Mark Twain in chapter five of his book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, wrote of Tom at a church service: The service began with a list of announcements which he thought would go on “to the crack of doom.” He talked about the prayer which was generous in its detail and he resented it whenever anything new was added in. The preacher’s sermon “droned along [so] monotonously… and was so prosy that many a head began to nod.
This reminds us of what happens when we come together to worship. The announcements are a little long, the songs aren’t to our liking, the preacher is a little boring. Some of us even do things to keep ourselves awake. We are at a different time. Forty years ago people didn’t ask, why do I have to go to church (worship)? Things have changed, culturally and intellectually so that we look at life a little differently. Sunday morning is now seen as a time to relax. If we don’t like the way things are where we presently worship, we will look for a place where things are the way we want them to be. Most people when they think about worship do not think about it as essential or the most critical thing they will do during the week.
We come together every Lord’s Day to be in the presence of God. Even though it may not look like much, and even when we don’t leave with a feeling of excitement, what happens during worship is of great importance because this is where we approach Mount Zion and we offer our praise to the One who is worthy of all praise. May we never as Christians take this opportunity in a light manner!
In the text we are studying this morning, Luke tells us that “Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with…
Our "One Word" study has recently been emphasizing words that tell about relationships. Our word for this lesson highlights men who serve the flock through building relationships that are necessary…
In the eighteenth chapter of the book of Genesis, Abraham and his wife, Sarah, are visited by three men — who we later learn are two angels and the Lord…
The term "Christian" comes from the Greek word CHRISTIANOS (khris-tee-an-os'). "Christian" appears only three times in Scripture, with all occurrences being in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter…
Many of us here today have perhaps heard the slogan, “Bigger is better.” A long time ago, a well known preacher said, “the world worships at the shrine of greatness.”…
Satan has launched a major attack against marriage in our modern day. As Howard Norton has pointed out, "Marriage has become little more than an option or a joke for…
While “standing by the lake of Gennesaret” Jesus saw two boats at the edge of the lake. “The fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.” (They…
In thinking about godly mothers, I want us to consider a woman who as far as we know did not have children of her own. However, she was called "a…
This morning, as I seek to encourage you to remember our Lord’s sacrifice on our behalf, I would like to take you back to another place and time: a. The…
One of the most beautiful words in all of God’s Word is the word we seek to examine tonight. It is the word “hope,” but it is not found at…
