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Easter Sunday Matt invited me back to Garden (his church) for an Easter Sunday service. He told me that even people who weren't religious generally went to church twice a year; once at Christmas and once at Easter. For no reason that I could really fathom, I accepted his invitation and went out today. Matt wasn't the one preaching today, it was Trevor, but it was still a pretty enjoyable experience. Trevor's one of those poeple that seem to find equal enjoyment in poking fun at himself as he does in preaching the Word. His sermon today was fairly...intense. I think that's what I like about Garden over the 2-3 other churches I've visited over the years. Trevor said today that there were too many preachers out there that were more concerned with getting poeple into christianity when they SHOULD be more worried about actually saving them. To good effect, he referenced the parable of the sower and his seeds, some of which fell on rocky ground, some that fell on shallow soil and some that were fortunate enough to fall upon richand fertile soil. I love the term he used today, talking about the "carebear God" that some preachers tell their congregation about. He believed that this preaching of a carebear God that everyone WANTED to hear about lead to the more shallow believers, those that seemed to suddenly convert, and just as quickly turn away when they disover that the road is not all champagne bubbles. I can understand that and see what he's talking about to some extent. I've known and even been friends with some people that seem to constantly be on the jump for the next quick fix idea. The message today was simple and blunt, God is good but God must also be JUST and that one could not exist without the other. To be saved NOW as nothing was ever certain and that this moment in time, this very minute could be the closest you'll ever come. Compared to other sermons I've heard, the ones by Matt and Trev seem to really strip away the frills, shove their faces right into yours and say, "look, this is how it is, whether you like it or not. Now choose." It's very effective and stirring. Now if only I could get away from the singing... >.> |