Blog of FPC Lebanon

Bible Reference(s): John 20:19-31 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn In her weekly blog, my friend Rev. Rachel Hackenberg wrote a little post-Easter exercise that I would I would like to share with you this morning.  You don't have to write down your answers...although you are welcome to...and you don't have to answer verbally either.  Also, don't over-think or over-analyze...just take the first thoughts that come to your mind.  The quiz, if you will, has only three questions.  Here is the first one: What do you know to be true? Remember...first thought.  What do you know without question to be true? Next question: What do you know to be true about yourself? Again, take the very first thought that comes to your mind. What do you understand to be inherently true for you about yourself? Now: How do those two truths show up for you? Where do you experience affirmation of these truths? What evidence do you witness that affirms what you believe? You see, when we know som...

Bible Reference(s): Matthew 26:1-10 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn So, I'm thinking that after seeing that video, there really isn't much else that needs to be said, is there?  We've sung our traditional Easter hymns; we've practiced the timeless Christian response, Christ is risen...he is risen indeed.  And now we've heard the resurrection story told in a unique way.   What more could we want? Not to mention, the title of today's message is:  Courage To Tell The Story.  Well, folks, trust me, participating in that video took courage...and whole lot of technical expertise from Neal Crouse.   I mean, to be videotaped on the spot and know that some snippet of what you said would be used to create a video over which you have no control?  That's way too much  vulnerability for some of us.  Still, these faithful folks courageously participated in spite of any apprehension they may have had.   And, I think we will all would agree, i...

Bible Reference(s): Matthew 20:1-11 / Matthew 26:14-27 / Matthew 27:15-26 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn So,  I'm not the only one who was ready for a little Glory, Laud and Honor this morning, right? It is the perfect song for Palm Sunday, as we rejoice with the crowds who lined the path while Jesus made his way into Jerusalem. However, unlike the crowd, which had no idea of what the week ahead would bring, those of us on this side of the resurrection already know how it gets played out.  We have the blessing, and the curse, of knowing that Easter is coming, next Sunday morning.  It a blessing because, as with any story, knowing that there is a happy ending makes the challenging parts of the story more bearable.  Being confident that Easter is coming somehow softens the assault that the Passion story makes on our eyes, ears, hearts and minds. Sadly, this is also the curse of knowing that Easter is coming.  The happy ending makes the Passion story a less disturbing....

Bible Reference(s): John 11:1-45 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn A thirty-four year old man named Michael Sharp is dead.  He entered into his own version of a cave of death several times during his short life, and each time he returned home alive.  Until now.  This time he did not come back. In early March, Michael made his way into the rebel-held jungles of the Congo, just as he has been doing for years -- first as a Mennonite mission worker, and when the funding ran out, as a UN Security Council Expert on peace-making.  However, Sharp and his Swedish colleague, Zaita Catalan, along with their interpreter and motor bike drivers, went missing as they were investigating a relatively new rebellion in the Kasai region.   As feared, on Monday it was announced that the bodies of Michael and Zaita had been found in a shallow grave.  The others are still missing. As you might imagine, Michael's family and friends here in the United States are devastated by this ne...

Bible Reference(s): John 9 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn The cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy blue and the man in the moon. When you coming home, Dad?  I don't know when, but we'll get together then.  You know will have a good time then. You all have no idea how hard it is to just say those words as opposed to sing them.  Even as I said them, I suspect most of us were hearing the tune in our head.  What makes this Harry Chapin song timeless is that it contains a truth about life that we can't seem to grasp while we are living it. In the first verse of the song, the singer tells us his child is born and learns to walk while he was away working.  When the boy turns 10, he asks his dad to teach him how to play ball.  The dad has too much to do and tells him they will have to do it later.  Each time that the dad isn't able to be there, the son reassures him it's OK.  He says he just wants to grow up and be like his Dad.  It i...

Bible Reference(s): John 4:5-42 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn During this Lenten season, we have committed ourselves to telling the stories of scripture in a number of different ways including telling them by heart, using dramatic readings, incorporating visual arts, and singing them in song.  After all, we can never hear the stories of Jesus' life too often; and the stories...in and of themselves...are enough.  They are all we need, in order to be the church.   This week's story, is...shall we say...almost, more than enough?  There is so much in this story that it is a challenge to know where to begin.  For one thing, it's really long...just ask Ben and Bailie...they will tell you...37 verses long!  It also covers so much theological ground that we could probably come up with a month's worth of sermons on it.  However, I promise to not try to preach them all in one Sunday!  Instead, for today, let's just focus is on the what happens at the well - th...

Bible Reference(s): John 3:1-17 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn Earlier this week I ran across this inspirational quote:  Curiosity is the compass that leads us to our passions.  Follow it and you won't be disappointed.  The future belongs to the curious.  I'm not sure that I agree with the part of the quote that you won't be disappointed if you follow your curiosity, but I do think this anonymous author was on to something.  It is true...the future does belong to the curious.  The curious, not the comfortable, are the ones willing to let go of the here and now in order to move toward the future.  They are not content to just let the future happen…or allow someone else to hand it to them.  Instead, the curious are asking the questions, testing the theories, discovering new ideas, and stepping forward to help shape the future.   This is why being around children can be such a blessing; they remind us of what it means to have a sense of curio...

Bible Reference(s): Matthew 4:1-11 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn In January, when you see the little girls of the neighborhood approaching your door with their form in hand, you know what they are selling, right?  They are selling cookies. Girl Scout cookies  Little boxes of temptation. And in the fall, when the Boy Scouts are camped out with their card tables at the entrance to Kroger, we know what they are selling too. right?.  Overpriced, but very delicious flavors of popcorn. Mid-summer...at the entrance to Walmart...when you see Lebanon High School football players lurking around, it's pretty likely they are selling their football discount cards. Most of the time, we know what people are selling...so it should come as no surprise that when the devil, Satan, the tempter ...whatever you title you prefer to call him...when he shows up in scripture, we know what he's selling too.  He's trying to convince humans that we can have it all.  Whatever "it" might be....