My good friend Matt O'Reilly is becoming a good writer. His stuff is worth reading for all who take the Christian faith seriously. The new issue of The Princeton Theological Review is now available online and contains an article by Matt titled "Faith Comes from Hearing: The Scandal of Preaching in a Digital Age." The article considers whether contemporary proposals for new homiletic forms is faithful to a biblical understanding of preaching. With young men like Matt coming along, the United Methodist Church will be in good hands. Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite:
Not only is Christian preaching to be content specific, it is also often counter-intuitive. Our discussion of the factions in Corinth demonstrated just this point. The gospel itself is counter-intuitive because it is powerful despite its lack of adornment with worldly wisdom and eloquence. The division of the Corinthian church into a Paul party and an Apollos party was, for Paul, a great source of discontent. It is most likely the case that Apollos gained a following because of his eloquence and education. He was a leader whose skill in oratory would provide a source of boasting for the Corinthian Christians. This is what bothered Paul so deeply. The Corinthians were following their culture. The assurance that came through the gospel came paired with the fact that it was foolishness when considered in light of the wisdom of the day. Convention required that orations be adorned with special techniques, and the most successful orators were masters of these techniques. Paul did not want his missionary success to depend on his own skill or eloquence but on the power of God at work in the gospel alone. This was clearly counter-intuitive, but Paul insisted on it regardless.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
The Scandal of Preaching in a Digital Age
The Scandal of Preaching
My good friend Matt O'Reilly is becoming quite an effective writer. His stuff is worth reading by those who take the faith seriously. Matt is now pastor of the United Methodist Church in Jay, Florida. I commend to you his new article recently published in the Princeton Theological Review. Below is an excerpt to whet your appetite. The entire article is available online. His article is entitled, "Faith comes from Hearing: The Scandal of Preaching in a Digital Age." With young men like Matt coming along, the future is bright for United Methodists!
Here's the excerpt:
Not only is Christian preaching to be content specific, it is also often counter-intuitive. Our discussion of the factions in Corinth demonstrated just this point. The gospel itself is counter-intuitive because it is powerful despite its lack of adornment with worldly wisdom and eloquence. The division of the Corinthian church into a Paul party and an Apollos party was, for Paul, a great source of discontent. It is most likely the case that Apollos gained a following because of his eloquence and education. He was a leader whose skill in oratory would provide a source of boasting for the Corinthian Christians. This is what bothered Paul so deeply. The Corinthians were following their culture. The assurance that came through the gospel came paired with the fact that it was foolishness when considered in light of the wisdom of the day. Convention required that orations be adorned with special techniques, and the most successful orators were masters of these techniques. Paul did not want his missionary success to depend on his own skill or eloquence but on the power of God at work in the gospel alone. This was clearly counter-intuitive, but Paul insisted on it regardless.
My good friend Matt O'Reilly is becoming quite an effective writer. His stuff is worth reading by those who take the faith seriously. Matt is now pastor of the United Methodist Church in Jay, Florida. I commend to you his new article recently published in the Princeton Theological Review. Below is an excerpt to whet your appetite. The entire article is available online. His article is entitled, "Faith comes from Hearing: The Scandal of Preaching in a Digital Age." With young men like Matt coming along, the future is bright for United Methodists!
Here's the excerpt:
Not only is Christian preaching to be content specific, it is also often counter-intuitive. Our discussion of the factions in Corinth demonstrated just this point. The gospel itself is counter-intuitive because it is powerful despite its lack of adornment with worldly wisdom and eloquence. The division of the Corinthian church into a Paul party and an Apollos party was, for Paul, a great source of discontent. It is most likely the case that Apollos gained a following because of his eloquence and education. He was a leader whose skill in oratory would provide a source of boasting for the Corinthian Christians. This is what bothered Paul so deeply. The Corinthians were following their culture. The assurance that came through the gospel came paired with the fact that it was foolishness when considered in light of the wisdom of the day. Convention required that orations be adorned with special techniques, and the most successful orators were masters of these techniques. Paul did not want his missionary success to depend on his own skill or eloquence but on the power of God at work in the gospel alone. This was clearly counter-intuitive, but Paul insisted on it regardless.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Why Jesus is Rejected
My friend Robert Powell of Dothan shared a stirring devotional with me this week. Unless you are ready to be jarred to the depths, I suggest you not read this:
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Loving the Dark
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. —John 3:19
The Pharisees did not doubt Jesus because they merely disagreed with Him. They doubted Jesus because they were hardened against him.
