by Rev. Iovine on December 12, 2009
“The Charismatic Jesus”
Texts: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 7:18-35
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Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The great seduction of charisma has always seduced our world. Every now and then, a leader who possesses great charisma has rose up and tackled the world stage. Whether that person ended up being good or bad for our society, their charisma charmed the masses.
Adolph Hitler seduced the people of Germany. His evilness was hidden by his powerful speech, coarse and vitriolic words that blamed others for the plight of the German people. One day, it was Western powers that dismantled the vast German economy following World War I. The next day, he blamed the Jewish people in Germany for making the economic hardships worse for the Germans. And following his anti-western and anti-Semitic taunts, he blamed anyone who wasn’t a perfect German specimen, lopping off great numbers of people that didn’t conform to Hitler’s ideological bent. Gone were Christians of all denominations. Gone were gays and lesbians. Gone were those who criticized Hilter’s war.
Yet, his charisma seduced many.
At the same time, Benito Mussolini seduced the Italian masses. Yes, the trains ran on time. Yes, the country was producing goods. And yes, a vast numbers of Italians, even some who lived during the early years of Mussolini would say that he was a good leader. But tyranny from the government stifled freedom. Pacts with evil men like Hitler and underhanded underground mobs kept the people from fighting back.
Yet, his charisma seduced many.
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by Rev. Iovine on December 10, 2009
“Walmart-ization of the Christian Heart”
Texts: Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 19:29-40
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Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40)
Those words of Jesus that end our Gospel, in response to a cry by the Pharisees that His disciples were boldly proclaiming Christ as King, are very telling, especially in this age when proclamation of Jesus Christ as Savior and King are being watered down. For in this day, Christianity is being looked down upon by society, just one of a multitude of religions that deserve not only recognition, but are to be placed on par with Christ. Regularly, the mainstream media lambasts, ridicules, rejects, shoves aside, or mocks Christians and their beliefs — all in the name of religious diversity or societal acceptance.
This anti-Christian cultural battle is seen also within the society itself. Christmas music is not Christmas music any more; we call it “Holiday music.” And Christians, as a whole, have let it slide.
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by Rev. Iovine on December 10, 2009
“Thanking Always”
Homily Texts: Deuteronomy 8:1-10; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Luke 17:11-19
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
I was speaking to a number of fellow clergy people over the past week or so, and in nearly every occasion, the topic of the National Day of Thanksgiving came up. Apparently, a number of my brothers in the ministry think that holding a Thanksgiving service tonight is, well, wrong.
One clergyman from the South said that holding a Thanksgiving Eve service is an abomination; a horrible misplacing of the true understanding of what Thanksgiving is truly about. He even said that the President’s proclamation is not for Wednesday, the 25th, but for Thursday the 26th, and that is the day in which God’s people should join together with one voice and thank the Lord for all the blessings He has given us in our life.
To be honest, I was a little taken back by the vitriol spouted by a man of God. Of course, I didn’t help matters when I asked him if he held a Christmas Eve service. “Yes,” he said, to which my response was that he should cancel his Christmas Eve service since we truly celebrate, as a church, the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day, so holding a service the night before is just wrong.
Is it OK to celebrate Thanksgiving the night before you put the turkey in the oven or should we forego the rest of our worship service tonight and return here tomorrow morning around 10?
I know, my question is very hypothetical. But the entire “Thanksgiving Eve versus Thanksgiving Day” worship service quasi-controversy does raise an important question: is it important to thank God for bestowing His goodness, and does it really matter when and how?
In our Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus Christ heals ten lepers, cleansing them from their very public disease. Of the ten who were cleansed, only one returned and thanked Jesus for this blessing. The other nine, we don’t know what happened to them, whether them went to the priests to show themselves healed or they finally went home. Of course, on this Thanksgiving Eve, our thoughts go to that man who DID return, the one who gave thanks to Jesus, and, in a very real sense, gives us all the proper impetus to seek out God regularly and thank Him for rescuing us from an equally horrible fate — sinfulness.
The man realized the importance of thanking the one who saved him. It is important for us to realize the same thing. We are forgiven of sins through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. God does not forget us as He imparts His grace and mercy to us; for by the faith borne of God, we are saved.
Thanking God does not consist of a time or a place. We don’t need the President of the United States to push us to thank our God for blessings. We don’t need Butterball to remind us of the great day of thanks once per year.
It is the marks of the church that make us remember.
It is the Baptism that washed us from sin.
It is the dying with Christ and rising to newness of life through the water.
It is the body and blood of Christ where the forgiveness of sins is realized.
It is the Word of God that proclaim this forgiveness, this cleansing, this righteousness.
We give thanks to God for everything on everyday. We come to His house to receive and to respond to His gifts He gives us freely. Whether it is a Wednesday night before the National Day of Thanksgiving or the this coming Sunday, we come to thank and praise the Lord.
Amen.
by Rev. Iovine on December 10, 2009
After fidgeting with various drop down menus and constructing numerous pages for my sermons, I came to the conclusion that I needed to find a better sermon depository. Hence, the creation of this new blog.
My sermons and other less-bloggy writings will be deposited here.