Blog of FPC Lebanon

Bible Reference(s): Isaiah 43:1-13 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn Occasionally someone will ask me if I could only own just one book of the Bible, which would I choose?   Sometimes I tell them the Acts of the Apostles, because I believe it provides the framework of what it means to be a Christian faith community.  However, most of the time, I choose Isaiah...which some call the fifth gospel since Isaiah directly and frequently heralds the good news of the Messiah.   To me, Isaiah is the pivotal and overarching book that helps us understand the whole faith story in which we find ourselves.  It connects the history of the past...the stories, the prophecies, the lessons...to the story of Christ...and reveals the fully established Kingdom to come.  It pieces it all together.  So, for me, if you dig deep into Isaiah, by default, you are forced to dig deeper into the rest of the scripture.  And most assuredly, given the number of times Isaiah is quoted or referred to in the New Testament, if

Bible Reference(s): 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn Earlier this week, on the advice of some of my more techie friends, I finally decided to bite the bullet and update the operating system on my iPhone.   Now, I know this might not sound "newsworthy" for some of you, but I found it really stressful to click the "Confirm Update" button.   Not because I don't trust my friends' advice, but because of the bazillion page disclosure that I was supposed to read before doing the update.  You see, clicking "confirm" was an indication that I had read and agreed with the conditions described in the document...and I knew that I had not...not in any depth nor detail. There were just too many words...with a whole bunch of legal and technical stuff that I didn't understand...so I skipped it.  And I've been thinking about it ever since...partly because it bugs me that I don't know what I agreed to...but mostly because I realize we do that

Bible Reference(s): Hebrews 4:14-16 and 5:1-10 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn You all know who Larry Bird is, right?   A pretty well-known basketball player who grew up in Indiana, played college and professional ball...used to be involved with the management of the Pacers?   That Larry Bird.   Well, I also know who he is...now...but back in the early 80's, not so much so.  I mean, I knew the name, of course, but I am not sure I could have picked him out of a lineup.  As a matter of fact, I sort of met him once, but only because someone pointed him out to me. It was back when Rob and I were still in college.  We had come to Indianapolis to attend an event downtown at Union Station when it was still a happening place.  Honestly, I don't recall why we were there, but I do remember that another girlfriend and I were standing around waiting for our dates to finish paying for dinner when a man neither of us knew came up and asked us if we wanted to meet Larry Bird.   We looked at each

Bible Reference(s): Romans 3:21-31 / James 2:14-26 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn On this second Sunday in our sermon series on the core tenets of the Reformation, we are taking a look at what was meant by Luther's statement, "sola fide"  - by faith alone.    Now, as I mentioned last week, none of these five solas which are printed on the front of your bulletin fully captures the message of the Reformation...it takes all of them - intertwined together to do that.  So, today, as we look at faith, it is, by definition, related to grace, in that we are saved by grace through faith- not of our own doing. For Martin Luther and his reformation colleagues, this message had been lost within the church.  Salvation and righteousness through faith had given over to a works-oriented doctrine known as the practice of indulgences - which was basically the use of money or good deeds in order to purchase a higher status with God.   More specifically, in the middle ages, Christians could pay