My dear Mother-in-Law was not a fan of edges. When you combined edges with speed, height, or both, things got interesting.
When Kathaleen and I were first married we lived in New Jersey. I was in graduate school. Kathaleen’s mom, from Las Vegas, flew out to take a training course at Harvard and she extended her visit to stop by and see us. Kathaleen was working and so I drove the hour south to Philly International to pick her up. It was summer, the sun was out, and so before I left for the airport, I took the doors and the top off the Jeep. It was a glorious drive down I-95. I arrived at the terminal, found her, loaded her stuff into the back of the Jeep, she climbed in. We were 15 minutes into our return journey, driving 65 on the freeway, my left leg dangling out the driver’s side door, when I realized, she had stopped talking. I looked over and it was clear she was petrified. Both of her hands were clamped onto the grab bar in front of her. She was not enjoying the wind through her hair, or the sun on her face. For the next 30 minutes she didn’t say much, did not laugh at my jokes, her expression did not change. Things got better when I slowed down and turned onto surface roads. But honestly, it wasn’t until we stopped, she pried her fingers from the grab bar, and she exited the Jeep, that she began to breathe again. I learned then and there that she was no fan of edges. I’m pretty sure, being the good and loving Son-in-Law I am, that I put the doors and top back on before our return trip to the airport (actually I’m hoping that’s what I did … not completely sure).
Our passage from Luke this morning is terrifying. It is the one place where we come right to the edge of unforgiveness. We are warned here not to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. How horrible to be eternally beyond the forgiveness of God. That is a place no one who understands what lies on the other side of death wants to be. Is this something that I could do by accident, one moment unintentionally saying something, doing something, blaspheming, and falling off the edge into eternal unforgiveness? Much better to put the doors back on and stay well clear of the edge.
But then again, even with this dire warning, we need to hear the expanse of God’s grace and mercy. He is warning us here because He loves us. Stand clear of the edge!
Depth Of Grace - Edge Of Unforgiveness (9AM)
August 7, 2022 • Curt McFarland • Luke 12:4–12
The Invitation... In Three Parts (11AM)
September 11, 2022 • Curt McFarland, Alex Rule, Dennis Whitcher • Luke 14:7–24
Today is a day those of a certain age will not forget. We remember the tears, the lost lives, the shock. And we remember that buildings will fall, and life itself will end, but Jesus remains our only hope. Part I (14:7-11): In Jesus’ day, as today, there were “status symbols” that helped people enhance their high standing in society. If you were invited to the “right homes” and if you were seated in the “right places,” then people would know how important you were. The emphasis was on reputation, not character. And so, in the first parable, Jesus counsels us to take the lowest seat, to forget our public image, because the Kingdom of God is about finding our identity in the One who knows us best. Part II (14:12-15): When we are invited to a dinner or banquet, we enjoy time with family and friends. We want to return the favor. That's the way we often live, it’s our comfort zone. But Jesus teaches that we should invite those who are in need, and those who need Him. Jesus wants us to invite those who cannot repay us. We follow Christ when we do just that. Our reward, we are told, will come later. Part III (14:16-24): The third part of Jesus’ dining etiquette reveals the heart of the host, and the hearts of each invited guest. Each makes an excuse, and each excuse seems, at first hearing, reasonable. But they reject the generosity of the host, the door is shut, they are forever outside. Oh, may we stop with our excuses!
The Invitation... In Three Parts (9AM)
September 11, 2022 • Curt McFarland, Alex Rule, Dennis Whitcher • Luke 14:7–24
Today is a day those of a certain age will not forget. We remember the tears, the lost lives, the shock. And we remember that buildings will fall, and life itself will end, but Jesus remains our only hope. Part I (14:7-11): In Jesus’ day, as today, there were “status symbols” that helped people enhance their high standing in society. If you were invited to the “right homes” and if you were seated in the “right places,” then people would know how important you were. The emphasis was on reputation, not character. And so, in the first parable, Jesus counsels us to take the lowest seat, to forget our public image, because the Kingdom of God is about finding our identity in the One who knows us best. Part II (14:12-15): When we are invited to a dinner or banquet, we enjoy time with family and friends. We want to return the favor. That's the way we often live, it’s our comfort zone. But Jesus teaches that we should invite those who are in need, and those who need Him. Jesus wants us to invite those who cannot repay us. We follow Christ when we do just that. Our reward, we are told, will come later. Part III (14:16-24): The third part of Jesus’ dining etiquette reveals the heart of the host, and the hearts of each invited guest. Each makes an excuse, and each excuse seems, at first hearing, reasonable. But they reject the generosity of the host, the door is shut, they are forever outside. Oh, may we stop with our excuses!
When Our Rules Get in The Way of His Rules (11AM)
September 4, 2022 • Luke 14:1–6
Today, the world population is approximately 8 billion and growing. The needs for work, food, medicine, and hospitals, etc. are also increasing. People are moving at a very high speed in this fast-changing world. Today the number of sick people in the world is much higher than in Jesus’ time but this is not a reason for Him to stop hearing and answering our prayers. His power of healing is the same today as it was in the past and will be in the future. In these times of constant needs and desperation we should use our wisdom and be on our knees praying. We must always look for the One who can do everything and make the impossible possible, our Creator and Ruler of the universe, our Maker and Provider. In this passage a leader of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner on the Sabbath. The house was full of many people. The leader’s intention was evil - the idea was to catch Jesus breaking the rules and laws on the Sabbath. They were watching Jesus, waiting for an opportunity to get Him into trouble, but Jesus knew the leader’s intentions and malicious thoughts. Jesus took advantage of the moment to use His healing power to heal a man and teach the Pharisees a great lesson. Here our Lord Jesus healed the man with dropsy, and many witnessed the miracle of healing on the Sabbath day. Jesus asked them if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, but they remained silent and surprised. This reminds us of what Jesus said in Mark 2:17 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.”