Words and Mystery

This week's service comes to you from King's Daughters and Sons Home in Ashland. We take a look at the inadequacy of words to describe the mysteries of faith, something post-Enlightenment people sometimes have a hard time grasping. I also included a bit of the final carol, Away in a Manger, to show off Paul Beasley's singing, and the playing of our volunteer pianist, now aged 93! Join the congregation at King's Daughters and Sons for Words and Mysteries from Paul's letter to his church at Galatia and the Gospel we know as "John" by clicking the blue text HERE.

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.

Christmas Signs

What really says "Christmas" to you? Is the birth of our Lord a part of that, or something that you have to be reminded of? We love the signs of Christmas so much that we sometimes value them over the real "reason for the season", and that's not just us...Matthew had the same problem. Finding a way to preach Isaiah 7 and Matthew 1 and still keep my integrity drove me to another meeting with the Sexton of the Chapel of St. Starbuck's for some clarity in the matter of Christmas Signs. Along the way, I brought my Autoharp. Come join the cleaning staff of the Chapel of St. Starbuck's, Community Presbyterian's confused fat preacher and the congregation for our sermon, Christmas Signs, by clicking any of the blue 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.

Theotokas

Protestants, it seems to me, have disconnected themselves from an important piece of their faith foundation by relegating Mary to a marginal role as a small blue statue on top of the TV, behind the Ox and a little to the right of the donkey. Surely her role in Advent is more than that, and so the early church viewed her, naming her "God-bearer", or theotokas in Greek, at the council at Calcedon in 451 AD. That same counsel proclaimed Jesus to be both fully human and fully divine. The congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte Kentucky explores the connections between these decisions, and the lesson of Mary for Advent in our sermon from the Magnificat titled Theotokas. Join us by clicking any of the blue 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.

What in the World Happened in Judea?

I suppose it takes a certain kind of mean-spirited preacher to find a way to make Advent into a problem, and I suppose I'm just that kind of a mean-spirited preacher. Be that as it may be, what in the world happened in Judea 2,000 years ago? If you're looking for an answer, you won't find it here, but you may find something to chew on. Join the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte for our sermon from Matthew 3 titled What in the World Happened in Judea by clicking any of the blue text along here.

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.

No One Knows

Ok...I'm going to get in trouble with at least one of my superiors with this one, but here it is anyway. How many times have you heard someone speak with great certainty about the Rapture, or the End Times? Did it set your teeth on edge, or is that just me? Why do people want to invest so much energy into creating scenarios about the end times when the truthful answer would be "No One Knows"? That was the answer Jesus gave in Matthew 24. Do these people who speak with such certainty think they are smarter than Jesus? Join the Congregation of Community Presbyterian Church for this week's sermon, No One Knows, by clicking here.

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.

Christ the King

Community Presbyterian lost its beloved Sexton this week. It was a shock to all of us. He had been part of the church since he was a youngster, and it seems so strange to see his pew seat empty. As we planned a memorial service for him, we extended an offer to the community to join with us in our grief. To our great surprise, the church was filled to the balcony.

How could one so quiet and unassuming have touched so many lives? Don't you need to have been a community leader, a doer of great things, to be mourned by masses of people? How could quiet John Bell have made such a stir in the community?

Since today is Christ the King Sunday, it gives us a chance to think of another humble servant -- Jesus of Nazareth -- and to meditate on the power of the servant life. Come join the congregation of Community Presbyterian and the friends and family of John Bell Judd for this week's sermon, Christ the King, by clicking here.

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.

Pie

You don't have to hang around this old world very long before coming up against religious arguments. That's why people advise youngsters not to talk about religion or politics. And yet, what a shame that God's word becomes just a venue for tiresome argument. St. Soupy offered some good advice about this. Join the congregations of St. Starbuck's the Jittery and Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte for this week's sermon from Luke 20 entitled "Pie" by clicking here.

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.