Blog of FPC Lebanon

Bible Reference(s): Luke 2:1-20 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn Spoiler Alert: The scripture story for today also happens to be the Christmas Eve reading as well.  That's OK though...I mean, we don't really get too many occasions to hear this story throughout the year, so having it twice in the same day is not a bad thing.  I do, however, wonder if, because it is so familiar, we risk becoming complacent in how we hearing it.  I mean, it doesn't really change from year to year, so is it just a rote story that we all know by heart...or does it have fresh meaning each year? I was thinking about that a lot this week.  What new thing can I say about a story that we've all heard many times?  So, as a way to try to hear the scripture with fresh ears and see it with new eyes, I decided to watch a movie about it...and no, it was not a Hallmark movie!   Actually it's a quick little17-minute movie that is the first episode of a faith- based television program called, The Chosen, wh

Bible Reference(s): Matthew 1:18-25 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn All month Casey Reynolds has been trying to convince me to preach a sermon that she created for the first Sunday of Advent.  Now, you may recall that the first Sunday of Advent was the week the Madrigals were here, we started this sermon series, took communion together, and held a fellowship luncheon that included a strategic building plan presentation and two dozen deviled eggs.  All in one day.  At some point, I said to Casey, "Everything would be fine if I didn't have to write a sermon this week".  Being the kind, ever-loving person that she is, Casey said, "Here, I'll write one for you." Well, turns out that I didn't use it that week...or the next week...but as the season gets busier, I have been more tempted to use it.  So here it is this 3rd Sunday of Advent: God is great.  God is good.  And there's a baby on the way.   The end. It really does pretty much sum up the meaning of Adven

Bible Reference(s): Luke 1:26-55 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn Well...it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.  I suppose by now, most folks are in "preparation" mode, right? For some of you, that means you have a Clark Griswold-like house brimming with Christmas decor, others are baking cookies while blasting Christmas music, but there are some of us who are considering the possibility of drawing a tree on paper, taping it to the wall, and calling it done.  Now, I don't mean to be a Scrooge about Christmas decor...I love looking at it as much as anyone else.  Yet, I wonder, as we journey through Advent, are we as committed to preparing our hearts for the coming of Christmas as we are our homes?   Advent is meant to be a season of anticipation and preparation...not as mice scurrying around making a nest...but as ones who are part of this amazing story leading up to the Christmas Birth and those whose lives are transformed by it.  This is the time that

Bible Reference(s): Luke 1:5-25, 57-80 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn It's good to be back with you all today, on this first Sunday of Advent...the Sunday of Hope.   It's also the first Sunday of our Advent Series...Angels Among Us.  Now let me just say up front..this is not a sermon series on "angelology" or the theology of angels.  We aren't here to explain how angels may or may not be at work in the world...nor are we going to try to define their appearance -- other than to say that the angels of the scriptures most likely did not resemble did the angels hanging over my shoulder.  I mean, think about it, every single time an angel shows up the first words out of his mouth are usually "Do Not Be Afraid".  There must have been something about their appearance that was frightening.  But for this series, none of that really matters.  Our focus here is on angels as messengers...usually bearing startling news.  Maybe that is another reason why angels always ope