Difference between revisions of "Sermon for October 29th, 2017"

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Romans 8:31-39

31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints

For some people it's Christmas. For others, it's Easter. But for me...my favorite Sunday of the year is Reformation Sunday. I love the bagpipes and drums, the red and tartan plaid, the old 16th century prayers and liturgies, and getting to sing my most favorite hymn at the end of the service. More than that, I love the history and heritage we celebrate on this day. I look forward to this Sunday for pretty much the entire month of October.

And THIS year! This is the 500th anniversary of Reformation Day--the day Martin Luther sparked the Reformation with his 95 bold ideas nailed to the door of the church in Wittenberg. I've been looking forward to THIS Reformation Sunday--and all of the celbrations that are being observed around the world--for almost an entire year now.

But it's not just me. On the eve of this historic date, all of the presby-nerd pastors and elder-commissioners in West Texas gathered together last Thursday and Friday in San Angelo for our quarterly Presbytery meeting, complete with a guest lecturer on Reformation History, and a Reformation-themed costume party. I was ready with the Genevan Scholar's cap I ordered just for this occasion!

One week ago today, I was filled with so much excitement and anticipation, I could hardly stand it.

My week began first thing Monday morning with a personnel committee meeting that was...difficult, but necessary. Shortly after the meeting was over, we got word that long-time church member Jack Barron was in the ICU, and about to be placed in Hospice care. Of course, I dropped everything to go see him.

Tuesday was parent-teacher conference day for my kids, which is always a little hectic, but manageable. Then late Tuesday morning I got a call from our church preschool letting me know that a handgun had been found on our church playground. Fortunately, school was not in session, and the handgun was quickly identified, removed, and no one was harmed, but most of the rest of the day was spent