Religion — Page 8

A sermon preached at John Knox Kirk of Kansas City, Missouri, on December 15, 2013.

*Please see the footnote. As I made clear from the pulpit, this sermon in particular draws directly from material and is adapted from the sermon “God is With Us” by Fred Craddock in The Cherry Log Sermons.

The most powerful message I ever heard about Joseph

was told to me by Fred Craddick.[i]

Its important enough, to me, at least,

that I’ll try to tell it to you anew, though it is his story.

///

We’re getting towards the end of Advent.

Next Sunday is the Pageant! And we have almost arrived…

We are almost to Bethlehem.

The baby is due anytime.

And all we have to do now is WAIT – Which is the hardest part.

The ANTICIPATION, for me, is always the hardest right about now.

Often the most miserable room in the hospital…is the WAITING ROOM.

You try to get information—nobody will give you information.

You feel helpless.

Time goes by in a creepingly SLOW way.

NOBODY…WAITS very well!

So I suggest this morning—

–in order to occupy ourselves UNTIL the birth—

–that we do what Matthew did.

Matthew went outside and took a stroll through Jesus’ family graveyard. [Read more…]

2013 11 24 – Songs New and Old from John Knox Kirk on Vimeo.

A sermon preached at John Knox Kirk of Kansas City, Missouri, on November 24, 2013.

Luke 1: 67-79
and Psalm 98

Tuesday this week, I did something

that, as far as I can figure, is seldom done anymore these days

particularly with the rise of

speakerphones and skype and teleconferencing:

On Tuesday I got up bright and early to fly to Minneapolis

for a six-hour meeting at Westminster Presbyterian Church

and then got on another plane and flew home that night.

I needed to be there in person.

I am helping to plan a conference there in April

and I needed to see the space and size it up

so I can get a sense of where the 500 people

can register and eat and have workshops and get coffee.

That sort of thing.

So their associate pastor, Meghan Gage-Finn,

gave me the tour.

The Sanctuary…an old, beautiful, mahogany festooned sanctuary

The grand hall, the office complex, the Christian education wing

What you might expect from a thriving, downtown church.

The last stop before heading off for various other meetings

was the choir loft, which was impressive

and then the “kids choir” room next door.

I walked in and Meghan flicked on the lights

and on a rack to the left as we walked in

were the kids choir robes:

a maroon red with a white lacy upper portion.

And I immediately smiled.

[Read more…]

Sermon: Anticipation

Sermon: Songs Old and New