Behold the Lamb!

Welcome! In a little while we will remember the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on a dark day some two thousand years ago. We will remember Him with the bread and with the cup, doing what Jesus Himself taught His disciples to do. As Paul wrote in I Cor. 11,

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. – I Cor. 11:23-26

Knowing and Overcoming Sloth

Have you heard the Procrastinator’s Poem? It goes like this:

I’ve gone for a drink and sharpened my pencils, searched through my desk for forgotten utensils.

I reset my watch, I adjusted my chair, I’ve loosened my tie and straightened my hair.

I filled my pen and tested the blotter, and gone for another drink of water.

Adjusted the calendar, and raised the blinds, and I’ve sorted erasers of all different kinds.

Now down to work I can finally sit; oops, too late; it’s time to quit.

Knowing and Overcoming Greed

One of the mothers in the church told me Friday night that she thought her youngest boy would be a good illustration of greed, but it didn’t end up where she had expected. He came up to her with a proclamation. “Mommy, we need another Christmas.” Two of his pens from Christmas ran out of ink that same day, so she thought, "Maybe, he’s going to “need” more pens or “need” more toys." “So David, why do we need another Christmas?” “Cause we need another Christmas tree with ornaments.” We don’t know exactly why David needs another tree. Maybe to spruce up the living room? And while his first thought was not about Jesus, at least it was not about getting more stuff.

Today’s topic is greed. I cannot think of a more aptly timed subject. With all the economic turmoil, it seems as though greed is nearly daily in the news. We hear constant reports of someone lying, cheating, stealing, and being irresponsible or unjustly compensated in the pursuit of wealth. Of course that has been going on since Adam’s first sin in the garden, but now we are seeing the consequences of greed crippling the economy of the entire world.

Knowing and Overcoming Gluttony

What is gluttony? The word has its roots in the Latin word gluttire, which means to gulp or swallow. A simple of definition of gluttony is that it is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants. But I think a better definition also includes the phrase “over-attention to” these things.

In contrast, I love this short passage from I Timothy:

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. – I Tim. 6:8