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"Still In The Storm"
Text: Mark 4:35-41
1 Kings 19:9-15a
This morning, we begin with the question which is asked at the end of the story: “Who then is
this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” At first blush, the story seems to center on a
power which is so great that it controls even the very forces of nature. And the climax of the story
rises upon the swell of Jesus’ command to the turbulent sea: “Peace! Be still!” This is a common
translation of the Greek words piopa pephimoso which literally mean: “Stop speaking, and be
muzzled!” In the Greek language of the day, this term was often used in exorcism when evil
spirits were bound by the healer’s word of authority. Here, Jesus wields the same verbal auth-
ority over the wind that He rebukes and the sea that He calms. How Jesus pulled this off, we do
not know. What we do know is that the power Jesus possesses is beyond any and all explanation.
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“HOLDING FAST TO THE IMAGE OF ZION”
Hebrews 12:18-24
Exodus 19:16-22
When I was in 7th grade, I had a woodshop teacher by the name of Mr. Klim. [Anyone
remember when classes like woodshop, mechanical drawing, and home economics were a part
of every junior high curriculum?] Mr. Klim was the biggest, scariest beast of a man I’d ever
seen. To my twelve year-old eyes, he seemed to be about seven foot tall; must have weighed
at least three hundred pounds; his shoulders every bit of four feet across. Even his muscles had
muscles. To top it off, Mr. Klim had a marine drill sergeant-styled crew cut. When he got saw-
dust in that crew cut, he would just run a wire brush over his head. Then he would do the same
to the thick fur which covered his forearms. Rumor among the seventh graders was that he
once stopped a table-mounted circular saw with his teeth. Now I don’t know about that, but
no one in Coraopolis Junior High School would deny that Mr. Klim was one tough, scary dude!
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"A Christian View of Work"
2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13
Genesis 2: 15
For most of us, the beginning of September marks the ending of so-called “vacation season.” The
kids are back in school. The family outing to the beachfront condo is beginning to seem an ancient
memory. It’s back to the grind for that long haul between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. And as we
settle back into our daily routines, many of us in the workplace may begin to feel like: Isn’t there
anything more to life than to get up, get dressed, go to work, come home, then rest for the demands
of tomorrow’s work, all the while thanking God that Friday’s coming.
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“THE HEAVENLY HUMOR OF BALAAM AND THE BEAST”
Text: Numbers 22:21-31
Proverbs 3:3-8
One Sunday morning, a twelve year-old boy was still adjusting to being too old to attend children’s
church anymore. He was now forced to endure the entire big people’s service. On the way home
following worship, junior had a question: “Mom, is it okay to laugh in church?” to which his father
answered with a snicker, “Just as long as Mrs. Gillie and the McCabe sisters don’t see you.” “But dad,
what if God sees me?” His mother replied reassuringly: “That’s okay. God will probably be laughing
right along with you.”
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"Jesus Feeds, We Remember"
Matthew 14: 13-21
2 Kings 4: 42-44
One of the most powerful catalysts for our memory is food. In other words, certain foods
bring back certain memories. The sight, smell and taste of particular foods often trigger happy
thoughts and good vibes about people we’ve known; places we’ve been; stories and characters
from the chapters of our life stories. Anytime, for instance, I have a mountain of mashed potatoes with
rivulets of butter streaming down the sides, I can’t help but think of my grandmother
Ogilvie. I can picture her in my mind’s eye standing over that old-fashioned GE electric mixer
that turned the bowl all by itself; I with my nose just above the counter top trying to catch a
whiff, and maybe a sample. Or anytime I enjoy a cup of vanilla pudding, I have loving thoughts of
my mom; she ironing in the living room on Tuesday evening, while I sat on the floor watching the
Red Skelton Show, eating the pudding she had made even before it had fully cooled. What are
those special foods for you which trigger happy thoughts of chapters written and people passed?
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"What Does God Want/"
Hosea 2:14-32
Matthew 18:12-14
This morning, we’ll be reading from the 8th century prophet named Hosea. Something new in
the writing of Hosea, and in the writings of the other so-called latter prophets -- which sets him and
them apart from previous Old Testament prophecy -- is their heightened and refined sense of ethical
responsibility. They seemed to see more clearly than their predecessors that how we relate to God,
and how we relate to each other, are virtually inseparable. This laid the groundwork for the revolu-
tionary teachings of Jesus – such as we find in His great discourse recorded in Matthew 25 -- that it is
every bit as important to love our neighbor as ourselves as it is to love God.
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"Good Morning, Lord!"
Ephesians 1: 3-10
Psalm 103: 19-104:4
Here’s a quick and easy reference on the difference between an optimist and a pessimist: the
optimist wakes up and declares, “Good morning, Lord!” The pessimist wakes up and grouses,
“Good Lord, morning!” A little bit of humor, and a whole lot of wisdom which says that we can
either welcome and bless the day, or we can dread and effectively curse it. We have a choice.
What was yours this morning?
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“SETTING OFF FOR THE ACADEMY"
Text: Acts 17:16-21
Proverbs 4:10-13
May I begin this morning by saying “congratulations” to this year’s high school graduates? If you
were the graduating class of 1919 rather than of 2019, and if I was a stodgy academic preacher
typical of early 20th century Presbyterianism, I would probably say something like this: “Young
gentlemen, I remind you of the words of Samuel Johnston when he stated: ‘To talk in public, to think
in solitude, to read and to hear, to inquire and to answer inquiries is the business of a scholar.’
Emerson added, ‘A scholar is the favorite of heaven and earth, the excellency of his country, and
happiest of men.’ As you set off for the academy, remember that a university should be a place of
light, of liberty, of learning.”