DAvid and the Showbread
David and the Showbread1 Samuel 21:6“So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.”Sunday, January 24, 2021 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Introduction There’s a lot of literature about presence, and that just being present and paying attention to someone who is struggling can help…
David and Goliath
Sunday, January 17, 2021 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa 1 Samuel 17:51 “Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.” Intro.When a professional sports team wins a championship, many in that team’s home city celebrate. Some teams have enjoyed ticker-tape parades. Because our daughter…
The Great Blessing
Numbers 6:24-27 Sunday, January 3, 2021 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Introduction: The priestly blessing Our worship service, and most worship services, end with a benediction, a sort of blessing and then sending you back out into the world to make the most of your days until we gather again for worship. The call to worship and invocation collects and unites us to present ourselves as a community to God Almighty, and the benediction is the…
The Fullness of Time
Scriptures: Luke 2:25-32; Galatians 4:4-7 Sunday, December 27, 2020 at The First Congregational Church of Marshalltown, Iowa Intro. This sermon is for those followers of Christ who feel frustrated with themselves, who feel their imperfections acutely and wonder what will become of them. They struggle with this life, and feel that if they were better Christians, they would not struggle so much, or that their struggles and frustrations indicate that they are poor excuses for Christians. The purpose of this…
The Established Life
Romans 16:25-27 4th Sunday of Advent Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith– to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.…
Life as a Mission
John 20:21 3rd Sunday of Advent Introduction: purpose in life I remember, just a few days ago, watching part of a documentary about Hasidic Jews, who are fluent in Yiddish as well as English and live in certain parts of Brooklyn. A resident of the neighborhood was guiding the filmmaker down the street when all of a sudden, a young man steps out of a storefront, looks straight into the camera and says, “We all have a purpose in life. …
1,000 Years Like a Day
2 Peter 3:8 Second Sunday of Advent Introduction: Waiting is not always wasting time. On this second Sunday of Advent we consider that waiting is not wasting time. This runs counter to our fast-moving culture. We usually are in a hurry to get things done, and that is not always bad. Such people are often productive, but I was in a meeting recently and someone reminded me that we need to slow down the pace, be quiet and reflect…
Beyond Our Understanding
Isaiah 64:4 1st Sunday of Advent Introduction: The once and future king Today marks the first day of the Season of Advent, recalling the events preceding the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. It has an ancient history and marks a wondrous theological truth; that in His birth Jesus, the eternal Son of God who is Creator of all things is Himself now part of Creation. He has joined the human race, and when He resurrected and ascended to heaven, He…
The King’s Priorities
Matthew 25:31-46 Verse 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;…’” Introduction: Once, some years ago, Jeanne and I took at trip that involved driving our car into the hold of a ferryboat. The crew gave us two choices, one was to let them drive the car into the ship, the other was to drive it ourselves under…
From Every Generation
2 Corinthians 1:1-6 2 Timothy 2:7-13 ❖ IntroductionSome people would prefer to face trouble now if it meant that they next generation would enjoy peace. Others are just the opposite. Hezekiah, a righteous king in the Bible (2 Kings 21:19), was content to know of trouble for his descendants as long as it was after his lifetime. Contrast this with the stories I’ve heard over the years of Jewish leaders facing concentration camps on the eve of World War 2…