Watch the Clips!

If you would like to see the two film clips that were part of the sermon "Teach Us to Pray" preached on Sunday, January 13; click on the appropriate link below.

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Teach Us to Pray

I have spent the past 31 years seeking to learn how to pray. I have read more books on prayer than any other subject. I have done more Bible study on this topic than any other. I have participated in a plethora of prayer methods and disciplines seeking to develop my prayer life. Why then do I still feel like the disciples in Luke 11:1 asking Jesus for help in learning how to pray? In one sense prayer is as natural as breathing; yet in another it feels like speaking a foreign language. How can this be?

Jim Woodroof once advised young preachers not to preach on anything which God had not yet taught them. Good advise. I have long felt that God teaches me just enough so that I have something to share with the congregation while, at the same time, continually reminding me that I'm not that far down the road myself.

As we enter into the "Reel Prayer" series, I am excited to teach what God has taught me, while fully realizing that I too am part of the flock of God at Clear Lake. I join the rest of the body of Christ looking to the great Shepherd of the sheep for guidance and direction. May he truly, "guard, guide, and direct" all of us as we seek to follow him.

On another note, I am hopeful that my techkie friends will enable me to post the movie clips I'll be showing each week. Check back later in the week and see if we've been able to get them up.

The Recurring Choice

In this morning's sermon I referenced Israel conquering the land of Canaan. In spite of the fact that the previous generation of Israelites said it would be impossible to defeat the Canaanites, Israel did in fact win! The point I made was that we will never fail when we are faithfully obedient to God. After the sermon I got into a discussion about what it means to never fail. I realize how easily that statement could be misunderstood or misconstrued.

One of the problems associated with being a public communicator is being misunderstood. Some try to avoid that by giving disclaimers for their statements. For example, "The sky is blue" is a statement that would not seem to need any qualification except for those who might point out that sometimes the sky is gray, black, red, overcast, etc..... To give a disclaimer one would say, "The sky is blue, unless of course it happens to be raining, cloudy, nighttime, dusk, or dawn. Disclaimers tend to clutter communication.

Jesus, it appears, was not a big fan of disclaimers. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, . . ." was a statement made without qualification. Jesus liked to make people think. If you read his statement in the context of all his teachings you would have to conclude that he meant something like "love less" rather than "despise" by his use of the word "hate".

I'm a far cry from communicating like Jesus but if I made anyone think this morning that's good! By the way, what I meant by the statement I made about never failing, is that one will never fail in doing the things that God wants done. I certainly don't mean that God will give you whatever you want or think you need just because you act or ask in faith. Faith, by it's very definition, is trusting God.

Christmas

All our Christmas services this year centered around trees: especially the Jesse Tree based upon this verse, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit" (Isaiah 11:1). On the left is the original idea behind the Jess Tree. By the use of images the medieval church communicated the linage of Christ. In more modern times someone combined the idea of a Jesse Tree with our modern Christmas tree. The result is the picture on the right. It was great to have our children take part in our service on Sunday and decorate the Jesse Trees with the ornaments they had created. In fact, one of the things I enjoy most about our special services is that we allow a number of our more creative people to use their gifts of decorating, singing, drama, construction, etc. May we continue to encourage creativity and applaud those who use the gifts God has given them to serve others and glorify our Lord.

Candlelight

I am continually amazed at the creativity of David Layman. Each year he crafts the perfect Candlelight service. The highlight of this year's service for me was having the children of the SMOMS (Single mom's ministry) carry in the various ceramic characters for the nativity. The number of children growing up in homes without a father is increasing. Few would say this is an ideal environment for children, however, this is the reality of the world in which we live. My hope is that our church will be a welcoming environment for single moms and their children and that these children grow to know God as their Father who will never leave them nor forsake them. May we, as the people of God, work to this end. Thank you David, for one small step in that direction.

Priest

The extent to which God went so that we might understand the magnitude of the sacrifice of Jesus is wonderful beyond comprehension. The establishment of the priesthood, the job of the High Priest, the requirements for sacrifices, the construction and design of the Tabernacle--all were done so that we might grasp how significant is the death of Christ on our behalf. The repetition of sacrifices and the magnitude of offerings given all lead up to the final, once for all sacrifice of Jesus. He is God's great High Priest who is vastly superior to all priests who preceded him. He is the perfect atoning sacrifice for sin that has brought full atonement so that we might never need to suffer under the guilt and condemnation of sin. May we all respond by trusting in the work of our faithful High Priest and being ever mindful of his constant intercession on our behalf, may we become more like him.

The Prophet

When Jesus came as "The Prophet" Moses had spoken about, his first sermon was, "repent for the kingdom of heaven is near." It is repentance that opens our heart to enter the kingdom and repentance that keeps us maturing and growing in Christ.

It is amazing that so wonderful a gift as repentance has come to be viewed so distastefully. It is such a blow to our pride to admit that we have been wrong. However, when we humble ourselves before God and freely confess our sins, we give the Holy Spirit the necessary room to bring about transformation of our true selves. It is then that "times of refreshing come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19).