Mary Cat delivered today's sermon and had the task of elucidating Amos, Thessalonians, and the parable of the bridesmaids.
Amos' day of the Lord is darkness, and Paul's is being caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. These contain enough to chew on, but Jesus' parable with the unwise bridesmaids coming up against the closed door, and hearing the tough reply, "Truly I tell you, I do not know you," is scary stuff. I think Mary Cat soft pedaled through this a little. What if she had said what one of my professors said when he announced to our large incoming freshman class,
"Look at the person to your left and then look at the person to your right. I tell you, in four years time one of those students will not be around"?And how did I get through those four years? Through my own hard work, my own perseverance, and my own commitment? I did not make it on my own then, and I am certain that the way of Jesus is another task that I cannot accomplish without Him. As I alluded to in the comment section last Wednesday,
The words may be harsh, but I am reminded that Jesus tells me the Good News of salvation, but I learned the bad news is that the way is through the Via Dolorosa...
God, grant us the courage, and strength to follow in Your way, help me along the way, please open the door for me, and when I knock, hear my cry.
Don't leave me "Knocking at Heaven's Door."
Eric Clapton's version is one of my favorites,
Mama, take this badge off of me
I can't use it anymore.
It's gettin' dark, too dark for me to see
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
-Bob Dylan
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That parable is one which should give all of us pause. Soft-pedaling it diminishes its value to nothing. One might as well excise it from the Bible entirely.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
Great musical selection.
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