Readings for Sunday, October 24

This Sunday I'm going to be preaching on the three verses that follow last week's text.  

Paul didn't have much patience for people whose ears needed tickling or for those who were willing to tickle those ears with soft and pleasing words. The gospel is robust and slappingly vital.  It manages to be good news that still somehow offends those who need to hear it most.  

There's a part of me that wants badly to tell people what they want to hear because most people will tune me out after about 15 seconds of listening to me telling them what they don't want to hear.  

I have a fairly well defined political outlook.  I read articles, watch television shows and listen to radio programs that reflect that outlook.  And when I'm listening to the radio and someone starts talking or reporting from a political outlook that is very different from mine I seldom wait even 10 seconds before I'm reaching for the dial.  

None of us are in the habit of providing or receiving hard words.  And that's too bad, because hard words can save us.

Call to Repentance

1 Peter 1:14-16

Call to Worship

Psalm 124

OT Reading

Isaiah 5:18-24

NT Reading

1 Peter 1:3-13

Message

2 Timothy 4:3-5

Giddy Heads and Itching Ears

Readings for Sunday, October 17, 2010

This Sunday I will be preaching on Paul's charge to Timothy in his second letter to the young pastor. I think this is thrilling stuff and I'm grateful for it. I give my faith a significant portion of my time, resources, and energy. I want to believe that it's about something more than feeling good and behaving nicely.
So when Paul gives us this earnest, weighty charge part of me groans at the heaviness of the demand, and the rest of me thrills to the significance of the assignment. It's in that tension that I aspire to great things.

Call to Repentance
Hebrews 12:14

Call to Worship
Psalm 113

OT Reading
Amos 4:4-13

NT Reading
Ephesians 6:10-18

Message
Charged and Ready
2 Timothy 4:1-2

Readings for Sunday, October 10

This Sunday I will be preaching on 2 Timothy 3:16-17: the word is useful for teaching, reproving, correcting, and training in righteousness. That's all very well and good to say that Scripture is useful for these things, and I believe it. But . . .
If I went into my neighbor's woodworking shop and he showed me his large collection of tools, assuring me that they were all useful for making beautiful kitchen tables I would certainly agree with him. But admitting their usefulness, picking them up and handling them, learning their names and which drawers they're to be found in - none of these things will get me any closer to having made a table.
So I hope to preach a highly applicable message, one that will give us all lots to do.

Call to Repentance
James 4:8 (page 1884)

Call to Worship
Psalm 34 (page 871)

OT Reading
Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (page 284)

NT Reading
James 1:19-25 (page 1881)

Message
Putting the Useful to Good Use
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (page 1855)

Results of Questionnaire

On Sunday we passed out a questionnaire to try and determine the level of interest in a midweek event of some sort. I received back 11 responses. That's fewer than I was hoping for, but I wanted to share the results so far while I wait for more responses.

Of the eleven responses two indicated that they had not interest at all in a midweek service.
Of the other nine responses about half were somewhat interested and the other half very interested.
And among those who were at least a little bit interested there was not any consensus about a day of the week, a time, a location, a frequency, or a topic. The only thing that most people agreed on was a preference for a small group format.

Given the tepid response and the lack of any general preferences it might be unwise for us to proceed too vigorously. But I am still interested in getting responses and further input. If there is a need for something between Sundays it would be worth doing even if it was only a percentage of the church that took advantage of it.

So please give the matter some prayer and pray for the leadership of the church that we would have wisdom about how to proceed.