It's Reformation Sunday, and that made me think about names, relationships, and our connections to both Jesus and the church -- how they are different. It also made me think of a painting by Rene' Magritte called "Cesi n'est pas une pipe." Unfortunately, I thought everybody on planet earth knew about this painting. I'm informed by my congregation that this is decidedly NOT so, therefore, I include a photograph. Come join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church for our sermon on blind barTimeaus from the Gospel of Mark titled Cesi n'est pas une pipe.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
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Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The Story of Zinc
The Book of Job ends with God finally addressing Job's complaint, and God is strangely harsh. From our perspective, Job is the one who has been harmed. Why is God all snarky? It may have something to do with zinc. Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky for this week's sermon, The Story of Zinc.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Lamed Vovniks
The Book of Job is not an easy book to love. It's not even an easy book to read, and it offends most people who take the trouble to read it. But the Book of Job squarely faces our common observation that the world contains a lot of undeserved suffering. A lot of innocent people get beat up pretty badly in this old world, and it is cold comfort for some preacher to intone, "We suffer because we are sinners and bring it on our own heads." Not what *I* want to hear when I suffer.
The Jews offer a tradition of The Lamed Vovniks -- the 36 righteous men who must exist at any one time and who bear the suffering for the world. This opens the story of Jesus to us from a new light. Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky for this week's sermon, The Lamed Vovniks.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
The Jews offer a tradition of The Lamed Vovniks -- the 36 righteous men who must exist at any one time and who bear the suffering for the world. This opens the story of Jesus to us from a new light. Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky for this week's sermon, The Lamed Vovniks.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A Side of Ribs
Barbra Streisand and Mandy Patinkin are arguing in "Yentl!" about the interpretation of one of the creation stories in Genesis. "Side!" she says. "The word can mean 'side'!"
Streisand's character is arguing that men and women are equal in the sight of God. Patinkin's character is insisting that women were created from man's rib, and is, hence, inferior. Should we ever read Scripture to say that God lifts up one at the expense of the other? Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church for our sermon this week, A Side of Ribs.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
Streisand's character is arguing that men and women are equal in the sight of God. Patinkin's character is insisting that women were created from man's rib, and is, hence, inferior. Should we ever read Scripture to say that God lifts up one at the expense of the other? Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church for our sermon this week, A Side of Ribs.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Cluck!
First of all, my apologies to our regular listeners. I was out of town with simply the most fascinating woman I know to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary, and I could not get my laptop to post this Blog!
Esther is a most peculiar book. It never mentions God. It has to do with a secret Jew, married to a Gentile without so much as a by-your-leave. She is utterly powerless, but manages to save the Jewish people. When I look around at the world going in directions that alarm and disgust me, and feel powerless to change it, I want to sit on my porch and cluck my tongue. Esther got up and did something. See what she did as we review the Book of Esther in our Sermon, Cluck.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
Esther is a most peculiar book. It never mentions God. It has to do with a secret Jew, married to a Gentile without so much as a by-your-leave. She is utterly powerless, but manages to save the Jewish people. When I look around at the world going in directions that alarm and disgust me, and feel powerless to change it, I want to sit on my porch and cluck my tongue. Esther got up and did something. See what she did as we review the Book of Esther in our Sermon, Cluck.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
We're All Bozos on this Bus
The current heated debate on health care reform seems to be more a polarizing power than a negotiating opportunity. Nobody's listening to the other side, it seems. Each side is lecturing the other. It is like the husband (that would be me) advising a wife (that would be She Who Must Be Obeyed) on how to be a better wife by reading Scripture to her. It is an unwise course to follow. See how that plays out by joining the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte for "We're all Bozos on this Bus".
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Who Is This Burglar, Anyway
When Jesus announced his intention to go to Jerusalem, he was telling His Disciples that he was going on a crime spree, because to defy the law of the land in the way He intended to do was, in fact, a crime, and one punishable by death. Since Emperor Constantine, we have come to view Christians as law-abiding good citizens. It would have been impossible in Jesus' time to see Him in this way. Jesus was going to directly confront the law. In this chilling passage, we see Jesus as The Bad Guy -- the criminal who broke the law. This is the way Jesus died, as a criminal.
In thinking about this, my mind went to another criminal who was executed -- the Lutheran Pastor and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, hanged by the Nazis a month before they surrendered. Bonhoeffer gave us the phrase "cheap grace".
Has contemporary Christianity prettied itself up such that it can no longer claim the grace that God pours out freely? Come join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte Kentucky for the third part of our burglar series, Who is this burglar, anyway?
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
In thinking about this, my mind went to another criminal who was executed -- the Lutheran Pastor and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, hanged by the Nazis a month before they surrendered. Bonhoeffer gave us the phrase "cheap grace".
Has contemporary Christianity prettied itself up such that it can no longer claim the grace that God pours out freely? Come join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte Kentucky for the third part of our burglar series, Who is this burglar, anyway?
Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Kentucky, was built on the casting floor of a 19th Century iron blast furnace. We use "The Casting Floor" as an image for the power of the Spirit to form us. Visit us at http://communitypresbyterian.org.
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