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I coped out in a way with the Esau and Jacob story by telling it during the time for 'young and young at heart'. The only two young people in the congregation were a tween and a young teen - no children. And I told it, as I did the Genesis story last week, as a story of our forefathers - as story.
For my sermon I spoke on the Psalm "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet ..." and explored the various ways we think of 'the word of God'. Hearing God's voice in the natural world - experiencing God''s presence (and voice) in our lives. Following the Word - the Commandments. Meeting Jesus - the living Word. And learning about God through the Bible. Then I went back to 'story' and about what we can learn from stories - the stories of our forefathers in the faith, and the stories (parables) that Jesus told. Bringing my message to the parable of the seeds in our gospel lesson.

Very positive comments at the door after the service. Next week their regular minister will be back from holidays. But they hope that I will visit again. They eenjoy having me. They like my stories.

Very hot day. Sweat was beading on my forehead and running down my face by the end of the service. I speak from the pulpit, raised a few feet above the floor of the church. It's surprising how much hotter those few feet make it.
 
Seeler said:
I probably did something that ministers are probably told not to do. I took two very different passages from the lectionary and spoke on each of them.
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I've never been told that. I think the approach has value. It's better than what some ministers do - which is take two (or more) completely unrelated passages (just because they're in the lectionary on the same week - because the lectionary passages don't always relate to each other) and then go through very awkward hermeneutical gymnastics to try to get them all to work together, even when everyone can see that they don't.

Seeler said:
The first was the story of Isaac and Rebecca from the book of Genesis. I did a long introduction to the reading. Having read recently that 'there is nothing of value in Genesis', I pointed out the value of 'story', and how three great world religions look back on the stories of Abraham, and how both Jews and Christians consider Abraham (Sarah), Isaac (Rebecca), Jacob (Leah & Rachel) as their forefathers (and mothers). And I told the story of Isaac and Rebecca's arranged marriage. There is enough material in this one chapter of Genesis to make it the basis of a novel.
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The Genesis passage is a good one. Since I wasn't preaching on July 9 I didn't have to make the choice. My colleague chose the Gospel passage, which you describe below. Shame on whoever it is who said "there's nothing of value in Genesis." It is a book very rich in meaning and truth and wisdom.

Seeler said:
Later in the service a member of the congregation read the Gospel lesson. I based my message mainly on the first few verses - children in the marketplace too bored to find anything interesting to do, and how Jesus compared those who failed to listen to his 'Good News' to those bored children who just couldn't see and appreciate the abundant life Jesus offered. I ended by saying that while not everybody can be joyful all the time our troubles shared become troubles lessened.
The congregation seemed to respond well and told me that they look forward to my return next week.
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Sounds like it was a good message.
 
revsdd said:
The Genesis passage is a good one. Since I wasn't preaching on July 9 I didn't have to make the choice. My colleague chose the Gospel passage, which you describe below. Shame on whoever it is who said "there's nothing of value in Genesis." It is a book very rich in meaning and truth and wisdom.
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Well said Steven. Every passage from the Bible can be preached on. There are no exceptions.
 
BetteTheRed said:
There are, however, challenges. Some of the "begats" would qualify...
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There are always challenges. If a passage of Scripture (whether from Genesis or Luke or Isaiah or 1 Corinthians) isn't in some way challenging, then it probably would never have been accepted as Scripture. I'd agree that some are more challenging than others. One could use the "begats" passages (a portion of them anyway) to preach a worthwhile sermon on family dynamics, and how some things get passed on from generation to generation, among other things - but that God can still use those who are begotten into "the family mess" for productive (and even holy) purposes.
 
They be gnats in some of the myths ... part of the etiology of what bugs those in haughty terms ...

HiF Lights? Be cautious of the crash ... the comedown ... Black Shabba ... a day to study word?

Conflicts in the state of mind support those travellers ... pi-gsus knuckling under? Peg asis .. a Wahl of a myth when encountered with the ploughman ... an image of Walter Brenon comes to me about that mule called Midnight! The earth turning thus goes on in composure and complexity ... composted?
 
BetteTheRed said:
There are, however, challenges. Some of the "begats" would qualify...
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True enough. Preaching on genealogies (I'm just finishing a course in Chronicles!) would be a real challenge. However, I hold that it would be possible. I'm not up to that level of preaching yet, but I imagine @revsdd or @revjohn could handle it well.
 
