Blog of FPC Lebanon

Bible Reference(s): Isaiah 9:6-7 / Luke 1:46-47 and 52-55 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn During the Monday morning Bible study there are three things that are almost always guaranteed to happen. There will be fresh coffee available, people will typically sit in or near the same seat each week...and usually as we are reading the assigned psalm, someone will remark, "Hey, these words are from a song we sang in choir." It is one of the beautiful things about many of the hymns and anthems sung in worship...they are basically scripture set to music. In fact, I'm confident that many of you were probably humming a little Handel's Messiah as I read the passage from Isaiah this morning. In case you're wondering, I was definitely singing it in my head...I mean, it's almost impossible to read those verses without punctuating them like a grand choral performance. And...for as much as music helps us remember...stories help us understand. This time of the year we g...

Bible Reference(s): Isaiah 65:17-25 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn A couple of months ago, when we decided to have this service in Fellowship Hall, we planned to honor the progress we have made toward our Guiding Vision, which was unveiled at about this same time last year.  Harvest season seemed to be a fitting time to talk about the ministries that have been planted this past year and to inspire generosity for more seed-sowing next year.  Those were the original intentions for today, and we will still get to it in just a bit. First, however, could we take a minute to be real with each other about the mounting post-election tension in our nation? I understand that many of you come to church to get away from that kind of stuff for an hour or two, so I don't want to dwell on it too long.  Yet, given how this week has unfolded, I feel I would be unfaithful to my pastoral duties if I did not bring it up.  It's one of the weeks where the words of Karl Barth ring so loud in ...

Bible Reference(s): Haggai 1:15b-2:9 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn Unless you've been hiding under a rock this week then you already know that on Wednesday, November 2nd,  the Chicago Cubs won the Major League Baseball World Series for the first time in 108 years.  Now, I'm not even going to claim to be one of those life-long Cubs fans, who has stuck with them season after season, never giving up hope, optimistically claiming, "there's always next year."  In fact, I'm not even going to pretend to be a baseball fan.  I grew up listening to the Cincinnati Reds, but I couldn't name a Reds player today if my life depended on it.  And yes, when Rob and I lived in the Chicago-area we attend a couple of Cubs and White Sox games, but I assure you those were all about the social, not the sport.   I still enjoy an evening at the ballpark and a good rousing 7th inning stretch, but I have no loyalty to the sport or to any team.  However, with the Cubs and the In...