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Brad's Blog |
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| Author: | Brad Miller | Created: | 10/30/2007 2:51 AM |  | | From the Desk of Brad Miller |
| True Lenten Fasting | |
Mid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on2/25/2009 12:50 PM | |
| Greetings on this wonderful Ash Wednesday morning,
Yes, it is hard to believe but Ash Wednesday is here and that means that we are now at the start of our Lenten journey for 2009. It is a journey we take every year, and our sincere hope is that each time we focus on our Lenten disciplines of introspection, prayer and study, we come closer and closer to being who God would have us be while strengthening our relationship with Jesus Christ. It says something about our humanness that we NEED to do this over and over again, year after year, Lent after Lent. It also says something about our grace filled God that we GET to do this over and over again, year after year, Lent after Lent.
Several years ago I came across an anonymous piece called “True Lenten Fasting” which I have used as a guide ever since. I have shared it with you before, but I would like to do so again so that you might put it on your refrigerator, or inside your Bible, or somewhere where you’ll see ... |  | |
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| | Peanut Butter Crisis | |
Mid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on2/24/2009 3:58 PM | |
| Greetings on this chilly morning,
As if the news about the economy, job layoffs, plant shut downs, industry collapses and the like wasn’t enough. Now they are saying I have to get rid of my peanut butter! Will it never end, this cycle of bad news? Will we ever be able to eat that Snickers bar or dig into a fresh jar of Jif without wondering about our safety? Will I have to check packaging to see if anything I buy was made on machines that also processed peanuts? What will become of Mr. Peanut? Will he become destitute, with a soiled top hat and a broken cane, his monocle scotch taped together, living out his days with people staring and whispering, “What a shame. He used to be somebody, I just can’t remember who.”
Well, I for one am not going to take it. We can argue about how much CEO’s make, and whether or not socialized medicine is the way to go. We can talk about the billions that are needed to shore up our economy, our housing market. We can debate ... | | |
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| | Sunday February 22, 2009 "The Mantle Passes" 2 Kings 2:1-14 | |
Brad's Sermons | By Brad Miller on2/24/2009 3:52 PM | |
| Today is traditionally celebrated as “Tranfiguration Sunday” in the more liturgical churches. It celebrates the episode in Jesus’ ministry when he took his disciples Peter James and John with him up to a high mountain top. While on the mountain top, Jesus was transfigured, his clothes becoming a dazzling white. And suddenly appearing at Jesus side, in conversation with him, are Moses and Elijah! As the terrified disciples looked on, a voice came from the heavens saying, “This is my Son, the beloved, listen to him!”
And just as suddenly as the transfiguration came, it was over, leaving Peter, James, John and Jesus alone on the top of the mountain.
It is not entirely clear where this high mountain is, but tradition points to Mt. Tabor, not far from Nazareth as the site of the Transfiguration. During my pilgrimage to Palestine and Israel, several of us hiked up to the top of Mt. Tabor to experience some small part of what the disciples experienced. As we read f ... | | |
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| | Hospitality | |
Mid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on2/24/2009 3:50 PM | |
| Greetings on this drizzly morning,
It’s kind of funny how God works to put things in front of you that help you connect up the dots, move you forward, keep you on track. Let me explain.
This past weekend, Carol and I attended a conference/retreat for couples who are involved in Marriage Enrichment events. We went through training about 10 years ago, were certified to lead retreats and workshops, and have tried each year since to attend one of these conference/retreats. It has always proven to be a relaxing time, and we always come away with new insights about our own marriage, as well as for leading retreats. Over the years the conferences that we have attended have been held at Calloway Gardens, Birmingham and various places in and around Gulf Shores, Alabama. This years conference was held at the WinShape Retreat Center at Berry College. And something about this conference was very, very different.
The facilities are beautiful, but t ... | | |
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| | Being the Church | |
Mid-Week Missive | By Brad Miller on2/11/2009 4:20 PM | |
| Greetings on this blustery day,
I knew there was something different about today, but it didn’t hit me exactly what it was until just a few minutes ago. Today is the third anniversary of my father’s death. On one hand it seems so long ago, while on the other hand, it seems like yesterday. There are still days when I reach to pick up the phone to ask him a question when I am caught up short by the realization that he is no longer here. Of course, I still do that in regards to my mother, too, and she has been gone more than 10 years! I miss them both terribly. But one thing I know: without the loving embrace of Christ’s church, my loss would have been just about unbearable.
