I am preaching an on and off series about Lessons from the Wilderness. This week we are up to the story of the snakes and the brasen serpent. That of course will lead us to John 3.
Not doing anything about the 4th. Of course I am in Ireland and there is no Fourth of July here :)
I'm preaching on a Christians real citizenship and deal with our responsibility to understand which is more important and our obligation to tell the world about the story of Jesus.
Yes, I am going to approach it from Jeremiah 18. The Lord states that nations and kingdoms rise and fall by His hand. I will try to remind our people that this nation owes its blessings to a sovereign and righteous God; our only path to being that city upon a hill that Winthrop described is by turning back to God. My next point will be that this return does not begin in the buildings of Governmental power, but it must begin with revival in America's churches. Finally, if we fail to heed God's warning, then we will, in the words of Franklin, "succeed in this political building no better than the builders of the tower of Babel." I will close with Psalm 127:1.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
Your Kingdom Come - Luke 11; Matthew 13 - What the kingdom of God is and is not and where as believers our allegiance should be.
The lectionary called for preaching out of Luke 10, but I jumped ahead considering the timing of July 4th, though last week called for Galatians 5 which is about freedom which made for a really good lead up to Sunday's sermon.
I avoid the whole lets save America, America is a christian nation type sermons, don't even have flags in the church.
I am preaching Christ, not America/Republican/Tea Partyism.
Message 46 in the exposition of Matthew (7:13-14 on the choices of the broad or narrow way).
Haven't read anything about politics in the Sermon on Mount, so tough to come to the "invitation" choices and all of a sudden insert "patriotism" in it.
We could join with Paul and sing praise to Caesar and honor of Romulus and Remus and the founding of the Empire.