Pastor Scott's Musings

 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC [Title Slide] Journey to Promise: Water From The Rock ( Exodus 17:1-7 ) Tourist spot in the Sinai Desert (Rephidim) where the miracle of water from the rock is remembered On the run from the police, a man headed into the desert. [Slide] Very soon, he runs out of water and is extremely thirsty. He sees something far off in the distance. Hoping it’s an oasis, he starts running towards it, only to find an old man selling neckties. [Slide]     'Hey you, do you have water?' pants the criminal. The old man replied, “No, but would you like to buy a tie? Only $5!” Desperate and frustrated, the criminal shouted, 'You moron! I’m thirsty!! Do I look like I need a tie? I should kill you right here!"  'There's no call for threats,' said the old man. “If you continue over that hill for about 3 miles, you'll find a restaurant with great food and all the ice cold water you can drink. Good luck!” Mutterin...

  [Title Slide] Journey to Promise: Bread of Heaven (Exodus 16:1-12)   There on the surface of the wilderness was a thin flaky substance,  thin like frost on the earth.  When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” Exodus 16:14-15 [Slide] A priest is being chased through the woods by a hungry bear. As the priest is running, he makes an impassioned plea to God: Oh please God, in your infinite wisdom and mercy, turn this bear into a good Christian! Before he can get another word out, he trips over a log and goes sprawling. The bear catches up and approaches the terrified priest. [Slide] Suddenly, the bear puts its paws together, and says “Lord, thank you for this meal that I am about to receive.”   [Slide] I'm so hungry I could eat my watch. But that would be time consuming   [Slide] Obi-wan and Luke go to Mos Eilsey and order something. The waiter brings out chopsticks. Poor Luke cannot figure out th...

  [Title Slide] Journey to Promise: Bittersweet (Exodus 15:22-27)   Moses and the Hebrew people crossed the Red Sea and walked three days into the wilderness. Now when I hear three days, I know that God is up to something. And God is good, so whatever God is up to it’s going to be good for the world.   [Slide] They got to a place with water, but the water was bitter. They were thirsty but they could not drink the water. So, they complained.   [Slide] Psychology Today states that people have negative thoughts more frequently than positive, at a 5:1 ratio. Our tendency toward negative thinking is related to our survival instincts. As hunter-gatherers we needed to think fast to avoid dangerous predators. Snap judgements don’t always serve us well. Complaining has its rewards: protection, and self-validation. We seem to enjoy complaining because it serves as a form of self-validation. When we vent to others, we give ourselves the reward of being heard. Bu...

 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC... Journey to Promise: Through The Sea ( Exodus 14:1-22 ) Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school. “Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.” “ “Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?” his mother asked. “Well, no, Mom. But if I told it the way the teacher said, you'd never believe it!”   "The Lord will fight for you. Just be still.”   Exodus 14:14 Imagine the scene. Moses followed God’s lead to the edge of the Red Sea. [Slide] Suddenly Pharaoh’s army of charioteers appeared in the distance. The people were terrified. They cried...