Fire In Your Bones

The prophets, Jeremiah in this case, spoke of a compulsion to speak the word of the Lord which felt to them like a fire in their bones. Is this an image that the contemporary church evokes?
Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky. as we consider the case of SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL in this week's sermon, FIRE IN YOUR BONES by clicking HERE for audio or HERE for text.

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.

Win Your Wings

A very long time ago, airlines gave plastic wings to children who had flown so they could pin them on their shirts and tell the world of this wonderful thing that had happened to them. I don't know if airlines still do that or not. This Pentecost we discussed two ways to think about the pilot: as here and now, in the plane with us although behind a locked door, or distant and far removed operating our airplane as a drone and intervening only to perform occasional miracles. Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky. for this week's sermon, Win Your Wings by clicking HERE for audio or HERE for text.

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.

Zhuangzi

Taoism is one of the world's oldest ways of looking at things. Master Zhuang was a very early writer in this tradition. One of his most famous stories was that of a dream he had that he was a butterfly. Come join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky. in getting Taoism all over a nice Presbyterian church for this week's sermon, Zhuangzi by clicking HERE for audio or HERE for text.

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 Chosen

Calvinist thought is built around the idea of the chosen -- that God chooses some to do his work in the world. The Talmud offers a similar idea in the notion that the world is sustained by the righteous in the same way that Sodom and Gomorrah could have been saved if ten righteous people had been found there. The idea is similar to the Jewish story of the Pillars of the Universe, and we looked at a beautiful poem by Mikael Horowitz titled "Thirty Six Sentences on the Lamed-Vovniks" https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5791033/Lamed-Vovniks.pdf

This week, we watch Paul at the Areopagus  and hear from Jesus' Farewell Discourse. Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky. for this week's sermon, The Chosen by clicking HERE for audio or HERE for text.

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.

My Garden

Christ directed his followers to spread the good news to all the nations. When we find that the nations aren't much interested in what we have to say, when we realize how irrelevant we are to those to whom we bring this good news, we're inclined to sigh about "the people today". We're much less likely to entertain seriously the possibility that the good news we are offering isn't perceived as good news at all. The god we present is seen as a children's tale, and I'm not so sure that I disagree. Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky. for this week's sermon, My Garden by clicking HERE for audio or HERE for text.

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.

Entertaining Angels

Donald Sterling stepped in pretty deep goo this week. It made me think of just how dangerous the idea of a punitive God taking notes "up there" is, and how differently the world would appear were we to confess that God makes his residence here; He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own. Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky. for this week's sermon, Entertaining Angels, by clicking HERE for audio or HERE for text.

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.

Three Little Words

Doubting Thomas gets a bum rap, I think. We listen to his story once a year, and draw from it the idea that doubt trumps faith. That's just not so. Thomas was being told a tale by the other Disciples which demanded proof. Their friend, who was killed in a very public way raised from the grave? Of course he was sceptical. I would be, too. Exceptional claims require exceptional proof.

But what if I told you that Thomas' problem wasn't doubt but faithlessness? Would that change how you feel about the story? Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, Ky. for this week's sermon, Three Little Words by clicking HERE for audio or HERE for text.

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.