[Propertalk] Fwd: Sermons for Christmas 1 and New Year's - Erma Bombeck wisdom

[Joe Parrish]

Sermons for Christmas 1 and New Year's 
Luke 2:41-52 - "When Our Children Teach Us"
Colossians 3:12-17 - "Put On Some Clothes" by Leonard Sweet
John 1:1-18 - "New Beginnings"
 
The full text of the following sermon is available at www.Sermons.com.


Luke 2 - the sermon title "When Our Children Teach Us" 
 
Some years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article by Dr. Paul Ruskin on the “Stages of Aging.” In the article, Dr. Ruskin described a case study he had presented to his students when teaching a class in medical school. He described the case study patient under his care like this:
 
“The patient neither speaks nor comprehends the spoken word. Sometimes she babbles incoherently for hours on end. She is disoriented about person, place, and time. She does, however, respond to her name… I have worked with her for the past six months, but she still shows complete disregard for her physical appearance and makes no effort to assist her own care. She must be fed, bathed, and clothed by others.
 
“Because she has no teeth, her food must be pureed. Her shirt is usually soiled from almost incessant drooling. She does not walk. Her sleep pattern is erratic. Often she wakes in the middle of the night and her screaming awakens others. Most of the time she is friendly and happy, but several times a day she gets quite agitated without apparent cause. Then she wails until someone comes to comfort her.”
 
After presenting the class with this challenging case, Dr. Ruskin then asked his students if any of them would like to volunteer to take care of this person. No one volunteered. Then Dr. Ruskin said, “I’m surprised that none of you offered to help, because actually she is my favorite patient. I get immense pleasure from taking care of her and I am learning so much from her. She has taught me a depth of gratitude I never knew before. She has taught me the spirit of unwavering trust. And she has taught me the power of unconditional love.” Then Dr. Ruskin said, “Let me show you her picture.” He pulled out the picture and passed it around. It was the photo of his six-month-old baby daughter.
 
Now, I like that story for several reasons…
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 


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The full text of the following sermon is available at www.Sermons.com. 
 
Colossians 3 - the sermon titled "Put on Some Clothes" by Leonard Sweet 
 
Baptismal rituals are very different today than they were in the early church. There is a fourth-century rubric that instructs the bishop to enter the baptistery and give this command in a loud voice: “Take off your clothes.” Whereupon our ancestors were immersed in the water of the font, with the men and women separated. 
 
Did you ever imagine that those words “Take off your clothes” were part of Christian worship? 
 
Everyone knows the Hans Christian Andersen story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” A couple of smooth-talking swindlers convince an egotistical king that he has just purchased the most gorgeous, elaborate, royal suit of clothes ever stitched together by human hands. Only those who are “hopelessly stupid” or “unfit for their position” can’t see the beautiful clothes. 
 
In reality, of course, the weavers have stripped the Emperor naked and he is parading around in his birthday suit. Yet the Emperor is so convinced he is wearing royal robes that none of his servants or secretaries, cohorts or companions will dare tell him the truth. It is not until a little child blurts out the fact, “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!” that the Emperor sees and grasps his state of undress.
 
This week’s Colossians text is like that child’s voice. It tells us clearly what naked faith looks like, and describes the garments worn by a genuine community of Christ…
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining http://www.sermons.com/signup 
 


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The full text of the following sermon is available at www.Sermons.com.
John 1 - the sermon title "New Beginnings" 
 
Welcome on this Sunday before a new year. Did you know that New Year’s Day is the one holiday that is almost universal? It is the world’s most observed holiday. 
I trust you’ve made your New Year’s resolutions one of which is to be in worship each week. Well done for this first Sunday. I won’t ask you if you’ve resolved to lose the weight you gained between Thanksgiving and Christmas, or if you’re planning on joining a health club, or if you’re going to run five miles a day. Five miles, by the way, is my total aggregate of a lifetime of running. 
The late Erma Bombeck made some memorable resolutions over the years: 
1. I will go to no doctor whose office plants have died.
2. I’m going to follow my husband’s suggestion to put a little excitement into my life by living within our budget.
3. I’m going to apply for a hardship scholarship to Weight Watchers.
4. I will never loan my car to anyone I have given birth to.
Joke writer Ed McManus has some words of comfort for those of us who are setting resolutions: “Don’t worry about  those 2013 News Year’s resolutions,” he says. “You only have to deal with them until the end of February and then you can give them up for Lent.” It sounds like he has been spying on some of us.
Resolutions are good, especially if there are changes we need to make in our lives. I heard about one poor guy who dialed his girlfriend and got the following recording: “I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes in my life. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.” 
It’s good to make changes, for the most part. As we are often reminded by our critics, our spouses or our children, none of us is perfect. In fact, some of us might have some deep regrets about the way we’ve lived our lives…
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for this week, New Year’s, and the upcoming year can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.


 
 
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