Fourth Sunday of Advent – Love
Date: December 19, 2010
Liturgical Sunday: Advent 4
RCL Scripture: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25
Sermon Title: Love
Knox Presbyterian [audio:https://wordsfromthemiddle.ca/wp-content/uploads/101219_Knox.mp3|titles=Love]
St. Mark’s Presbyterian [audio:https://wordsfromthemiddle.ca/wp-content/uploads/101219_St_Marks.mp3|titles=Love]
December 18, 2010 Once again I am putting up this portion of the blog prior to having preached the sermons. I’m not sure if this is hubris or just efficiency, as I’ve mused before, but there it is. It is far, FAR, too late for anyone to have input on tomorrow’s stuff unless you call me, which you are always free to do [if you don’t have my number or can’t find it then I guess you aren’t free to do so, sorry].
At this point I have no idea where I am going to go with “Love.” It is the most open, amazing, wonderful topic for anyone, let alone a lowly preacher, to address so in one way I’m looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow. I’m hesitant to put that kind of thing into print as it may make people think that I don’t take this whole enterprise seriously and NOTHING could be further from the truth. I would not go so far as to say that I spend the whole week agonizing over what to say but it is fair to say that I am really concerned that what I say on Sunday is a) true to the texts that we have chosen to follow, i.e. the Revised Common Lectionary; and, b) that my message is for the people sitting in the pews before me, not some amorphous or ill-defined “congregation.”
As I have noted before, of all the blessings that come from preaching without notes, it allows, nay forces me to look at the people in front of me and equally forces me to talk to “them,” not some illusory pseudo-congregation. I am preaching first to the good people at Knox Presbyterian and then to the equally good people at St. Mark’s Presbyterian, not a construct but to real people . . . and they all know who they are. God’s people doing God’s work. Bless them.
So, if you want to know the hymns around this Sunday’s service, please visit, https://sites.google.com/a/holtslander.com/knoxstmarks/home/ , yeah I know it is a weirdly long URL but too bad for you. Hymns have a disproportionate influence on what I preach on, even if I can’t sing due to a cold/ear infection.
As always, I am looking for feedback – you don’t have to limit yourself to the “good” stuff, just react – and I promise that I will read every post, every comment.
God bless you as you are His children,
Barry