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Episode (Page 29)

July 9, 2017 – The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost – Great Ends of the Church – maintenance of divine worship

Maintenance, Divine, Worship I Chronicles 28, 2 Chronicles 2 Build the temple Haggai 1 Restore the Temple Psalm 8 John 4:19-26 worship where ? Revelation 4:1-11 Holy, Holy, Holy Maintenance. I don’t know anyone who really likes maintenance. It’s hard to maintain our weight. It’s hard to maintain a home, and it always seems to need the money we had set aside for something…

July 2, 2017 – The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost – Great Ends of the Church – the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;

Shelter, Nurture, fellowship Acts 4 Deacons Joshua 2 Rahab Exodus 33:12-23 Cleft of the rock Genesis 17 Covenant with Abraham Shelter, Nurture, and Fellowship. Those are big, huge tasks. From what do we need shelter? How shall we be nurtured? What fellowship shall guide us? In my life, in my faith journey, I have received all of these from the church. I have been sheltered…

June 11, 2017 – Great Ends of the Church – The Big 6 – Trinity Sunday

I Peter 2:1-12 Living stones Matthew 16:13-21 Peter on this rock I Thessalonians 1 The Great Ends of the church are foundational principles for us to be the church. They are a bit vague, and a bit open to interpretation. There are other principles on which the church works as well. “Don’t spend more than you have.” “Don’t annoy So-and- so.” “Wear your shoes.” There…

June 4, 2017 – Pentecost

Acts 2:1-4 Pentecost Galatians 4:1-7 Spirit poured into us Galatians 5:16-26 Gifts of the Spirit It all Comes Together This is the day to which we date the birth of the church. Imagine such a thing.These two passages from Galatians illustrate what a change happens when the Spirit gets involved. We go from slaves to free, we go from minors to adults. We…

May 28, 2017 – Seventh Sunday of Easter – Faith and Law

Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29 Neither slave nor free Faith and Law Faith and law have been held in tension in our theology since, well, since Christ. We heard the tension in the Jerusalem Council, and in the readings from last week. We have struggled with the law given, the law broken, and the place of justice, grace, and forgiveness. We have struggled with…

May 21, 2017 – Sixth Sunday of Easter – Insiders and Outsiders

Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-21 Paul’s former life, conflict with Peter at Antioch, by faith Insider and Outsiders This is the oldest, or earliest text in the New Testament. Galatians is at the beginning of what we have – ~54 AD, a mere 21 years after the crucifixion and resurrection. As such, it sheds some light on how the church was working or not…

May 14, 2017 – Fifth Sunday of Easter – Standards

May 14, 2017 – Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 15:1-18 Jerusalem Council Standards This is a turning point in the life of faith. Without this conversation, we’re probably all keeping kosher, circumcising, and worshipping on Saturday. This is a really big deal. One group of believers says that one set of rules must be followed. That unless one is circumcised according to…

May 7, 2017 – Fourth Sunday of Easter – Adaptation

May 7, 2017 Fourth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:26-39  Adaptation   This is a challenging story. For those of us who struggle to tell the story of God’s love and grace, even the idea of going up to a complete and total stranger to talk to them about their faith and our faith may be a show stopper. For others, approaching an official may be…