One of the challenges with being a preacher or teacher is saying the same thing over and over. Repetition is one of the trademarks of an excellent ministry. The Apostle Paul shared his testimony three times in the book of Acts. He told the Church at Corinth that his only message was Christ and him crucified. Even Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5-7 and then delivered a similar sermon called the Sermon on the Plain in Luke chapter 6.

I am sure some people grow weary of repeatedly hearing the same things, but for the most part, it is a necessary part of the ministry. I say this for at least four reasons.

1. Some people may have never heard. Every week our Church has people visiting with us during our worship program. At least monthly someone new arrives who has never been to a Church worship program. We repeat ourselves so that everyone has a chance to hear the basics of the faith.
2. Some people may not have paid attention the first time. It is easy to get distracted. This can be from outside sources like a child or a noisy adult. This can also come from internal sources. Many times, I have been listening to a sermon, and the preacher said something that made my mind run off to other places and passages of scripture. I missed what was said next as my mind was off in a distant thought.
3. Some people need reminding. Even if you heard the message a few months ago, it is easy to forget what you learned. When I am preparing a sermon on a familiar topic, I usually look up my old sermons because even I have forgotten what I said. If I forget, I am sure other people have done the same.
4. Some teachers offer a fresh perspective on an old truth. Some of the best sermons I have listened to were ones where I already knew all the content, but it was unfolded uniquely. This process opened my eyes to long-forgotten material in a new and exciting way.

The recognition of a preacher or teacher delivering familiar content is not to be feared but instead embraced. There are truths of the gospel that never change, and this week, that one old lesson might change someone’s life.

Jesus was asked about the greatest commandments in the law. He tells them they are to “love God” and “love your neighbor.” The question is then, “Who is my neighbor?” He responds with a parable we call “The Good Samaritan.” The point of the parable is to explain, “who is my neighbor,” but it also reveals what our love looks like as a follower of Jesus.

If you remember the story, a man is jumped, robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A priest comes by and ignores the man. Then a Levite does the same thing. Finally, there comes a Samaritan. This man comes upon the injured fellow and stops to help him. He bandages his wounds, takes him to an inn, and leaves money to nurse him back to health. It is a compelling picture of what it means for a follower of Jesus to love his neighbor.

I also notice what the Samaritan did not do. He did not form a protest of the Roman soldiers, telling them that they should be more diligent in protecting people. He did not put together a silent march to walk through the streets of Jerusalem to raise awareness of the violence. He did not take to the media to promote one politician or political agenda that might bring about change. He did not attempt any of the modern methods to bring about change.

This man’s focus was not on changing society or the world. His purpose was to help this one man he encountered that day. His proximity made him a neighbor. In this story, I don’t think Jesus called us to change the world. I think he invited me to change MY world.

I wonder what would happen if we all took that approach. Instead of trying to change the world as a whole, we focused on improving the world around us. What if we try to help the people we encounter every day? What if we each one of us went into the world as a servant of God in our work and on our street?

Too often, we step over the needs of people in an effort to make significant sweeping changes. We neglect the immediate for the national issues. Maybe there is a place for that as corruption and evil exist in the current system. I fear that the man lies in the ditch while we grandstand the cause we think needs addressed.

Helping the one person that my life passes is not very glorious or media worthy, but it changes the world, one person at a time. When each one of us takes our call seriously to change our world, together, we will change the world.

At some point in the distant future, you will pause over a picture and think about this season of your life.

You will look back to the time when you were a student filled with ideas and dreams. You will pause over your wedding photos and think about how wonderful that first year was for both of you. Your eyes will fill with tears as you stare at pictures of your children when they were little and precious. You will remember the start of that season of life where the nest was empty as you dropped your last child off at their new place. The thrill of grandchildren will fill your heart as your kids are getting married and starting their own families.

One day you will see the pictures of this season and be filled with nostalgia for what was then. Also, you will experience regret for what you did not do then.

You will wish you could go back and have the cares of youth without the stress you placed on yourself. What would you give to relive that first year and focus more on each other than your school and career? How about having one more day with your children when they were young and carefree? To go back and hold them in your arms and love them in a way that time will no longer allow.

