First Sunday in Lent - A

Jack had a huge plastic bag full of conkers. He spent the whole of one evening with a skewer boring a hole in the conkers and threading each one on a piece of string. When he went to school next day he spent every spare minute in the playground playing conkers with his friends. He lost quite a few to start with, but he soon became very proficient, and watched with delight as his opponents' conkers gradually smashed and disappeared.

Contents
What's Up This Week
"Inspiring Courage" by Argile Smith
"Investing Talents" by Gregory L. Tolle
"Monster Dandruff" by C. David McKirachan


What's Up This Week

Contents
"The End of What?" by David O. Bales
"The Aqueduct" by John Sumwalt


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The End of What?
by David O. Bales
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

I have a little book titled, You Are What You Believe in my library. In today's world, where belief translates so easily into violence, that title says more, I think, than John Killinger had in mind when he wrote his little book by that title on the "Apostles' Creed."

"For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

The church year theological clue

WORSHIP HELPS

CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: God claims the earth and all who occupy it.
People: God claims the people and all who will be pure--hearted.
Leader: God is on the side of all who seek Him
People: And of those who quest for sainthood.
Leader: God's saints are those who claim His salvation,
People: The salvation bought with the blood of Jesus.
Leader: God claims the heavens and all who will occupy it.
All: We claim the land for eternity.

My family and I enjoy watching professional as well as Final Four collegiate basketball. The display of talent in many players is exciting to watch. However, what I wish to offer is a mixed review on the public behavior of some coaches before referees and players. I get this sense that some coaches are freed up enough to use and to enjoy their coaching skills, because they don't have to take credit for them: a John Wooden of the great UCLA days, for instance.

There was no doubt in Zephaniah's mind that God had had enough. His people bowed down to other gods and no longer turned to the Lord in prayer nor did they seek his help. They blindly walked their own selfish and greedy path and in their arrogance thought God would sit quietly by and do nothing. They were wrong! "Listen, the cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter… that day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish… (Zephaniah 1:14-15)." Our Lord Jesus in similar fashion spoke to the world of his day, "I did not come to bring peace but a sword (Matthew 10:34)."

The great emancipator Moses and his general Joshua, who became Commander-in-Chief of Israel, both had died. Quality leadership had nearly vanished. These were unsettled, disturbed, and reckless times. Kings and kingdoms jockey for political position ... dominating one race over another. Fierce, aggressive men struggle for possession of land caring nothing for the people they rule with an iron hand. Desperate times call for heroes who can bring calm and peace in trouble.

Epistemology is the study of knowledge. How does one know anything? How can I know what is true?

One means of knowledge is reason. Two plus two equals four is an equation of reasonability. The Bible says, "The wisdom from above is ... open to reason" (James 3:17). The discipline of apologetics is the use of reason to defend the faith.

For a man who claims that he does not know much about the coming day of the Lord, Paul has certainly written us a vivid description of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Paul speaks with authority when he says that when the day of the Lord comes, those who are dead and in the grave will be awakened by the trumpets of the angels and they will rise up and meet the Lord first. Those who are still alive when this happens will have to wait until all the dead are welcomed before they get to enter into the joy of the victorious kingdom of God.

Hymns
Awake My Soul, Stretch Every Nerve (NCH491, CBH609)
Battle Hymn Of The Republic (NCH610, UM717)
O Day Of God, Draw Near (NCH611, CBH370, UM730, PH452)
God Of Grace And God Of Glory (NCH436, CBH366, UM577, PH420)
We Who Would Valiant Be (NCH494)
O God, Our Help In Ages Past (NCH25, CBH328, UM117)
When I Had Not Yet Learned Of Jesus/Yee Jun Ae Joo Nim Eul Nae Ka Mol La (PH410)
Come, Labor On (PH415, NCH532)
This Little Light Of Mine (CBH401, NCH524, 525, UM585)

Call To Worship
Surely the Lord is working out his will, around the world and in this place. Boldly step forward in faith as we gather to praise God for his works in history and in our story.


Collect
Lord, you raise up the lowly and least likely. Surprise us today as you call forth leadership in our midst. Grant us the wisdom to follow your prophets wherever they might be found. Amen.


Prayer Of Confession

At the college where I teach in the religion department, we are just past midterm exams. I enjoy the excitement of my students each fall as they seem energized for another year of college life. By late September, however, absenteeism climbs, and some students drag themselves to class for a little nap.

The tradition of "fire and brimstone" preaching runs deep. With his famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Jonathan Edwards was not the first nor the last of those who passionately develop graphic themes of judgment in preaching. Fear is a pretty strong motivating factor. I have often thought that discovering a relationship with God because of the fear of eternal damnation is the epitome of spiritual selfishness. No doubt folks turn to God in fearful circumstances all of the time.

Good morning! This morning I want to retell a story Jesus once told to teach us the importance of being faithful users of what God gives us. A boy named Freddy Faithful got ten dollars as a gift. He wanted to use his money very wisely so the first thing he did was set one dollar aside to give to church that next Sunday. This, the first dollar, he wanted to go to God. Then he took the second dollar and put it aside in his savings. This dollar was for a new bicycle he wanted to purchase someday. That only left him with eight dollars to spend -- not ten. But Freddy Faithful was happy.

How many of you like to play with building blocks? (Let them answer.) I always enjoy building things and it looks like many of you like to build as well. All through life people like to build things. That is why so many buildings get built. Some people build careers. Others build the community where they live. Churches are built by people. Today, however, I want to talk about building something that most of us might not think about. I want to talk about building people.