Month 1 at First Presbyterian Church

The first month has passed.

I begin this post with the gospel text from my service of ordination and installation that I originally promised to write about many days ago. My apologies.

The sermon text was Matthew 10:7-10. It was selected with the help of my good friend Michael, who I asked to preach.

Matthew 10:7-10 reads as follows:

As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. (Matt 10:7-10 NRSV)

I wanted to hear some words about the imperative to "proclaim the good news." Michael did an absolutely fantastic job from the pulpit, hammering home the necessity to preach Christ and Him crucified. A true word from God pierced my heart on that day.

The ordination itself was an astonishing experience. I'm thankful to have been called by God, from whom all good blessings flow. The laying of hands is a reminder of the yoke placed upon those whom God calls in ministry. The weight of the call was nicely accompanied by the warmth of those hands. I could visualize a chain of hands extending from those present - including my wife, my mother and father, my sister, and my in-laws - all the way back in history to that first anointing by the spirit in Acts 2. What an amazing day.

So what about the first month?

It was full! Full of visitation with brothers and sisters in various hospitals. Full to the brim with worship planning. Filled with firsts, too: First administration of communion, first funeral, and first baptism last Sunday (10/12). Everything is a first. More firsts will come, to be sure. Stay tuned!

Technorati Tags: Bible, First, Matthew, Gospel, Life in Ministry

Day 1 at First Presbyterian

My first day at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota was very busy and very gratifying. We're in the midst of planning two worship services, one this Saturday and one on Sunday. Saturday is the service of ordination and installation, and Sunday is my first time in the pulpit and my first administration of the Lord's Supper. I'm very excited.

I'm also deeply grateful. One good friend is trekking to Minnesota from his home digs in Corpus Christi in order to give the ordination sermon. Family members and friends are flying in to witness Christ's work here in Jackson and to celebrate God's call on all who are claimed by Christ in baptism.

Two texts will be read during the ordination service. The Old Testament reading is 1 Samuel 3:1-10, the call of Samuel. I chose the passage for two main reasons. First, it is one of many stories of God intervening in history by calling someone into service. Second, it is the earliest story I remember learning about in Sunday school at Wasatch Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was probably eight or nine years old when I first heard it, which would explain why it might have had such impact, as Samuel himself is described as a boy. Here's the passage:

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam 3:1-10 NRSV)

The second passage is Matthew 10:7-10. I'll write more about why I selected that passage in a post tomorrow afternoon.

A quick postscript: I haven't posted in quite awhile due to our move to Jackson and travels to visit friends and family. Some have been checking in pretty regularly, and I appreciate your steadfast inquiries while I've been away from the blogosphere.

Technorati Tags: Bible, Presbyterian Church USA, Call, Ministry, Vocation, Samuel

Dad and I watching the Corpus Christi Hooks versus the San Antonio Missions. The Hooks are up 6-0 at the bottom of the fifth inning. Good times on our next-to-last night in Portland.

Ordinary 17 - Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

A reading from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 31-33 and 44-52.

Listen now to God's Word:

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” (Matt 13:31-33, 44-52 NRSV)

This is the Word of the Lord.

Technorati Tags: Ordinary 17, Year A, Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52, Gospel, Bible

I Like Matt [Updated]

The story goes something like this: Matt worked for several years, saved up his money, quit, and then started traveling the world. Matt now has a corporate sponsor that helps out with his travels.



Where the H**l is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

UDDATE: I'm reminded of this verse from scripture:

David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the LORD with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. (2 Sam 6:5 NRSV)

Technorati Tags: Worldly, Dancing, Reflection

A New Preaching Tool

Here's Wordle. Below is my Wordle-ized sermon from last Sunday, entitled "Inadvertent Evangelism" (based on Matthew 10:40-42 - click to enlarge):


Seems appropriately Jesus-focused.

How about the Larger Westminster Catechism (top 500 words)?


Anyone else? Feel free to contribute yours in the comments!

[HT - Anthony Sacramone]

Technorati Tags: Bible, Sermon, Catechism, Westminster Standards

And Now, A Word From Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A true prophetic voice speaks to us even today:

It is a theological error of the first magnitude to exploit the doctrine of Christ the Mediator so as to justify direct relationships with the things of the world. It is sometimes argued that if Christ is the Mediator he has borne all the sin which underlies our direct relationships with the world and that he has justified us in them. Jesus has reconciled the world to God; we can then, it is supposed, return to the world and enjoy our direct relation with it with a good conscience - although that world is the very world which crucified Christ! This is to equate the love of God with the love of the world. The breach with the things of the world is now branded as a legalistic misinterpretation of the grace of God, the purpose of which, we fondly suppose, is to spare us the necessity of this very breach. The saying of Christ about hating our immediate relationships is thus turned into a cheerful affirmation of the "God-given realities of the world." Once again the justification of the sinner has become the justification of sin.¹

¹Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost Of Discipleship. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995, p. 97. ↩

Technorati Tags: Presbyterian Church USA, Aftermath, The Cost of Discipleship