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God of the Underdog

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  God of the Underdog I Samuel 1:4-20; I Samuel 2:1-10 Homily for 11/13/24   You and I, according to Scripture, are made in the image of God.  Into every human soul, God has hard-wired what one theologian calls “echoes of a Voice.”  Among those echoes are a yearning for beauty, relationship, spirituality, and justice.  Those human yearnings are unique among all of God’s Creation.  They demonstrate the distinctiveness of the human soul. I want to focus this morning on the yearning for justice.  No one has to teach a child the phrase, “That’s not fair!”  It seems to come naturally to us all.  And when we are the subject of injustice, we all rebel.  Rightly so.  Things are not the way they should be.  And so, we appeal to someone who can make things right.  That was the case with Hannah: I Samuel 1:4-20 (NLT) There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph
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God For Us

God for Us A Reflection on Psalm 146 November 6, 2024   In the providence of God, I find the selection of this psalm for this day after a national election to be simply amazing.   Did that fourth verse catch your attention?   Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.    I am sure that there are millions of people across this country who are feeling despondent this morning because their candidate or candidates – their “powerful people” – did not win.   On the other hand, there are millions who may be feeling euphoric today because they are on the winning side.   Both perspectives are short-sided.   As the psalm reminds us, “When [our politicians] breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.”   Instead, the psalmist puts his trust in God and lifts his spirit in praise.   Psalms 146 through 150 are all expressions of exuberant praise.   They all begin with the phrase, “Praise the Lord!”    Praise is good for
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A Good Christian Funeral

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  A Guide for Gospel-Centered Services Dr. Robert A. Myers The Need for Guidance Ever since the middle of the twentieth century, we have been enamored with youth.   It’s easy to see.   Our fixation on being young is manifested in our entertainment, our music, our advertisements, the prevalence of cosmetic surgery, and ageism in the workplace.   One author has even coined the term “juvenilization” to describe our cultural milieu.   It is no surprise, then, that most people are averse to talking about death and dying until the topic is forced upon them.   When the subject becomes unavoidable, many people are at a loss as to what to do at the time of death.   Increasingly, many people are opting to forego any sort of funeral service.   Others chose to do some sort of event at a neutral site to avoid the solemnity of a church or funeral home.   The difficult questions that death evokes are purposely avoided. People of faith don’t need to live their lives with that kind of denial.  
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Parting Words

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The following sermon was delivered on January 9, 2022 as my final message to the congregation of the First Baptist Church in Galesburg, Illinois.  Keep me safe, O God,     for I have come to you for refuge. I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!     Every good thing I have comes from you.” The godly people in the land     are my true heroes!     I take pleasure in them! Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.     I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood     or even speak the names of their gods. Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.     You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land.     What a wonderful inheritance! I will bless the Lord who guides me;     even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me.     I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.     My body rests in safety. For you will not leave m
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He Came Into Our Mess

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  Good evening, and Merry Christmas to everyone of you who have come to worship with us tonight and also to those who have joined us on line.   I have always loved attending, planning, and leading Christmas Eve services.   It is hard for me to embrace the idea that this will be my last Christmas Eve service that I will plan and lead as I am retiring from pastoral ministry and pivoting to become a hospice chaplain in less than a month.   It’s almost shocking to myself to say that.   Nevertheless, Christmas Eve services seem almost magical with all the beautiful lights and music.   As the Christmas Story unfolds through the service order, my emotions have never ceased to stir with wonder of how the omnipotent God who created the whole vast universe would condescend to become a helpless little baby.   But not only does the Christmas Story and the accompanying carols cause me to pause in wonder-filled worship, my heart is also warmed by being together with people that I love.   Even behi
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This Was a Surprise

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It has been said that God is a God of surprises.   The way my mom tells it, each of her five kids were little surprises from God.   We’ve had a little surprise come our way as well.   (No, Diane’s not pregnant!)   I don’t know if it is the pandemic or our advancing age on the backside of our sixties.   It’s been over sixteen years since we moved away from our family and we are saddened as we watch our grandchildren and one great-grandchild grow up without us being there.   Next month our great-grandson will be two years old and I’ve never held him or spoken directly to him.   We began to wonder if we could make it in this role for the next three years or if that would even be the best way to spend those years of our life.   A pastor needs to remember that his family is his first line of ministry and it sometimes seems like I’ve been negligent.   So, Diane and I began to wonder and pray if God wasn’t leading me to retire from local church ministry and seek some sort of work closer to ou
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Engage!

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  I wouldn’t call myself a “Trekkie.”   Never been to a convention.   I haven’t seen all the movies and I didn’t really care for any of the franchises beyond “Next Generation.”   I thought William Shatner in the first series was hilarious – always overacting – a virtual parody of himself.   The ensemble in “Next Generation” was quite good.   Casting Patrick Stewart with his commanding voice and presence as Captain Jean-Luc Picard was a stroke of genius.   I especially liked the way he gave orders.   After ensuring all the proper procedures were in place, he would firmly issue his command, “Engage!”   We’ve been dealing with this pandemic now for over a year and a half.   It seems there are more hills to climb in our journey together.   Nevertheless, there is a sense, it seems to me, among most people that it is time to get on with living.   This isn’t a political piece or a personal statement on masking.   Those issues are for each individual to choose.   For me, the words of the New
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