Westminster Presbyterian Church

It's Not About The Shoes

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Scott McGinnis
"It's Not About the Shoes" - John 1:1
Summary: Through Jesus we are invited into the relationship at the center of the universe. I'm emphasizing the "with" in "the Word was with God" and that it signifies, not just proximity to, but a relationship.

Sacralization

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Madeline L'Engel, writer of such books as "A Wrinkle in Time," and "Walking on Water" says... "There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest meanings of the incarnation."

The incarnation means the coming of God in human form, in the form of Jesus, Jesus is God with us. God loves the secular world so much that he didn’t destroy it for its sinfulness. Even in the terrible "children's" story of Noah and the Ark God didn't destroy the earth, he didn't throw away all the people, he redeemed it. Redemption is the nature of God.

Please, No Flash Photography

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Christ died on the cross for us individually to satisfy the wrath of God toward sin, this is the necessary foundation for our salvation... and yet we worry about things like the sound levels of the music, or whether or not we should use flash photography in a wedding.

A Raw And Brutal Conversation With God

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT

The book of Job is not about suffering. Job is about the awesomeness of God. The problem of suffering is never dealt with in the book. Rather in Job we enter into a man’s sufferings and discover with him that God is not only all we could ever want, he is also all we could ever need.

Missio Dei

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Listening to God is our Missio Dei, a Latin term which means the "sending of God." It is our special calling our special task which we hear and receive by listening to the whole of God speaking into the whole of life, even that which would be considered fringe.

Writing Checks Your Body Can't Cash

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT

The grace of God, a concept which given its power in the cross of Christ frees us from exaggeration. Grace allows us to honestly and realistically examine ourselves and come up short without endangering our salvation because our salvation doesn’t depend on an idealistic self assessment, but on the fact that God has overcome every pretense. It is the Lord who builds this house, it the Lord who has called us together as his body.

I See You

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT

The blockbuster avatar might be a great technological achievement, but what does it highlight about community? Christian community is grounded in our faith in Christ, who has given us love and grace for one another.

Driving In Fog

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT

The past few days it has struck me anew about how much of life as the body is like driving in fog. You have a direction, you know the way you’re supposed to go; but you can only barely make out the lane lines. Sometimes, you follow the faint taillights lead: they wax and wane and dimly lead on and then they simply fade away and you’re left in a white tunnel hearing only the sound of your own life: the tires hitting the road, intermittent windshield wipers, talk radio. You hope to see those taillights again and you hope you won’t see headlights, or even worse the hulking frame of a collision apprehended too late.

Driving in fog is frightening and lonely and it’s how we spend most our life.

This year I’d like to talk about traveling that foggy road together as the body of Christ. Being the Body of Christ doesn’t take us off the road, what it does is put us together, sensing the twists and turns of the road, staring intently out the window sentry-like, spelling each other so we can rest our eyes and be fresh for the journey.

Struggled With God

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT

What Kind Of Day Has It Been?

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 10:30:00 GMT

Paul’s annual “state of the church” address.

You Belong [Christmas Eve Service]

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:00:00 GMT

This Advent at WestPres we’ve been considering our walk with Christ to the manger which empowers us to be a healthier community of Christ for the kingdom of God: we’ve discussed being assertive in our interactions bringing our desires under the Lordship of Christ; seeking to understand one another as opposed to being understood; embracing both the physical and the spiritual as real; applying logic and scientific method to faith so that we are honest about what we believe; and holding each other accountable in an environment of empathy warmth and respect.

As we arrive at Advent’s purpose we stand with Joseph and Mary, the shepherds and people of Bethlehem in an attempt to wrap our brains and souls around the reality of God with us, Immanuel.

The gift of Christmas I’d like to conclude this Advent with is that of belonging. The word “belong” comes from a Middle English word belongen which means, “to go along with.” As we go along with Christ’s purposes, as we grow in this family of God we are given the gift of never being alone.

Care + Confrontation = Growth + Tribulation

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Being a healthier community of Christ for the kingdom of God means being assertive, rather than passive, or aggressive; seeking to understand one another before being understood; embracing both the physical and the spiritual as real; and looking for God in unlikely places, applying logic to faith, being honest about what we believe, and about what we struggle.