With every picture, there comes the joy of remembering and the sadness of opportunities lost. I believe it does not have to be this way. You can live in a way that comes with no regrets. It will take effort. You will have to live with priorities and purpose. You will have to say no to good opportunities to say yes to the things that make life worth living. You cannot fill your schedule to the limits; instead, you will need to leave room to breathe. A full and abundant life comes with sacrificing trivial things to focus on what matters.

One day you will look back. That day will either be full of joy or regret. The difference is what you decide to do today. Go out and make the best of it.

This has been on my mind for some time now, and I need to get it out. I want to apologize for my behavior. There have been times that I have not represented Jesus as well as I should have done. My life as a pastor of God’s people contains sin, and I feel the shame of it daily.

I admit that I have said words in anger, rolled my eyes at ignorance, and turned my back on people who needed my help. Through the years, I have shared gossip as prayer requests, not prayed when I said I would, and spoken poorly about people to others. There have been days where my frustration seemed insurmountable, and I took it out on someone who did not deserve my wrath. I have lied, cussed, trusted myself, tried to promote my name more than Jesus. My self-serving heart elevated my needs above others and caused pain. My flaws are many, my sins abound, and the mistakes keep repeating themselves in my life. My list of faults, failures, and faithlessness is long and embarrassing.

I am sorry about these things. I wanted to do better. I have prayed that you would forgive me. I hope that you would not hold these things against me. My plea is for your grace and mercy. The Lord is still working on me, and I am trying to improve every day, but I know I will mess up this weekend at least a dozen more times. Please show me compassion, grace, and love.

How about this? I will make a deal with you. If you would be willing to show me kindness and grace, I will return the favor to you. Why don’t we both take the sadness we have over failed expectations and throw them at the foot of the cross and learn to walk together in love. If this seems like a possibility to you, then meet me for worship on Sunday morning, and let’s care for one another like the family God wants us to be – flaws on and all.

Much has been said and written about the temptation of Eve in Genesis chapter three. Through the years, I have preached, taught, and written about the nature of the temptations and the lessons we can learn from this one story.

Recently, I noticed something in the story that was a significant insight to me. Eve did not believe that God punished sin. She had only experienced good things in her life. The garden of Eden was the very height of perfection. It appears that she made this fatal assumption; she did not believe that a good God would ever punish her for being disobedient.

She had no reason to think this way. God’s word had been clear. He had told them not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He had explained to them there would be consequences: “for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:17 – NIV 2011)

Despite the instruction and warning, she went ahead and ate. The temptation was great. The serpent twisted God’s word. Eve did not think it would result in punishment. That combination led her down a path away from God that impacts every human today.

My guess for you is this; whatever sin you are about to commit, you are living with the assumption that God will not punish you for it. His threat that “you will die” are idle words not representing an eternal separation from God. We convince ourselves that there are no consequences for our disobedience, and if there are ramifications, they won’t be “that bad.”

Eve was wrong. So are you.

In college, I decided I wanted to be a preacher and not a youth pastor. With that said, in every ministry where I have been the pastor, I have also helped with the youth group. I have been a sponsor, a Sunday school teacher, a small group leader, and a teacher through the years. Tonight, I will start another year working with teenagers, possibly my final one, as my youngest son will be graduating next spring.

Through the years, I have enjoyed my time working with the kids but have most enjoyed the volunteers who come to help every week. These selfless people donate hours of their time to work with Jr. high and High school teenagers, many of whom they do not know well. They talk and ask questions. They befriend and pray. They care and try to help every kid who walks through the doors. It is a thankless job that only a handful of brave people accept. With each week, they are slowly changing the world, if only for one or two teens.

Frequently I ask adults about who has had the most significant impact on their faith. Quite often, their response is focused on their parents. Then I inquire as to anyone else that might come to mind. They usually give me the name of a Sunday School teacher or a youth group volunteer. Their eyes brighten as they speak of this person’s love, kindness, compassion, and faith.

This group of servants may not get their name on the Church sign. They may never be mentioned as the single biggest influence in anyone’s life, but our young people notice their efforts. The next generation needs to see someone saying the same things as their parents and preacher.

Tonight kicks off another year of youth group and who knows how this year will go. With all the COVID stuff, it might end at any time. Even if we complete a full season of meetings, the time is fleeting. Soon the seniors will drive away to college, and our times together will become a distant memory. My prayers are for those wonderful adults who give up their time for Jesus to make an impact on the next generation. May they be the light that these young people need.

