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A Holy Humor Retrospective

7/3/2022

Psalm 30:1-12, Luke 10:1, 16-20

We have reached the final week of my series of throwback sermons. But before I get to today's topic, a word about last week. You may recall my sermon was on the nine fruit of the Spirit Paul lists in Galatians. We went out to eat afterwards and I commented that the technology went about as well as it ever has. It was nice to have no glitches for a change. Then Julie broke it to me a nicely as she could, I missed one of the 9 fruit Paul listed, I left out patience. So much for perfection....
But I like to think I can laugh at my mistakes, many as they are. Speaking of laughter, today is a look back at our Holy Humor services. By my count, we've done eleven special services focusing on the Easter Laugh. And the question is always how appropriate is the Holy Humor service. Judy Holmes addressed this some seven years ago in one of her newspaper articles, “Easter is a joyous celebration and ushers in a season of laughter. God has the last laugh with the resurrection of Jesus. The Easter laugh reminds us we are to share the joy of Christ with others. Created in the image of God, we laugh. Just as I am certain God laughs, I am certain God shakes his head at our seriousness; our intensities.”

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The Fruit of the Spirit

6/26/2022

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Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Luke 9:51-62
Two weeks left and today's throwback sermon deals with old sermon titles and topics. This was my plan and then when I read today's epistle it served as a kind of outline with a list for topics-- the fruit of the Spirit. This list has been covered from this pulpit over the years by many in many ways. So without great ado, here are nine blasts from the past, sermons that were memorable for me... but probably long forgotten by most.
I will use the list of fruit from the screen hung in the choir loft, first one, Love. And I share now the opening paragraph of one of my favorites, Another John 3: 16, “Most all of us have memorized at least partially the most famous verse in the bible, John 3: 16. And while various translations change the words a bit, the the basic verse goes like this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” A wonderful verse of a God who gives, a verse of welcome and promise and invitation. But if we stop and consider what it meant for God to “give” his son, it becomes a much more challenging word. And so I want us to look at another John 3: 16; 1 John 3: 16 tells us what that gift cost. “We know love by this, that Jesus laid down his life for us.” That gift of love was not free, it cost the life of Jesus Christ.

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Baptized and Clothed with Christ

6/19/2022

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1 Kings 19:1-15a Galatians 3:23-29 June 19, 2022
3 weeks to go and today is my second special sermon in preparation for our anniversary celebration. You know, anniversaries are special. We celebrate anniversaries of births, of adoptions, of the founding of our nation, of our church, and of our marriages. Reminds me of a husband and wife who were getting ready to celebrate their 25th anniversary. The couple discussed buying a new vehicle to celebrate. 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.
Now you may have recognized this story, I have used in a sermon before. In fact, the theme for today is old introduction stories. And it is based off our reading in Galatians. The line Paul wrote triggered what I call my favorite sermon illustration.

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Relational Kindness

6/12/2022

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Psalm 8: 1-9, Romans 5: 1-5, John 16: 12-15
June 12, 2022
Four weeks from today we are (finally) having the formal celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of our church. It will actually be a bit more than 152 1/2 years on July 10. So for the next 4 weeks, as we gear up for the celebration, I'm going to be doing a series of special sermons. And I will seek to remember that our reflections on the past also include looking forward to what is ahead in our future.
Today is Trinity Sunday. The Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, lives in relationship with one another... and with us. Last Sunday I talked about the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and how that relates to the fellowship of the church. Through the years, we get to know and be known by fellow believers in this community of faith. I thought it would be fun to give a little test and see how well we know each other; that's this week's special topic.

First a bit about our readings and how I can make this test fit into a sermon... Paul wrote about endurance in his letter to the Romans. This church has endured for 152 years despite the flaws and sins and mistakes we human beings have made. Our stated purpose is to find and follow God's will. But I know I'm not perfect. And none of you are either. And this is where grace comes in. We are called to a higher standard of forgiveness, of offering grace when things are done in a way we don't necessarily approve of. Paul put it all together this way,” suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Hope lives on even as so many things are changing here.
And Amy read Psalm 8, a psalm about the majesty of our God. But in the midst of it, the psalmist is overwhelmed first, by God's greatness and, secondly, that God is mindful of us. “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens... (I'm making it personal for us) What are human beings that you are mindful of us, mortals that you care for us? Yet you have made us a little lower than God, and crowned us with glory and honor.” None of us measures up to God's perfect standards, and yet God has chosen to include us in the family of God. Not only included, but glorified and honored. This church is part of that family, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. And so, in that relational connection, we are called to honor one another, and treat one another with respect and kindness.
Many of us use the devotional These Days in our daily time with God. I found it interesting that this week's theme was relational kindness. In Tuesday's devotion, Dwayne Cole wrote that this psalm “reminds us that God cares for us. The psalmist especially saw our life with God in relational terms.” We are a relational people, we are a community of faith, we are called to fellowship in the name of Christ.
Anyways, we have grown together as a family through the years. And as such, I'm sharing some information I've gleaned and will ask questions to see just how much we know about each other. (on screen)

This lady grew up in the city where most of America's manhole covers are made.
If you want to get a rise out of this guy, just bring up the name Kent Hrbek.
I'm almost certain this woman has the most great grandchildren in the congregation.
When this man moved from Iowa to Minnesota, he liked to say “I raised the average IQ by two points in both states!”
This couple gave foster care to over 100 children!
Her mom made her come to church one Sunday when she was not feeling well and she ended up throwing up during worship.
This is our oldest member.
He is our youngest deacon.
This man has many hobbies, his current one is stained glass windows.
Confirmed Presbyterian in Fulda, she met her future husband when her family moved to Litchfield. When she taught Sunday school, one of the jobs given was to paint the little chairs the children used. She said there were so many coats of paint, the chair could have stood without the wood.
She was baptized at First Lutheran Church here in Litchfield but was confirmed here in 1969. She is our long time treasurer.
This man participated in rodeo competitions as a high school student.
They adopted 5 children after having 2 of their own.
She is also known by many as “Gert”.
She met her future husband and stuck with him despite his wearing black-rimmed glasses with white tape and “Hi” written on the tape.
She won the Crow Wing County Fair T-shirt design contest!
(bonus) His super-hero nickname is “Hernia boy.”

Well, I hope you enjoyed that little look at our congregation. I'm sure you all learned something new about someone. We are a diverse group in many ways. There is no reason for us all to be together except that we choose to worship Jesus in the Presbyterian manner.
Back to our These Days, from Thursday's reading, looking into our Romans passage, Coles wrote, “Our kindness toward others... is based on the responsive kindness we see in God. We can have hope even in times of suffering because of (God's) love 'poured into our hearts (vs 5).'”
God's love... we are mere reflections of God's love but we are called to love each other in spirit and in truth. .
God's grace... revealed in the Son, Jesus Christ.
God relational connection... the Holy Spirit lives and works in us and in our community of faith. The Trinity. Relationship. Love for one another. Endurance. Character. Kindness. Grace. Giving and receiving... Our calling as children of God. Amen.
Hymn: Though I may Speak 335 PH

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A Holy Humor Retrospective

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