Paul (dirge) (Praise is rising) (mighty and strong to save) Stephen Keating 3rd Sunday of Advent Matthew 1:18-25 Jon Tendency to focus on negatives when we say/hear “you’re just like your father” 2 of the most important men in my life Ernie Woolner and Dennis Berry Great deal of respect for both of them A lot of who I am is shaped by my father Watching people become more and more like Christ Great to have male role models Thinking of the Christmas Story Don’t know what kind of a father Joseph was Imagine raising the son of God Joseph, having other children to raise, would treat the honor of raising Jesus just as seriously V. 19 – Joseph was a just man and a righteous man Knew the Torah, practiced business with integrity Don’t hear much about him after the birth How it relates to loving God with everything … Continue reading →

Paul (You are holy) Jon Genesis 21:1-7 Key – 6 Made her laughter something redemptive Gen 12 bless nations of the world Messiah will fix it all God gives a promise, but not a deadline Life keeps ticking away Abe hits 100 Gen 17:17 – God reassures him and Abe is incredulous Scoffing laughter, sarcasm Sarah hears, Gen 18:12, and is sarchastic Lost belief in supernatural God As we get older, faith gets harder Intellectually skeptical Afraid to hope – males us vulnerable…don’t want to get hurt… We love control, we hate disappointment Afraid of boredom…don’t want to wait Start to close our hearts…get jaded Laughter of addiction and fixation Gen 21:8-10 Celebrations full of laughter Cast out Hagar and son, they can’t laugh Ishmael laughing AT Isaac? Laughter turns to anger Something wrong with this laughter…displaces God from the throne of our hearts, fromour center If anything disappoints us, … Continue reading →