Sermon notes from Brian Conklin‘s message at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church today.
Isaiah painted a picture of people on their way. They arrive atop a mountain Where everyone has their say.
Nations shall not rise up Against other nations anymore. Isaiah promises our future Will hold that peace from shore to shore.
We’re all moving toward God’s judgement. Our hope is rooted to God’s future. Romans 13:11-14 says, “Live like people Who are headed for the dawn.”
God is asking us to wake up And be a people on the move… Moving toward God’s promised peace. Pick God’s goals as The Way you choose.
Don’t stop, my friends. The hike is worth it. The view is stunning from the top. You’re on a journey to the new Kingdom. So, be reminded: keep engaged; don’t stop.
Live in a way that causes you to see There is a beautiful Kingdom to come. Love, pursue peace, and resist darkness. Walk in the light of the Lord. Don’t be dumb!
No, Brian’s sermon didn’t include “Don’t be dumb!” I had to add that cuz it caught my mood – – – And besides, I needed something that rhymed with kingdom!
Happy first day of Advent! Did you go to church today? If so, what message did you take away? What does this Advent season mean to you?
What does it mean to have a date in the church called King Sunday?
When I googled it, I learned, “Though the date is variable, Christ the King always occurs in late November. This is especially providential in America, where elections happen in early November. After the long drama of election season, both winners and losers are reminded that Christ is the true King, and that his rules will ultimately judge all human authorities.”
It went on to say, “In the Presbyterian Churches, such as the Presbyterian Church (USA), at the Feast of Christ the King (Feast of the Reign of Christ) “the church gives thanks and praise for sovereignty of Christ, who is Lord of all creation and is coming again in glory to reign (see Revelation 1:4-8)…”
With that in mind, our sermon today at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church explored the life of Christ and how we interpret the Kingship of Jesus in today’s world. Here are my sermon notes:
This is the beginning Of Advent season. We get caught up In the season’s reason.
Yet as we move Into the humble life Of Jesus, we see A family facing strife.
Luke tells us of Jesus’ Arrival at Golgotha Hill And he asks us to look At the Truth – and be still.
Jesus (King of the Jews) was handed over To face death on the cross. Some people want to pass by That time of pain and loss.
We want to skip the crucifixion And go from Virgin Birth To Christ’s ministry and then His ascension from this earth.
But during this time of year, We need to embrace the season Of Christ the King’s ministry And see Jesus’ life’s reason.
Why was Jesus condemned When His was a life of love? He extended grace to all Who believe He was God above.
He was superior to all creation And He lived a life of peace. We need to align ourselves with Jesus’ teachings. He’s in our reach!
As people of faith, we must Reflect Christ’s justice and grace. Christ died to redeem us – Us believers who will see His face.
Endure – because Christ the King promised We will be with Him in Paradise. Pray for justice for all – Turn from evil, Accept His enduring Faith – and be nice!!
Amen?
I hope your Christ the King Sunday was a blessed one! Love ya, JanBeek
Kill sterotypes! She is young, blond, beautiful AND intelligent!!
In a graduation speech at the New York University back in 2022 where she was awarded a doctorate, Taylor Swift’s message captivated the audience. It was so impactful that I decided to find it on-line, download it, and read it to really digest some of the points she was making. Below is only the last part of it, but it will give you a small picture of why this “blond bombshell” has taken the world by storm. If you have not witnessed one of her concerts, you probably don’t understand “the whole package.” I didn’t… until I watched her concert (see below). I urge you to take some time and log in to her Era tour’s grand finale in Los Angeles. You’ll be amazed at the dancing, the staging, the lighting, the cast of supporters, the whole sheebang!
Here is the last part of her speech to the graduates and their families at New York University:
“Sometimes, everything just feels completely pointless. I know the pressure of living your life through the lens of perfectionism, and I know that I’m talking to a group of perfectionists because you are here today graduating from NYU. So this might be hard for you to hear.
In your life, you will inevitably misspeak, trust the wrong person, underreact, overreact, hurt the people who didn’t deserve it, overthink, not think at all, self-sabotage, create a reality where only your experience exists, ruin perfectly good moments for yourself and others, deny any wrongdoing, not take the steps to make it right, feel very guilty, let the guilt eat at you, hit rock bottom, finally address the pain you caused, try to do better next time, rinse, repeat. And I’m not going to lie. These mistakes will cause you to lose things.
The Silver Lining
I’m trying to tell you that losing things doesn’t just mean losing. A lot of the time, when we lose things, we gain things, too. Now you leave the structure and framework of school and chart your own path. Every choice you make leads to the next choice, which leads to the next, and I know it’s hard to know which path to take.
