Sunday Sermon Preview: 1 John 3:1-2 [Updated]

A Scottish Paraphrase of 1 John 3:1-2, courtesy of William Barclay:¹

Behold the amazing gift of love
the Father hath bestowed
On us, the sinful sons of men,
to call us sons of God!

Concealed as yet this honour lies,
by this dark world unknown,
A world that knew not when he came,
even God's eternal Son.

High is the rank we now posses,
but higher we shall rise;
Though what we shall hereafter be
is hid from mortal eyes.

Our souls, we know, when he appears,
shall hear his image bright;
For all his glory, full disclosed,
shall open to our sight.

A hope so great, and so divine,
may trials well endure;
And purge the soul from sense and sin,
as Christ himself is pure.

I once heard Rev. Frank Harrington (of blessed memory) share what his mother used to say to him whenever he left the house. She would say, "Remember who you are. Remember who you are."

This is a passage about remembering who we are, and whose we are.

Verse two is particularly facinating and hope-filled:

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. [ESV]

John can only imagine...

¹Barclay, William. The Letters of John and Jude. New York: Westminster John Knox P, 1976. 72-73. ↩

Technorati Tags: Bible, 1 John 3:1-2, Children of the Most High God

Veterans Day '08

Thank you for your service. We will not forget it.

Sunday Sermon Preview

A Hymn to God the Father
John Donne (1572-1631)

I.
WILT Thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

II.
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallowed in a score?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

III.
I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
But swear by Thyself, that at my death Thy Son
Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
And having done that, Thou hast done;
I fear no more.

[Didst thou catch the priceless, beautiful pun at the end of the final stanza?]

Technorati Tags: Sin, Salvation, Jesus Christ, John Donne, Poetry

Corn Harvest '08

Technorati Tags: Minnesota, Harvest, 2008, Corn, John Deere

November's Preaching - 1 John

For the next four weeks I'll be preaching from 1 John. The text for this week is chapter one in its entirety:

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:1-10 NRSV)

Why 1 John in the remaining weeks prior to Advent?

One reason is admittedly selfish: I have not yet had the opportunity to preach on this epistle.

But the far superior reason is that John beautifully lays out the essential importance of the Incarnation - the Word made flesh - and joy we have in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross - His saving work.

Technorati Tags: Bible, 1 John, The Word of Life

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