The Holy Spirit makes us squirm. In our churches the third person of the Trinity is often the first person to be shown to the door. He is not considerate of our conventions, sympathetic to our inhibitions or patient with our sin. Our God is a God of order but His Holy Spirit disorders our lives and our churches when He sweeps in.
I love to open the windows in my house, and I like a slight breeze.
But I draw the line and close the window at the point when the breeze picks things up and moves them around. I don't feel, most times, like my house can afford that.
I feel the same way about the Holy Spirit. But in our lives and our church we can't afford for the wind not to rearrange us.
Oh Lord, help us to open the windows wide and practice the discipline it takes to keep them open when things start to flutter dangerously.
Call to Repentance
Ephesians 4:17 (page 1821)
Call to Worship
Psalm 139 (page 974)
OT Reading
Isaiah 32:9-20 (page 1107)
NT Reading
Acts 2:1-13 (page 1692)
Message
1 John 4:13 (page 1902)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Readings for Sunday, May 24, 2009
In true backwards fashion I'm going to preach on the gifts this Sunday and the gift-giving Holy Spirit next Sunday (on Pentecost).
Most of us know very little about the Gifts of the Spirit, and very little of what we do know is from actual experience.
But I suspect that our great failure is not in knowing too little about them, but rather in wanting them too little.
It would be unreasonable to expect the gift Giver not to take personally our astonishing indifference to His gifts.
May 24, 2009
Call to Repentance
2 Peter 3:11-13 (page 1896)
Call to Worship
Psalm 89:1-18 (page 926)
OT Reading
Ezekiel 39:25-29 (page 1350)
NT Reading
Romans 12:1-8 (page 1763)
Message
The Gifts of the Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (page 1785)
Most of us know very little about the Gifts of the Spirit, and very little of what we do know is from actual experience.
But I suspect that our great failure is not in knowing too little about them, but rather in wanting them too little.
It would be unreasonable to expect the gift Giver not to take personally our astonishing indifference to His gifts.
May 24, 2009
Call to Repentance
2 Peter 3:11-13 (page 1896)
Call to Worship
Psalm 89:1-18 (page 926)
OT Reading
Ezekiel 39:25-29 (page 1350)
NT Reading
Romans 12:1-8 (page 1763)
Message
The Gifts of the Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (page 1785)
Friday, May 15, 2009
Readings for Sunday, May 17th
May 17, 2009
Call to Repentance
Matthew 5:13 (page 1501)
Call to Worship
Psalm 145:1-14 RSV responsive reading (651, Houghton hymnal)
OT Reading
1 Samuel 8 (page 429)
NT Reading
Hebrews 12:18-29 (page 1878)
Message
Deuteronomy 4:15-24 (page 280)
God's Jealousy and Our Freedom
Call to Repentance
Matthew 5:13 (page 1501)
Call to Worship
Psalm 145:1-14 RSV responsive reading (651, Houghton hymnal)
OT Reading
1 Samuel 8 (page 429)
NT Reading
Hebrews 12:18-29 (page 1878)
Message
Deuteronomy 4:15-24 (page 280)
God's Jealousy and Our Freedom
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Readings for Sunday, May 10
This Sunday, having tackled freedom from the law last Sunday, we will consider our freedom from sin. And guess what - I believe that God's grace can give us a victory over sin. This is not an idea or a Biblical passage to explain away or to finesse our way out of.
But whether or not this sounds like good news to you depends on a lot of things.
If you took two overweight people and told them both "you no longer have to be a slave to overeating and empty calories. You can be free from weight gain!" the announcement will produce in one a sense of relief, and will sound to the other like an accusation.
Likewise there are times when I read this passage in Romans and it fills me with hope for a complete victory, other times when I read it and am filled with shame for how short I have fallen of the attainable goal.
Paul meant it as an encouragement, and that is how I ought to take it.
But whether or not this sounds like good news to you depends on a lot of things.
If you took two overweight people and told them both "you no longer have to be a slave to overeating and empty calories. You can be free from weight gain!" the announcement will produce in one a sense of relief, and will sound to the other like an accusation.
Likewise there are times when I read this passage in Romans and it fills me with hope for a complete victory, other times when I read it and am filled with shame for how short I have fallen of the attainable goal.
Paul meant it as an encouragement, and that is how I ought to take it.
May 10th, 2009
Call to Repentance
Hebrews 3:13-15 (page 1865)
Call to Worship
Psalm 27 (page 864)
OT Reading
Ezekiel 11:16-21 (page 1298)
NT Reading
1 John 2:28-3:6 (page 1900)
Message
Freedom From Sin
Romans 6:6-18 (page 1754)
Friday, May 01, 2009
Readings for Sunday, May 3
May 3, 2009 Communion Sunday
Call to Repentance
Jeremiah 13:15-17 (page 1194)
Call to Worship
Psalm 19 (page 858)
OT Reading
Zechariah 7:8-14 (page 1478)
NT Reading
Mark 12:28-34 (page 1575)
Message
What's So Great About Freedom?
Galatians 5:1-6 (page 1815)
When you read in the New Testament what the Apostles have to say about freedom you can't help feeling that they are more excited about the idea of freedom than most of the Christians you know. A great deal more excited.
There is some disconnect between the experience of the Apostles and our experience today. It could be that we have never felt the weight of the law in the same way that they did, and so can not feel the same degree of intense relief that they felt when the law was satisfied. Or it could be that we take our liberty for granted.
In any case, it seems safe to say that we have never been either as impressed with the law or as at liberty in regard to it as the Apostles were.
And this will always effect our evangelism until we get it sorted out, because we can't preach good news to the world that is only kind of nice news to us. We have to face the fact that God could have sent us a great legislator, but sent instead an Emancipator.
Call to Repentance
Jeremiah 13:15-17 (page 1194)
Call to Worship
Psalm 19 (page 858)
OT Reading
Zechariah 7:8-14 (page 1478)
NT Reading
Mark 12:28-34 (page 1575)
Message
What's So Great About Freedom?
Galatians 5:1-6 (page 1815)
When you read in the New Testament what the Apostles have to say about freedom you can't help feeling that they are more excited about the idea of freedom than most of the Christians you know. A great deal more excited.
There is some disconnect between the experience of the Apostles and our experience today. It could be that we have never felt the weight of the law in the same way that they did, and so can not feel the same degree of intense relief that they felt when the law was satisfied. Or it could be that we take our liberty for granted.
In any case, it seems safe to say that we have never been either as impressed with the law or as at liberty in regard to it as the Apostles were.
And this will always effect our evangelism until we get it sorted out, because we can't preach good news to the world that is only kind of nice news to us. We have to face the fact that God could have sent us a great legislator, but sent instead an Emancipator.
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