Yet there can be so many reasons for misunderstanding. Robert Lee Holtz writes . . . “The complex wiring of (our) brain(s) is so unique that it is unlikely that any two people perceive the world in quite the same way.”

Considering that reality it’s a miracle any of us ever understand each other.

If the church is honest and real it stands to reason the need will exist for confrontation. To be real we have to assert our will as we explore how we hear God speaking to us; we have to listen to others as a corrective to our sin nature; we have to believe God actually does speak to us; and we have to stop putting God in a box but understand he speaks when, how and where he desires.

The Watchmen

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Being assertive in what we need and say, not because we're right, but because we're increasingly working out of God's good purposes; seeking to understand rather than be understood; and living in the real world, an existence encompassing both the tactile and the spiritual is how we begin to defeat inertia and begin to grow to be more as God made us.

Yup, Poopy Diapers

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:30:00 GMT

People in the Bible get mad and yell at each other and God; they’re real. Something I really appreciate is the Bible's overt "realness"; its lack of "spiritualization." Rarely does it divide the secular and the spiritual.

Two Ears, One Mouth

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT

James 1:19 says, "You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger." This should be tattooed on all us of somewhere because too often our practice is the complete opposite: flapping our lips; popping off at each other; jumping to conclusions, and only then listening; but God gave us two ears and one mouth.

Thanksgiving

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Thanksgiving Service
11/25/2009

Love From The Center

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Love From The Center
11/22/2009
Rev. K.C. Wahe
9:00 AM Service

Seat of the Pants

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Seat of the Pants
11/15/2009
Rev. Paul Clairville
10:30 AM Service

There Are Hypocrites In Here (But at least we know it)

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Living in the truth, defined by the Bible as being genuine, is honestly knowing ourselves and being able to share that knowledge with others. When we’re not doing that we’re not living as Christ calls us. Being truthful is living an unconcealed, open, honest and real.

I Want To Be One Of Them

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Hebrews 11 is a litany of people who have lived their faith in both good and bad situations. We too at WestPres are a people who have been touched by those who have gone on before and we are touching others.

We've Come A Long Way Together

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Scripture: Isaiah 1:17
Reformation Sunday: What we can learn from the Reformers, who were faced with massive cultural and scientific shifts in their world.

Leaving The Shadowlands

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Despite what you might think there’s hardness in journeying with Christ: it’s a challenge, it’s edgy. It would be easy to just sit at home eating bon-bons, watching TMZ, or to journey half-way: to not live well, to not be challenged as a good husband, wife, parent, etc.

I find the best way through the scary places is three fold:

it’s knowing Jesus is with us;
it’s knowing that the evil that scares us is a common enemy to both God and us which Jesus died to overcome;
and it is focusing on the hope of Jesus’ resurrection.

War

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:00:00 GMT

If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard a thousand times, in the midst of suffering people asking . . . “Why is God doing this to me?”

That’s a question asked at a fairly real level by the book of Job, but it might surprise you to hear its answer isn’t . . . “This is why God is doing this to you,” but that evil and suffering are mysteries born of a war-torn and unfathomably complex creation, not of God’s all-controlling will.

Entering The Shadowlands

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Where is God in the pain and the suffering of the world? Joshua 1:1-9

When Bad Christians Happen To Good People

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:30:00 GMT

What are we evangelicals known for?
Hating the first Black President.
Hating gays and lesbians.
Pushing a war that a major part of the population considers to have been initiated to get oil.
Caring more about fetus’ than about the fetus after its born.

None of this may be true and in our 24-hour-news-cycle antagonistic to the Christian faith world it may be impossible to get past the prejudice, but if we don’t approach life in humility this will be our legacy.

Without true repentance faith is valueless.

Repentance is foundational for the church. If our actions doesn’t move people toward confronting their unrepentant will, if it doesn’t woo people toward repentance then all we’re doing is entertaining someone and we will end up being the kind of church which most people find anachronistic and mean.

The Holy Spirit is the agent of repentance and reconciliation; he comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.

The Wedding Night

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:30:00 GMT

What is heaven? Who goes there? What does it look like? What do we look like when we get there? What do we do when we’re there? Is it like the Gary Larson Far Side cartoon that has an angel sitting on a cloud saying . . . “I wish I’d brought a magazine” ? This talk will look at Revelation 21 as a vision what life looks like in heaven.

