FIRST UNITED CHURCH of CHRIST

Happy New Year!  It’s the first day of the new church year, and as we begin Advent we can’t help noticing that the mood of the church season is different from the mood of the commerce around us.  Which brings us to clay …

Clay

Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7 

Christmas is glitter, evergreens, poinsettias, wrapping paper, candles, carols, candy canes, sugarplums, and greeting cards. Advent is clay.

That sounds pretty boring in comparison to the energy, excitement, and mania of Christmas. It sounds pretty plain compared to the adornments of Christmas. It sounds pretty ordinary compared to the extraordinary efforts that we make to be generous and loving every December. Advent is clay.

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This is the last Sunday of the church year, and is traditionally known as “Reign of Christ” or “Christ the King” Sunday.  What might that mean for us in a post-king-kind-of-world? …

Loving the King

Psalm 100 November 23, 2008; Matthew 25:31-46

This is a confusing time of year for those of us who live in the church calendar as well as the secular calendar. In the everyday world, we are approaching Thanksgiving, that curious holiday that is dedicated to eating, accompanied by pious prayers of gratitude from people of all faiths (and people of no faith). Thanksgiving feels as though it ought to be a religious holiday, but it isn’t quite.

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The parable of the Talents is one of those familiar Bible stories that can easily become a cliche.  Today I took a different look at the story — one that is very contemporary.

Psalm 123; Matthew 25:14-30 

Extraordinary Opportunity

Let me ease your mind: this is not another stewardship sermon. I think it is very interesting that this “parable of the talents” appears in the lectionary during the time of the year that we are often involved in financial planning for the coming year. That makes it almost irresistible for preachers to use it as a spring board for encouraging bold and generous pledges to the church’s budget. But I don’t think this story is about giving money – even giving money to the church.

And I also want to point out another temptation for preachers:

Continue reading Parable or Prophesy?

Sometimes the Biblical texts assigned for a particular day seem to go together easily, sometimes they don’t.  Our seminary intern,Val Veo, was faced with verses from the Older Testament book of Joshua and the Newer Testament parable of the Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids.  Read how she wove these together …

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Matthew 25:1-13

This morning’s older testament lesson contained the well-known proclamation by Joshua that “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” This is the self-same Joshua that led the post-slavery, post-wilderness Israelite people into the promised land and the famed battle of trumpets and marching at Jericho.

Continue reading What Do Bridesmaids Have to Do With It?

It is easy to be critical of people who say one thing and do another, but I think that sometimes hypocrisy might be a good thing — read why …

Hypocrisy Revisited

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 Matthew 23:1-12

There is no criticism of Christianity that is harder to refute than the accusation that we are hypocrites. Even Jesus joins in the chorus: “do whatever they [scribes and Pharisees] teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” [Matthew 23:3] Okay, granted – he was talking about first century Jewish scholars and leaders, not Christians – but the point is still the same: religious people are known for saying one thing and doing something else.

I think it is time that we stopped apologizing for the all the times that we say one thing and do something else, especially when our words are nobler, more generous, and more compassionate that our deeds. I think it is time to say a word in favor of hypocrisy.

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