Sermon: Maundy Thursday – You Are What You Eat – 4/5/12
April 10, 2012 by Steve Ver Kuilen
Filed under Pastor's Corner, Sermons
...or click here to download the file to your computer for later.
Scripture Reference – John 13
Download Now: You Are What You Eat
VisioNotes: Sleep Well
April 2, 2012 by Steve Ver Kuilen
Filed under Pastor's Corner
Download Now: Sleep Well
Sleep Well Do you ever have a day in which you wish you could take a nap? A few minutes with your eyes closed, on a comfortable couch, free of noise, curled up under a warm blanket – it seems like that could be the remedy for some of our most hectic days. That might be just what you need to improve your mood, increase your alertness, and sharpen your mind. Life might be more manageable if we added some afternoon rest into it. Twenty minutes in length is the prevailing wisdom. If you’ve ever yearned for a mid-day nap, you’re not alone. Recent studies show that millions of Americans are regularly deprived of the amount of sleep they need to function well. According to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 36% of Americans drive drowsy or fall asleep while driving. I hate to think that every third car on the road could be operated by someone trying hard to stay awake. Those who sleep at the wheel might never wake up. Over the centuries, the word “sleep” has sometimes been used as a way to refer to death. Shakespeare is well known for writing of the “sleep of death”. Long before Hamlet, the apostle Paul referred to believers who had died as “those who are asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13, NASB). The ancient Hebrews even spoke of King David’s death in these terms: “David slept with his ancestors, and was buried” (1 Kings 2:10). Before the advance of medicine, it was hard to tell if someone was in a coma, merely asleep, or deceased. In our contemporary culture, the word “death” is sometimes avoided because it can seem harsh to use. To be more gentle, we will refer to someone as having “passed on” or “passed away”. Other times we avoid directly speaking of a person’s death and instead refer to the loss of their life: “I’m sorry for your loss.” There’s nothing wrong with these comments at times of grieving. Death and dying can be hard topics to talk about, and it’s better to use sensitive words than to avoid the reality altogether. As difficult as death can be, it’s also good to call death exactly what it is and to speak of it by name. We don’t need to shrink back from speaking of death. This is because we have a God who knows the experience of pain and dying firsthand. At the heart of the Christian faith is a man who undertook horrific suffering and died for the sake of the world. It’s important to say that Jesus did not just fall asleep. He didn’t take a three day nap. Neither is it helpful to say that Jesus passed away. Jesus died on that day we now call Good Friday, and his death has profound implications for our life and our death. When we are baptized, the waters are to us a spiritual death by drowning. In the drowning of baptism, we are united to the death of Jesus. Jesus died, and so will we die. We can approach life and death knowing that our savior has gone before us, knowing that we are united to the One who conquered death and rose to new life. If Jesus died, and didn’t just pass away, then neither will we merely pass away. We will die but not be lost. We will rise with Jesus to new life. Every time we go to bed or take a nap, we rehearse this dying and rising. We lie down in sleep, and we rise to a new day. Even on the day when we will sleep in death, we will rise to a day more glorious than we can imagine. Until then, let’s make the most of our going-to-sleep time. Pause to say a prayer – for the church and for those you love, and place yourself in God’s hands. Knowing that Jesus died and rose for us, we can live strong, die with grace, and sleep well. United in Christ, Pastor Matt “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:5)Sermon: Giving Up – 4/1/12 (read Mark 14-15)
April 2, 2012 by Steve Ver Kuilen
Filed under Pastor's Corner, Sermons
...or click here to download the file to your computer for later.
Download Now: Giving Up
Since the Scripture reading was so long it has not been included in the podcast. Please read Mark chapters 14 & 15.
Sermon: Win, Lose, Draw – 3/25/12
April 2, 2012 by Steve Ver Kuilen
Filed under Pastor's Corner, Sermons
...or click here to download the file to your computer for later.
