In the Lion's Den (Daniel 6)

Here's the Sunday message from March 9, 2008. In the Lion's Den draws from Daniel 6:1-28 in a continuation of our series on the Biblical value of courage. Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of troubles that seem beyond our ability to overcome. Have courage! No matter the outcome, we can find that God is bigger than our biggest problem.

A Queen's Stand

In his upcoming book Overcoming Your Shadow Mission, John Ortberg explains how each of the main players in the book of Esther faced a critical choice. Each person had to choose between a higher calling and a shadow mission - a dark, trivial or self-serving path. Xerxes lived for his image. Haman lived for an ego-driven quest for more, more, more. Mordecai and Esther had the courage to use their gifts for something greater. The bad news is that without help, all of us will eventual succumb to our shadow missions. The good news is that Jesus understands, having resisted the incredible pull of his own shadow mission.

What's your shadow mission? Who is your Mordecai?

Videos of the message and the communion presentation can be found below:
The Message
Communion

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Mephibosheth Once More

In 2 Sam 9, David shows God's kindness to Saul's last surviving relative, Jonathan's son Mephibosheth. However, it is hard to be kind when we think that there's not enough to go around. Being kind requires a Phil 4:19 belief in the abundant kindness of God. No matter what we give away, God always has more. This message was part of our monthly Kid Connection service and is designed to teach the biblical virtue of kindness to children as young as 4 and 5.

Part 1 - The Drama (in part)
Part 2 - The Message

It's Who You Know

This was the Feb 17, 2008 Sunday message in a series on "kindness." In 2 Samuel 9, David shows "God's kindness" to Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son. Kindness is more than just the Golden Rule. Kindness is taking the kindness God has given us and passing that kindness onto others. Sometimes we're tempted to think we can fix the world without fixing ourselves, but showing real kindness to others hinges on allowing God to show us his kindness first. First our hearts, then the world.

Unboiling An Egg?!

This is so amazing that I'm going to have to prove it to myself. Apparently, sodium borohydride + boiled egg + 3 hours = unboiled egg. More notably, Vitamin C should work as well. I wouldn't put this mystery on the level of the Incarnation, but for the moment my wonder sensors are all alight.

Liberal Confesses to Anti-Evangelical Bigotry

My friend Sam forwarded this op-ed in which Nicholas Kristof acknowledges that one kind of bigotry is still tolerated on the left -- bigotry against evangelicals. This prejudice blinds people to the fact that evangelicals have changed significantly in recent years. If you don't feel like registering at the New York Times to read the article, you may be able to share someone else's login over at bugmenot.com

Learn It & Live It (2/3/08)

Treat others the way you want to be treated -- it's the Golden Rule (Luke 6:17-20, 27-36). It's easy to learn but hard to live. Delivered on Feb 3, 2008 at Beacon Community Church in Natick, MA.

First Things First (1/27/08)

When you put God first, everything else falls into place. Matthew 22:34-40. At the end of service, the Mathews took time to say good-bye to Beacon, which you can view here.

A Time for Everything (1/20/08)

Bottom line - make the most of the season that you are in. An exploration of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 geared towards a sanctuary filled with kids. This was the 2nd service where we kept the kids in the sanctuary for the entire service. Delivered on January 20th at Beacon Community Church in Natick, MA.

From A to Z (1/8/08)

In the beginning, God created order out of chaos. We are tempted to violate that order when we falsely think doing so will bring us happiness. Science is now showing us that rather than imagination, we should use the real experience of others as a guide. Biblically, we can go much further than that. Part of a series on "orderliness."

The Reason for the Season (Children's Choir)

The living nativity message led immediately into a performance by our children's choir. I've never seen so much glitter. This all took place on Dec 23, 2007.

The Reason for the Season (The Message)

We had a "Living nativity" service that explains how each person ended up in the manger scene. This service was geared towards a congregation that included numerous children, many of whom are of pre-school age. We have a Kid Connection family service once/month. Previously, we dismissed the children to their classrooms after the first half of the service and then had an adult-oriented message for the adults who remained in the sanctuary. This was the first service where we tried to keep the children in the sanctuary for the entire service.

The King of Kings (6/10/07)

This should have been posted before the sex talk. Look at me, jumping right into the sex. This was the message that launched our "Seeds (of the Kingdom)" series. Fittingly, this message looks at Genesis 1 and explored the "who" and "why" of Creation, rather than the "what" and "how" that so often dominates talks about Genesis 1. Originally delivered on June 10, 2007.

Sex is Good... For What? (7/22/07)

Why did God create sex? Did you know that something went wrong before the Fall? Did you know that sex was part of God's solution? This message explores Genesis 2:18-25. Delivered on July 22, 2007 at Beacon Community Church in Natick, MA. Part of a series called "Seeds (of the Kingdom)". BTW, this is by far my most viewed (and downloaded) video.

All Together Now (11/19/06)

Part 3 of a series on "Cooperation," this message deals with the building of the Tabernacle. As with many of our messages at Beacon, this one was designed for the adult service but intended to work in tandem with the 252Basics children's curriculum from Northpoint Community Church. Originally delivered on November 19, 2006.

Life By Design

This is a message I delivered at Redeemer Community Church in March of 2007. The service took place at the Glavin Chapel at Babson College. We delved into the Parable of the Good Samaritan but I cautioned that even a deep personal faith and biblical knowledge might not be enough when it comes to living out this lesson.