Doubt is a matter of the mind. Even Christians have moments of doubt. We don't always understand what God is doing or why He is doing it. Unbelief, in contrast, is a matter of the will. It is a choice we make.
The Pharisees were full of unbelief. They did not reject Jesus for lack of evidence or because He was not consistent with what He said. The fact is that Jesus was the perfect example. Even Pontius Pilate, who had examined countless people, said, "I find no fault in this Man" (Luke 23:4), and "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person" (Matthew 27:24). Judas Iscariot, who spent three, concentrated years with Jesus and even betrayed Him said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4). So Jesus clearly was a model of everything that He said.
The Pharisees rejected Jesus because it interfered with the way they wanted to live. And that is why people reject Him today. Jesus said, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (John 3:19-20).
People don't reject Jesus because they have carefully examined the evidence and have determined that it is not convincing enough. They don't reject Him because they have read through the Scriptures and have found some apparent contradiction. They don't reject Him because of the so-called hypocrisy of some in the church. They reject Him because He interferes with the way they want to live.
Copyright © 2011 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Earl J. LaLone
Upper NY UMM
Prayer Advocate
110 E Church St.
Adams NY 13605
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Loving the Dark
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. —John 3:19
The Pharisees did not doubt Jesus because they merely disagreed with Him. They doubted Jesus because they were hardened against him.
Doubt is a matter of the mind. Even Christians have moments of doubt. We don't always understand what God is doing or why He is doing it. Unbelief, in contrast, is a matter of the will. It is a choice we make.
The Pharisees were full of unbelief. They did not reject Jesus for lack of evidence or because He was not consistent with what He said. The fact is that Jesus was the perfect example. Even Pontius Pilate, who had examined countless people, said, "I find no fault in this Man" (Luke 23:4), and "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person" (Matthew 27:24). Judas Iscariot, who spent three, concentrated years with Jesus and even betrayed Him said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4). So Jesus clearly was a model of everything that He said.
The Pharisees rejected Jesus because it interfered with the way they wanted to live. And that is why people reject Him today. Jesus said, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (John 3:19-20).
People don't reject Jesus because they have carefully examined the evidence and have determined that it is not convincing enough. They don't reject Him because they have read through the Scriptures and have found some apparent contradiction. They don't reject Him because of the so-called hypocrisy of some in the church. They reject Him because He interferes with the way they want to live.
Copyright © 2011 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Earl J. LaLone
Upper NY UMM
Prayer Advocate
110 E Church St.
Adams NY 13605
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Still thankful for God's mercy 30 years later
On a cold day in January in 1981 the phone ringing woke me up. When I said hello I heard the shocking voice of our son Tim blurting out the words, "Dad, my apartment burned up; my car burned up. I lost everything but my shorts! I am lucky to be alive!" My wife and I jumped in our car and drove as fast as possible to Monroeville, Alabama. Numb and blinded by tears of gratitude we soon witnessed the remains of Tim's apartment and his beloved Mustang. He had indeed nothing left but the shorts he had been sleeping in. He told us what happened. He was awakened by a hissing sound. Looking around he figured the sound was coming from the gas space heater in the room. Afraid something was wrong, he turned toward the door just as the room exploded, blowing the door out into the yard where it quickly set his car on fire. He managed to crawl out the door. The hair on the back of his head was burned by the fire but miraculously he was not injured. We thought of John Wesley; our son Tim was another "brand plucked from the burning," a phrase Susannah Wesley used to describe John's rescue from the burning parsonage.
We quickly bought Tim a supply of new clothes and basic supplies at Wal-Mart and found him another apartment. Without a car, and without any of his prized possessions, he continued his forestry studies at the Junior College. We drove back home to Montgomery, my wife in shock that I would leave our son there instead of taking him back home with us. Years later Tim would say that losing everything was one of the best things that ever happened to him; in a moment of time he discovered what really matters in life.
A few days ago Tim send me this email:
"Yep, 30 years have passed. I was thinking again this morning about the words I spoke to you “Dad, I’m lucky to be alive”. Over the years I have realized a better way to state that would be “I’m blessed to be alive”. I was saved for a purpose and I need to listen to his voice to make sure I know what the purpose is and fulfill it."