Download Now: Win, Lose, Draw
Tuesdays play group
March 23, 2012 by TammyPomplun
Filed under Featured Content
Sermon: John 3:16 – 3/18/12
March 19, 2012 by Steve Ver Kuilen
Filed under Pastor's Corner, Sermons
...or click here to download the file to your computer for later.
Listen Now: John 3:16
Sermon: Where is God? – 3/11/12
March 14, 2012 by Steve Ver Kuilen
Filed under Pastor's Corner, Sermons
...or click here to download the file to your computer for later.
Download Now: Where is God?
VisioNotes: Ask For It – March 2012
March 2, 2012 by Steve Ver Kuilen
Filed under Pastor's Corner
Download Now: Ask For It
Ask For It
I never used to listen to talk radio. But a few years ago I was finally convinced to give National Public Radio (NPR) a chance. And I liked it. I could get some news and learn something, too. It turned out that talk radio can actually be entertaining.
One of the NPR programs that I stumbled upon is Car Talk. The hosts of the show are Tom and Ray Magliozzi, affectionately known as Click and Click, the Tappet brothers (don’t ask me why). Every week people across the country call Click and Clack with questions about car maintenance and repair. (You can catch the show on Saturdays at 9:00am on WHAD 90.7 FM.)
I didn’t expect the show to pique my interest. But I was surprised. The show’s hosts are not only knowledgeable and helpful, they are hilarious. Without being mean-spirited or disrespectful, they laugh with others, and they laugh at themselves. And somehow through the topic of our automobiles, they evoke the stories of people’s lives.
On a recent show, a woman called in to discuss a former car situation. Fifteen years ago, she had borrowed her father’s car for a 200 mile road trip to a college party. On the way there, the car started to overheat. She pulled into a repair garage and was advised to quickly get the car to a shop for some serious repair. Against the mechanics advice, the young woman continued her trip and proceeded to go to the party before returning home. The next day her father was driving his car when the car essentially blew up. When the father inquired of his daughter, the young woman denied having had any problems on her road trip.
Evidently plagued by guilt, this woman called in 15 years later in hopes that Click and Clack would absolve her of any wrongdoing. After telling the whole story and answering a few questions, the verdict was clear. Guilty. Click and Clack agreed that the blown up car was her fault. With her somewhat reluctant permission, Car Talk phoned the woman’s father at work and put his friendly voice immediately on the air. Then the intervention began.
Click and Clack explained the situation, and invited the woman to speak the truth to her father. When she said very little, the host brothers didn’t let her off the hook. They encouraged her to actually apologize, to say she was sorry, and to ask for forgiveness. To this the woman hemmed and hawed. “What? Really? Come on.” Yes, they urged. It was your fault, and “there’s no statute of limitations on apologizing to your father.” Without missing a beat, the woman’s father chimed in and said, “and there’s no statute of limitations on my forgiveness.”
We can thank God that this father’s approach to his daughter is the approach that our God takes with all of us. Our God is ready to forgive his children. There are no limitations or conditions. Then why are we so often like the daughter and reluctant to tell the truth. Maybe it was the woman’s pride that held her back. But her dishonesty had festered in her guilty conscience for 15 years. Her failure to confess was hurting her far more than it was hurting her father.
“I’m sorry.” “Will you forgive me?” What if we got better at saying those words? Saying them to God, yes, and also saying them to each other. Even with little, daily situations. Maybe you can be convinced to give it a chance. Like NPR grew on me, honest words of humility can grow on each of us. We know God will be ready to move forward. In the face of sincerity, most of us would be ready to forgive, too. If we get these words in our daily vocabulary, we will be surprised at the life we find through honest, active confession.
Lord, have mercy,
Pastor Matt
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)
Sermon: Godparents – 2/26/12
March 2, 2012 by Steve Ver Kuilen
Filed under Pastor's Corner, Sermons
...or click here to download the file to your computer for later.
Listen Now: Godparents
40 Days of the Lord’s Prayer
February 25, 2012 by TammyPomplun
Filed under Current News
