Sermon Preview: Sunday, December 21

Scripture Readings: 

Luke 2:1-6

John 1:1-2, 14

Sermon Title: 

Touched!

Worship Preview: Sunday, December 14

Join us for a special worship service beginning at our regular time (10:45 a.m.).  Dr. Gaddy's sermon will be given in various parts, dispersed between the music of Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, performed by Northminster Choir and the ULM Brass Ensemble.

Sermon Preview: Sunday, December 7

Sermon Title: Where is the Manger?

Sermon focus: The focus of the sermon is on contemporary implications of Mark's non-treatment of the nativity story.  In other words, the Incarnation occurs in the middle of everything.  There are no soft touches.  There is no poetic language.

Scriptures: 

Isaiah 40:1-11

1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.  3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." 6 A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings;  lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,  lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

Mark 1:1-8

1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,' " 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Sermon Preview: Sunday, November 30

We invite you to use the following sermon preview to prepare for worship on Sunday morning.

This Sunday, Dr. Gaddy will deliver a sermon titled, "The Worst Christmas Ever! Really?"  

The scripture reading will be Isaiah 64:1-9b.

Sermon Preview: Sunday, November 23

We invite you to use the following sermon preview to prepare for worship on Sunday morning.

This Sunday, Dr. Gaddy will deliver a sermon titled, "A Thanks-giving."  

This reflection will complement a choral presentation at the end of the service titled, "A Song of Thanksgiving."

Sermon Preview: November 16, 2008

We invite you to use the following sermon preview to prepare for worship on Sunday morning.

This Sunday, Dr. Gaddy will deliver a sermon titled, "Predictable Unpredictability."  

The scripture readings will include the following:

Judges 4:1-7

1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died.2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim.3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years. 4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, "Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.' 

Matthew 25:31-46

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,  you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45 Then he will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Sermon Preview: Sunday, November 2

The title of the sermon will be "Come Wednesday," and it will reflection theologically on Election Day.

The Scripture Lesson (Psalm 97)

1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around God; righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne. 3 Fire goes before God, and consumes God’s adversaries on every side. 4 God’s lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim God’s righteousness; and all the peoples behold God’s glory. 7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before God. 8 Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God. 9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 10 The Lord loves those who hate evil; God guards the lives of God’s faithful; God rescues them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to God’s holy name!