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Brad's Sermons |
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| Author: | Brad Miller | Created: | 10/30/2007 2:53 AM |  | | Archive of BCC Sermons by Brad |
| Sunday February 21, 2010 "God Given Bounty" Deuteronomy 26:1-11 | |
| By Brad Miller on2/22/2010 9:26 AM | |
| I never really understood why this passage was considered a Lenten passage, but every third year, it shows up as one of the suggested passages to be used during our Lenten observance. I never really understood that, until this year.
The Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years, waiting for the day when they would inhabit the “promised land.” They have seen their parents and grandparents generation die before the promise was made real. They must have had some reservations about this God that let them roam in circles for all those years. They must have wondered if they too would die before they saw this land.
This scripture passage is one of great importance for our Jewish brothers and sisters. It is one of the essential “identity” stories of their faith. It is the story of the Isrealite’s inheritance; they are heirs to God’s enduring promise, now spread out before them. It is the climax of the exodus story. Think about this: if my math is right, the ... |  | |
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| | Sunday January 31, 2010 "Celebrating Renewal" Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10 | |
| By Brad Miller on2/1/2010 3:30 PM | |
| I’m tired.
I know that many of you are tired, too.
Tired of the negativity that seems to permeate so much of our world. Tired of preparing for the next piece of bad news that is coming. Tired of seeing people who are at best are nervous about what the future holds and at worst, absolutely paralyzed with fear. Tired of trying to make sense of a political process that seems intent on finding someone to blame rather than on finding solutions to problems. Tired of so called entertainment that seeks to tear down others and reality shows that are anything but reality. Tired of living in a world where many seem to decry what we do not have, rather than celebrating what it is we do have. Tired of being tired.
I’m just tired.
From talking with many of you, I know that you are tired, too. And here’s the first word of the day: it’s okay. It’s okay to be tired. It’s just not okay to simply accept it.
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| | Sunday January 24, 2010 "Honoring the Gift" 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11 | |
| By Brad Miller on1/26/2010 1:24 PM | |
| One day a few years ago my mother and I were sitting in the kitchen talking. We were talking about when my brother and sister and were young, reminiscing about things we had done, laughing about trouble we sometimes got into. It was a chance for me to ask a question I was really curious about.
“How,” I asked her, “did you and Daddy manage to make us all feel special, all feel loved, and all feel like we could do what we wanted to do, without a hint of favoritism?”
My mother did not hesitate for a second. “Oh, it was easy to not play favorites and to make each of you feel special, because the three of you were so different! You needed different things, you excelled at different things, you had different personalities, so there was no worry about treating you “the same”. The fact was, you weren’t the same, so we didn’t have to treat you the same!”
"You all had different gifts,” she continued, “So the best thing we could do you was to encourag ... | | |
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| | Sunday January 17, 2010 "Where to Start?" Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22 | |
| By Brad Miller on1/26/2010 1:22 PM | |
| Have you ever been so ready for something to happen, but weren’t sure where you were to start to make it happen?
The people who knew John the Baptist were ready. They were ready for something, they just weren’t exactly sure what it was they were ready for. They were ready for the appearance of a messiah, a messiah that would lead them out of the oppression that they felt on a daily basis. They were ready to be able to fully and completely live out their religious and civic desires.
Oh, they were ready.
They just didn’t know where to start.
They looked at John the Baptist, and they wondered, “Is this where we start? Could John be the messiah?”
I’m not sure whether the question “could John be the messiah?” is a hopeful question or a question that is filled with some trepidation. The same question might be asked differently: “You don’t really think John could be the messiah, do you?”
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| | Sunday January 3, 2009 "Beginning Again" John 1: 1-18 | |
| By Brad Miller on1/26/2010 1:19 PM | |
| Sunday January 3, 2009
“Beginning Again”
John 1: 1-18
As we move through the Christmas season – and no, Christmas is not quite over – we have lots of opportunities to reflect on everything that has gone on over the past few month. The things we have talked about in worship and in our bible study classes; the gatherings with friends and families; the gifts exchanged; the relationships renewed; the stresses and strains that come with all the activity.
We have spent the better part of Advent and Christmas doing our best to reconnect with “the reason for the season” and celebrate the amazing story that surrounds the birth of Jesus. But, still somehow, we get to this point as Christmastide begins to wind down and the question still lingers: “What was that all about, anyway?”
The writer of the Gospel of John gives us a resounding, emphatic answer. John’s eloquent reply nearly thunders across the centuries: “In the begin ... | | |
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| | Sunday December 20, 2009 "Daylight Again" Isaiah 9:2-7 | |
| By Brad Miller on12/23/2009 12:11 PM | |
| The prophet Isaiah had seen darkness.
