McGregor Page PREACHING THE LECTIONARY: THE McGREGOR PAGE

PREACHING THE LECTIONARY: THE McGREGOR PAGE


THE McGREGOR PAGE is available free to your e-mail inbox. Send requests to subscribe, unsubscribe or comment to Roland McGregor (rmac.parti@ecunet.org) by clicking here.


--Copyright 2006 by Roland McGregor, all rights reserved--
You have permission to share this material with any individual provided that you include the source with e-mail address (rmac.parti@ecunet.org) and this copyright notice.

Pentecost 23
November 19, 2006

The Approaching Day


1 Samuel 2:1-10 or Psalm 42
1 Samuel 4:1-20
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
Mark 13-1-8

What is this day that is coming? For Hannah it was a day of personal victory, but in that victory she sees a larger one like Deborah and Mary did when they sang their songs. Or is it a day of darkness as Amos warns? Jesus talks about a day in which those structures we thought immovable melt away but then points out that life is always a bit like that. Whatever the day or whenever the day the Psalmist puts himself under the protection of God, and the pastor to the Hebrews further defines that protection as the justifying sacrifice of Jesus made transcended in the Christ.

All of us individually and collectively know that there is a day coming that will split history in two again the like resurrection of Jesus did. Is it when low yield nuclear devices are available at sporting goods stores? The right to bear arms you know. Or is it when the Internet teaches everyone to know each other from the least of them to the greatest? Or is it when the planet turns and says, “Get off my back.” Or is it when we perfect the ecological balance?

People remember where they were on history splitting days. Where were you when you found out the Twin Towers were hit? Where were you when you heard that John F. Kennedy had been shot? We will never forget where we were. The burden of the Lections for this Sunday is not where were you, but where will you be on that Day. Make some plans. Position yourself. The next time history splits or perhaps the last time it splits, will you be in the place your have chosen rather than the place chance has assigned?

What place? On our knees in prayer the way Hannah was? Giving our greatest treasure over to God as Hannah did? Steering away from the little “g” gods as the Psalmist did? Or, submitting ourselves without reservation to the sacrifice of the one high priest? We are contingent beings. Wherever we are there will be boundaries, but we have some latitude to choose our boundaries. That is what defines a place -- boundaries. “The Bound Man” is a story of a man who found meaning in his boundaries and was lost when he lost them. If our boundaries are in place we have definition. You are somewhere and you are someone. “The boundary lines for me have fallen in pleasant places,” says the Psalmist. (Ps. 16:6) This being true we are ready for the approaching day.

Roland McGregor, Pastor
Asbury United Methodist Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Click on the McGregor Page link below for a sermon starter essay to go with this Children's Sermon.

THE McGREGOR PAGE and CHILDREN'S SERMONS are available free to your e-mail inbox. To send requests to subscribe, unsubscribe or changes Click here

e-mail: seniorpastor@qwest.net
Webpage: http://www.webspawner.com/users/McGregorPage/
Webpage: http://www.webspawner.com/users/ChildPage/


The McGregor Page
Official UMC Homepage
Lift Up Your Hearts
Sermons & Sermon Lectionary Resources
Clergy Resources

Send E-Mail to: seniorpastor@qwest.net

Free Webpages This page created using the webpage creation facilities of Webspawner.
Copyright © 2006. All Rights Reserved