Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Bible on Immigration
Christians often quote the Bible to take their moral or ethical stand. I've not heard much Bible in the immigration conversation. Here's one passage I found:
Friday, May 21, 2010
BFAM
BFAM
Romans 8.12-17
My brother-in-law taught me by example what it means to be a "Brother from another mother.” Our wives are sisters and they tell us that we act and think so much alike that clearly we were born in a pod together, separated at birth, and then reunited later in life by our splendid taste in women. Over the years we have truly become "brothers from another mother."
Pop culture may have offered up the nifty B.F.A.M. phrase, but the apostle Paul caught on to the notion 2 millennia ago. He wrote in Romans 8 "...that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ..." In other words, Christ is our brother, and we are brothers and sisters to one another.
This passage is up for consideration in this Sunday's sermon. It's a fitting passage because we also will celebrate Pentecost, the "birthday" of the church. Pentecost is documented in Acts 2 as the day when the Holy Spirit visited a gathering of worshipers and all those gathered (who spoke many different languages) began to understand in their own native tongue, and a great spiritual awakening resulted.
The Holy Spirit bound the early church together that day, despite the deep ethnic and religious differences. Romans 8 deserves our hearing so that we, "brothers from another mother" and "sisters from another mister," might learn to understand and appreciate the differences that exist within the church, claim our spot as heirs with Christ, and show the world what it means to live in harmony while honoring our diversity.
If you're in the DC metro area this weekend I hope you'll join us for Bible study at 9:15 and worship at 10:30 on Sunday. We'll be observing Pentecost and Multicultural Sunday, and we'll honor our diversity by hearing scripture, prayer, and song in the many different languages spoken in our church.
The sermon, My Brother from Another Mother, My Sister from Another Mister, will empower us to seek ways that the church can teach the world to work together despite and differences and because of our differences. After worship we'll share a potluck meal, so bring a dish to share that represents your own ethnic/cultural heritage and come hungry!
See you Sunday,
Pastor Gary
Losing Portfolios
Philippians 3.7-14
Want to get your Friday off to a good start this morning?
Just get your Mother's Day prep done and don't check your stock portfolio.
Thursday was one of those record breaking, hand-wringing days on Wall Street as the Dow Jones Index plunged 997 points. It regained some ground later in the day, but for a while things looked pretty bad. And Friday isn't looking too promising, either. It's a story we're used to, one where the plot line is bleak financial news bombarding us for years in one of the worst periods in our modern economic history.
Markets fluctuate and wealth comes and goes. But even when the Dow is up and you're feeling financially secure, remember the words of the Apostle Paul. He would say, "So what? It's all worthless when counted against the gain of Jesus. In fact, your portfolio is a losing dog if you don't have Jesus." Read the third chapter of Philippians closely and you'll see that Paul considered everything outside of his relationship with Jesus as pure "rubbish." And that's translated for polite company. The Greek Paul uses actually contains an expletive no smart preacher would use in the pulpit.
Yeah, all else counts that little to him.
The sermon for this Sunday at First Baptist Church Gaithersburg is called Losing Portfolios and it's based on Philippians 3.7-14. It's an invitation to consider the real values of life where Christ is the gain and all else is a losing portfolio. If you're in the Metro Washington, DC area this weekend, you're invited! We'll warm up with Bible study at 9:30 and for opening bell for worship is 10:30.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Gary
Want to get your Friday off to a good start this morning?
Just get your Mother's Day prep done and don't check your stock portfolio.
Thursday was one of those record breaking, hand-wringing days on Wall Street as the Dow Jones Index plunged 997 points. It regained some ground later in the day, but for a while things looked pretty bad. And Friday isn't looking too promising, either. It's a story we're used to, one where the plot line is bleak financial news bombarding us for years in one of the worst periods in our modern economic history.
Markets fluctuate and wealth comes and goes. But even when the Dow is up and you're feeling financially secure, remember the words of the Apostle Paul. He would say, "So what? It's all worthless when counted against the gain of Jesus. In fact, your portfolio is a losing dog if you don't have Jesus." Read the third chapter of Philippians closely and you'll see that Paul considered everything outside of his relationship with Jesus as pure "rubbish." And that's translated for polite company. The Greek Paul uses actually contains an expletive no smart preacher would use in the pulpit.
Yeah, all else counts that little to him.
The sermon for this Sunday at First Baptist Church Gaithersburg is called Losing Portfolios and it's based on Philippians 3.7-14. It's an invitation to consider the real values of life where Christ is the gain and all else is a losing portfolio. If you're in the Metro Washington, DC area this weekend, you're invited! We'll warm up with Bible study at 9:30 and for opening bell for worship is 10:30.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Gary
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