Over the last few weeks we have been looking at Inviting. Today, as we conclude this deep exploration of invitation, I want us to contemplate where our triune God is inviting Christians. Where the church is being invited. In the story of Peter and Cornelius, we see a lot of inviting going on. Cornelius sends messengers to invite Peter, Peter invites the messengers to stay the night, Peter stays at Cornelius' house for several days... it's just one big invitation fest. But I want to push … [Read more...]
Invited Series Week 5 – Luke 10:1-11
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” – Luke 10:2 One of the biggest fears in the Western Church, which has grown to a fever pitch over the past few decades, is the fear of declining congregations and the corresponding decline of the seeming importance of faith and Christianity in the world. With the decline in attendance has come the grim and mournful reality of church deaths and closures, something … [Read more...]
Invited Series (Bonus Week!) – 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
“Now as you excel in everting – in faith, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you – so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.” – 2 Corinthians 8:7 Have you ever been overwhelmed by generosity? I have experienced overwhelming generosity a number of times throughout my life, but the most vivid example I remember is when my family and I were visiting Sri Lanka in the winter of 2004. We arrived in Colombo after a long flight, on the afternoon of Christmas … [Read more...]
Invited Preaching Series Week 2 – John 1:43-51
Nathaniel said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him “Come and see.” – John 1:46 How many of you like icebreaker games? You know the games that are designed to get people out of their comfort zone and introduce themselves to a group of strangers. Often ice breakers can revolve around your name, or around what you’d bring to a desert island and one of the most common ones is where you are invited to think about which person from history, dead or alive, that you … [Read more...]
Invited Series Week 1 – Luke 19:1-10
I have a friend who recently adopted a kitten. This was about a month ago. A normal person would have forgotten about a friend's kitten before now. Not me. I'm a sucker for baby animals, and a complete sucker for kittens. But, kittens turn into cats. Kittens claw the furniture and their litter box is never tidy. Pets of any sort can cause a real ruckus in life, because we're inviting them into our homes to become part of our families. The same is true for inviting humans into our homes. … [Read more...]