This sermon is an exploration of the fundamental truth that many of us know, but most of us find hard to believe. 1 John 4 lays out the extraordinary claim that God is love. The implications for our lives and the world we live in are profound and unlimited in the light of this reality - if only we can come to know and believe that it is true. May we let go of our false self and let our true self be known and loved by the God who is love.

After the ancient people of God crossed the Jordan River and entered into the Promised Land, they stacked 12 stones to serve as a memorial that God indeed had remained faithful to God’s people. The resurrection of Jesus is our memorial stone as the renewed people of God. Jesus’ resurrection was not a collection of stones stacked by human beings, but a single stone that God rolled away when life triumphed over death. Resurrection as a memorial stone is a way of seeing. Our painful past is often recorded in our memories in black and white, but resurrection colors everything with hope and life. The resurrection as a memorial stone changes how we look at our suffering personally and collectively because the resurrection of Jesus is a signpost pointing us to a future resurrection of our own.

The Gospel of John decidedly and deliberately differs from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John the Evangelist wants to give us a theological Gospel containing the highest possible Christology. In his opening sentence John tells us that this one who is the Word of God is fully divine. While the other Gospels give genealogies and tell us that Jesus comes from Bethlehem and Nazareth, John is not interested in those particular biographical details. For John the only genealogy of Jesus that really matters is that he is the Son of God, who was in the beginning with God, and that he is the truth of God who comes from heaven, that is from above.

SanctuaryHiss Golden MessengerFeeling badFeeling blueCan't get out of my own mindI know how to sing about itRing of boneA little lonelyI better hit the road, childWe can cry into the phone a whileJubileeFind meSteady with your hope nowThat little light's gotta last a whileLike an arrow to the marrowI know it feels like hell now'Til we make it to the other sideYou want good newsYou want sanctuaryWhen you try to get realOh, they break you on the wheelYou wanna moveYou want sanctuaryThat's all that I can offer to youFrom the bottom to the boneTo the boneGet used to the bad newsIt's all part of the show, childHandsome Johnny had to go, childDid you feel the bad news?Oh, there's something you should know nowLittle things that'll cut you downRagged peopleHard timesAnd the lightning strikes the poorhouseThe rich man cries like a crocodileSalvationDespairBut the game that they taught meSometimes it feels like it just ain't fairYou want good newsYou want sanctuaryWhen you try to get realOh, they break you on the wheelYou wanna moveYou want sanctuaryThat's all that I can offer to youFrom the bottom to the boneTo the boneYeah, to the boneAh, to the boneYeah, to the boneAh, to the boneYeah, to the boneAh, to the boneFeeling badFeeling blueCan't get out of my own mindBut I know how to sing about it

Quiet TownThe KillersA couple of kids got hit by a Union Pacific trainCarrying sheet metal and household appliancesThrough the pouring rainThey were planning on getting married after graduationHad a little baby girl, trouble came and shut it downThings like that ain't supposed to happenIn this quiet townFamilies are tightGood people,They still don't deadbolt their doors at nightIn this quiet townWhen we first heard opioid storiesThey were always in whispering tonesNow banners of sorrow mark the front steps of childhood homesParents wept through daddy's girl eulogiesAnd merit badge milestones with their daughters and sonsLaying there lifeless in their suits and gownsSomebody's been keeping secretsIn this quiet townThey know how to liveGood people who lean on JesusThey're quick to forgiveIn this quiet townNow whenever I'm near the townI'll find some reason to giveAnd I will walk with the dead and the living where I used to liveAnd every time I see my parents in the prime of their livesOffering their son the kind of love he could never put downPart of me is still that stainless kid, luckyIn this quiet townSalt of the landHard-working people, if you're in troubleThey'll lend you a handHere in this quiet townThe first crop of hay is upSchool let out and the sun beats downSmoke billows from a Sunday trainThat cries away from a quiet town

