Mindful Leader

This is from Judges 4.  We would in English call the heroine here, Deborah, but I have a friend named Devorah, and I felt that saying her name, in Hebrew, was the right thing.  Devorah stands on behalf of being courageous.  She is a fiery woman or maybe a woman of lightening or woman of the torch.  She stands like a beacon, and deserves to be remembered.

The Sunday after the shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Dallas.  Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 (read by liturgist) and 1 Corinthians 8: 1-6.  Yes, I revised the sermon after the events of last week.  

We are speaking to the Nicene Creed -- and this is the passage on God.  

A first look at creeds.  This will be a fie week series on Creeds.  There will be a focus on both the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.  This week is focused on why they are of import to us.  It clearly uses July 4th as an illustration for why creeds are of value.  

The main function of this week is to set the stage for the following four weeks.  

Acts 3 meets Psalm 23.  The broad topic is healing but I stumble into talking about a little more than that.  

This week the primary scripture is not part of the podcast.  The title shows the primary preaching text.  

Two scriptures make up the discussion/proclamation.  One is Acts 17: 1-9 and the other is 1st Thessalonians 1 with a primary emphasis on the elements of 1st Thessalonians that focuses on faith, hope, and love.  Interesting that at both services I didn't record the 1st Thessalonians reading.  Not sure what went on.  

This sermon came together quite late.  I had all the piece parts by Saturday evening, but it had no shape, no contour, no real flow.  Marilyn and I sat down and worked together on this for an hour and this is what came out.  Michelle Starcher, our accompanist, also provided a musical offering that I didn't know about until I got to church, so that element, was woven in late.  God surprises us.  

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Kolbe.html is a good link to a bio on the Roman Catholic Priest mentioned in the Sermon.  

Setting a bit of the stage for Mark but this is more of a year end report.  This particular sermon is at the 9:00 AM service.  

Luke 1 -- Zachariah and the end of barrenness.  God has been here before. 

Ezra 3: 1-4, 10-13 is the text and again, I am indebted to the assistance I receive from Working Preacher/Narrative Lectionary.  Excellent help.  Rebuild the temple and some, who remember what the old temple was like, cannot be joyful.  I then contrast those Eeyores with Simeon in Luke 2 where he is able to see the possibility of the future.  

I relied this week a great deal on Working Preacher/Narrative Lectionary help.  The idea in this Isaiah 40: 1-11 on where the quotation marks are comes from them.  This is another call routine.  Here (the) Second Isaiah is saying I can't preach because the people are like grass and will wither.  And God says ... do it anyway.