Sunday’s sermon from Isaiah 9:6-7 was so much fun. It was fun because of the example I just gave. But it was also fun because our series from the Minor Prophets that we had just finished prepared us for some of the history of Isaiah’s text.
Worship Jesus. Serve Jesus. Love others.
Worship Jesus. Serve Jesus. Love others.
Christmas
One of the challenges for me in preaching on the theme of “Joy” is the amount of time that I’ve heard sermons on this subject attempt to define the difference between joy and happiness. Most of the time, this is done because of statements like “I don’t care what I believe, as long as I’m happy;” or “It doesn’t matter how I live, as long as I’m happy.” So, to be fair, preachers attempt to redefine an unwise humanistic use of the word ‘happy’ and then contrast happiness with biblical joy.
I must admit that I’ve always been a bit of a non-traditionalist when it comes to the church history calendar. I cannot explain it except for my youthful zeal. Honestly, I’ve watched churches and people observe traditions, without any connect to the gospel, heart-transformation, or life-adjustments and I just haven’t had any flavor for it. So, I’ve rejected some really good things, like Advent, because I “threw the baby out with the bathwater”.
I love preaching at CLF. I love my “home field” and I am eager each week to see the “upturned faces” and m hope each week is to turn those faces to their Savior and King, who is the best Shepherd and pastor.
It was a delight to step into our Christmas series this year. I really got a sense as we started planning for this series that it was needed.