Isaiah, son of Amoz, prophesied in the latter half of the eighth century BC and witnessed the rise of the second Assyrian empire. Under the aggressive policies of it’s king Tiglath-pileser III, Assyria eventually conquered or annexed much of Syria and its neighbors, including the kingdom of Israel and it’s capital. In opposition to the growing Assyrian presence, Kings of the region formed a coalition to resist the encroaching empire and to fight together. King Ahaz of Jerusalem refused to join in the fight and was immediately overrun by this new coalition.
Rather than wait for God’s promised deliverance, Ahaz sided with the Assyrians and became a protectorate of Assyria. But this meant bowing to the dictates of Tilgath-pileser and led to the wholesale deportation of Israelites into forced exile.
This is what darkness meant to the people of Isaiah’s time: total domination by the Assyrians and strai ... | | |
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| | Sunday November 29, 2009 "In Those Days" Jeremiah 33:14-16 | |
| By Brad Miller on12/2/2009 9:28 AM | |
| Advent can be a strange time.
Advent is part of our Christmas celebration, yet it is something completely distinct and different, too.
Advent is about preparation, but it is not always clear what it is we preparing for.
Advent is firmly rooted in future, yet cannot be fully appreciated unless we can position ourselves in the past.
Advent is about celebrating what is to come, even though it already HAS come.
Advent is about taking comfort it what HAS come, and preparing to be surprised by what we already know.
Yes, you could say that Advent is a confused and confusing time.
And nowhere is that confusion more acutely felt than in the Jeremiah passage we heard read this morning.
But before we get to Jeremiah’s confusing times, let’s think a bit about our confusion with Advent.
Advent is the beginning of the ... | | |
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| | Sunday November 22, 2009 "Alpha and Omega" Revelation 1:4b-8 | |
| By Brad Miller on11/23/2009 4:07 PM | |
| Today is Thanksgiving Sunday and one of the things that I am most thankful for is the opportunity to be here at Brookhaven in ministry with each and every one of you. And I want to make that clear: we are in ministry together. That means we face the tough times together and celebrate the good times together. We welcome new babies and new friends into this fellowship together and we say goodbye to old friends together. We join together in prayer to strengthen not only ourselves, but also all those who we know need God’s presence. We learn together. We laugh together. We cry together. We live our lives dedicated to spreading God’s word and doing God’s will, together.
So, together we gather to give thanks. And it starts with a simple question: what are we thankful for? I know some of the things I am thankful for: I am thankful that I grew up with loving parents and an active and vital church and neighborhood family. They have all had a hand in helping to shape who I am, and for ... | | |
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| | Sunday November 15, 2009 "Becoming Hannah" 1 Samuel 2: 1-10 | |
| By Brad Miller on11/17/2009 9:23 AM | |
| The scripture this morning is 1 Samuel 2: 1-10, but we need some context before we get there.
Here’s how I remember the story:
There was a woman named Hannah who was married to a man name Elkanah. But Hannah wasn’t Elkahnah’s only wife. He had another wife named Peninnah. Here is what distinguished Hannah from Peninnah. First, Peninnah had children, while Hannah had none. Second, Peninnah was not a very nice woman – taunting and ridiculing Hannah whenever possible – all because Hannah had no children. Somehow, in Penninah’s mind, that made her better than Hannah. And apparently, Hannah thought so, too. She let Penninah’s ridicule and provocation get to her, and so she became depressed and spent a large amount of time, weeping for her affliction.
The third thing that distiniguished Hannah from Peninnah, is that their shared husband, Elkanah, loved Hannah best. Whenever they ate the meal following the sacrificial ceremony of blessing ... | | |
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| | Sunday October 18, 2009 "Risky Business" Luke 4:18-19 | |
| By Brad Miller on10/21/2009 4:29 PM | |
| This faith stuff is very definitely risky business.
Look at our messiah if you have any doubts about that. Fully divine, fully human, he walked among the people of Israel and Palestine and taught and lived and ministered and preached. Then he died because of what he had dared to say and do.
The example of Jesus is one that we must take to heart if we are to understand the notion of risk taking, because his life and death are the very definition of risk taking. Stepping out in faith to do God’s will and to serve God’s people. Moving beyond one’s comfortable existence and putting one’s very life at risk.
Jesus’ ministry in it’s broadest sense was a ministry of service. Service to all of humanity by providing a link to a relationship with God. Service to those sick and suffering he met along the way by providing healing. Service to those who were the outsiders by providing hope. It is the hallmark of his ministry and as the church ... | | |
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