Date: March 25, 2012
Liturgical Sunday: Fifth Sunday in Lent
RCL Scripture: Psalm 119:9-16; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:5-10 John 12:20-33
Sermon Title: Destruction or security; loving or hating; losing or keeping . . . which is better?
Knox Presbyterian [audio:https://wordsfromthemiddle.ca/wp-content/uploads/120325_-_Knox.mp3|titles=Destruction or security; loving or hating; losing or keeping . . . which is better?]
St. Mark’s Presbyterian [audio:https://wordsfromthemiddle.ca/wp-content/uploads/120325_-_St_Marks.mp3|titles=Destruction or security; loving or hating; losing or keeping . . . which is better?]
In the spirit of full disclosure I feel that I should mention that I changed the sermon title from Loving or hating; losing or keeping . . . which is better? to what you see above, on the fly today. I don’t tend to do that kind of thing very often. I am a firm believer in the proverb that goes something like, “Don’t change your mind in the dark from what you decided in the light”; not, I hasten to add, that preaching is in anyway me being in the dark!
These sermons are based on the Gospel lesson for today which it came to me is primarily about complete transformation; about us undergoing a change from one thing to another thing that is as dramatic as the transition of seed to plant. The problem with the transition is as dramatic as the transition from death to life . . . and we don’t like that level of transition very often. The thing to remember, and the thing I was trying to highlight today, is that this transformation, this transition isn’t just dramatic, it is real.
We are almost out of Lent and into the liturgical season of Easter. May your Lenten observations, whatever they may be, continue to feed your soul until Easter Sunday, when all is life and light and goodness.
Warm blessings,
Barry
I don’t usually comment on my own posts but Neala was hanging out with me when I did up the post above and as many of you know, there is nothing like an active and creative five year old to prevent that silly focusing nonsense. Heh.
As I was trying to get across in the post, transformation is something that we rather consistently say we want but we want it in the same way St. Augustine wanted chastity, not yet. I think we instinctively know that transformation is going to be painful for us and for everyone around us *even* as we and they know the end result will be better. True transformation equates to death very well because the truly transformed become something / someone they were not before and there is no going back. It is like death but instead of being dead when you are done, you are even more alive than you ever have been.
Barry