Sunday Recap

I'm going to start doing a Sunday Recap blog every Monday or Tuesday as a way to remind myself and my readers of what the message was about on Sunday morning.

The scripture this past Sunday was Hebrews 10:19-25 and I focused in on verse 25:
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing..."

I talked about Presence as part of our series on the membership vows you make when you become a member of a Methodist Church.  The vows are that you would support the church with your Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service and Witness.  Throughout the series I have stressed and will continue to stress that while this language is specific to the Methodist Church, the ideas are more about being a disciple of Jesus than any specific church or denomination.

The main idea was this: "Being present is about more than just showing up, it's about what you bring with you."  It's about what you bring with you to a worship service.  It's about what you bring to your marriage.  It's about what you bring to your children or grandchildren.  It's about what you bring to your workplace.  It's about what you bring to your classroom.  It's about what kind of presence you are wherever you are. 

May you be the kind of person whose presence brings the light of Christ wherever you are and whatever you are doing.  Not in an annoying way.  But in a loving, bold, passionate, truthful and humble way. 

Prayer

The sermon this past Sunday was on prayer (if you want to hear it you can go to the bottom of this blog and stream it or download it).

At the end of the service I shared the song "Prayer" by Celine Dion and Andre Bocelli. 



It's a beautiful song that has personal meaning.  My parents played the song at my wedding rehearsal dinner as a way to remind us of the importance of prayer in a marriage.

That afternoon I received a very cool e-mail:

 

Vicar... (I love that he calls me Vicar!)

Andrea Bocelli likes to tell the story of a brave young woman who refused to go through with it when her doctors told her that she should undergo an abortion because her baby would be seriously handicapped. Then he likes to tell us that the woman was his mother.

I wish I would have known this before sharing the song, it would have made for an incredible set up.  It is definitely a story I will use in a sermon at some point. 

When Seminary Doesn't End

I love the Seminary I graduated from...in case your curious...click here.

The staff recently sent me a card saying they prayed for me...how cool is that?  I didn't graduate last year...I graduated almost 8 years ago. 

To know you are prayed for is a wonderful feeling.  It strengthens faith by reminding you that you're not alone.

Did I mention that I love my Seminary?  Thanks Gordon Conwell!