Matthew 25:14-30 There is an old familiar saying: Be careful what you wish for, you might get it. It comes from that wise fellow, Aesop, who told a story about an elderly man trying to gather up some firewood and finding that he is too frail to carry the load. In exasperation he called upon death to come and get him. To his surprise, death appeared and asked, “What can I do for you, old man?” The startled man said, “O! nothing at all; sorry to have bothered you.” We sometimes wish for things simply because we haven’t thought it through well enough. We wish to win the lottery without thinking through the various costs such good fortune might present. There are enough cautionary tales about people who did win the lottery and have nothing but bitterness and woe from the experience. If you are like me, you think, “But […]
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Hope for the Rich
Amos 6:1, 4-7 Luke 16:19-31 Some years ago I was talking with some people about what the Bible says about wealth. We had just read a passage from Luke where Jesus says, “Woe to you who are rich.” We wondered if he really meant that. Because, is it really that bad being rich? Most of us who are not rich would like to be, if we had the chance. I can hear your objections already. “I’m not interested in being wealthy. I’m not the kind of person who wants big fancy houses and yachts and cars.” And maybe you are not. But it seems to me the most appealing thing about having wealth is to not have to worry about money. The thing that most of us would probably like the most is to never have to worry about whether we have enough money for the things we need […]
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Mark 6:30-44 Recently, I came across this list of the top ten things you never hear in church. Hey – it’s my turn to sit in the front row! Pastor, I was so enthralled, I never noticed your sermon ran 25 minutes over. Personally, I find witnessing much more enjoyable than golf. How long is the waiting list to serve on session? I’ll be the permanent nursery volunteer. Isn’t it great to have the children running around the church making a joyful noise? I LOVE it when we sing songs I’ve never heard before! No, don’t ask someone else. Let me do it. Pastor, we’d like to send you to this Bible seminar in Hawaii. Nothing inspires me and strengthens my commitment like our annual stewardship drive![1] We always hear a few groans when stewardship time comes around. It seems, to many folks, like a necessary evil. We wish we […]
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