Unconditional (Lookout Kid)Unconditional (Lookout Kid)Arcade FireLookout kid, trust your heartYou don't have to play the part They wrote for youJust be trueThere are things that you could doThat no one else on earth could ever doBut I can't teach you, I can't teach it to youLookout kid, trust your mindBut you can't trust it everytimeYou know it plays tricks on youAnd it don't give a damn if you are happy or you're sadBut if you've lost it, don't feel bad'Cause it's alright to be sadLookout kid, trust your bodyYou can dance, and you can shakeThings will break, you make mistakesYou lose your friends, again and again'Cause nothing is ever perfectNo one's perfectLet me say it again, no one's perfectRightA lifetime of skinned kneesAnd heartbreak comes so easyBut a life without pain would be boringAnd if you feel it, it's fineI give you everything that's mineI give you my heart and my precious timeLookout kid, trust your soulIt ain't hard to rock n' rollYou know how to move your hipsAnd you know God is cool with itBut some people want the rock without the rollBut we all know, there's no God without soulRightA lifetime of skinned kneesAnd heartbreak comes so easilyBut a life without youWould be boring for someone like meAnd if you feel it, it's fineI give you everything that's mineI give you my heart and my precious time(Precious time)(Give you everything)I give you my heart and my precious timeUnconditionalUnconditionalNo matter what you doIt's unconditional Unconditional No matter what you doIt's unconditional

Waiting On A WarFoo FightersI've been waiting on a war since I was youngSince I was a little boy with a toy gunNever really wanted to be number oneJust wanted to love everyoneIs there more to this than that?Is there more to this than that?Is there more to this than that?Is there more to thisMore to this, more to this thanJust waiting on a war?Just waiting on a war?Every day waiting for the sky to fallBig crash on a world that's so smallJust a boy with nowhere left to goFell in love with a voice on the radioIs there more to this than that?Is there more to this than that?Is there more to this than that?Is there more to thisMore to this, more to this thanJust waiting on a war?Just waiting on a war?Just waiting on a war for this and thatThere's got to be more to this than thatJust waiting on a war for this and thatThere's got to be more to this than thatI've been waiting on a war since I was youngSince I was a little boy with a toy gunIs there more to thisMore to this, more to this thanJust waiting on a war?Just waiting on a war?Just waiting on a war for this and thatThere's got to be more to this than thatJust waiting on a war for this and thatThere's got to be more to this than thatJust waiting on a war for this and thatThere's got to be more to this than thatJust waiting on a war for this and thatThere's got to be more to this than that'Cause I need moreYeah, I need moreJust waiting on a warJust waiting on a warYeah, I need more (for this and that)(There's got to be more to this than that)Yeah, I need more (just waiting on a war, for this and that)(There's got to be more to this than that)Just waiting on a war

Sunday, July 31, 2022Life ain’t always empty…Don’t get stuck in the pastSay your favorite things at massTell your mother that you love herAnd go out of your way for othersSit beneath a light that suits youAnd look forward to a brighter futureLife ain’t always empty…Sink as far down as you can be pulled upHappiness really ain’t all about luckLet your demeanor be your deep down selfAnd don’t sacrifice your life for your healthWhen you speak, speak sincereAnd believe me friend, everyone will hearLife ain’t always empty…Bring your own two centsNever borrow them from someone elseBuy yourself a flower every hundredth hourThrow your hair down from your lonely towerAnd if, and ifYou find yourself in the family wayGive the kid more than what you got in your dayLife ain’t always empty…Never let a clock tell you what you got time forIt only goes around, goes around, goes aroundTake your family name for your own great sins'Cause each day is where it all beginsAnd don’t give up too quickYou only get one line, you better make it stickIf we give ourselves to every breathThen we’re all in the running for a hero's deathLife ain’t always empty…

Mary and Martha do not represent two kinds of people—the contemplative person and the practical person. Mary and Martha represent two choices—two choices we all have to make. Jesus said that Mary made the better choice. Mary chose to be an everyday mystic.

The life of the age to come for those who are seeking first the kingdom of God is a “go and do” kind of life. Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter" (Matthew 7:21). This may be one of the most sobering things Jesus has to say. Calling Jesus Lord is not the same thing as doing what the Lord Jesus says.Our life in pursuit of Jesus is not primarily about theology (what we believe), liturgy (the shape of our worship), or piety (our heart’s devotion), but a way of living shaped by the Holy Spirit around the death and resurrection of Jesus. Yes, what we believe about God is important. Yes, worship and prayer are important. Yes, devotion and passion for God are important. But each of these find their significance when they prompt us to go and do.