H-E Double Toothpicks

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:30:00 GMT

What is hell? How much of what we believe about it is based on Biblical teaching, and how much on Dante’s Inferno or the latest Slasher flick?

Bottom line, the biblical writers discounted most speculation on both what was going on before God made everything and what happens after. Deuteronomy 29:29 is a pretty good perspective verse for beginnings and endings; it says . . .
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God only, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.”

One wonders, if we took this verse seriously, if we’d care less about decelerating Mayan calendars, being “left behind” and prophecy and care more about learning to live in God’s kingdom here and now.

What does the biblical talk about hell mean? I think two things: One, it means we shouldn’t necessarily think we know what hell is all about. We have images from hours of television, books, movies and sermons. These might not be exactly what Jesus and the biblical writers were communicating.

Second, while I can’t prove that Jesus descended into hell what I do know is that if he did it would be a doctrine of hope; because if Jesus can go there, there’s hope there.

I believe in hell. I don’t really know what it is other than not being in the presence of God, but there’s something there. I think there has to be a hell, or at least there has to be a consequence for both injustice and justice.

Fear Doesn't Wait

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Psalm 27
Fear doesn't wait on God. But David waited and can therefore say, "The Lord is my light and salvation, whom shall I fear?" Some of the waiting involves doing, like praying, learning God's ways, and preparing for what's next. Fear can cause us to hunker down and forget the future and present hope we have in Christ. David's identity and hope were in the Lord.

Heart Full Of Grace, Soul Generated By Love

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Suffering comes from a Middle English word which means “to bear.” In Greek it’s pas-kho which is where we get the word passion, as in intense emotion, as in the passion of the Christ for us. Passion is an excellent starting place for understanding our salvation born in the death of Christ.

Santa Ana Winds Blowing

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:00:00 GMT

The third section of the Apostle’s Creed celebrates God placing himself into the chasm carved by sin between God and human.

God, Where'd You Go? Epic Fail

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Title: "God - Where'd you go? Epic fail!"
Scripture: Psalm 137
Summary: There are times in our lives when God feels absent. We can have hope that God will show up in unexpected but epic ways.
Benediction written by W. Frank Harrington.

Covered In Oil

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:30:00 GMT

This forth study deals with the second half of the second section of the Creed . . .
“And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord.”

As I said in the last study I’m taking this in reverse order; first the Son-ship and Lord-ship of Jesus, now the office of Christ.

I say the office because Christ isn’t a name, it‘s a title. In Greek Christ comes from the word Khristós, Christus in Latin. The Septuagint, the Greek version of what we call the Old Testament used Khristós to translate the Hebrew word (mashiach) for Messiah or "God’s anointed." Christ means the Messiah, God’s anointed one.

Pastor What's-His-Face's Lord

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:30:00 GMT

This third study of the Apostles Creed will shift focus from God the Father to Jesus. I’m going to take these three aspects of Jesus in reverse, first we’ll talk about Jesus as Lord and Son and then the office of Christ.

We believe that in Jesus God has spoken himself into the world.

It is to this aspect of Jesus that both of the Apostle and Nicene Creeds are referring when they say “And in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord.” Jesus is God spoken into the world; he is fully God and fully man as our voice is us, so too Jesus is God. No other religion makes this kind of claim.

Living In A Material World

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:00:00 GMT

The second creedal statement of the Apostle’s Creed provides several navigational points upon which to track our walk with God: First, it is a simple statement of what God created; everything. The phrase “heaven and earth” is shorthand for just that. Second, the creation isn’t God, it is created by God. Third, the creation is by implication “good.” There’s no apology for flies, mosquitoes and spiders. Fourth, creation is both heavenly (spiritual) and earthly (material). Before the fall one isn’t better than the other. And finally, God is identified with his creation. Though one wouldn’t necessarily be able to ascertain salvation we can, in a limited sense, see God in his creation.

An X Y Redemption

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:30:00 GMT

After three weeks of “What we don’t believe” this teaching begins a study of what we do believe using one of the earliest creeds of the church the Apostles Creed.

I believe in God the father almighty
This first statement: I believe in God the Father Almighty is important relational theology stating two important beliefs about the nature of God: he is personal, (Father) he is powerful, (almighty). Believing this helps both give us hope for our lives and gives us an aspiration for being better parents.

