Sat, 24 March 2012
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Art of Dying” based on John 12:20-33 for the Fifth Sunday of Lent on March 24, 2012. As we take up our crosses and follow Him, Jesus promises us what from our cultural vantage point can only seem like a paradox, the promise that self-denial leads to satisfaction in God, that repentance leads to fruitfulness and not emptiness and loss. |
Sat, 17 March 2012
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Ancient-Future Worship” for the Fourth Sunday of Lent on March 17, 2012. Ancient-future worship is the common tradition of the church’s worship in Word, Table, and song, practiced faithfully and communicated clearly in every context of the world (Robert Webber). What stands at the center of the common tradition of worship is Word and Sacrament—Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Table. What contextualizes worship more than anything else is its music. Hymns and songs help us proclaim God’s story, but nowhere in Scripture or in the history of the church have hymns and songs ever been seen as a replacement for Word and Table. |
Sat, 10 March 2012
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Church is a Stumbling Block...and a Miracle” based on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 for the Third Sunday of Lent on March 10, 2012. Church is a stumbling block…and a miracle. We need sustained effort and a renewed imagination if we are to embrace the church. Almighty and ever living God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for the St. John’s family. Strengthen us in our faithfulness, arouse us in our apathy, and grant us the gift of repentance. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
Sat, 3 March 2012
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Freedom of God and Christian Hope” based on Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 for the Second Sunday of Lent on March 3, 2012. When we seem to be at a dead end or a stuck place, the freedom of God is the source of our hope. The freedom of God means that He is not bound by how the world defines what is possible. The freedom of God redefines how we see the present, i.e., the present is always provisional and open, open to God changing, rearranging, or transforming our life. |