First Baptist Church Muncie » Luke http://fbcmuncie.org First Baptist Church in Muncie, Indiana Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:45:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Offering Ourselves http://fbcmuncie.org/offering-ourselves/ http://fbcmuncie.org/offering-ourselves/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:21:04 +0000 wadeallen http://fbcmuncie.org/?p=3765 To say that the Holy Spirit is involved in our worship planning is a no brainer. We would all agree that somehow God acts and moves in my sermon preparation and delivery, in Matt’s selection of liturgy, in all aspects of our work. Why then are we surprised when something we read, a situation we experience, or a conversation ties directly to our topic?

I was reading from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals this morning and came across a quote from Jesuit Jean-Pierre de Caussade (18th Century). Now, don’t forget, this upcoming sermon is on stewardship; it is about realizing all we have is God’s and we are responsible to use it for his purposes.

“The great and firm foundation of the spiritual life is the offering of ourselves to God and being subject to his will in all things. We must completely forget ourselves, so that we regard ourselves as an object which has been sold and over which we no longer have any rights. We find all our joy in fulfilling God’s pleasure — his happiness, his glory and the fact that he is our great and only delight. Once we have this foundation, all we need to do is spend our lives rejoicing that God is God and being so wholly abandoned to his will that we are quite indifferent as to what we do and equally indifferent as to what use he makes of our activities.” 1

You may need to read this a couple of times to let it sink in. It is a powerful confession that our lives are not our own. We have given them over to God to use for his purposes.

When we see the word “steward” or “stewardship” in a sermon title, we assume the pastor is going to talk about money. But stewardship is much deeper than dollars. Sure, it has to do with dollars. If our checkbooks are not submitted to God, there is a problem. Jesus has much to say about money and it a key concern for anyone who seriously follows Him. Yet, living as a steward is a worldview; it is about how we understand our proper relationship to the Creator.

We are going to explore the parable of the prudent steward in Luke 16:1-13 this week. Jesus defines our position before God as He shocks us by praising questionable behavior. Join us on Sunday as we engage the story together.

  1. Claiborne, Shane; Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan; Okoro, Enuma (2010-11-09). Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (p. 134). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. ↩

]]> http://fbcmuncie.org/offering-ourselves/feed/ 0 Christmas Worship http://fbcmuncie.org/christmas-worship/ http://fbcmuncie.org/christmas-worship/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:42:24 +0000 wadeallen http://fbcmuncie.org/?p=3627 With Christmas less than one week away, we are preparing for two special worship services this weekend. We will meet on Christmas Eve at 7:00 p.m. to celebrate the coming of Jesus in a candlelight atmosphere. We will consider Isaiah 9. We celebrate the fact that God broke into darkness; He came as light into the world to redeem us. This shattering of darkness took the form of a child, a son. As we gather on Christmas Eve, we celebrate this child as the one who fulfills the words of Isaiah, the promises of God from ages past.

On Christmas morning, we will consider the Christmas story as recorded in Luke 2. Jesus’ birth was not a snow filled, hot chocolate laced occasion. It was messy, dirty, smelly; we will remind ourselves of the story that we have heard a million times. As we celebrate Christmas, we will remember that Christmas was a pretty scary occasion for those in Luke 2. Yet the angel’s words, “do not be afraid” assure us that God was and is up to something incredible.

I know that holidays can be busy. Many are traveling, others are spending concentrated time with family. Yet, I encourage you to carve out time to worship. Join us as we remember the true meaning of Christmas this weekend.

For those of you traveling out of town, we wish you a merry and Jesus-centered Christmas. For everyone else, I will see you this weekend.

]]> http://fbcmuncie.org/christmas-worship/feed/ 0 Confusion to Clarity http://fbcmuncie.org/confusion-to-clarity/ http://fbcmuncie.org/confusion-to-clarity/#comments Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:34:02 +0000 wadeallen http://fbcmuncie.org/?p=2422 Jesus finds his followers in a state of confusion following his resurrection. His words bring clarity to their theology, their mission, their authority, and their posture. As we experience confusion around the purpose of the church in 2011, Jesus’ words bring focus to our calling. Luke 24:44-53

Watch Video Listen to Audio ]]> http://fbcmuncie.org/confusion-to-clarity/feed/ 0 An Unforgettable Road Trip http://fbcmuncie.org/an-unforgettable-road-trip/ http://fbcmuncie.org/an-unforgettable-road-trip/#comments Sun, 08 May 2011 19:46:37 +0000 wadeallen http://fbcmuncie.org/?p=2319 All the events that surrounded Jesus crucifixion must have been overwhelming for his followers. Three days later, reports of His resurrection begin to surface. How can this be? Many of his followers are not sure about these reports. Two of followers have an unforgettable experience on a short road trip that will cement their understanding of who Jesus is and what he has come to do. Luke 24:13-35

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]]> http://fbcmuncie.org/an-unforgettable-road-trip/feed/ 0 Dead Men Talking http://fbcmuncie.org/dead-men-talking/ http://fbcmuncie.org/dead-men-talking/#comments Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:13:59 +0000 wadeallen http://wordpress.fbcmuncie.org/?p=93 Jesus confronts the religious leaders with a story of two dead men. They are having a conversation that highlights the connection between life here and life then. This story creates tension that the time is now. Act now while we still have the resources, while the chasm is not fixed. Luke 16:19-31

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]]> http://fbcmuncie.org/dead-men-talking/feed/ 0 The Shrewd Manager http://fbcmuncie.org/shrewd-manager/ http://fbcmuncie.org/shrewd-manager/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:10:28 +0000 wadeallen http://wordpress.fbcmuncie.org/?p=90 The word shrewd has a negative connotation in our culture. However, Jesus chastises his disciples for not being shrewd. We are to be wise, future-oriented, preparing ahead as did the dishonest manager in today’s story. Luke 16:1-13

]]> http://fbcmuncie.org/shrewd-manager/feed/ 0 Discipleship http://fbcmuncie.org/discipleship/ http://fbcmuncie.org/discipleship/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:33:34 +0000 wadeallen http://wordpress.fbcmuncie.org/?p=96 Jesus, on his way to Jerusalem, turns to those would be followers and offers them a challenge. He warns them of the cost of following him. While we find this statement hard in Western culture, Jesus demand no less than total commitment. Luke 14:25-35

]]> http://fbcmuncie.org/discipleship/feed/ 0 A Friend at Midnight http://fbcmuncie.org/a-friend-at-midnight/ http://fbcmuncie.org/a-friend-at-midnight/#comments Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:56:39 +0000 wadeallen http://fbcmuncie.org/?p=291 Can you imagine what it must have been like to watch Jesus pray? In our text this morning, Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. Following the Lord’s prayer, he tells them a story that describes the posture of prayer. Luke 11:1-13

]]> http://fbcmuncie.org/a-friend-at-midnight/feed/ 0 Where are the Good Samaritans? http://fbcmuncie.org/where-are-the-good-samaritans/ http://fbcmuncie.org/where-are-the-good-samaritans/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 07:01:47 +0000 wadeallen http://fbcmuncie.org/?p=314 Doug explores one of the most familiar of all parables, the story of the good Samaritan. Are we passing by on the other side of the road? Luke 10:25-37

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