Today is the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany. Epiphany is of course the day the Magi visited Jesus and Mary and Joseph. But epiphany has another meaning. The dictionary says it means “a moment of sudden revelation or insight.” When we suddenly see a solution to a problem or understand a mystery that has had us baffled, we have an epiphany. Picture the cartoon with a light bulb above the character's head. So in a way, today's gospel reading has its own epiphany story. We read of a different kind of star guiding followers to Jesus. John the Baptist helped guide his followers to Jesus when he says, “Look and follow.” We read, “'Look, here is the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” They had an epiphany, a sudden realization that they had found one worth following.
Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1: 1-9; John 1:29-42 January 2020
Today is the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany. Epiphany is of course the day the Magi visited Jesus and Mary and Joseph. But epiphany has another meaning. The dictionary says it means “a moment of sudden revelation or insight.” When we suddenly see a solution to a problem or understand a mystery that has had us baffled, we have an epiphany. Picture the cartoon with a light bulb above the character's head. So in a way, today's gospel reading has its own epiphany story. We read of a different kind of star guiding followers to Jesus. John the Baptist helped guide his followers to Jesus when he says, “Look and follow.” We read, “'Look, here is the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” They had an epiphany, a sudden realization that they had found one worth following.
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Isaiah 42: 1-9; Acts 10: 34-43; Matthew 3: 13-17
January 12, 2020 If you are a fan of the Christian writer C S Lewis, you may recognize my sermon title from his writings; Liar, Lunatic or Lord? And of course he is referring to Jesus. This morning, I want to look at the claims made about Jesus the Christ and see where we need to come down as we examine the evidence. And I want to start way back at the prophet Isaiah and what he wrote about the coming Messiah. Jeremiah 31: 7-14, Ephesians 1: 3-14; John 1: 1-3, 10-18
An anniversary is a special thing. We celebrate anniversaries of births, of adoptions, of the founding of our nation, of our marriages. Reminds me of a husband and wife who were getting ready to celebrate their 40th anniversary. The couple decided as a gift they would purchase a new vehicle. He wanted a new truck. She wanted a fast sports car. The discussion was getting very heated when finally the wife stated, "Look, I want something that goes from 0 to 180 in four seconds or less, and that’s all there is to it! When the big day came, the wife went out to the garage, but there was no new car. Angry, she went back into the house looking for her husband, but he was not at home. Frustrated and upset, she went into the bathroom to get dressed, and there was her gift, wrapped in a big red ribbon. And it was something that would go from 0 to 180 in four seconds or less - a brand new scale. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, leave it to Pastor Gordy to open with a joke on such a solemn occasion. And you know, I just can't help myself. But as we gather for our 150th today, I think that laughter has been a big part of our recent history; 150 years ago, probably no jokes in church. |
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