There will be times in life where you need to stand up for yourself, times when the right thing is actually to back down and apologize, times when the right thing is to fight, times when the right thing is to turn and run, times to hold on with all you have, and times to let go with grace. Sometimes the right thing to do is to throw out the old schools of thought in the name of progress and reform. Sometimes the right thing to do is to sit and listen to the wisdom of those who have come before us. How will you know what the right choice is in these crucial moments?
Embracing Uncertainty
You won’t. How do I give advice to this many people about their life choices? I won’t. The scary news is you’re on your own now.
But the cool news is you’re on your own now. I leave you with this. We are led by our gut instincts, our intuitions, our desires and fears, our scars and our dreams. And you will screw it up sometimes.
Final Thoughts
So will I. And when I do, you will most likely read about it on the Internet. Anyway, hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it. And as long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out. (And you need to have seen her smirk here as she kiddingly said:) And I am a doctor now, so I know how breathing works.
I hope you know how proud I am to share this day with you. We’re doing this together. So let’s just keep dancing like we’re the class of 22. We’re doing this together.”
Cheers, my friends! Yes, young, blond, beautiful, and intelligent… You can be all that and talented, too. Taylor sure is!
Richard (Dick) Peterson has a blog titled From Big Sky Buckeye
In it, Dick shares entries from his journals. Today’s entry said:
“Resilience allows life’s next breath to continue with another step.“
AI generated that “big step” photo for me. I find it interesting that big step and next breath are used in a way that links our head to our feet. It is true for me that when I am ready to take a “big step” it has to be a decision made at the head and heart level.
What next step are you ready to take? Will it take resilience to take that next breath and continue?
The inspired, hopeful scripture and another inspirational Sunday sermon from our dear Interim Pastor, Brian Conklin, yesterday at Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
The Glorious New Creation
17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating, for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy and its people as a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it or the cry of distress. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old person who does not live out a lifetime, for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat, for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity,[a] for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. 24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
The world seems very fragile Seems everything’s falling apart Between despair and hope we are Wondering how to take heart
Promises and warnings go hand in hand Isaiah speaks of a new world beginning He promises the Kingdom has arrived But Luke reports Jesus’ warnings of sinning
Luke 21:5-19 NRSV Updated Edition
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”
Signs and Persecutions
7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray, for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’[a] and, ‘The time is near!’[b] Do not go after them.
9 “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance, 15 for I will give you words[c] and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and siblings, by relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.
Jesus tells of a world that trembles He encourages us to stand and endure “By your endurance you will save your soul” Dig deep into your heart and persevere
We’re caught between joy and sorrow We’re asked to trust God even when we Can’t see evidence of His promises The Kingdom of God is now and not yet to see
Where you see the church planted, you see Signposts that point to the kingdom to come God’s love wins out over human nature So keep speaking peace over poverty and slum
God’s love holds us together when we feel The world is falling apart at the seams May we see even now glimpses of this New Heaven and New Earth – and know what it means.
What makes you unique? Your fingerprint and your eyes, Your hair and your smile.
Your conversation, And your own brand of whimsy. Do you embrace these?
Bob Goff wrote today, “God made you this way On purpose, freckles and all.”
He had lots of spots – As a kid, lots of freckles. He was teased a lot.
His grandma told him “Those spots are angel kisses.” So be proud of them!
“Don’t tell anyone,” She cautioned him not to share – “Friends would be jealous!”
That very mean boy Who teased Bob, calling him Spot, Wilted his soft heart.
With grandma’s advice His insecurities left, Finding acceptance.
Accept uniqueness! Embrace how you’re different. Congratulations!
Love, JanBeek
P.S. Bob Goff puts this message at the end of each of his books:
CONNECT WITH BOB “Bob’s passion is people. He’d love to hear from you if you want to email him at info@bobgoff.com. You can also follow him on Instagram and X: @bobgoff. Here’s his cell phone number if you want to give him a call: (619)985-4747.”
Ps. 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
The smiling face below belongs to our interim pastor, Brian Conklin, who delivered a beautiful sermon Sunday inspired by the prayer of David found in Psalm 17. I posted my sermon notes here and then (while messing around on WordPress on my phone), I accidentally erased the post. Some of my friends saw it before the mishap, I hope. Anyway… heeeeeere’s Brian…
And heeeere’s “A prayer of David”
1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer— it does not rise from deceitful lips. 2 Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.
3 Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed. 4 Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded. 5 My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. 7 Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings 9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
Heaven knows, I need to be one of those protected chicks under “the shadow of your wings!”
Can’t redo what I lost… Need to get to bed. Oh well…
