Category: Pastor Notes

Pastor Note #121: Praying for Justice without Praying for Revenge

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On the morning that I learned of the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine, I was incensed.  My sense of justice was offended.  It was so simply and plainly and extravagantly wrong that I felt outraged.  And so, I found myself hoping that bad things would happen to Vladimir Putin and all his forces attacking the … Continue reading Pastor Note #121: Praying for Justice without Praying for Revenge

Pastor Note #120: James 1:27 & the Essence of the Christian Life

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[Note: The text below is the script for a video/audio teaching I posted to my Facebook page and my YouTube channel.  If you’d like to see the video version, follow the instructions in the material below.] How can human beings live flourishing and authentic lives in this complicated and troubled world?  That’s the question that … Continue reading Pastor Note #120: James 1:27 & the Essence of the Christian Life

Pastor Note #118: Advent Reflection #4

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Okay, look out.  Gary, the curmudgeon, is in the house. I realized that it’s a terrible cliché of the Christmas season to complain about the way human beings observe the Christmas holiday.  And the Church has been doing that for centuries.  At least from the Middle Ages onward, you find examples of the Church trying … Continue reading Pastor Note #118: Advent Reflection #4

Pastor Note #117: Advent Reflection #3

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So, here we are in the third week of Advent.  It’s really a terrible cliché to say that time seems to fly by as we come up on Christmas.  But cliché or not, somehow it seems to be true.  Maybe it’s because we crowd these weeks full of events and “to-do list” items and expectations, … Continue reading Pastor Note #117: Advent Reflection #3

Pastor Note #116: Advent Reflection #2

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[Note: This post is the script for a video reflection that I posted to my YouTube channel. To view this particular video click here.] I first began making my “Pastor Gary’s Video Notebook” videos in March 2020 when the coronavirus shutdown came to my community and my church.  I had a number of goals for … Continue reading Pastor Note #116: Advent Reflection #2

Pastor Note #115: Advent Reflections #1

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I just did a quick online search for Advent calendars and discovered that you can buy Advent calendars at Target, Walmart, and on the Etsy site.  They’re everywhere.  I also noticed that almost all of them are incorrect.  All of the Advent calendars I looked at start on December 1, and five out of every … Continue reading Pastor Note #115: Advent Reflections #1

Pastor Note #114: Michael Flynn and One National Religion

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“If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion.  One nation under God, and one religion under God." Michal Flynn, speaking at a “Reawaken America” event in San Antonio, TX on November 13, 2021 Washington County (Pennsylvania) Courthouse; photo by GAC It is hard to … Continue reading Pastor Note #114: Michael Flynn and One National Religion

Pastor Note #112: America in Theological Perspective–a July 4th Sermon

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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