Wisdom is when Faith and Works go together like a hand in a glove. Wisdom doesn’t see “either/or”, “black or white”. Wisdom looks for a third way, a better way, the Kingdom way — all for the glory of God. Amen.
It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing; that’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it: you spread God’s love to everyone, you want to pass it on.
Jesus once said that you can tell the nature of a tree by the fruit that it produces. We betray what we believe in, we betray our true faith by the decisions we make and lives that we live.
We use words to express ourselves; to convince and convict, to describe, name, blame, and label. We use words to win arguments, expound a point, explain things into or out of existence, persuade, console, and counsel. We use words to announce and denounce. We use words to ask someone to marry, to declare war or peace, to sentence someone to punishment, diagnose a condition, analyze a problem, deliberate, debate or negotiate a deal.
Do you know why we do this? We do this because we are baptized ambassadors of God’s kingdom, heralders of that Kingdom here on earth who defiantly and boldly proclaim the gospel of the One who is the Light of the World. We do it for the glory of God that the glory of God alone.
Sunday, August 19th, 2018 ~ 13th Sunday after Pentecost
The days may be evil, but our lives are not evil, and the One who gives life is not evil but good. The attitude of thanksgiving and a discipline of giving thanks in worship orient our lives toward God. It is only by living all of life to the glory of God that we live into eternity.
Sunday, August 12th, 2018 ~ 12th Sunday after Pentecost
The trouble is, as Christians, we aren’t supposed to imitate the world. We are, as verse one (Ephesians 5:1) says, “to be imitators of God” but we live in a broken world. We are a broken people. Our hearts are much more inclined to sin then they are to God. Despite our brokenness, God loves us, has forgiven us, and sealed us with the Holy Spirit.
Sunday, August 5th, 2018 ~ 11th Sunday after Pentecost
In a society where the “self” predominates and insults are becoming increasingly accepted as acceptable, people cannot move beyond destructive individualism and selfishness. As Christians -followers of the risen Lord – we are called to illuminate a different path, a different way.
Routines can be very helpful in day-to-day life, but they can cause us to miss what is right in front of us. We, often, follow the same sequence of actions come Sunday morning. We park in the same spot, enter the same door, sit in the same place, we look at the same stain glass windows. Because of our Sunday morning routines, we can end up going through the motions of “church” without being fully present. Being on Sunday morning autopilot, we can miss some truly important things, reminders of who Jesus is and what he has done. Routines can prevent us from listening to the Holy Spirit to guide our actions. They can also prevent us from checking in with God or prevent us from helping someone in need.
Enjoy a video recording of this service.
