Sermons
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Heaven's Audit of One's Soul The Rev. Dr. B. Wiley Stephens is senior minister of Dunwoody United Methodist Church in Dunwoody, GA. This Sunday is the final Sunday of the Church's liturgical year. Next Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent and we will start the year afresh as we prepare for the coming of Jesus into the world at Christmas. This Sunday is designated as Christ the King Sunday or the Reign of Christ. A day set aside to express our faith that after all is said and done, at the end of this world, God's Kingdom will come and his reign in our lives and the entire world will be complete. But how does one know if he or she will be a part of that kingdom? How does one know if one is a part of that kingdom even now? Our Gospel lesson for the day is the answer I think that Jesus would have for us. In the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew he shares his vision of what the final judgment will be like. You might call it heaven's audit of one's soul.

Having Trouble Sleeping Through the Night? The Rev. William J. Carl III is president of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA. Years ago, I heard Gardner Taylor, that great African-American preacher, say from a pulpit, "I am for anything that can help a person get through the night." How about you? Are you having trouble sleeping through the night? You're not alone. Most of the world does. And, certainly, Samuel did. He tossed and turned like some preachers I know whose sermons finally come to them in the middle of the night. Have you seen the commercial for one of the sleep aids that shows the husband flicking on the light and saying, "Honey? Are you awake?" And his wife replies, "I am now!" Young Samuel keeps tossing and turning all night, then getting up and running to old Eli saying, "Are you awake?" And all Eli can say is, "I am now! Go back to sleep, kid, you're hearing things!" For some people the real problem is their dreams. We dream about all kinds of things, sometimes waking up in a cold sweat. Some of the dreams are terrifying. Some are about things you'd never dream of actually doing. Other times you are frustrated because you can't remember all the details like the cartoon about a minister on a psychiatrist's couch saying, "I have a recurring dream in which I have all the members of my church board pleading for mercy; but when I wake up, I can never remember how!" Is that what Samuel was doing that night, dreaming about the way things could be because religion in his time had taken a turn for the worse? After all, says the biblical writer, "The word of the Lord was rare in those days." Maybe Samuel was the only one who could dream because "there was no frequent vision." People had lost their way and their connection with God.

Tickets for Tarshish The Rev. William J. Carl III is president of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA. Jonah is my kind of missionary. Reluctant, withdrawn, stubborn. Never quite ready to go to Nineveh. All over the Bible, people are getting up and going. Abraham and Sarah move out on a promise and a prayer. Moses heads for Egypt with nothing but a shepherd's crook and Aaron to write his sermons. Elijah stands defiant, facing four hundred and fifty Baal prophets. But not Jonah. Jonah stands on the dock with tickets for Tarshish. All over the New Testament people are getting up and following Jesus. Fishermen are dropping their nets, tax collectors are forgetting about credit and debit, and others are leaving their parents behind. A little man called Paul travels the Mediterranean spreading the Word. But not Jonah. Jonah stands on the dock with tickets for Tarshish.

Podcast Extra Interview-Tisdale In this Day 1 Podcast Extra, the Rev. Nora Tubbs Tisdale, professor of homiletics at the Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Ct., shares her personal insights and experiences with Day 1 host Peter Wallace.

Glimpsing Heaven in Thin Places The Rev. Nora Tubbs Tisdale is professor of homiletics at the Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Ct. On the coasts of Scotland and Ireland there are certain sites that the locals call "thin places." Thin places are not so named because the altitude is any higher or the air any thinner there. Rather, they are called "thin" because it is believed that in these places the distance between heaven and earth shrinks, and the veil between the two worlds is so "thin" you can actually perceive something of heaven itself. The ancient Celts--sensing the deep spirituality of these sites--built many of their worship places on them, some still marked today by circles of stone. Later Christians also built churches and monasteries and cemeteries there. And people who visit these sites today sometimes say they lose all track of time and space while there, and they know--deep down inside--they are on holy ground. For in thin places, boundaries of time and space fade away. There is no yesterday, today or tomorrow--only eternity stretching forth in a timeless continuum.

The University of Adversity The Rev. Dr. Cleophus J. LaRue is the associate professor of homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey. This is a very interesting passage of scripture before us today, for in a portion of this scripture God is portrayed as the one who is doing the talking. Jeremiah, who places these words in the mouth of God, is acting as if he has called God into court to give an account of his actions. In verses 1-4, Jeremiah charges God with catering to the wicked; and in verse five, God answers the charge, "If you have raced with foot-runners and they have wearied you..." I want to be especially careful with this text, for if I am faithful to this text, then I will treat verse five, as Jeremiah treated it--as a word directly from God. In preaching this as a word directly from God, there are some things I must avoid.

What Makes a True Patriot? The Rev. Nora Tubbs Tisdale is professor of homiletics at the Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Ct. This past summer, there was a debate afoot in our land regarding what it is that makes a true patriot. On one side were Republicans, accusing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama of not being a true patriot because, that far at least in his campaign, he had refused to wear an American flag lapel pin. On the other side of the debate were Democrats suggesting that Republican presidential candidate John McCain may have given noble service to our country in the military, but that such service alone did not make him a patriot--or at least one qualified to serve as President of the United States.