11.27--Prepare (Mark 1:1-8)

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”

The Broadway musical, Godspell, opens with a colorfully dressed and eccentric looking John the Baptizer belting these seven words into and over the audience. The first time that I saw the play, a young man—with a much better singing voice than myself—just let loose as his words resonated throughout the church, and God used this simple melody fill the sanctuary and send chills up my spine.

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord!” 

11.24--Reasons to Rejoice (Thanksgiving Sermon at an Interfaith Service))

It was January of 1983. They had just finished recording the ninth and what was supposed to be final track for their next album, but it didn’t feel complete. One more song was needed. There was only one problem, though: They were out of time. Their studio time was maxed out, and they were about to be kicked to the streets.

At this point, the lead singer does something kind of crazy: he opens his Bible. A certain passage jumps out at him almost immediately, and with the precious little bit of studio time they have left, they put the Scripture to song. It took ten minutes to write, ten minutes to record, and ten minutes to mix. The album was complete because of this song, and it became an instant fan favorite.

This song, “40”, has closed more than 300 U2 concerts around the world since then.

11.13--A Time Such as This (Sermon on Esther 4)

I spent the summer of 2009 working as a lifeguard at the TLU Maybee Pool. I've got the body for a lifeguard, right? The physique? This was one of those jobs that came with so many perks that I absolutely could not pass it up. The school paid for my lifeguard and CPR certification, it came with free housing, I’d be working with some of my best friends, and my favorite summer hangout spot—the Comal River—was just a short drive away. It was perfect.

Now, in years prior, both my wife, Jess, and one of our good friends, Kelli, had worked here, and as far as I knew, no one had ever had to make any kind of life-and-death save; there had been no major accidents, and even the first aid kit was only brought out once in a blue moon. So we expected to have a pretty laid back summer spent getting a good tan, teaching kids how to swim, and floating the river on our off-time. And, honestly, that is what we got. No one had to put their rescue training to use, and even this big white boy was a few shades darker.

It was a great summer.

Nov. 6--Drawing the Line and Digging Our Heels ( A sermon on Daniel 3)

Brad Paisley, one of my favorite country music singers, has had twenty-nine number one hits in his career. One of the funniest of these, in my humble expert opinion, is his song “I’m Still a Guy,” released in 2007. In it, Brad tells his wife that even though he might have changed in certain ways because of their relationship, he cannot and will not change the core of who he is. He is very clear to his love: “You’re probably thinking that you’re gonna change me and in some ways well maybe you might; scrub me down, dress me up oh but no matter what, remember I’m still a guy.”

In this song, Brad lays out what makes him… well, him. He might open up and pour out his heart to his wife, he might walk her very feminine dog, and he might even be caught carrying her purse for her while she tries on clothes out the mall, but there are things that, in his mind, are non-negotiable. His identity as an individual is rooted in certain things, and even though he cares deeply for his beloved, he cannot compromise all of who he is for her.

On some points, he is unwilling to budge.

10.31--Our Dry Bone Valleys

Our Scripture reading today comes from Ezekiel 37:1-14. Let us together dive into the depths of this story. Listen attentively to this story of our people.

<Tell Ezekiel 37>

Imagine it. Imagine God picking you up and transporting you to a valley that is full of bones. Imagine being led from one end of this valley to the other, picking your way through the bones as you go. Imagine accidently stepping on one them, feeling more than hearing the crack under your foot as you wince at the jarring noise.

Why would God bring you here? What is so significant about the bones that they would catch and hold the attention of the Almighty? Why is it so important that you walk among them?

10.16--With Great Power (Sermon on 2 Kings 2:18-25)

My family is a movie-going family. There was a two-dollar movie theater in the town over from us, and we would go almost every week to see a different movie. The seats were old and deep; sitting in them was like sitting in a Lazy Boy recliner. The popcorn was just on the too-greasy side. And the projector was old enough that the picture quality was starting to fade slightly.

I loved it.

And what was my favorite type of movie to watch? Super hero movies. Yes, the plot line was always pretty much the same. Yes, the good guy always got the girl in the end. Yes, they always managed to throw in some funny, tension-breaking line at just the right spot in the drama. And yes, I loved them.

I remember going with my family to see Spiderman when it first came out. I was so excited, because Spiderman was one of my favorites. He never seemed to be the perfect hero, but he always managed to get the job done.

I could appreciate that in him, because I felt that way a lot in my own life.

I sat on the edge of my seat through the entire film, eyes riveted to the screen. What a perfect balance of action, comedy and even romance! What a wonderful combination of great cast, spot on writing, and just enough special effects to get the job done but not overkill it. It was perfect.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I always stay through the end of the credits when I’m at the movie theatre. Some people do this out of respect for the people who worked hard to bring me my movie. I do it just to see if there’s a teaser at the end for the next film. And while my family and I waited patiently to see if anything was at the end of the credits, my little sister wakes up from the hour and a half long coma she’s been in since Spiderman started. In the loudest voice her four-year-old self can muster, she asks, “Where’s Batman?”

10.9.11--Great is God's Faithfulness

Steve Jobs, the creator and former CEO of Apple, passed away this last Wednesday. Jobs was the innovative genius behind such inventions as the Apple 2, which was the first marketed personal computer, the iBook, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. Within hours of his death, the news was all over the web—many of my Facebook friends changed their profile picture to the Apple logo, the Apple web page put up a tribute picture to him, President Obama himself said a few words in honor of the man, and even competitive companies like Microsoft and Google paid homage to this man’s life and work in their own special way.

This one man has left an amazing impact on the world, and even those who worked against him have to admit that one of the great minds of our time has passed too early from this world. I think the President said it best in his official statement: “There may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”

The world will remember Steve Jobs due to the impact he has left behind him.