[Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for October 12 - Part 1

[Joe Parrish]

Sermons for Proper 23
 
Matthew 22:1-14 – “The King’s Reception”
Philippians 4:1-9 – “Turning Pity-Parties into Praise-Parties”
 
Matthew 22, the sermon title “The King’s Reception”   
 
Perhaps you have heard of the family that moved into the neighborhood and the little country church decided to reach out to the family. When they arrived at the doorstep the members of the church were surprised to find that the family had 12 kids and were for the most part poor. They invited the family to services and said goodbye. Later that week the church responded to their need. They delivered a package to the family and said, "We want you to know that you and your entire family are welcome at our church anytime. We have bought you these gifts and we want you to feel comfortable and at ease in our congregation. We hope you can use these," and they left. The family opened the package to find 14 suits of clothing, beautiful clothes for every member of the family. Sunday came and the congregation waited for the family, and they waited. The family never showed. Wondering what could have possibly happened, after lunch the members of the church returned to the home and found the family just getting back, all dressed in their new clothes.

”We don’t mean to be nosey but we would like to know what happened. We had hoped to see you this morning in church,” the leader of the church inquired.
 
The father spoke up. He said, “Well, we got up this morning intending to come. And we sure do appreciate your invitation. But after we showered, shaved, and dressed, why we looked so proper we went to the Episcopal Church.”

That's a funny way of talking about a serious problem. Invitations are sent to many to come to church but so few people respond. It's frustrating. Many of you have reached out to neighbors or friends and asked them to come to church and you know all too well the disappointment, how few respond.

Maybe that is why we find this morning’s parable so familiar…
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com athttp://www.sermons.com/signup 
___________________________
 
Philippians 4, for the sermon titled Living “Turning Pity-Parties into Praise-Parties” 
 
After World War II the world entered a grey combat zone known as the “Cold War.” The two most powerful nations on earth, the US and the USSR, stood face to face, toe to toe, and seriously considered nuking each other. Thousands of nuclear warheads were armed and aimed by both nations, targeting each other’s homelands, in a strategy known by the acronym MAD: Mutual Assured Destruction. President Truman even had to fire General Douglas MacArthur because of his insistence that we use nuclear weapons against the Chinese during the Korean war. Key players in the nuclear drama carried endearing names like “Gadget” (1st atom bomb-1945), “Fat Man” (Nagasaki-1945), “Little Boy” (Hiroshima-1945), “George” (1951), “Mike” (1952). But there was anything endearing about these weapons. Clearly this was madness.
 
Even madder was the “official” response to this “Cold War” freezer burn. “Fall out shelters,” both public and private, were constructed, places where people could momentarily be “safe” while the surface of the earth was scorched from radiation. School children were instructed to dive under their plywood desks and cover their heads in what were called “duck-under-the-desk” drills in order to “survive” a nuclear bomb attack. “Duck and Cover” was the 1950’s and 60’s version of “Dumb and Dumber.”
 
It was during this “Cold War” freeze that a smart-alecky, satirical magazine was born. It wasn’t some well-heeled, upper-crust publication, financed by any special “lobbyist” group. It was “MAD magazine.” A comic book. But a well-written comic critique of the craziness that was driving countries “MAD.”
 
MAD magazine dared to lampoon the possibility of global annihilation. Written for a 10-100 year old audience, in its pre-internet heyday MAD magazine was the place to peel back the looniness and manipulation of the times and to challenge its very young readers to consider everything they encountered with fresh eyes.
 
Oh, the magazine was also fun as well as funny…
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com athttp://www.sermons.com/signup 
_______________________
 
Church: The Only Thing in Town That Has Not Changed
 
It is instructive to drive through ritzy developments - or what David Brooks once called “sprinkler cities” – and notice that everything a person could possibly want was thought of by the real estate developers. This can be seen in lots of places, including certain sections of northern Michigan along the Lake Michigan coast, an area that has recently seen an explosion of multi-million dollar homes on the choicest lakefront lots. As that area has seen a sharp spike in wealthy residents, lots of things expanded accordingly. Malls needed to be built or upgraded, more movie screens and golf courses were required, lush horse stables were erected, world-class restaurants opened and flourished, and even supermarkets needed to add gourmet sections so that all the ingredients for truly high-end cooking could be found.

About the only thing in this town that did not change was worship space. Despite a huge influx of new residents, somehow or another the same old white clapboard country church that has been there for years continues to suffice. Curious, isn't it? But for those busy making a life in this world it is often the case. So also in this parable such folks received the king's engraved invitation and responded, "Sounds great but I really need to keep an eye on the market today. Can I get a rain check?"

Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations
____________________________
 
All Night Long . . .
 
Some years ago, a friend of mine from church pulled me out into the parking lot to listen to a tape in her car. Darlene Malmo wanted me to hear her favorite Lionel Ritchie song. There was this song about life being like a party, “all night long.” She said, “I am going to party all night long with God.” That is what being a Christian is.
Some Christian say that it is not right to have such a mood of happiness and joy. Especially when there is so much starvation. When there is so much hunger. When there is so much suffering in the world, it is not right to be happy.
 
But that is not true. I think of the hymn, “This Is My Father’s World” and the great words to that hymn. “This is my father’s world, o let me ne’ver forget. That though the wrong be oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my father’s world, o let my heart by glad, for the Lord is king, let the heavens ring. God reigns, let the earth be glad.”
Yes, in this world there is so much suffering and so much starvation, but it is also a banquet. Joy, in the middle of suffering, is at the core of being a Christian.
 
Edward F. Markquart, Excuses to Avoid a Wedding

________________________________
 


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20141009/60fed0e4/attachment.htm>