My next Sermon

Love, Christianity seems to have too little of this as dose the world.

 

Wow, I didn't know you guys actually pre-planned these so extensively.

I just thought... You know... It's not like anyone enjoys them.

We just feel we HAVE to listen.

Having said that, I recall one cheery minister whose sermon had me grinning from ear to ear, but thats probably because he was so amiable and ready to poke fun at his own faith.

Heh-heh, but of course, as an atheist, I sit in church with this big frown and occassionally shake my head dismissively/ sigh deeply.

Irish Christian relatives>>

 

"Bring the Rain" has a nice balance

 

-God of Power Sounds like your best bet as far as conservative christianity would go.



-Divorced This will probably be that sermon that will drive away many in the congregation or at least keep your telephone ringing all day. Plus I dont think you want your general sermon to be about a negative topic.



-Bring the Rain This sounds like a good consumer-friendly one. Are you a christian hipster by chance? This would go well for those types I think.



-Love This could be good but I dont think you know what you want to say about it yet so I dont know what advice to give you.



Are you gonna post up the sermon when you are finished?

 

On the God of power and Love themes:

I remember a sermon I heard once, which left a lasting impression on me - the basic outline, from memory was something like:

Nothing besides God can exist unless it be caused to exist - and this contingency is not self-sufficient but relies on the constant activity/will of God to keep whatever exists existing.

This is, in part, why God cannot lie: because unlike creatures, when He says something is (which had not previously existed) it begins to exist from that moment.

The significance of this is that every real existing thing is both known and willed (loved) by God.

This implies that the higher or more complete a creature, the more God loves it. So it is true that God loves us more than the "lillies of the field" or the animals. This even means that God loves the Devil (the highest angel, who fell) very much. The question concerning the love of God is not whether God knows or loves His creatures, but whether His creatures know Him (by faith or the beatific vision), or love Him back, which obviously the Devil does not.


** Mind you, my recall is in philosophical terms, but the actual sermon had philosophical, patristic and scriptural content**

 

I like "Bring the Rain."

 

How about "The Heart of God"?

We all seem to be so focused on our own situations, but forget how long suffering and patient the Father is. How much Love does God have that He stays with us even when we sin? How much anger (?) does He feel towards Satan, who ruined Creation? How does He feel about the way we treat each other? How loyal He is regardless of the badness. We claim we want to be God-like, but what are we doing that has nothing to do with that at all? List examples from Scripture that show what His nature is, and create enthusiasm for following His example. Be positive about the rewards for becoming more God-like, and how our lives would be improved and enriched both short and long term by pursuing such a goal. Lift the people up by showing them what good can come from taking advantage of what is available to us from understanding and acting upon what we learn from studying and contemplating God's Heart.

 

How about a sermon on how man is so fortunate to have the opportunity to experience creation, and that for all the suffering in the world, human beings still have the opportunity to appreciate what they have and to share it with one another?

 

Love: Christianity's most enduring, but least practised message.

 

teach love

wake these people up

tell them to pay attention to their kids

teach the children to love and listen

they will teach you too

but you must respect them

you first must respect yourself

look to jesus' example

he didnt turn the kids away when the disciples were annoyed

we've got to be like those kids... thats what jesus said

 

Love or Bring the Rain, I think.

 

The Power of Prayer