Mom and I are so thankful to God for sparing Tim's life, but even more thankful that this rescue inspired Tim to realize that he was "saved for a purpose." He has become a respected forester who serves the Lord daily as he works with people and trees. We admire the man, the husband and the father that he has become.
Each of us is alive for a purpose. Like Tim we need to "listen" to God's voice and do our best to fulfill the purpose for which we are alive. We don't have to lose everything to become aware that God has a purpose for each of our lives. But we must be willing to listen and obey to fulfill God's destiny for our lives.
We quickly bought Tim a supply of new clothes and basic supplies at Wal-Mart and found him another apartment. Without a car, and without any of his prized possessions, he continued his forestry studies at the Junior College. We drove back home to Montgomery, my wife in shock that I would leave our son there instead of taking him back home with us. Years later Tim would say that losing everything was one of the best things that ever happened to him; in a moment of time he discovered what really matters in life.
A few days ago Tim send me this email:
"Yep, 30 years have passed. I was thinking again this morning about the words I spoke to you “Dad, I’m lucky to be alive”. Over the years I have realized a better way to state that would be “I’m blessed to be alive”. I was saved for a purpose and I need to listen to his voice to make sure I know what the purpose is and fulfill it."
Mom and I are so thankful to God for sparing Tim's life, but even more thankful that this rescue inspired Tim to realize that he was "saved for a purpose." He has become a respected forester who serves the Lord daily as he works with people and trees. We admire the man, the husband and the father that he has become.
Each of us is alive for a purpose. Like Tim we need to "listen" to God's voice and do our best to fulfill the purpose for which we are alive. We don't have to lose everything to become aware that God has a purpose for each of our lives. But we must be willing to listen and obey to fulfill God's destiny for our lives.
Friday, January 7, 2011
They got him out of the grave just in time for the funeral
My friend Bruce Mitchell needs to write a book about his funny experiences as a pastor. In a recent blog Bruce tells what happened shortly after the bishop had appointed him to his first church. I will let Bruce tell it:
"Within a day or so someone in the church passed away and I had never conducted a funeral. I told the funeral director I didn't have any experience in funerals and he replied, "Don't worry, we've trained a lot of pastors and haven't lost one yet." With the Pastor's handy dandy funeral guide - and smiles from the funeral director - it worked out fine - the first of many. Another funeral went well until the interment at a small country cemetery. It was on a hillside and there had been rain. As the casket was moved into place a voice came out of the grave, "Don't worry, I'm fine." One of the attendants had slipped on mud and had fallen into the hole. We retrieved him just before the family and friends arrived."
"Within a day or so someone in the church passed away and I had never conducted a funeral. I told the funeral director I didn't have any experience in funerals and he replied, "Don't worry, we've trained a lot of pastors and haven't lost one yet." With the Pastor's handy dandy funeral guide - and smiles from the funeral director - it worked out fine - the first of many. Another funeral went well until the interment at a small country cemetery. It was on a hillside and there had been rain. As the casket was moved into place a voice came out of the grave, "Don't worry, I'm fine." One of the attendants had slipped on mud and had fallen into the hole. We retrieved him just before the family and friends arrived."
Monday, January 3, 2011
Funny things happen to preachers
My longtime and dear friend Bruce Mitchell tells some funny stories from his days as a United Methodist pastor. I love this one and just have to share it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
"There was another surprising event early on in the pastorate.I was deep into an early part of a sermon when a cat came in through an open window behind the choir, and scooted over choir member shoulders, across the chancel, and down a flight of stairs. The choir was unnerved, and the congregation was amused. And there was a time when I offered a spirited altar call hoping for some seeking soul to come forward to accept Christ. I knew I was in trouble when I saw a tail wagging in back of a pew and our collie came down the center aisle, sat down at the communion rail,
and smiled. Yes, I can assure you, dogs do smile! And there was the day I offered a profound prayer aand asked the congregation to join in the Lord's Prayer (the Our Father in a Catholic Church). Just as we concluded this prayer, the public address system sounded out: "That's a big 10-4, good buddy!" A neigbor of the church was a hardline CB'er and his strong signal somehow was received through the PA system."
