tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91043790534883186612024-03-17T15:30:31.983+01:00Opossum ScreedSam Greening's WeblogSam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comBlogger2230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-1572035285613116812024-03-17T15:30:00.004+01:002024-03-17T15:30:00.139+01:00To Live in the LightSermon for the Fifth Sunday in LentMarch 17, 2024
Let’s look at the last verse in this morning’s reading from 1 John 2. It shows us something about the translation we have in our pews that I talked about when we first got the New Living Translation. And that is about the philosophy behind it. It’s less a word-for-word translation and more of a thought-for-thought translation. If you look at the Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-70825234087308581482024-03-10T15:30:00.011+01:002024-03-10T17:24:17.265+01:00God's PoetrySermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 10, 2024
Rabbit holes.I think we’ve talked about those before. It was originally a term taken from Lewis Carroll. He used it to open Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland—it’s where Alice ended up, chasing a white rabbit. These days, we use it to talk about surfing the web, and getting way too deep in a subject we often didn’t even know we were interested Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-15857138803735266082024-03-03T16:42:00.001+01:002024-03-03T16:42:00.134+01:00Power and WisdomSermon for the Third Sunday in Lent
March 3, 2024Last week, we heard Jesus tell us to take up our cross and follow him. After all, the Lenten season is the time of year we’re most likely to talk this. Christians may talk and sing about the cross any time. But as we get closer to Good Friday and Easter, it’s a subject that’s on our mind more and more. We can’t properly celebrate the resurrection Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-39248862513220107292024-02-25T22:31:00.003+01:002024-02-25T22:31:23.177+01:00Take Up Your CrossSermon for the Second Sunday in Lent
February 25, 2024It’s in Mark 8 that a conversation takes place that I think most of us remember. Jesus and his disciples are on a long road trip, and he asks them, “Who do people say that I am?”
“A prophet,” they answer him. “Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and some say you’re one of the other prophets—but definitely a prophet.”
“Okay then,” JesusSam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-33432551662200905622024-02-18T18:01:00.001+01:002024-02-18T18:01:03.851+01:00DrivenSermon for the First Sunday in LentFebruary 18, 2024
The oldest books in the New Testament are not the four gospels. In fact, that Gospel According to John is probably one of the last books of the Bible ever written. The first books were the letters of Paul. And of those, First and Second Thessalonians are the oldest—they were probably written just after A.D. 50. Most scholars agree that the Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-55621992614660242032024-02-11T20:39:00.006+01:002024-02-11T20:39:56.592+01:00The Light WithinSermon for Transfiguration Sunday February 11, 2024I can still remember where I was when I heard the news. I was driving on Loiza Street in Santurce, Puerto Rico. This was in the year 2000, and I was listening to WOSO, San Juan’s English-speaking radio station. And here’s the news that I heard. The Food and Drug Administration had just given permission to the California Prune Board to market Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-21930335896938476852024-02-04T11:50:00.026+01:002024-02-05T11:55:39.187+01:00Eagle's WingsSermon for February 4, 2024Today’s appointed lesson from the Hebrew scriptures contains one of our favorite verses: Isaiah 40:31— Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
I don’t have a lot of time for a sermon today, so I’ll just take us through this verse. It opens with Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-41144027317716606712024-01-23T15:18:00.002+01:002024-01-23T15:18:38.151+01:00Fifth Sunday after EpiphanyFebruary 4, 2024
CALL TO WORSHIP Great is the Lord: His power and understanding are beyond comprehension!
How good it is to sing praises to our God!
He supports the humble and heals the brokenhearted
We will sing out our thanks to the Lord. God’s delight is in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Praise the Lord!—adapted from Ps. 147
OPENING PRAYER
As we Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-92117017701597297212024-01-22T19:53:00.001+01:002024-01-29T04:59:09.688+01:00Fear and WisdomSermon for January 28, 2024
I know most of you all can’t relate to what I’m about to say. But the older I get, the more I misplace things. That is to say, I simply forget where I put them. One of the main things I forget is my cell phone. At any given point, it might be anywhere in the house. Now, there are certain places where it’s most likely to be found, so I check those first. But if after Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-11592712416715812342024-01-19T07:56:00.001+01:002024-01-19T07:56:13.359+01:00Fourth Sunday after EpiphanyJanuary 28, 2024CALL TO WORSHIP
Let us give thanks to God with all our hearts!
Let us praise the Lord!
How great are God’s works, full of honor and majesty.
The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
God’s praise endures forever.—from Psalm 111
OPENING PRAYER
Eternal God, in you we live and move and have our being.
Because you have made us for yourself,
Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-77922656509595133522024-01-16T13:51:00.006+01:002024-01-21T14:01:47.651+01:00Following ChristSermon for the 3rd Sunday after EpiphanyJanuary 21, 2024
Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’—Mark 1:17
I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned in at least one sermon that, when it was originally written, the Bible wasn’t divided into chapters and verses. That process wasn’t completed until the 1600’s. And so if we disagree on how exactly to Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-55680138517312357632024-01-15T15:07:00.003+01:002024-01-15T15:07:35.865+01:00Third Sunday after EpiphanyJanuary 21, 2024
CALL TO WORSHIP
For God alone our souls wait in silence; our hope is from him.
God is our rock and our salvation; our fortress, we shall not be shaken.
O people, do not put your faith in riches, for power belongs to God.