I focussed on the parable of the sower and the seeds. The title: "We all have ears, but is that enough?" and it was about how we listen to scripture. Because my brother-in-law has been increasingly deaf since birth, and just received a cochlear implant, I worked a little bit of that into the message. One older fellow said this to me on the way out: "I listened to every word!" I guess the listening part of the message go through to him!
 
Also explored the parable of the Sower. Moved past some of the traditional blaming that goes on with the text.

Concentrated on how the seed is designed to grow and will not grow until conditions are present for it to grow. Also explored the stewardship of the soil on which seed is to fall. Every soil type mentioned has a remediation.

So rather than turn my nose up at those who are shallow soil, rocky soil or soil rife with weeds I focussed on what the role of the steward is to address those short-comings which make for an ultimately inhospitable growing experience. I mean the seed sprouts so there is enough there for the seed to do it's thing. What is missing is enough for the seed to continue to do its thing until it eventually fruits.

If God is the sower and the sower casts seed onto inhospitable surfaces can we really argue that God's intention was to waste the seed to begin with?
 
BetteTheRed said:
There are, however, challenges. Some of the "begats" would qualify...
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On another thread, having time on my hands, I listed the geneology of Seelerman for ten generations. Only one person expressed enough interest to reply. Unless you have a vested interest, like finding out who your ancestors were and learning something about them, 'begats' are boring. But, like I am quite intrigued in digging into the bit of information I have, some people are fascinated by what they can learn from studying the 'begats' in the Hebrew scriptures.
 
revjohn said:
Also explored the parable of the Sower. Moved past some of the traditional blaming that goes on with the text.

Concentrated on how the seed is designed to grow and will not grow until conditions are present for it to grow. Also explored the stewardship of the soil on which seed is to fall. Every soil type mentioned has a remediation.

So rather than turn my nose up at those who are shallow soil, rocky soil or soil rife with weeds I focussed on what the role of the steward is to address those short-comings which make for an ultimately inhospitable growing experience. I mean the seed sprouts so there is enough there for the seed to do it's thing. What is missing is enough for the seed to continue to do its thing until it eventually fruits.

If God is the sower and the sower casts seed onto inhospitable surfaces can we really argue that God's intention was to waste the seed to begin with?
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Very similar to my approach, which was essentially to say, "why blame the soil?" Because Jesus doesn't seem to attach blame to anyone on the story.
 
revjohn -----your quote ----If God is the sower and the sower casts seed onto inhospitable surfaces can we really argue that God's intention was to waste the seed to begin with?

Question
Is God the sower in the Parable of the sower or are we the sower ?----I thought God presented the seed for His children to sow ------but I could be wrong ---
 
unsafe said:
revjohn -----your quote ----If God is the sower and the sower casts seed onto inhospitable surfaces can we really argue that God's intention was to waste the seed to begin with?

Question
Is God the sower in the Parable of the sower or are we the sower ?----I thought God presented the seed for His children to sow ------but I could be wrong ---
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Jesus doesn't actually say (even in his explanation of the parable) who the sower is. I think the parable could be looked at either way. And it may not be an either/or; it may be a both/and.
 
God in scents is the receiver of de essence ... and thus that strange odour ... of sects and cults ... they raise stinks ...

Many modern religious types say incense is evil ... an idol!
 
unsafe said:
Is God the sower in the Parable of the sower or are we the sower ?
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Nothing specifically identifies who the "farmer" is who went out to sow seed. I suppose either interpretation could be valid, though I am not sure both interpretations lead us to consider the same things.

If God is the sower then the indiscriminate casting of seed leads us to wonder if God is truly wasteful of the seed by casting it where it is not likely to thrive. What will we take away from the parable then? That it is the soil at fault for the lack of success of the seed?

If we are the sowers then we are casting the seed indiscriminately and wasting it. What do we take away from the parable in that case? That we must take care where we sow seed so as not to waste it? Do we get any clues in the parable how to discern good soil from the shallow, rocky, or weed infested soils? Is the parable actually about the hazard of sowing seed willy-nilly and wasting it?

unsafe said:
I thought God presented the seed for His children to sow ------but I could be wrong
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As could I. Or maybe revsdd's both/and solution needs more attention so that the learning is not so limited.
 
If we cannot understand fully, does that mean that we are not true followers of Jesus? Jesus spoke in parables and only explained them to his disciples. "These things are done in parables, that seeing they may see and not perceive and hearing they may hear and not understand....
 
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