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but i know that i can make it

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as long as somebody takes me home A sermon on the widow at Zarephath and Elijah : Here we are. And on the one hand, it doesn’t appear as though very much is happening at all. Does it? You’re sitting there . I’m standing here . And yes, I’m talking , but that’s about it .   But you know what? Something is happening! And not just something, either. No, a lot is happening! God, in all the fullness thereof, is happening ! Yes, I’m speaking, but the words are not mine. No, God , God is coopting them! The Holy Spirit is filling them with Christ himself ! Whatever else you’re hearing, it’s not just mere words. No, it’s Christ the Word made flesh , made word again , and presently taking flesh in these words once more! This means it’s not just the speaking God has a hand in! No, God is also coopting your hearing! Christ is riding the breath of the Holy Spirit on these words to travel down your ear canal and into your heart! And the Holy Trinity is doing all this to bring about t...

i couldn't, though i'm beginning to

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& somehow, i see / it's free A sermon for the confirmation of Chase & Jack: Chase , Jack, dear brothers in Christ, welcome to the faith ! Did that sound odd ? I bet it did. I bet it did, but I want you to know I meant it. And, what’s more , the peculiarity of that sentence is no accident, either. Herein lies your first lesson today: Faith is not intuitive. On the contrary , faith is counterintuitive . The more strange , the closer you are to that blessed and mysterious beating heart of faith. With any luck, you’ll find yourself saying, “How odd of God” many times.   With that, we’ve come upon our second lesson for today: Faith is not a program. And faith is not a formula, either. Faith is not a way to hide from life. And neither is faith a guide to make the confusing twists and turns of reality fit into a predetermined mold.   No, faith doesn’t tell you what lies ahead . Truth be told, real faith really wants nothing to do with that kind of chicanery . No, fa...