Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent
November 27, 2016, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas
Sermon Text: Romans 13:11-14
Sermon Theme: “Some Straightening Up Before He Comes Back”
(Sources: Anderson, Cycle A, Preaching Workbook; Brokhoff’s Series A Preaching Workbook; Emphasis Online Illustrations; original ideas and examples; Concordia Self-Study Bible “Introduction” to Romans; The Life-Application Bible Footnotes; Believer’s Commentary)
Being a Circuit Counselor (now called “Circuit Visitor”) for a group of churches was never easy, and especially not in Paul’s day. I am so thankful God never called me to serve as Circuit Visitor. In my previous sermons, I’ve talked about some of the problems in the various churches which Paul addressed in his letters to those churches. Some congregations had one problem, and other congregations had just the opposite problem; but almost all of them had trouble with relationships, — disagreements and quarrels, often severe.
When congregational issues got really bad, the Circuit Visitor was often called in to help before things got completely out of control. Since my wife is organist and music director of our church, I just have to share a joke with you, wherein the music director is obviously not the pastor’s wife, and no doubt represented the thinking of the whole congregation.
In a small church in the Midwest, the music director and the pastor had conflicting viewpoints about everything and were openly feuding. At one worship service, the Pastor announced the theme of his sermon as “Making Progress through Service.” The music director chose the hymn, “I Shall Not Be Moved.”
The next Sunday, the Pastor preached on the necessity for generous giving. The hymn that followed the sermon was “Jesus Paid It All.” When the sermon theme chosen by the Pastor was “The Sin of Gossip,” the hymn that followed was “I Love to Tell the Story.”
Believing that the conflict between him and the music director could not be resolved because the people were on the director’s side, the Pastor announced at the end of the next service he was considering resigning. The song that followed was “Why Not Tonight.”
The very next worship service, his last, the Pastor formally announced his resignation, explaining that Jesus had called him to a different ministry. The hymn was “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Continue reading