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"Good Morning, Lord!"
Ephesians 1: 3-10
Psalm 103: 19-104:4
Here’s a quick and easy reference on the difference between an optimist and a pessimist: the
optimist wakes up and declares, “Good morning, Lord!” The pessimist wakes up and grouses,
“Good Lord, morning!” A little bit of humor, and a whole lot of wisdom which says that we can
either welcome and bless the day, or we can dread and effectively curse it. We have a choice.
What was yours this morning?
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“SETTING OFF FOR THE ACADEMY"
Text: Acts 17:16-21
Proverbs 4:10-13
May I begin this morning by saying “congratulations” to this year’s high school graduates? If you
were the graduating class of 1919 rather than of 2019, and if I was a stodgy academic preacher
typical of early 20th century Presbyterianism, I would probably say something like this: “Young
gentlemen, I remind you of the words of Samuel Johnston when he stated: ‘To talk in public, to think
in solitude, to read and to hear, to inquire and to answer inquiries is the business of a scholar.’
Emerson added, ‘A scholar is the favorite of heaven and earth, the excellency of his country, and
happiest of men.’ As you set off for the academy, remember that a university should be a place of
light, of liberty, of learning.”
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"Long Reach Theology"
1 Peter 3: 13-22
Psalm 139: 7-12
The 1st Letter of Peter can be a very difficult read because it challenges the reader on so many
different levels. It calls us, for example, to clean house; to deep and uncomfortable self-examination;
to “rid” ourselves “of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.” Such spiritual
house cleaning is something most of us are apt to avoid. In the same chapter, Peter advises that slaves
should accept the authority of their masters, even giving their masters homage and honor. During pre-Civil
War times,and even after, many preachers in the south used this passage as a justification for owning slaves.
Later in the letter, Peter urges wives to accept their husband’s authority; a teaching which has not set well
with some of today’s Christian feminists. Then he seems to discourage women from dressing up, wearing jewelry;
even fixing their hair.
In what sounds like a rehash of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (which Peter heard with his own ears), he teaches
that when we’re abused or evil is perpetrated against us, our response should be to repay our abuser with a blessing.
Then we come to the last part of the third chapter, and it doesn’t get any less challenging.
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“MR CARPENTER’S QUESTION”
Text: John 11:1-45
June 2019
Eighty-six year old Mr. Carpenter, who rarely spoke a word to his minister, once approached her
after service. “Preacher, why don’t you pray and ask God to start wearing a watch?” The pastor
was puzzled by his question. Assuming it to be indicative of the onset of dementia, or possibly a
criticism of the length of her sermon, she asked in a rather condescending way: “Why should God
wear a watch Mr. Carpenter?” The elderly man replied, “Because He’s hardly ever on time!”
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"No Reward for Slackers"
Luke 19: 11-26
Proverbs 6: 6-11
It was near the end of August, some forty-five years ago, that I couldn’t wait for school to start.
My first year at Geneva College had been abysmal. My pre-med dreams had vanished like a mist
that day in my second semester, when my faculty adviser and chemistry professor, Dr. Roy Adams,
called me to his office and – with both tact and grace – suggested I consider another major, and
without delay. That same freshman year, I returned to my dormitory suite one day after class to
find my bed and dresser on the balcony. I had made the mistake of “ratting” on one of my roommates who
was regularly hosting nightly gambling and drinking parties in our suite with his football buddies. And on top
of it all, by the end of my first year, the Burger Chef, which was the only fast food outlet within walking distance
of the campus, had closed. So why on earth could I not wait to get back to that?!
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"One Father's Closure"
Genesis 49
Psalm 128
Many of us have had the experience of gathering with family at the bedside of a loved one who
was soon to pass away. It may have been in their home, or in a hospital room, or in a hospice suite.
While there are few things in life as painful as bidding someone we love a final goodbye, as they are in
that process of moving from the worldly realm to the heavenly, there is great value, and almost
always some degree of comfort - even relief - in expressing final thoughts, wishes, and blessings --- we
to them, and they to us. We call this “closure.” In those weeks, days, hours, last words are of huge
significance, and carry a lot of weight for the family which will soon be forced to go on without mom,
or dad, or husband, or wife, or sibling, or child.
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"Earth, Wind, and Fire"
Acts 2: 1-21; 41-47
Genesis 11: 1-9
I’d like to ask for a show of hands. How many of you remember a musical group called “Earth,
Wind and Fire?” For the younger of us who may not recognize that name, Earth, Wind and Fire
was a band which made the scene in the 1970’s. Their music was a distinctive blend of rock, soul,
and rhythm and blues; great dance music of the pre-disco era. Like so many other groups of that
decade, they soared to the heights of popularity, topping the charts with hits like “After the Love
Is Gone,” “Shining Star,” and “Sing a Song.” Their songs were all over the radio, and you couldn’t
walk into a bar, restaurant, high school senior prom or wedding reception without hearing the
music of Earth, Wind and Fire blaring through the speakers. But before long, their popularity
began to fade, and in a fairly short time, they all but disappeared from the charts; giving way to
the likes of The Village People, The Commodores, and The Average White Band. While we can still
catch them on the classic rock stations, or in nightclubs catering to a more mature crowd, if we
were to ask our children or grandchildren, they’d probably look at us like we came from Mars,
and ask: “Earth, Wind and who?”
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“NIGHT”
Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Psalm 30:4-12
“….on the night when he was betrayed….” Those familiar words we remember over and over
again, even this day, in the full light of a late spring morning. “…the Lord Jesus on the night when
he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said….”
These “words of institution,” we call them, occur four times in our New Testament; in three of the
four gospels, and of course in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Church that we just read. Paul
retells the story of that night in the upper room – even though he himself was not physically there
[he may have heard the story from Peter] --and institutes or codifies for the church a liturgical
framework within which the blessed sacrament would be celebrated as a perpetual remembrance
of our Lord.
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"Let's Give Them Something to Talk About"
Romans 5: 15-17
Psalm 67
When you read this morning’s sermon title, a certain song may have come to mind. Those of
you who know me well understand that this city boy is not a big fan of country music. That’s not
to say that from time-to-time, a song from that genre doesn’t come along which I really dig; like
“John Deer Green,” “Can I have This Dance for the Rest of My Life,” “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” “I Hope You’ll Dance.”
One of my favorite country songs comes from Bonnie Raitt. The final refrain of her love song goes like this:
“Let’s give them something to talk about, a little mystery to figure out; Let’s give them something to talk about.
How about love, love, love…..” You may think, “Well, that’s neat pastor. But what does this have to do with the Bible,
or church, or the holy sacrament of baptism?” I hope that will become clear over the next fifteen minutes or so.
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“READ THE WARNING LABEL”
Selections from Proverbs
Job 28:20-28
One day, my parents bought a new brown, vinyl ottoman for the living room. Underneath it
was that ubiquitous label which warned: “Do not remove under penalty of law.” I don’t remem-
ber how old I was at the time, but I was old enough to understand what “under penalty of law”
meant. Shortly after we got this ottoman – which was on casters – I was rolling around the living
room on it. I somehow managed to get that label on the bottom of the ottoman caught under
one of the wheels, and it tore off. I was mortified, believing that once my crime was revealed,
the police would show up at my door with an arrest warrant. After several floundering attempts
to glue it back on, I took the label out to the back yard and literally buried it; then hid myself in
my room. I was relieved to learn sometime later that such warnings applied only while the pro-
duct was still on the store shelf. Now to this day, I get a weird thrill ripping those labels off.