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WATER INTO WINE

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John 2:1-11 There seems to be to be two times in a young woman's life when people go out of their way to share their personal horror stories.  One is during the pregnancy of her first child, and the other is when she is planning her wedding.  There seems to be no end of well wishers who are eager to share the details of a wedding ceremony or reception that went wrong. If I understand the high value put upon hospitality during biblical times, the wedding at Cana was about to turn into a social and cultural disaster.  During the festivities, they ran out of wine.  At that time, this was not going to be seen as a comment on the drinking habits of the guests; it was a statement  on the generosity (or lack there of) of the groom. I guess it would be like the wealthiest man in town serving fish sticks, tater tots and watered down Kool-aid at his daughter's wedding reception -- cheap, stingy and inhospitable.  No one wants to go through the rest of their ...
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CHRISTIANS AND COFFEE BEANS

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1 Peter 1:17-23 John 17:14-19 Potatoes, eggs or coffee beans? Which are Christians called to be? We're going to find out as we explore what it means to be “in the world but not of the world” in today's message, “Christians and Coffee Beans.” Put three pots of water on to boil. When the water begins to boil, put some potatoes in one, eggs in another pot, and coffee beans in the third point. Boil for 20 minutes The potatoes went into the pot hard. After boiling in the hot water, they are now soft, easily broken up and mashed. The eggs, with their fragile shells and soft centers, are also changed. They are now hard-boiled. The coffee beans are different. While they look the same as they did when they were put into the water, they have transformed the water. The water has taken on the smell, taste and color of the coffee Jesus was not of this world, yet he came into the world to redeem the world by his death and resurrection an...
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OATHS -- GONE WITH THE WIND?

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Leviticus 19:11-12 Matthew 5:33-37 Even if we've never seen the movie, Gone with the Wind, we're probably familiar with Scarlett O'Hara's oath. Framed by the sunset, Scarlet raises her fist in defiance and says, “As God is my witness, I will never be hungry again!” In today's passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus leads us into a new understanding of oaths and profanity. Did the character, Scarlett O’Hara in the movie, Gone with the Wind , take the Lord’s name in vain when she made her famous oath? “As God is my witness, as God is my witness, they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again. Leviticus 19:11-12 tells us not to take oaths, make promises that profane the Lord’s name, that is take the Lord’s name in vain. Scarlett’s oath is a profane ...
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