Chapter 7 begins the second section of the book, beginning with a series of Proverbs designed to provide perspective on the present by viewing it in light of our mortality. 1 A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born.2 Better to spend your…
Month: November 2021
Preaching Christmas Sermons
Many of my pastoral colleagues absolutely love preaching at Christmas. But even those who enjoy preaching this particular season of the Christian calendar admit that it can be difficult, especially with longevity of ministry tenure. After all, how many ways can you proclaim the Christmas story? Contemporary preachers may feel increasing pressure to deliver fresh,…
First Sunday of Advent: HOPE
Christmas is incomplete without music. Some of the most memorable music comes from the Advent season. Songs that inspire and encourage. Songs of Hope. Songs of Peace. Songs of Joy. Songs of Love. If you enjoy classical music, you have Handel’s Messiah. If you are a traditionalist, nothing beats a good Christmas carol. If you’re…
A Prayer for Thanksgiving
As we approach Thanksgiving this week, I offer a prayer for your Thanksgiving meditation that was penned by Walter Brueggemann and published in his book Prayers for a Privileged People. Amid football, family, and too much food, we pause quickly and without inconvenience to remember and to thank. we remember the ancient pilgrims who followed…
Are We Having Fun Yet? (Ecclesiastes 6:1-12)
Chapter 6 serves as a summary statement of sorts for all of the preceding material and is best understood with that thought in mind. At the conclusion, Qoheleth will transition into the second half of the book that is noted by a shift in the tone of his argumentation. For today, however, I’ll consider chapter…
It’s Never Enough (Ecclesiastes 5:8-20)
If the writer of Ecclesiastes felt there was an issue with the consumption rates of people in his day, what would he think of our appetite levels in the 21st century? To that question, we see once again how this book is both timeless and simultaneously timely to the reader. In this post I will…
Replacing Our Religion
Check out this timely article by Mitch Albom published in the Detroit Free Press about how Americans are replacing religion with The Church of Social Media, where we preach our own sermons.
Talk is Cheap (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)
There is a strange passage at the end of Judges chapter 12 about a man named Jephthah who made a foolish vow to the Lord. According to the text, he was preparing for a significant battle against the Ammonites. As part of his preparation he made a vow that he would offer the first thing…
A Bit of a New Look
Thanks for your patience with last week’s posts from the Out of Ur newsletter. My website was in need of some much needed maintenance so a lot of energy went into working on the site’s infrastructure this week. You’ll notice that there’s a new look, which is a transition step to what I hope to…
