fool; do not ignore the 1-year rule!”
Mar 9th, 2008 by admin
Matthew 17:1-9.
The Transfiguration. Attitude is really important in our lives. Are we governed by fear and dread? How does that impact our emotional lives?
Mar 9th, 2008 by admin
Sermon. The Man Born Blind. How good is your spiritual vision
Feb 17th, 2008 by admin
The observance of Lent, the time beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday, began in the early Church. The main players in the Protestant Reformation, beginning with Martin Luther, struggled with the idea, as it was considered a very (Roman) Catholic concept, although there was nothing in it that the reformers found offensive, and much that they found helpful. To this day, non-Catholics are divided over whether to recognize it formally, although most agree with its basic precepts of repentance, self-denial and renewed focus on the life of Christ.
Bible brain teaser – the religious leaders in Jesus’ time tried to discredit Jesus by asking him difficult theological questions, reasoning that if he gave the wrong answer, people would stop following him. They of course never stumped him. What was the last such question ever asked of Jesus, and by whom? How did he answer it? Last week’s brain teaser: there are many obstacles to faith. According to the apostle Paul, what is the biggest one with which Christians and non-Christians alike are confronted, and how do we deal with it? Paul writes in i Corinthians 1:23 and following: “…we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles, but to those whom god has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of god and the wisdom of god.”
Feb 10th, 2008 by admin
There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigor during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and alms giving (justice towards neighbor). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.
Prayer List - Petition: For all seeking God’s peace, especially those confronting major life disruption. For the poor in goods or spirit; for those who have recently lost loved ones. Thanksgiving: For God’s many blessings, especially the privilege of gathering in god‘s name.
Bible brain teaser – there are many obstacles to faith. According to the apostle Paul, what is the biggest one with which Christians and non-Christians alike are confronted, and how do we deal with it? Last week’s brain teaser: do angels, humans or neither govern the earth? Hebrews 2 says humans, quoting Psalm 8: “What is man that you are mindful of him…you have made him a little lower than the angels [or more literally, for a little while]; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.”
Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. Lent originated in the early Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days.
Bible brain teaser – Do angels, humans or neither govern the earth? Last week’s brain teaser: Moses led God’s people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Why did it take 40 years, and why was Moses not allowed to enter the Promised Land himself? Numbers 14 tells us that God’s patience wore thin from the complaints after the Exodus. The 40 years corresponds to the 40 days that the scouts surveyed the Promised Land. All who complained, including all the scouts except Joshua and Caleb (who did not disobey God), were not allowed to enter. In Numbers 20: 7-12, God tells Moses to speak to the rock at Miribah (Hebrew for “quarreling”) to bring forth water in the desert. Moses is so angry with the ungrateful people he has led, that he instead strikes it. The water comes forth, but God tells him that because he did not do as commanded, he will not enter the Promised Land. The common thread is that God eventually grows weary of our failure to trust Him, because Moses had also erred by telling the scouts to check out their adversaries, rather than just the condition of the road as God had commanded.
Jan 27th, 2008 by admin
Matthew 4:12-23
God’s Time — Kairos versus Kronos. When was the last time that you experienced a transforming moment charged with meaning?
A Small Church In The City
Internet Outreach of Berry Blvd. Presbyerian Church
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