Abracadabra Religion

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:30:00 GMT

The past two weeks we have been exploring the aspects of creeds (from the Latin word credo or "I believe") which state what we don't believe. Stating what we don’t believe is helpful to understand what we do. This talk will focus on the third aspect of what we stand against by examining religious systems which make belief in God complicated.

The Measles of Mankind

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:00:00 GMT

This teaching examines the second creedal protest of our faith-grandparents, something which Albert Einstein called “an infantile disease, the measles of mankind” . . . nationalism. I always experience a certain level of anxiety in demonstrations of patriotism. As with the Law, unchecked by God patriotism degrades into jingoism and xenophobia.

God As Torah

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:30:00 GMT

As they discerned their belief our faith-grandparents stood against three primary things: God as Torah, law or legalism God as Rome: nationalism and God as Spirituality. The next three weeks we’re going to examine what we don’t believe about each of these.

God as Torah 6-28-09
The early church stood against God as Torah. In Hebrew the word Torah means “to direct,” or to “point the way.” Specifically it refers to the Law revealed, developed and commented on in the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

While the words recorded in these five books are important, while they are the word of God, they are not God. Faith has always grinds along the trick bar of legalism. The Law, divorced from God is idolatry.

Dads, Do You Have Slingshot Skilz?

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Dads, Do You Have Slingshot Skilz?
06/21/2009
Dave Barry
9:00 AM Service

And Then Again, Maybe Not

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Christianity is singularly creedal. There are no other faiths that are as creedal as are we. Many people treat the creeds as the mechanism, which fashions Jesus into who we believe him to be. There was this person, he did some good things, he helped people understand better who they were and thus appear to be healed from some sort of seeming demon; then we write a creed that makes him into who we believe him to be.

A Designer God In A Mix And Match World

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Much of our understanding of God comes down to the simple question of is God an idea or a Person? To believe the later makes God someone that we stake our lives upon. To believe the former makes it important, but not essential. God as an idea makes God as important as gravity: a necessary force, but not someONE we can know or with whom we can develop a relationship.

Don't Forget Your Sunday Shoes

Sun, 31 May 2009 18:30:00 GMT

We’re trying desperately to follow this guy Jesus, and well, there are just moments in our lives when it doesn’t seem to work out to well. There are times when we feel like the prophet in our passage who is beset by difficulties. In other words, there are days we all seem to leave our Sunday socks and shoes at home.

Last week I talked about how for most of us, 95% of our time is away from church. I asked if this made us only 5% Christian. What I want for each of us to walk away with is the recognition that as followers of Christ, we are Christians every day of the year - not just on Sundays.

As we strive to be followers of Jesus, to be a prophet as he was, may our Sunday shoes become our everyday shoes.

Are We Non-Prophet?

Sun, 24 May 2009 18:30:00 GMT

There is a historical debate among Christian scholars and pastors alike whether or not the time of the prophets has ended. Many say that Jesus was the last prophet, and that there is no longer a need for these voices of truth.

I disagree. We have God’s word right here, our guide for truth and grace, readily accessible for us to read and to share with those around us. Ultimately, what a prophet does is speak God’s truth to their world. This is what Jesus did that made people think he was a prophet.

So, as our sign asks, “are we non-prophet?” No, we are for the true prophet, Jesus Christ, who speaks truth and grace to each one of us, even today.

Moshing

Sun, 17 May 2009 18:30:00 GMT

My wife Carol and I have four children, four individual personalities, four people who both try my patience and increase my wonder; Four kids who’ve taught Carol and I that we’re . . . clueless.

Aren’t there days when we all feel that way? At one point I could move them from point A to Point B by saying: “Because I said so.” Now, I’m lucky if I can raise their anxiety levels to yellow. I suppose I should be grateful. I have four fairly well rounded children. But truth told that’s the gift of God . . . and a whole bunch of people who’ve walked this road with us.

Our circle of support extends well beyond us. Oh, we’ve changed diapers, done late night feedings. We’ve sat up nights waiting for them to get home from the first date, watched them pull away behind the wheel of a car for the first time, wondering if we’d ever see them again. We’ve endured late nights of “attitude adjustment” and weathered blue, purple and red hair. But the reason we’ve made it this far is Jesus, who has given us a family. This teaching is about those people and seeking to move all us to develop similar “villages.”

