Sermons from November 2020
Worship God
Distracted driving kills about 9 people every day in the US. We’ve tried doing something about this phenomenon. Unfortunately, providing more information does not seem to be working. Despite all of the public service announcements, the statistics continue to follow a discouraging trend. Distracted worship is also on the rise in 2020. For anyone sensitive to the spiritual needs that a worship service is designed to meet, attempting to worship from home has been completely inadequate. Then, the numerous restrictions placed…
The Ten Commandments: A Life of Gratitude
Note: The audio cut out half way through. In Love and Friendship, a movie based upon Jane Austen’s Lady Susan, the plot is typical of Austen. A recently widowed woman seeks a suitable husband for herself and a wealthy husband for her daughter. In one brilliant scene, Susan’s daughter Frederica is interacting with the wealthy Sir James Martin, who is trying to impress everyone with his knowledge. Martin: This reminded me of many such accounts one learns in childhood. Perhaps the most…
The Tenth Commandment: Do Not Covet What Others Possess!
C.S. Lewis opened his sermon, “The Weight of Glory”, with the following famous statement: If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a…
The Tenth Commandment: Be Content!
This is an important message to hear anytime something doesn’t go as we expect. How should we respond when we are unable to get what we want? How do we cope with suffering and loss? The world offers many coping mechanisms that are dangerously misguided. Buddhism and new age meditation teach us that life is suffering caused by craving. Therefore, the goal of Eastern meditation is to learn to eliminate craving altogether. To reach Nirvana is to no longer crave…
“The Ninth Commandment: Do Not Lie” (Exodus 20:16)
Conspiracy theories are found around every corner, but they have been around for about two-hundred years in their current form. Back in 1831, New England religious leaders warned about the Illuminati’s destructive plans. Ever since then, Americans have sought and found conspiracies typically associated with politics or religions. DeYoung Bad news travels much faster than good news. We must be careful to avoid deceit of every kind, intentional or not. On the other hand, many will scream “Conspiracy Theory” simply because…