Pastor Scott's Musings

 Sermon for Milledgeville & Whitestown UMC Simeon and Anna ( Luke 2:22-40 )   A man named Carol grew up being harassed for his name. When he had his own family, he decided his wife should name their first child. She named their daughter, Love. Unfortunately, Love was teased for her name, too. After years of teasing and abuse from her peers, Love snapped. She yelled at her father, “You ruined my life! Why did you give me such a stupid name!” Not wanting to throw his wife under the bus, he simply said, “I’m sorry.” Love shot him and ran away. Later his wife came home to find her husband on the floor clutching his chest. He choked out, “Shot through the heart and you’re to blame. Darling, you gave Love a bad name.”   We’re talking about baby Jesus and the meaning of names today. Joseph and Mary took baby Jesus to the temple where they are met by Simeon and Anna. They came to the temple in obedience to the law. Leviticus 12 outlines what must happen for purificat...

 Sermon for Milledgeville and Whitestown UMC Shepherds ( Luke 2:8-20 )   Why was the shepherd fired? He fell asleep during inventory   What did the arrogant sheep say to the shepherd? You herd me.   What did the ram say to Santa? All I want for Christmas is ewe   We’re talking about shepherds today! Shepherds were living in the fields guarding their sheep. Nomadic shepherds live with their sheep and travel with them from pasture to pasture. But the shepherds in Bethlehem were semi-nomadic. They had modest homes, often built on hillsides. They kept livestock in spaces dug out of the hillside or in caves close by. Some homes had a stable on the ground floor, the family area on the second and a guest upper room above that.   The Shepherds near Bethlehem "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace and Goodwill to all" The Awassi breed of sheep were kept by Middle Eastern shepherds. Unlike American breeds, which birth in springtime, the Awa...

Sermon for Milledgeville & Whitestown UMC... Joseph ( Matthew 1:18-25 )   In the Cherry Tree Carol, the legend says that Mary and Joseph, while traveling to Bethlehem, came to a cherry tree grove ripe with fruit. Thinking about her child and her own body’s need, Mary asked Joseph to pick her some cherries. Joseph, however, angrily snapped at Mary, “Let the father of the child get you cherries!” It’s clear Joseph still was struggling with his role in God’s plan. Did he doubt the angel who warned him in a dream? Did he doubt himself? Was his dream simply wishful thinking, trying to let Mary off the hook for infidelity? As much as we want to make him a Bible hero, Joseph was human after all.   Joseph and Mary in the Cherry Tree Carol Like with Mary, there’s very little the scripture tells us about the man who raised Jesus. He isn’t mentioned at all in Mark’s gospel account. In John, Jesus is called the son of Joseph twice. In the same manner, Luke mentions Joseph o...

 Sermon for Milledgeville & Whitestown UMC... Mary of Nazareth ( Luke 1:26-45 )   Exhausted after a five-day journey to Bethlehem, and the labor and delivery of her son, Mary put the baby Jesus down to sleep. Just as she was beginning to relax and get some rest, a bunch of smelly shepherds arrive. One of them is a boy who thinks what the baby needs right now is a drum solo! Poor Mary!   We’ve loaded so much legend around Jesus’ birth we don’t know what is biblical and what is embellishment. Our traditions have more to say about Mary than the scriptures.   Mary as portrayed by Olivia Hussey  in the 1977 TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth It was at Mary’s insistence that Jesus performed the first of his miracles, when he changed water to wine. (Jn 2:3, 5) Mary was a supporter of Jesus’ ministry, but like any mother she worried for him. She showed up outside a house in a community where Jesus had performed an exorcism. Mark says Mary and her other son...