Psalm 43

In our reading this morning, Jesus is fed up with the tests of the Pharisees and beings to teach about Living the Story, living out what we believe, practicing what we preach.  He uses the Pharisees as an example, not because they were the worst around at practicing what they preach, but because they were some of the ones who tried the hardest.  They were the United Methodists of the day – pious and self-righteous, wanting to be good, but lost in the details rather than connected through the relationships.  Listen for the word of God.  [Read more...]

 Tests of Faith: Commitment

Last week I talked about the test of faith our congregation and our denomination has been going through as attendance drops and churches have to close, as Gladwyne UMC plans to this fall. We are not in so  dire a predicament here at St. Luke. Most churches would love to have the choices and resources that we have, but we also know that we have to reach out and grow our church or we will soon face the same problems some of these other churches are facing now. I called last week for a time of discernment in the three weeks leading up to the annual meeting of the church on Monday, November 7 and I have been talking to people to get your thoughts about possible ways we might go. I want to risk talking about one possibility this morning. Let’s be guided by this important reading from Matthew.

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October 16, 2011

Tests of Faith: Loyalty

Over the next 3 weeks, this new sermon series I’m calling “Tests of Faith” will look at the test of faith that we are facing as a congregation. We will consider other tests of faith, of course, including the test of faith involved in losing a parent or a loved one, the test of faith we face when our prayer life suddenly seems to go dry or for some reason we feel discouraged or depressed. There are many ways our faith gets tested in our personal lives, and I hope you will find some guidance and comfort in these sermons, particularly if you are facing a personal crisis of faith.
In this series, however, I want to particularly address the test of faith that I feel we are facing as a congregation. We are a small congregation with a powerfully committed core of folks – dedicated and faithful in ministry. Ten years or so ago, this congregation felt a mini-resurgence of energy as a new group of people – some individuals and some young families joined the church. You could feel a modest lift and a new energy, as the Children’s Celebration, which was my fancy name for Sunday School had actual children attending, as confirmation classes came together with young teens joining the church, as LIFE groups met and people felt their lives changing through deepened relationships, and as we pulled off the Main Line Children’s Festival and a trip to New Orleans and other mission projects together. [Read more...]

Some clever person imagined that Steve Jobs, who died this week, was introduced to Moses. I’m assuming it’s Peter who meets him at the Pearly Gates and says to Moses, “Moses, Meet Steve. He’s going to upgrade your tablets.” Apple computer announced this week that they are releasing a new version of the iPhone, iPhone 4s. I have been reading about it and was ready to upgrade my phone, so I ordered one.

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In our house, there’s a standing joke whenever we get our phone bill these days.  It’s fun to look at it together as a family. Last month my wife sent or received 131 text messages.  That’s pretty good, don’t you think? – 131. But I sent or received more than double the number of text messages – 294. That’s getting serious, I think.  Then we look at my son’s text message.  You want to guess how many texts he sent and received last month? 4,152.

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