If Mama Ain't Happy

Sun, 10 May 2009 18:30:00 GMT

In Christianity truth isn’t a concept, it is found in a person, the Person of Jesus Christ who we can know and who lives within us.

Catch A Tiger By The Toe

Sun, 03 May 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Life is boundaried by certain givens and by God. He walks with us whether we acknowledge him or not. God created all that is. God moves providentially, that is beneficially for us. God in his sovereignty chose us, we must choose back, he will pursue he will never ravage.

How To Save Your Donkey

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

we are obedient to Christ and his call in our life (to go out into the unnamed villages), he has prepared a way for us and will free us.

Eating Flaming Death

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Matthew 18:21-25, Jesus tells an almost unimaginable story of chutzpah the servant who has been forgiven of a hyperbolic debt turns on another servant who owes him a much smaller debt. The question is, what is Jesus telling us here? It is that we need to be as grace filled as the lord is to the servant.

How Do You Know God Loves You?

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Scripture: 1 John 4:10 Easter Sunday is the reason for the joy of Christians. Easter sits there smack dab in the middle of the Christian year, helping us remember Christ's impact both backward and forward in time. What do we tell people about this great event? That we’re better people? That we have a great church? What we are to “tell” others is that God loves them and how do we know that God loves us?

Amazing Grace, She Jumps So High

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Scripture: John 8:10,11 The notion of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold-path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and Muslim code of law—each of these offers a way to earn approval from God. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional, (What’s so amazing about grace? Philip Yancy, pg 45).

A Slight Breeze, an Uncomfortable Cough

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:00:00 GMT

It’s difficult to hear God’s true direction when so many others are shouting false commands. For our journey to be more than mere running on a treadmill we must abandon our capricious gods and focus wholly upon Jesus Christ who calls us in the power of his Spirit toward truth.

What Are We Doing?

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:30:00 GMT

The chief priests and Pharisees have gathered in response to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The very people seeking after God's heart choose to kill Jesus. What are we doing that is any different from these leaders, or do we seek after miracles like Jesus did?

Prayer Don't Cover Up Stupid

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Pain plays a role in understanding our itinerary with Jesus, through it God speaks into our numbness, honestly confronting what hurts us to move us toward healing.

The Indisputable Logic of the Babel Fish

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:30:00 GMT

So why don’t we feel the presence of God when we don’t? I think that sometimes it’s a bit like not being able to see the forest for the trees. We get so caught up in our quest for God that we forget God. We get so caught up in our search for the transcendent, for meaning, for something beyond the 9-to-5 that we miss him in the right here and right now. Our senses have become dulled to experiencing his simple presence. So because we can’t feel him any longer we begin developing all these proofs for the God who needs no proving.

Peregrinatio

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:30:00 GMT

A peregrinatio is a practically untranslatable Celtic word relating to journeying. Like most Irish concepts it is best illustrated in a story . . . Three Irishman drifted over the sea for seven days in a boat without oars. They came ashore in Cornwall where they were brought to the court of the King. When the king asked them where they were going they answered that they, “Stole away because we wanted for the love of God to be on pilgrimage, we cared not where.” Jesus sends to where we are to go, we go, caring not where as long as we are going for and with Christ.

Ash Wednesday Service

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:30:00 GMT

Ash Wednesday Service
02/25/2009
Rev. Paul Clairville
7:30 PM

Out of the Mist

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 18:30:00 GMT

On a day such as this the sovereignty of God is an important concept: To hear and grow in the knowledge that there’s more to life than the box office: To know that God is our God and that whatever God looks like he doesn’t look like Oscar, he is over all the accolades to which we aspire.

Climbing Into An Anthropomorphic Lap

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Climbing Into An Anthropomorphic Lap
02/15/2009
Rev. Paul Clairville
10:30 AM Service

Defenestrating Our Destinations

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Defenestrating Our Destinations
02/08/2009
Rev. Paul Clairville
10:30 AM Service

Kurios Iesous

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Kurios Iesous
02/01/2009
Rev. Paul Clairville
10:30 AM Service

One More Thing

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

One More Thing
01/25/2009
David W. Barry
9:00 AM Service

Running From Narrow Minded Christians

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Running From Narrow Minded Christians
01/18/2009
Rev. Paul Clairville
10:30 AM Service