When my mother died, the people at Peachtree Christian rallied around Carol and me. I remember walking down the church hall when one of my favorite people in the world, Virginia Weaver, stopped me, reached up from her wheel chair and hugged my neck and whispered, “I’m not your mother, but ... | | |
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| | Sunday February 8, 2009 "Have You Not Heard?" Isaiah 40:21-31 | |
Brad's Sermons | By Brad Miller on2/11/2009 9:22 AM | |
| In 1594, William Shakespeare wrote the famous words, “Now is the winter of our discontent…” His words described the feelings of Richard III, who was unhappy at the way his subjects and the world viewed him. Key word: unhappy.
The prophet Isaiah, speaking to the Israelites gathered into Babylonian exile could have easily spoken those same words some 3000 years before Shakespeare. In Isaiah’s case, however, he would be speaking to the unhappiness of the exiled citizens of Israel.
Where I grew up, February was the month of year when discontentedness and unhappiness would reach its peak. I always felt sorry for my brother whose birthday is in February, but on the other hand, it was a bright spot in an otherwise dreary season. Believe me, I am not just saying this for dramatic effect. February in Detroit is cold and grey and even more uninviting than usual…February in southeastern Michigan regularly yields the second highest suicide rates in the country. You kn ... | | |
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| | Be Prepared | |
| By Brad Miller on1/29/2009 10:47 AM | |
| Greetings on this nicely overcast day!
The last few weeks in worship my sermons have concentrated on the kinds of things we need to do to start anew, to rededicate ourselves to God’s plan. Being open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, committing ourselves to doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with our God, and in preparation for all of it, repenting and giving ourselves over to God’s will. That last one is sometimes the hardest as we find it difficult to give up our will when it comes to following where God leads. Like Jonah, who was scandalized that God had actually redeemed those nasty Ninevites, we sometimes let our own preconceived notions or our own sense of justice and right get in the way of what God would have us do.
But there is no doubt that getting out of God’s way simply trying to follow where God leads, or that getting out of our own way by concentrating on what we do rather than worrying what others are up to, will lead us to the ... | | |
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| | Sunday January 25, 2009 "Proclaiming the Fast" Jonah 3:1-5, 10 and Psalm 62:5-12 | |
Brad's Sermons | By Brad Miller on1/28/2009 2:43 PM | |
| Most of us know at least some part of the book of Jonah. Jonah is unique among the prophets because he is never called a prophet, not once in the entire book. His prophecies of destruction did not come true, but they did hit their mark. But no matter how we categorize Jonah and his mission, the lessons that come from the book of Jonah are powerful and long lasting.
It is a strange book in many ways. It is filled with exaggerated images, absurd responses and righteous indignation. There is a fair amount of humor in the book, too, which if we are not careful can lead us away from the main points.
To recap, Jonah was a man who, out of the blue was instructed to go to Nineveh and warn them to turn around. But it was more than just a simple warning. God gave Jonah specific instructions on what to tell the people of Nineveh. They were to be told that because of their evil ways, they were to be destroyed. But Jonah, not wanting to take on that task, undertook ... | | |
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| | Sunday January 18, 2009 "Doing Justice" Micah 6:6-8 | |
Brad's Sermons | By Brad Miller on1/26/2009 2:18 PM | |
| “What do you want from me?”
This question has been asked so many times in so many situations: children ask it of parents, parents ask it of children, partners and spouses ask it of each other, workers ask it of bosses, friends ask it of friends.
Sometimes the question is fraught with exasperation. Sometimes it is a loving offer of help. Sometimes it seeks simple clarification.
But it is definitely a question we have heard, a question we have asked.
God has heard the question, too. The question has been asked of God in silent, fervent prayers. It has been asked in huge assemblies. It has been asked out of loyalty and devotion. It has been asked out of frustration. And more than once it has been asked in the hope that we need do nothing more to sastisfy God – we have it just right. But more often than not, we ask it, hoping that the answer will be something easy, knowing full well that the answer, while simple, will never b ... | | |
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| | Sunday January 11, 2009 "New Beginnings" Mark 1:4-11 and ACts 19:1-7 | |
Brad's Sermons | By Brad Miller on1/26/2009 1:58 PM | |
| The church year can be a little strange.
While most of our society marks January 1st as the beginning of the new year, we Christians have a couple of other alternatives. Lots of us look to the beginning of the school year as the “new year” for the church. When everyone is back in town, that’s when we really gear up our programs, and so it feels like a new beginning.
That is not the only “new beginning” we as church folks experience. The liturgical calendar sets the beginning of Advent as the beginning of the new church calendar. So, sometime soon after Thanksgiving each year we enter a time of reflection, study and introspection in preparation to celebrate the anniversary of the coming of the Messiah, and what it means to our lives that Jesus told us that he would come again.
So, we use that time to prepare ourselves, to work to make changes in our lives, in our spiritual practices and in our outlook. The new year celebration of Advent ends with th ... | | |
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