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"Hold Fast the Anchor"
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Psalm 119: 97-104
As we read from Paul’s second letter to his friend and younger colleague in ministry by the name
of Timothy, let’s be reminded of Paul’s circumstances. Many scholars hold that Paul was imprisoned
in Rome at the time this letter was written. The charge against him: refusing the demands of the
Roman authorities that he cease and desist from preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Paul was
languishing in a dark, dank jail cell, the fledgling church outside found itself under rising persecution.
Instead of grand cathedrals which send their towers skyward in Rome today, in Paul’s and Timothy’s
time, Christians’ places of worship were the homes of its members, where they usually met with the
shades drawn.
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"Chosen and Upheld"
Isaiah 42:1-9
2 Corinthians 4:7-12
The 42nd chapter of this prophecy speaks of a servant; one who is chosen and upheld by the
Lord, and in whom God delights. Commentators are in broad agreement that this is a prophecy
pointing toward the promised Messiah; the one who would speak for God; the one who would
give up life and liberty for the sake of the world on God’s behalf. In our era and frame of refe-
rence, we recognize that Jesus – who came some five hundred years after this prophecy was
declared – best fits the bill as the One who was uniquely able to speak God’s word, and who
would indeed sacrifice life and liberty for the life and liberty of the people from whom and to
whom He was called.
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"Unlawful Behavior"
Mark 2: 23-28
1 Samuel 21:1-6
I never tire of stories shared by the late author and humorist Erma Bombeck. She wrote of a
certain “supermom” who possessed the gift of seemingly being able to do everything right. She
kept a spotless home. She cooked like a chef. She kept her husband happy. She always had a
copy of Dr. Laura’s latest book on the coffee table. And she usually answered the door pregnant
when the priest came by for a visit.
“One day,” Bombeck wrote, “I asked her how she did it, and she said, ‘As a Catholic, I follow
the example of the blessed virgin Mary.’ And I said, ‘Marge, it’s a little late for that.’ She said,
‘Very well, I’ll tell you. I have certain customs I follow daily without deviation. Every evening,
when the children are bathed and tucked into their clean little beds, and their little shoes are
racked up, and their little clothes are all in the hamper, and I’ve heard all the little prayers of the
children, I fall down on my knees and say my own little prayer: ‘Thank you, God, for not letting
me kill one of them today.’”
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"Seafaring Wisdom"
John 5:19-20, 30
Proverbs 12:15: 15:31-33
I have become convinced, now cruising into my 64th year on God’s green earth, that there are
some people on God’s green earth who are un-teachable. Now I’m not suggesting that such folks
are cognitively impaired or intellectually incapable. On the contrary, they may be intellectually
super-capable and cognitively ultra-gifted. It’s less about inability to be taught; more about
unwillingness to be taught. And it’s usually because, at least in their own minds, they already
know it all. Have you ever met a know-it-all? I think the writer of the Biblical book of Proverbs
may have had know-it-all’s in mind when he wrote this:
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"For You"
Mark 1: 4-11
Romans 5: 6-11
On the first Sunday after Epiphany, we observe on our liturgical calendar what we call The
Baptism of the Lord. Our primary text comes to us this morning from Mark’s Gospel account of
Jesus’ baptism, but we will be referencing Matthew’s and John’s accounts as well. Let’s go out to
the river and meet a guy we might call strange.
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"Where Do We Find the Christ Child"
Luke 2:12-16
John 14:8-14
Where do we find the baby Jesus? A class of early elementary aged Sunday School students
was asked this question by their teacher just a few weeks before Christmas. Jordan piped up
first: “We find him in a manger.” Nicole added, “In the little town of Bethlehem.” Kirsten
chimed in next: “In his mommy’s arms.” Luke added, “Baby Jesus is under our Christmas tree.”
After a moment of silence, the teacher asked Morgan what she thought. “I think He’s on my
dad’s cell phone.” “Why do you think that?” the teacher asked. Morgan replied, “Every time
some music plays, my daddy looks at his phone and says, ‘Sweet Baby Jesus, what’s he texting
me about this time."
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"Another Birth Story"
John 3: 1-15
Numbers 21: 4-9
On this second Sunday of Advent, we’re going to read about a birth story, but probably not the
birth story you’d expect during this season. This morning, we’re not going to open to either of the
birth narratives of Jesus recorded in Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels. Instead, we’re going to bring
our attention to another birth story within which – according to New Testament scholar F. F.
Bruce – is found some of Jesus’ most mysterious, yet universally-applicable, teaching. This story is
recorded only in the Gospel of John in the form of a conversation between the grown-up Jesus, and
a man named Nicodemus. Let’s lean in and listen.
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'"The Stuff of Advent"
Selections from Luke 1 and 2; Isaiah 40:9-11
Today is the first Sunday of Advent; a season of contemplation, reflection and preparation
leading up to the commemoration of Jesus’ birth we call Christmas. It’s hard to believe it’s only
twenty-three days away. Remember how when we were children, it seemed like it took forever
for Christmas to finally get here? Yet the older we get, the sooner it seems to come. In fact, the
very word Advent means “coming.” During this Advent season, we remember Jesus’ first coming
as the babe in Bethlehem. We also anticipate Jesus’ second coming, when He will return in glory
to, in a manner of speaking, set this mess straight. Yet there is an overarching theme of Advent,
which is thinking about those surprising and marvelous ways God breaks into our world, and into
our individual lives. The Bible stories we read at this time of year reveal that God is, for sure, a
God who often does what we least expect; like granting a child to an elderly childless couple.
Here’s a first story of surprise. (Read Selections from Luke 1:5-25)