Sermons:
God's Top Ten,
Exodus 20:1-17
and Psalm 19
by
Rev.
Richard Gehring
Steadfast Love to the 1,000th Generation, Exodus
20:1-17
by Rev. Randy L. Quinn
Who
Said You Could Do That?
John 2:13-22, by Rev. Thomas Hall
How to Deal With Anger,
John 2:13-22,
by F. Schaefer
Sweeter Also Than Honey, Psalm 19
by Edwin Searcy
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Understanding God's View of Justice
based on John 2:13-22
by Carolyn Bingham
I have a kitty cat named Prissy. She has long hair. She is black and orange on top and
white underneath. She is not all that bright, but she has a lot to say about what happens
at my house. I order special cat food over the Internet. Prissy tells me when to go to
bed, and then she sleeps on me. I brush her and pet her and let her curl up in my lap. But
sometimes I throw a wrench in things. One warm lovely day this week I put her outside. I
know it is good for my sedentary little feline to get some fresh air and sunshine and to
have the opportunity to chase little critters. Wouldn’t you think she would
appreciate my thoughtfulness? Wouldn’t you expect her to joyously embrace the great
outdoors? You’re probably already running ahead of me here. Prissy was not impressed.
As far as she was concerned, I had disrupted her happy life. I upset her little applecart.
I was totally outrageous. What right did I have telling her she needed to be more than a
couch kitty? Well, you may think Prissy needs to broaden her horizons. (Actually, you
probably think I need to get a life.) I am majoring on minor issues. Because like my cat,
I sometimes need a wake-up call. I get in a rut. I find myself doing things that have no
value—sometimes I even find myself doing things I should not do at all. I forget what
it is I’m really supposed to be doing. You do it too. And so did those guys who
worked at the temple in first century Jerusalem. Listen to happened to them:
Scripture Reading
You have to understand that this started out as a normal day for these
fellows. Passover was a busy time of year—like Christmas is for us. People came
to the city of Jerusalem from all over. They came to the temple to offer
sacrifices and pay monetary offerings throughout the year, but during Passover,
everyone came at the same time. Just imagine what it would be like for you today
if you needed to go to Jerusalem to offer up a little lamb as a sacrifice.
Here in America, we would need to fly to get there. First, you would go
to the pet store and by a pet carrier. Then you would go to a farmer and
purchase a lamb, unless you raised sheep yourself. You might need to go see Perk
to get a tranquilizer for the poor little thing—flying is pretty stressful for
some animals. You would buy plane tickets for every member of your family and
pay a fee for the lamb. You’d have to be sure that your travel agent got you a
hotel room that allowed animals. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could buy your
lamb when you got there? Especially if you could get it right at the temple.
Well, obviously, our concerns are not identical to the problems of a family in
first century Israel. But the conclusion is the same. It was difficult to travel
a long distance with your family. Dealing with the lamb made it even more
complicated. Part of the point of sacrificing this perfect little animal was
that you had brought it into the family and treated it as a pet. The sacrifice
had an emotional component, as well as financial. But traveling all the way from
your home with the lamb, and then having the kids squalling about it… Well, as
you can imagine, it was a lot easier to buy your lamb when you got to the
temple. There were merchants right in the temple, ready to help you out with
“all your sacrificial animals. Just step right up.” [continue]
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