seeing the stranger

Church can be an odd place, full of odd people.  What sometimes makes it odder is that these odd people think that other people are odd.  Despite Jesus’ ‘great commandment’ to love each other as He loved us we shy away from strangers, we are fearful of difference and we gravitate towards people who are like us and who do like us.

This week’s lectionary Gospel reading is that odd story of  the Emmaus Road where two disciples walk with a stranger who asks them about what has happened over easter.  They tell him and the stranger starts to talk scripture with them, reminding them of all the things Jesus had said.  Still they don’t recognise him.

Why?  Why can’t they see Him for who he is?  It’s not until he breaks the bread that they really see him.

I wonder if it was because they didn’t expect to see Jesus?  They just weren’t looking.

I wonder how often we miss Jesus because we aren’t looking?  How often we just don’t see?

Mary of Bethany & Judas

This is a post from last year that seems to get lots of hits so I thought I’d remind people it’s there in time for Holy Week.  It’s a sermon about Mary of Bethany and Judas.

You can find it HERE.

Palm Sunday Sermon

This is today’s sermon, preached at Barrhead United Reformed Church:

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

For the next few minutes I would like you all to hold the Palm cross you were given as you arrived this morning.  Feel it in your hand.  Look at it.

I have to admit that I find Palm Sunday to be one of the strangest days in the Christian calendar.  Preparation for today has occupied my thoughts for a few weeks because I wasn’t very sure how to approach today’s service.

You see today is the day when we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  The crowds are cheering, the hymns of praise rise up to meet him and there is a party atmosphere.  Perhaps, despite all of Jesus’ hints and predictions, everything will be alright in the end.  Perhaps the people will accept Jesus.  Perhaps there will be no need for him to make that final journey to the cross.  And in my experience that is the way we have tended to treat Palm Sunday.  As a child I remember processions through the church waving paper palm leaves and singing joyful songs like the ones we have sung together this morning.

The wilderness

Yesterday I was at Lanark Greyfriars leading worship. Despite a random powerpoint disaster - disaster is probably a bit strong, the pictures were fine but the music decided not to play - (you know the kind: works before service, doesn’t work in service, works fine after service) it was ok.

It was the first Sunday of Lent and the readings were about Jesus’ time in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil.

I often wonder why people give stuff up for lent. I’m not a big fan of stopping things, and would even advocate you do something new or different for lent. But I guess the practice of giving up comes very much from Jesus’ 40 days in the barren wilderness with nothing to do but think. I said yesterday that the temptations Jesus faced were the kind of things we are all faced with and are often the things we let get in the way, between us and God. Power, glory hunting, self-reliance.

So maybe giving up something is a good idea, but I think I’m going to spend more time doing the things I find hard, reading the Bible and praying. Maybe that means some other things will go to make room for these but that’s ok. And I’m still eating chocolate!!!

Lanark Greyfriars Podcast

Lanark Greyfriars Church have a new addition to their website… a podcast of part of the morning service.  Now you can listen online or download some of the talky bits; the readings and sermon and stuff.  They are available on the church website by clicking the link above and will be on iTunes shortly.

sounding odd

This morning went well at Lanark I think.  I eventually got something to say (thanks for all your suggestions and support!) and was working with all the powerpoint, video and sound.  I have to say it is such a big space that when you stand behind the speakers it sounds very odd!  I hope the rest of the monitors arrive soon to give some more fill!  As a result I’m not sure how I sounded which is kind of strange when you’re preaching.

People were really welcoming and I had met some before when I was guest preacher at the joint Holy Week services when I preached about Mary of Bethany and Judas (it’s in my BOX if you want to read it).

I’m at my dad’s churches next week… and the texts are about Mary and Martha!  Looking forward to that!

You would think it should be easy

I’m leading worship on Sunday.  Nothing new in that.  I’m at Lanark Greyfriars.  That is new.  I’ve never been there before.

I’m struggling a bit.  The text for Sunday is the Parable of the Good Samaritan, perhaps the best known of all the parables.  And there in lies the problem.  What can you say about the most famous story in the world?

I’m sure I’ll think of something… maybe!

I’ve noticed a bit of a pattern with preaching.  I definitely find the more well known texts harder to preach on.  I wonder why that is?

hard questions at Drumchapel

I was back at Drumchapel Essenside this morning to lead worship.  They are such a great bunch of people.  So down to earth and welcoming.

The texts for today were quite challenging; the story of Elijah asking God to raise the widow’s son back to life from 1 Kings 17 and Luke’s account of Jesus raising the son of a widow in Nain (chapter 7).

These texts raise some very real questions about why not everyone gets healed, why bad things happen and why God seems not to intercede.  As I prepared over the week I felt in an awkward position as an outsider going in and talking about these kind of questions with a group of people I hardly know. (I’ll post my sermon in the blue BOX)

What struck me was despite the obvious and well documented hardships of Drumchapel the people in the church seem to be bouyant and optimistic.  They are people who get on and get stuck in.

They even asked why Avril wasn’t there (she’s not been feeling great).  In some churches we go to people don’t even speak to her!

I’m not preaching again for a while as I’ve got Crossover next weekend, Synod Day the weekend after then a couple of weeks later it’s General Assembly so a busy time.  I’m also off to London for our team meeting on Tuesday and I’m going by train so I’m looking forward to the journey and the free wi-fi provided by GNER!

wikiletics

Hey, it’s a wiki full of sermons, including one of mine (but don’t let that put you off) listed as ‘Friend , wherefore art thou come’ but posted here on my blog as Mary of Bethany & Judas .  Check out wikilectics for yourself.

Thanks to Russell for the pointer!

Ramble on Wisdom

Today’s service at St Andrew’s in Blantyre was great.  Nice people.  Warm and friendly.  I did most of the service with Pete, the minister, an I shared communion (he did the magic, I’m not allowed ; ) )  I’ve stuck the sermon in the Box in the sidebar with some others.  I’m not sure what I think of it.  It’s ok in bits but could do with a good edit!  Any feedback would be appreciated.

It turns out that trying to say something coherant about wisdom isn’t that easy!