We will trust in God at all times, for he is the source of unfailing love.—from Ps. 62
OPENING PRAYER
O God, the source of our lives:
We gather together Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-85458538212782413762024-01-14T19:31:00.013+01:002024-01-18T18:54:29.687+01:00Out of NazarethSermon for the 2nd Sunday after EpiphanyJanuary 14, 2024
I looked it up, and I’m right: I’ve talked about this before (in the summer of 2022). But there’s an illustration—a meme, I guess—I see online a lot that really bothers me. It’s sort of a cartoon, and it’s intended, not to be funny, but as a source of inspiration. The artist is a Brazilian cartoonist named Genildo Roncho, here’s what it Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-60537757331931830372024-01-13T19:54:00.001+01:002024-01-14T06:34:01.550+01:00Second Sunday after EpiphanyJanuary 14, 2024
CALL TO WORSHIP
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy; acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name, for the Lord is good.
His unfailing Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-89098810997171353322024-01-07T13:45:00.002+01:002024-01-07T13:45:53.814+01:00The Light ShinesSermon for Epiphany Sunday
January 7, 2024
Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. —Isa. 60:1 We said goodbye to some very famous and important people in 2023. Rosalynn Carter is the first one that comes to my mind. Then there’s Matthew Perry, and Jimmy Buffet, and Bob Barker. There are probably several others that most of you can think of, but Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-76218457853755248392024-01-04T09:12:00.004+01:002024-01-04T09:28:58.121+01:00EpiphanyJanuary 6, 2023CALL TO WORSHIP
Have you seen the star of Bethlehem? Arise, people of God; let it shine in your lives.
We have seen Christ’s star and have come to worship. We are ready to let God lead and direct us.
Come from the shadows of earth to the light of God’s eternal purposes.
We see the glory of God in our midst and our hearts rejoice in expectation.
The promises of the gospel are forSam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-63057664990033467792024-01-01T13:32:00.001+01:002024-01-07T13:46:14.388+01:00New Year's PrayerBased on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
For everything there is a season—
that’s what your word teaches us, O God of all time and space,
of all things visible and invisible, physical and spiritual.
Because you are the Source of all things,
we know that every activity under heaven has its time and place.
And so we pray for the coming year:
May goodness be born in 2024,
and may all that causes evil and Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-36182844800272543232023-12-24T13:27:00.008+01:002023-12-24T13:27:58.799+01:00Fourth Sunday of AdventDecember 24, 2023CALL TO WORSHIP: Song of Mary (Magnificat)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
who has looked with favor on me, a lowly servant.
From this day all generations shall call me blessed:
The Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is the Name of the Lord,
whose mercy is on those who fear God from generation to generation.
TheSam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-64960526189638459812023-12-17T14:52:00.001+01:002023-12-17T14:52:19.138+01:00Advent Prayer of ConfessionFor one voice
Eternal God, the salvation of all people:
without you, our lives are hollow,
our hearts empty.
The promise of your presence at Christmastime
fills us with hope and joy.
The carols and the lights move us to goodwill.
The message of the angels begets in us a longing for peace.
Yet despite the holy joy that surrounds us,
we too often seek happiness in that which is not you,
Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-8625415769704067942023-12-10T15:56:00.001+01:002023-12-14T16:03:41.533+01:00Voices in the WildernessSermon for the Second Sunday of AdventDecember 10, 2023
Today’s scripture reading speaks to a people in exile. In it, God says, “Comfort my people. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned.” And so the next part makes sense in this context—the part about a voice crying out in the wilderness to make a straight and level road so that the people can Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-29936419450165557052023-12-04T23:02:00.005+01:002023-12-05T04:14:27.579+01:00Advent 2December 10, 2023
CALL TO WORSHIP
I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
For he speaks peace to his faithful people.
Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.
Unfailing love and truth have met together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed!—from Ps. 85
OPENING PRAYERGod of grace,Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-79353446820727146802023-12-03T11:49:00.008+01:002023-12-03T14:00:05.188+01:00The Coming of the LordSermon for the First Sunday of AdventDecember 3, 2023
Today is the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is one of our favorite seasons of the year. It’s the time we look forward to our most popular holiday: Christmas. And since Christmas is a celebration of the birth of God’s Son, it’s no wonder that Advent is the season we’re most likely to associate with hope.
Advent’s not mentioned in the Bible, ofSam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-60574467944913412242023-12-02T21:43:00.001+01:002023-12-02T21:43:52.520+01:00Advent 1December 3, 2023
CALL TO WORSHIP
I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him.
I have put my hope in his word.
I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn,
Yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is unfailing love.
His redemption overflows.—from Ps. 130
OPENING PRAYER Eternal God, we have gathered in Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-34641849627659309512023-11-26T14:15:00.000+01:002023-11-26T14:15:09.554+01:00Grateful HeartsSermon for November 26, 2023
I hope you were able to take part in a Thanksgiving feast this past Thursday. And wherever you were and whoever you were with, I hope you had the opportunity to give thanks. Maybe some of you went around the table and named what you were thankful for this year. Maybe there was a single prayer of thanksgiving. Or maybe you observed some other ritual. But I hope your Sam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9104379053488318661.post-58290234493294526352023-11-24T13:09:00.001+01:002023-11-26T14:19:33.213+01:00Last Sunday after PentecostNovember 26, 2023
CALL TO WORSHIP
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim God's unfailing love in the morning,
his faithfulness in the evening.
We are amazed at all God has done for us!
We will sing for joy because he has helped us.
O Lord, what great works you do,
And how deep are your thoughts.—Psalm 92:1-5
PRAYER OF THESam Greeninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921141642449496016noreply@blogger.com