The Real Danger Facing the Witness of the Church[A Retiring Pastor’s Message to his Flock] These are dangerous times for Christ’s Church. As I prepare to retire as your pastor, I want to leave you with some resources for facing them. I care about you individually, and I care about you as a church. … Continue reading Pastor Note #113: The Real Danger Facing the Witness of the Church
Category: Pastor Notes
Pastor Note #112: America in Theological Perspective–a July 4th Sermon
America in Theological Perspective: A SermonPastor Gary Chorpenning1 Peter 2:9-17Preached July 4, 2021 So, do they have the Fourth of July in England? [Pregnant Pause] Of course they do. They have the fourth of July, the fifth of July, the six of July. They have all the days of July in England, same as we … Continue reading Pastor Note #112: America in Theological Perspective–a July 4th Sermon
Pastor Note #111: All Types of Pastor
Sedona, AZ; photo by GAC Pastoral ministry involves a dizzying variety of tasks and activities. Some days I go from counseling someone in a difficult personal crisis to untangling some issue in the church’s financial management and bookkeeping, from researching the best interpretation of the Greek of some passage in the New Testament to meeting … Continue reading Pastor Note #111: All Types of Pastor
Pastor Note #110: Nothing But Love–A Sermon for the Installation of a Pastor, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
I suppose you all may be wondering if I had to get a special dispensation from the Commissariat of Public Bible Reading in order to be allowed to read 1 Corinthians 13 at an event that is NOT a wedding. The answer to that question is, “No, I did not.” I’m one of those … Continue reading Pastor Note #110: Nothing But Love–A Sermon for the Installation of a Pastor, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Pastor Note #109: Living as Hopeful People in Fearful Times
Are these hopeful times or are they fearful times? I write these words on a warm day, after a hard winter of snow and ice. The daffodils are poking up through the leaf litter in my flowerbeds. The crocuses have already begun to bloom. In fact, there are several dandelions in their yellow perkiness smiling … Continue reading Pastor Note #109: Living as Hopeful People in Fearful Times
Pastor Note #108: Busyness, Rights, Responsibilities, & Church Life in 2020
Over the past two millennia, the Church of Jesus has survived brutal persecutions, the chaos of invasions and wars, plagues, famines, revolutions, and, perhaps the most dangerous of all social conditions, the church has even survived economic prosperity. Nothing that has happened in America or the world in 2020 will prove to be a deadly … Continue reading Pastor Note #108: Busyness, Rights, Responsibilities, & Church Life in 2020
Pastor Note #107: Violence and the Kingdom of God: a Sermon
Conversations with Jesus:James and John and Violence in the Kingdom of GodLuke 9:51-55 Pastor Gary Chorpenning A sermon preached atVenice Presbyterian ChurchCecil Township, PAJanuary 10,2021 We’re living in difficult and unpredictable times. I’ll admit that I had a different sermon planned for today, but the events at the U. S. Capitol this week have caused … Continue reading Pastor Note #107: Violence and the Kingdom of God: a Sermon
Pastor Note #106: The Right Kind of Christmas Busyness
Winter in Flagstaff, AZ; photo by GAC What a strange Christmas season this is for us all, unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. I don’t suppose I really need to point that out to anyone, but I mention it just the same. I don’t know whether this Christmas this year has been busier for you than … Continue reading Pastor Note #106: The Right Kind of Christmas Busyness
Pastor Note #105: Ministry in a Time of Pandemic
All over the country, churches are wrestling with decisions about how to do ministry in the midst of a pandemic. This is an on-going challenge, because the circumstances of the pandemic are constantly shifting and changing. Yesterday’s decisions are called into doubt by today’s news. Over the years, I have always found that, … Continue reading Pastor Note #105: Ministry in a Time of Pandemic
Pastor Note #104: Partisan Politics, the American Church, and the Kingdom of God
Cross Creek Lake, Avella, PA; photo by GAC During my years of pastoring in central New York state, I was part of a pastors' prayer group that met weekly to pray for each other and our community. All of us in the group were theologically conservative, what is often called “evangelical.” Sometime in 2011, during … Continue reading Pastor Note #104: Partisan Politics, the American Church, and the Kingdom of God
