Author: Rev Bill Crawford

Pastor of First Presbyterian Church (Houma/Thibodaux) Husband to Julia Father of three Owner of one dog - "Val" Child of God and loving it!
Posted in Luke the Gospel in Action, sermons

Luke the Gospel in Action Part 5: Birth

Posted on by Rev Bill Crawford

Continuing the series in Luke at Chapter 2. An intriguing passage if you read through the mundane. A hectic week with illnesses from various could and flu may have obscured the sermon some so a summary:

God’s sovereign will is so incredibly powerful that:
Despite Joseph being the descendant of a fallen royal line
Despite Mary being an unwed mother (more about this below)
Despite the two of them being moved around at the will of a Pagan Ruler
God’s will is worked out exactly as prophesied hundreds of years in advance.

Amazing stuff.

Note: Mary is named Betrothed in Luke chapter 2. And although in Jewish culture a Betrothal will absolutely lead to a marriage they are not simultaneous events. So Although Matthew states that Joseph took Mary to be his wife it does not spell out the timeline nor the process. There is some dispute about this my conclusions are my own.

Posted in sin and culture

‘Jedi’ religion most popular alternative faith – Telegraph

Posted on by Rev Bill Crawford

So the decline in religion includes the Jedi. I’m not sure if that is “heartening” news or not. It does affirm one of my deeply held convictions: Many people develop their religious views by “osmosis” and movies and television are one of their primary sources.

You may not be an actual Jedi but perhaps you are a functioning Jedi? Things to think about, things to drive you back to reading scripture and finding out Who God says He is rather than letting Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and perhaps Oprah tell you what you believe.

'Jedi' religion most popular alternative faith – Telegraph.

Posted in Luke the Gospel in Action, sermons

Luke the Gospel in Action – New Sermon Series

Posted on by Rev Bill Crawford

A new sermon with admittedly a fairly significant error. For years I have used a liturgical calendar for my worship planning. I did away with it this year. Also most years Advent begins on the last Sunday in November. Coming off of a week of vacation I panicked and thought I’d forgotten Advent – so looks like Advent is 5 Sundays this year or we are practicing the first Sunday of Advent A and B this year. Oh well here is the first sermon of a series in the Book of Luke with some early comments on Advent – just grinning and counting on Grace here.
Luke The Gospel in Action Introduction

Posted in sin and culture

No Lasting City

Posted on by Rev Bill Crawford

My team lost. I feel all the discouragement that comes with that truth. I’m concerned about the future for the Church: our rights regarding declaring sin, avoiding it, and I believe we may even be forced to commit it (by being forced to pay an Abortion Surcharge as part of Obamacare). I’m not at all naive about the meaning of this election in regards to issues that really matter to me.

BUT

I just can’t find a lasting reason to be upset. Because God is still on His Throne:

Revelation 4:1-11 ESV Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

and we have “no lasting city here”:

Hebrews 13: 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

A little perspective: When Rome fell to the barbarians it was the center of Christianity – yet the faith survived. When Islam defeated Constantinople – the faith survived. After World Wars disillusioned a continent – the Faith survived.