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In wrapping up this series on the “7 deadly sins,” we’re going to talk about the last two sins on our list: lust and gluttony. Lust and gluttony are twin brothers. Lust is misplaced love and gluttony is misplaced hunger. A woman struggled to lose weight. She had tried everything — all kinds of diets, … Read more
[Note: As part of our devotion/Bible discussion time at beginning of our council meeting tonight, I shared a brief review of Tuesday’s message as well as some additional thoughts on teachability.] Psalm 51 reveals the teachable heart of David. It’s the psalm he writes about his repentance following his sins involving Bathsheba and Uriah. In … Read more
[Note: This sermon was presented at one of the Community Lenten Services coordinated by the Juniata Valley Ministerium. This sermon was delivered at the Zion Lutheran Church.] In this series of messages during Lent, we’ve been focusing on the promises of God’s blessings given in the beatitudes, a section of Scripture that Jesus presents at … Read more
“He who dies with the most toys wins.” You may have read that on a bumper sticker at some point. That could be the slogan for avarice. Avarice (a word we don’t really use much anymore) means “excessive, unbridled desire.” There are three closely related words we want to talk about … Greed – an … Read more
Notice the use of "abundant" or "abundance" in the following passages.John 10.10Luke 12.15-21 Abundance of possessions or abundant life? Which will we choose? Greed: desires more and more Covetousness: greed with jealousy (desiring what another has)Avarice: an excessive desire to obtain and keep money or possessions. Hoarding. Hoarding: News story of woman whose house is … Read more
Proverbs 6.6-11 There’s an animal called the sloth. It’s a mammal that lives mostly in trees and feeds mainly on leaves. It sleeps, eats, travels, and even gives birth, while hanging upside down. Sloths move only when they have to, and when they do, it’s normally very slowly. Amazingly, infant sloths hang onto their mother’s … Read more
GreetingMy name is Joleen and I am a sinner. (response: “My name is ______ and I am a sinner.) Is that statement more of a reality than when we first started this series? We are looking at the 7 Deadly Sins, not so we can identify them in the lives of others, but so we … Read more
This sermon is part of the tuesday evening Community Lenten Series.Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled/satisfied.Matthew 5.6 Hungry?Do you know what it means to be hungry? To be truly hungry? I don’t mean that little grumble in your stomach between mealtimes. I mean gnawing at you, hunger. … Read more
Name that Coach! In college basketball, the name of this Coach is synonymous with greatness and winning. This Coach is one who represents high principles, expectations and demands for his players, his coaching staff and, most of all, himself. But he is foremost an educator. His ability to teach young men the game of basketball … Read more
Think about your recent experiences of anger: were they justified? Are there certain common things that tend to make you angry? On a scale of 1-10, how much do you struggle with anger? “Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.” (Benjamin Franklin) Anger is not always wrong … “Anger is … Read more