Presby-Musings

Last month I had the opportunity to stand in the Coliseum in Rome for the second time in my life.  It's an impressive structure, and in many ways still stands as one of the iconic symbols of what has been known for centuries as "The Eternal City ." As my wife and I walked around the Coliseum I discovered a cross that had been erected and dedicated during the tenure of Pope John Paul II .  I snapped the photo that you see to your left.  It sort of spoke to me. Let me explain why by way of sharing a brief history of the Coliseum itself. The Coliseum was completed in 80 A.D. begun by the emperor Vespasian in 72 A.D. and finished by the emperor Titus .  The original name was the Flavian Ampitheater , a name derived from the family name of it's builders--Flavius.  Most historians believe that the name "Coliseum" came from the giant statue of Nero that stood outside of it, a statue modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes .  Nero's successors refashioned...

What's the point of Christianity? Ever thought about that?   I have been lately. Can you name it?  The point of Christianity, I mean.  The purpose  of it. Say this is Family Feud and you are sitting with Richard Dawson (the creepy, womanizing original host) at the final challenge where 100 people were surveyed to come up with the purpose of Christianity... What would you think? Eternal Life, you say?  Escaping Hell, you say?  Survey says!  60 Peace that Passes Understanding?  Survey says!  15 Having a ready-made Community? Survey says! 10 You get to sing hymns? Survey says! 1 Doing good deeds, you think?  Survy Says!  5 Worshipping God? Mmmkay.  Survey Says! 7 These are entirely made up stats.  But I bet my eye teeth that if we did a real  survey it would look sort of like this made up one. Because most Christians think the main purpose of Christianity is to save their own... ahem. Do you think ...

This week I am preaching the third installment of our four-part sermon series on the book of Titus , entitled "It's All Good." This week's sermon is entitled, " Good News ," and as you might imagine by the title (or maybe not) we're going to be talking a bit about evangelism.  Come to think of it, it's not that evident by the title exactly what we'll be covering in this sermon.  Oh well, we all need a little mystery, don't we? I am going to start with a parable that I ripped off and paraphrased from the great Peter Rollins , who wrote this in his book The Orthodox Heretic, which will blow your mind if you read it.  So, if you prefer your mind unblown, don't buy it. It seems there was a pastor, who had a gift for preaching.  He was a fiery preacher, who was highly sought for revivals, conferences and the like.  He also had a gift that he kept a secret.  It seemed that whenever he prayed a blessing over someone, they would immediately...

This Sunday I am continuing the sermon series, "It's All Good," as study in Titus. This week I was having a conversation with my teenage son.  He attends a Christian school where Bible class is a requirement for every grade, every year.  I don't mind this, honestly.  In my opinion, the more opportunities that you have to interact with the Bible, the better. But he had a bit of a confrontation with some of his classmates the other day when they were studying some of the Apostle Paul's writings.  My son had the gall to ask aloud in class, "Do you ever wonder why Paul was so angry?  He seems like kind of a jerk."  Some of his classmates, who attend conservative churches couldn't believe that my son would actually say such a thing about the author of half of the New Testament. So as he is relating this to me, he goes on to elaborate on the reasons that he doesn't like reading Paul's writings.  "He's always yelling at someone,...

This week I am starting a new sermon series on the book of Titus entitled, "It's All Good." This little book in the New Testament began it's journey as a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to his "go-to-guy," a man named Titus. I'm going to spend some time on the purpose for Paul's letter, and on Titus himself in just a bit. But first, let me begin this study with a few questions. Have you ever asked yourself, "What's really good about being a Christian?" Or maybe you've wondered what sort of good comes from being part of a church. Or obeying all of the commandments that are in the Bible. Or sharing your faith. The answer to all of these questions, according to the Apostle Paul in his letter to Titus is "It's All Good." Hence the name of the series... Did you know that recent surveys indicate that only 4 out of 10 Americans indicate that they are a member of and/or attend church semi-regularly. And by s...