Brian's Sermons

1 Samuel 3:1-10 3:1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been rev...

You Think You’ve Got Enemies When I think of enemies, I think of the big ones. I think of Stalin’s Soviet Bear. I think of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Today we have Al Qaeda and Islamic Fundamentalists. There are also pretend enemies, like the Boogieman – as a kid, I was scared of some guy named Mr. Freebish, who my dad threatened would come in and eat my vegetables if I didn’t eat them (I didn’t mind so much if he ate them; I was just scared of this stranger who would presumably break into the house to eat my food). Then there are characters from fiction, like Darth Vader. And over the course of our lives, there are times when we make other enemies, too. Like the bully down the street. Or the rival for your beloved’s attention. Or the person at work who always seems to at you. Most of us probably don’t have enemies who threaten to physically harm us, though if we have school-aged children or grandchildren, they might. Three weeks ago, we looked at Saul’s conversion to...

Psalm 1 1  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 4  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6  For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. In college, I had a friend named Scott. Scott was the only kid on our floor who wore a tie. Maybe he was the only one who owned a tie. Scott was extremely conservative; not only did he vote conservatively, but he also dressed...

Today is Fathers’ Day, and there are probably some of you who don’t realize that the only “seasonal” sermons I do relate to Christian holidays, such as Advent and Christmas and Lent and Easter. I don’t structure my sermon series around our cultural holidays. If I did, But I will say something about and to fathers as I start. Our culture consistently ridicules and devalues fathers. Find me a current TV show in which the father is recognized as smart or relevant. Children are the smart ones and moms are the wise ones, and the dads are the bumbling fools. Fathers, whether through failure or success, pass something down to their children. It is up to each one of us to choose what it is we will pass down. And this isn’t just a message for biological fathers. Each of us has the opportunity to become spiritual parents to someone. The Apostle Paul was a spiritual father to Timothy. When Paul writes to Timothy, he calls him “My true son in the faith.” (1 Timothy 1:2a) Who are your spiritua...

Luke 1:39-45 Have you ever had an experience where something incredible happened to you, but you couldn’t share it with anyone because you knew nobody would ever believe it?   Not in the “he’s always crying wolf” scenario, where maybe you’ve got a reputation for always telling outlandish stories, but in the “this could never happen to anyone” category.   And you’ve just got to tell someone, but you know that nobody would believe it.   Last week we took a look at Mary, who had an amazing encounter with an angel, who told her that God was going to fulfill his promises to the patriarch Jacob… through her.   That she was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Really, who would believe that story?   From a nobody from Nazareth… and an unmarried young woman at that.   But Mary knew someone who would believe her, so she hurried to the home of her relative, Elizabeth.   And before she can utter a word, Elizabeth knows .   There is a reason why ...