King Solomon got it right when he said, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…" (Proverbs 29:18). What I'd like for us to think about in the sermon this morning is the flip side of the coin: "Where there is vision, there's hope." No one knew this better than John.
C.S. Lewis said, " If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.... Aim at Heaven and you will get earth "thrown in": aim at earth and you may not even get earth."
A little girl looked at the stars and said, "Dad, If the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what will the right side be?" Needlework has a front side and a back side, or a right side and a wrong side. The front side has a beautiful design. The back side, especially if stitched by an inexperienced needleworker, may have no pattern or beauty to it.
Any New Year's resolutions this year? Lots of people make them. I'm gonna learn Spanish. Buenos Dias! That's about as far as I've gotten. Actually, Feliz Año Nuevo - that's Happy New Year. I read somewhere that the top five resolutions are to get personal finances in order, lose weight, stop smoking, become more physically fit, and improve personal relationships.
A Christian memorial service is an Easter liturgy. All its significance comes from the resurrection of Jesus. What happened on the first Easter morning was not an isolated event, a freakish curiosity. Instead, what occurred was the detonation of a power greater than the glue holding together every atom.
This sermon was preached at the funeral of Harrison Young, an actor known especially for playing Ryan as an old man in the movie Saving Private Ryan.
When travel was less common than now--and higher education not as available as now, Mary headed off at a young age to college become a teacher. She crammed two years of study into one and soon was back in this area, no longer a student, but a teacher. She left a fearless girl; she returned a fearless woman.
“They immediately went out, and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing" (John 21:3). When it comes to living the promise, this is LESSON NUMBER ONE: Seek God’s will for your life; otherwise, you’re sure to come up empty-handed.
We torture ourselves believing that our behavior makes us unfit to be loved by God. We search for ways to make ourselves worthy. If you have ever felt this way, you are in good company. Martin Luther used to torture himself with the words, “Have I done enough!?”
The two stories might be seen as mixed metaphors, but they provide a healthy challenge for our church. Shepherding and fishing - that's what the church is all about. Let's covenant together to "fish for sheep" and "shepherd the fish."