Every week I spend somewhere around 15 hours preparing for what I am going to say on Sunday. The sermon is the single most significant piece of work that I do. I approach each one with two goals in mind.

First, I want the listeners to learn something about God, his word, and how we relate to him. I want them to walk away knowing something they didn’t realize before hearing it that Sunday morning. If they had known it before, then I want to apply it in such a way that they are challenged in their thoughts and actions for the week, possibly a lifetime.

Second, I recognize that some of the people who sit and listen to me each week have been believers for longer than I have been alive. They know more of the Bible than I do at this point. Some of them have applied it throughout a lifetime, so what am I going to say to them? My goal is that this group will have something to share that week. The message they heard will linger with them in conversations with family, friends, and casual acquaintances to challenge and encourage as needed.

My dream each week is that my sermon will still be working on Tuesday morning. I pray that the content will resonate with people a couple of days after the original hearing. Today, as I sit at my computer typing, editing, planning, and preparing, is that I will be able to have something for people to grow or something for them to share. A great week is when I can accomplish both with one sermon.

One of my questions today is, “How did I do last Sunday?” If I did my job well, then the sermon is still working. If not, I am working toward next Sunday, and I will give it my best to try again this week. Today is the real test of a good sermon.

It’s Monday. A day where I remind myself to keep putting one foot in front of another. Keep moving forward.

This is a day where it is easy to get bogged down. Being tired from the weekend and looking at another five days of work can make you want to coast through this day without accomplishing anything. I bet no one has ever completed a magnificent task on a Monday. Big days happen on Wednesdays or Fridays, but not today. So why give a full effort?

While nothing good may have ever reached its climax on a Monday, I bet many great projects were started today. People who finish projects on Friday start the week just grinding out what needs to be accomplished.

This day may not be great for completion, but it is a wonderful day to get started. Go out there today and start something good, holy, and righteous so that the end of this week will be filled with joy. What we end up with on Friday will be the result of the work we began today.

Since the shutdown and the onset of Covid-19 in the United States, I have been bombarded with emails, blog posts, social media rants, lectures and podcasts telling Church leaders that it is time for us to “re-invent” Church.

The idea is simple. The Church cannot remain in the same in a world where Covid-19 exists and is changing the American landscape of learning.

I guess my biggest problem with this statement is the definition they use for Church. I believe the Church is a community of Christ-followers. They claim Jesus as their Savior and join together weekly to encourage one another, share instruction from the Bible, fellowship, and serve together in the name of Jesus. If that is your definition, then nothing needs to change.

Sure, the methods about how we do these things might be altered, but the group itself remains the same. The Church is still the Church. We may no longer use buses to haul children to a Church building to learn; instead, we may not have a zoom meeting or offer a video. The goal is still the same. We are part of a Church to teach, learn, worship, connect, serve, and love. None of that has changed.

In fact, if anyone is offering you a new view on Church, then I am concerned that they may be a false teacher. The Church is still the community of Jesus, no matter how the times change.

I have been asked this question about a dozen times in the past six months.

Whenever the headlines get dark and gloomy, the question comes. Whenever there is some sort of national or global tragedy, the question arises. Whenever people feel like the world is spinning out of control, the question comes. It is not new, nor is it unexpected.

I will make a deal with you. I will only answer that question on two conditions.

First, you must have read through the Bible at least once and preferably five times or more. At the very least, it would be nice if you had read Revelation entirely. Oh, and you called it by the correct name – it is Revelation, not Revelations.

Second, you must have some solid knowledge of the Old Testament prophets, including their context and basic interpretation.

Why do people who haven’t read much of the Bible start making guesses about the end times? Why do people want to read the last chapter of the book and then start guessing at meanings? Proper interpretation requires context, a basic understanding of big Biblical themes, knowledge of similar images within the same writing, and several other issues before someone can completely understand the meaning of the last pages.

I guess that most people are not looking for a correct interpretation. Instead, they are looking for something else. They want Hollywood more than holiness. They want war over worship. They want the end times understanding without Jesus.

When you have an intimate knowledge of the author, the meaning of his writing becomes more explicit. And the best way to know a writer is by reading everything they have written.