“Did
Jesus Miss the Turn?”
“Jesus insistence that money is both
physical and spiritual explains why he spoke of it so frequently.
Buttrick’s classic book, The Parables of Jesus, lists 43
parables. Twenty seven of these, (62%) refer to money and
possessions. One out of every ten verses in the four Gospels ( a
total of 288 verses) deals with money. The Bible includes 500
verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses on money and what it
buys.
“The question Jesus illustrates so
perfectly with the story of the rich barn builder is as current as
the morning paper. Each of us asks the same question every day of
our lives: Will I try to achieve a quality life by focusing on
money or by focusing on God? As we answer that question, we
tend to believe yet resist believing Jesus’ teaching that money is
both material and spiritual. On one hand, we see that Jesus is
right. On the other hand, we are constantly tempted to think and
behave as if Jesus missed the turn on this issue”. (Money
Is/Isn’t Everything, Herb Miller)
In the month of October, I will be
preaching a series of sermons, culminating in our Consecration
Sunday, on October 26th.
The series is looks like this, so
far:
10/5 1. What does our giving look like? From Black and
White to High Def 1080
10/12
2. What does our giving feel like? From Duty Bound to
Extravagant
10/19
3. What does our giving sound like? From Console HiFi to Dolby
5.1
10/26
4. What is my giving shaped like? From Pumpkins to
Jack-o-Lanterns; Carving out creative, new patterns
If you have been caught up in the
current financial crisis, work for a Wall Street firm, are concerned
about your personal loans and/or mortgages, have excessive credit
card debt, have been furloughed from your job, or simply need time
and space to think about and possibly re-examine your financial
commitments, I invite you to come explore your thoughts in the
connected-comfort of a community of faith that God has placed in
your life. If any of these sermon titles intrigue you, and trigger
thoughts that you would love to share with me, please call or email
or stop by the Pastor’s Study, and, with your permission, I will
gladly integrate them into my sermons.
As worship in the month of October
turns thoughts toward giving, I close with some sage advice
preached some years ago by the famous Billy Graham:
“You make a living by what you
get, you make a life by what you give.”
Sincerely yours in service to life-transforming ministries…
Rev. Ed
Rev. Edward H. Carll, Sr. Pastor