"There was another surprising event early on in the pastorate.I was deep into an early part of a sermon when a cat came in through an open window behind the choir, and scooted over choir member shoulders, across the chancel, and down a flight of stairs. The choir was unnerved, and the congregation was amused. And there was a time when I offered a spirited altar call hoping for some seeking soul to come forward to accept Christ. I knew I was in trouble when I saw a tail wagging in back of a pew and our collie came down the center aisle, sat down at the communion rail,
and smiled. Yes, I can assure you, dogs do smile! And there was the day I offered a profound prayer aand asked the congregation to join in the Lord's Prayer (the Our Father in a Catholic Church). Just as we concluded this prayer, the public address system sounded out: "That's a big 10-4, good buddy!" A neigbor of the church was a hardline CB'er and his strong signal somehow was received through the PA system."
Eleven Ways Leaders Can Serve the People They Work With
Recently Scooter Leonard, a great servant leader and the Business Manager of our church, Saint James UMC in Montgomery, shared the following excellent ways that a leader can serve the people he or she works with. I felt this list would be helpful to us all as we began a new year. You may want to share them with your friends.
11 Ways A Leader Can Serve The People He/She Works With December 16, 2010
I read Mark 10:35-45 the other morning and made a list of eleven ways that a leader can serve people (after all, Jesus said that is how to be a great leader.)
#1 – Adopt the mindset that these people work with me and not for me.
#2 – Provide enough margin for the people who serve with you to be creative and brainstorm ahead. (The pastor that works “week of” in regards to his message really does a great disservice to those who support him in regards to creative elements.)
#3 – Make sure that the people you serve with have the resources they need to do the job they are expected to do.
#4 – Say “thank you” and “great job” A LOT instead of just pointing out all of the areas where a person came up short.
#5 – Try your best to make sure that if an area of the church is going to be impacted by a certain decision that someone from that area had input in the decision making process. (Learned this one from Andy Stanley.)
#6 – Make sure the expectations for the people you lead are both spoken and realistic. (We cannot hold people accountable for unspoken, unrealistic expectations.)
#7 – Don’t confuse personal preferences with conviction from the Holy Spirit…if you tell the people you serve with that “God told me” then you had better be willing to bet your last Bible than you heard from the Lord!
#8 – Model what you consider to be important…in other words, when you are walking into the building and see a piece of trash on the ground…pick it up.
#9 – Listen to them!!!
#10 – Understand that your words weight 1,000 pounds…choose them carefully!
#11 – Understand that WHAT you say and HOW you say it matter…the people you serve with are human beings with hearts, minds and souls…they deserve to be treated as such.
Recently Scooter Leonard, a great servant leader and the Business Manager of our church, Saint James UMC in Montgomery, shared the following excellent ways that a leader can serve the people he or she works with. I felt this list would be helpful to us all as we began a new year. You may want to share them with your friends.
11 Ways A Leader Can Serve The People He/She Works With December 16, 2010
I read Mark 10:35-45 the other morning and made a list of eleven ways that a leader can serve people (after all, Jesus said that is how to be a great leader.)
#1 – Adopt the mindset that these people work with me and not for me.
#2 – Provide enough margin for the people who serve with you to be creative and brainstorm ahead. (The pastor that works “week of” in regards to his message really does a great disservice to those who support him in regards to creative elements.)
#3 – Make sure that the people you serve with have the resources they need to do the job they are expected to do.
#4 – Say “thank you” and “great job” A LOT instead of just pointing out all of the areas where a person came up short.
#5 – Try your best to make sure that if an area of the church is going to be impacted by a certain decision that someone from that area had input in the decision making process. (Learned this one from Andy Stanley.)
#6 – Make sure the expectations for the people you lead are both spoken and realistic. (We cannot hold people accountable for unspoken, unrealistic expectations.)
#7 – Don’t confuse personal preferences with conviction from the Holy Spirit…if you tell the people you serve with that “God told me” then you had better be willing to bet your last Bible than you heard from the Lord!
#8 – Model what you consider to be important…in other words, when you are walking into the building and see a piece of trash on the ground…pick it up.
#9 – Listen to them!!!
#10 – Understand that your words weight 1,000 pounds…choose them carefully!
#11 – Understand that WHAT you say and HOW you say it matter…the people you serve with are human beings with hearts, minds and souls…they deserve to be treated as such.
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