Marriage: And Now for Something Completely Different Is there really a good reason why marriages of more than two people should be forbidden by law? Is sex a necessary part of marriage as it is now defined by the Supreme Court of the United States? Or is it now conceivable that an intentionally non-sexual relationship … Continue reading Pastor Note #64 — Marriage: And Now for Something Completely Different
Tag: marriage
Pastor Note #56 — On Marriage and Redemption
I’ve been married now for almost twenty-nine years. So has my wife. We got married at the same time. I think I can say without much hesitation that my wife and I have a good marriage. It has been a tremendous blessing to my life. Nothing in my life has quite equaled it, except … Continue reading Pastor Note #56 — On Marriage and Redemption
Sermon #14 — The Doctrine of God, Pt. 5: Male and Female He Created Them
Following on the theme of the previous installment in this series, here I look deeper into the nature of humanity, the image of God, and gender. As the preaching of this series worked out, I had not been planning on including this topic here in the series. But after a passing reference to the nature … Continue reading Sermon #14 — The Doctrine of God, Pt. 5: Male and Female He Created Them
Sermon #4 — Sex and Loving God: Brokenness and Redemption
The sermon linked to this post is the second sermon in a series on human sexuality and God. This sermon was preached at North Presbyterian Church, Elmira, NY on Sunday, January 15, 2012. Earlier in the service, we read responsively Isaiah 61:1-4. Then on this recording of the sermon, I read from Romans 1:18-32. The … Continue reading Sermon #4 — Sex and Loving God: Brokenness and Redemption
Sermon #3–Sex and Loving God: Natures and Origins
This sermon was preached at North Presbyterian Church on January 8, 2012 at morning worship. It's part of a series I preached on the topic of "Sex and Loving God." During that worship service we read Matthew 2:1-12 ( because this was the Sunday nearest to Epiphany, the church holy day when we celebrate the … Continue reading Sermon #3–Sex and Loving God: Natures and Origins
Pastor Note #17–Sexual Discipleship
“When Christ calls a man [a person], he bids him come and die.” That is a powerful statement made by a man who died because of his faith in Jesus Christ and Christ’s calling on his life. His name was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a German pastor and theologian, and he was hanged by the … Continue reading Pastor Note #17–Sexual Discipleship
Pastor Note #16 — “Sex With a Purpose”
What is sex? And what is it for? And is your answer any of my business anyway? For all our modern western society’s fixation on sexuality, I don’t see any evidence that we are any less confused about it than our great grandparents. So many books are being published on how to deal with … Continue reading Pastor Note #16 — “Sex With a Purpose”
Pastor Notes #15 — A Theology of Sex
A Theology of Sex Rev. Gary A. Chorpenning We live in an age of sexual confusion. I suspect it might be possible to make the argument that human beings have lived in sexual confusion ever since the Fall in to sin described in Genesis 3. Forty-one years ago the Presbyterian church produced “The Confession of … Continue reading Pastor Notes #15 — A Theology of Sex
Pastor Notes #13
In my time as a pastor, I've performed lots and lots of weddings. I've made no secret of the fact that on the whole I'm not terrible fond of doing weddings. Each wedding with the premarital counseling, wedding planning, rehearsal, preliminary and follow-up can be very time consuming. I don't mind that so much. What … Continue reading Pastor Notes #13
Pastor Notes #6
A pastoral note to an early, middle-aged widow who had just announce her engagement to be remarried, names and certain other details have been changed to protect confidentiality: I'm sorry I didn't respond as soon as I received you letter. I intended to, but it has been an unexpectly hectic week or so. I really … Continue reading Pastor Notes #6
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 