Interruption: Rebirth Day / Damascus Road Story Personal Story – My life is interrupted when God makes a promise Acts 9:6 So he, trembling & astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must…
Let me first say how grateful I am to share Labor Day Sunday with you. Typically we see low attendance on this day because there are some who take the day off from laboring through another one of my sermons. Historically Labor Day is the unofficial end of wearing your summer whites. And is often marked with parties, picnics, and other social…
Read: Genesis 5:1-5 and Matthew 1:1-17. What comes to mind when you hear me say, “Once upon a time?” Do you think of a particular story? Perhaps it’s a fairy tale from your childhood? As a kid I can remember going to the library to hear the librarian read from Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Flea and the Professor,” which as you might know…
This is a sermon presented to the church on July 17, 2016 by Rev. Dr. Michael Chittum, the Executive Director of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, and the Center for Congregational Leadership. The Readings for this sermon were taken from Genesis 18:1-8 and Luke 10:38-42. The story from Luke’s gospel is short and to the point. Jesus is on one of…
Have you ever uttered this phrase: “Lord, how much can a person bear?” If so, did you scream it out loud? Or did you stew on it silently within yourself, too afraid of sounding unfaithful? Either way, you are not alone. In fact, this is the number one question I am most frequently asked. “How much can a person bear?” This is…
While it strays from the traditional lectionary readings I believe Noah’s story is fitting for today’s celebration of Epiphany. If you are unfamiliar with this traditional Christian holiday the best way to describe it is to say it commemorates the Magi arriving in Bethlehem. By definition, the word epiphany means “manifestation” or “revelation.” It comes from the Greek word Epiphania, which means,…
I want to tell you a story about a man who inherited his father’s crazy but brilliant invention. It was one of those things that is just too complicated to describe. But suffice it to say its purpose was to change the way we live forever. This inheritance came to a great surprise to the son because the father had not passed…