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Sermon: What does the Bible say about near death experiences? |
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Revelation 21:1-5 "No Need To Speculate!" A sermon by the Rev Roland Kubke May 2, 2010
Fifth Sunday of Easter: Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-7; John 16:12-22
In April, 1992, Maclean’s magazine featured an interesting topic. It was about near-death experiences. According to this article, people have become increasingly bold in telling what happened to them during moments when they were clinically dead. Most of those accounts talk about a tunnel of light. They talk about people in glowing clothes who encourage them to reach up toward that light. They talk about hearing the voices of loved ones who have already passed away. In most of these accounts, the person is filled with peace and joy and eagerly desires to approach that light, but is told to go back. Then the patient comes back to consciousness. This past April, Maclean’s carried another article about near death experiences on its website. In that one, it was reported that 25% of heart attack patients report near death experiences and 10% of all others in emergency situations report them. The stories about these experiences have raised many questions and resulted in much speculation. Some people are sure those experiences are just dreams. Others think they are actual glimpses of life after death. Some people claim that these are reactions produced by a brain that is trying to preserve sanity in the face of death. Others see these experiences as proof that they personally will see the Lord once they die again. The latest theory is that high carbon dioxide levels in the blood initiate near death experiences. What do these experiences mean? Are they really proof that heaven truly exists? Are they merely a physical reaction in the brain? We can thank God that we do not have to rely on dreams and speculations or the accounts of people who have been near death to answer that question. We can thank God that He has given us a clear answer already! In our reading from the book of Revelation today we are told exactly what heaven is all about. Of all the things the Bible says about that wonderful place, this is the most important: "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God!" We can thank God that He tells us about heaven through His Word. By that Word we have a way of avoiding the dangers of relying on dreams and mystical experiences to answer the questions that can be so pressing sometimes. We have His word to avoid the danger of staking our future on something that is so personal that it is almost impossible to interpret in a God-pleasing way! |
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Sermon: A Christian Mother is the most blessed mother. |
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Matthew 15:28 "A Most Important Person" A sermon by the Rev Roland Kubke May 9, 2010
Mothers Day: Isaiah 49:13-15; 1 John 3:1-2; Matthew 15:21-28
Have you ever heard of Augustine? He was one of the early pastors who had quite an influence on the Christian Church. He lived at the time when the Roman Empire first converted to Christianity. His interpretations of the Bible were so amazing that they caught the attention of a certain German monk 1200 years later. Martin Luther essentially made Augustine popular again by basing much of the Protestant Reformation on the work of St. Augustine. For example, it was Augustine who very strongly pointed Christians to the writings of St. Paul and first insisted Christians should never forget that we are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone. When Augustine was a young man he was brilliant, popular and out to live life to the fullest. He did not have much time for God and had nothing to do with Jesus Christ, despite the fact that his mother and his grandmother were devoted children of God. When Augustine wrote about how he came to believe in his Lord, Jesus Christ, he talked about the first words he spoke after seeing the light of his salvation. Augustine prayed with these words: "If I am Thy child, O God, it is because Thou hast given me a Christian mother." There are many blessings that we can have in life. We can have health and prosperity. We can have loving parents and a close, caring family. Of all the blessings that we receive, though, few are more wonderful than being blessed by a Christian wife and mother. The writer of the proverbs wrote, "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her... Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised!" Through Jesus Christ, God makes helps mothers become a blessing to us all! |
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Sermon: You hear Jesus because you belong to Him. |
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John 10:22-30 "Love Him For Who He Is!" April 25, 2010
4th Sunday of Easter: Acts 20:17-35; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30
Do you have someone in your life who just doesn’t like you? Sometimes you know how that came about. You may have done something or said something to offend that person and that person made sure you knew about it. You might be pretty sure that there is something about you that this other person envies. You might be sure that person sees you as being a threat or as their competition or something. Then again, you might not have any clue at all why this person doesn’t like you. You go out of your way to be polite and patient and to not give this person any reason to dislike you, but they dislike you anyway. It’s not pleasant being in such a situation. If someone does not like you, then it doesn't matter how skilled you are or how well you do your work. It doesn’t matter how pleasant you are or how humble you are. People who do not like you will always find something to criticize. They will find things about you that normally are not much of a problem at all and they will turn those things into hardships for you. Indeed, you could be perfect, and they would still find something about you to be upset about! With that little observation in mind, it is really no wonder that Jesus had discussions like the one in our Gospel lesson for today! Jesus actually was perfect. He truly was the only person who loved with a perfect love, practised perfect patience, and knew exactly what was best for each of us. If there had been anyone in all of history who should have been likeable to absolutely everyone, it was Jesus. Yet, time and again, the Bible tells us that not everyone liked Jesus. In fact, a large number of people who saw Jesus and heard Jesus and even received His blessings did not like Jesus at all! If someone does not like Jesus, though, it is not Jesus' fault. Jesus is not the one with the problem. In our Gospel lesson this morning Jesus makes it plain where the problem is. Jesus said, "You do not believe because you are not My sheep!" How blessed we are when we do believe in Jesus because that is a sign that we belong to Him! |
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Sermon: It only takes a moment for Jesus to bring the best out of us. |
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John 20:19-31 "A Sudden Change" A sermon by the Rev. Roland Kubke April 11, 2010
2nd Sunday of Easter: Acts 5:17-32; Revelation 1:4-18, John 20:19-31
Once, when I was a student pastor on my internship year, my vicarage, I made an appointment to visit an elderly couple in the congregation. They lived in an apartment complex with one of those buzzers that unlock the main door to the building, but that door was standing open when I arrived, so I walked in. As I approached their apartment, I could hear that someone on that floor was arguing loudly behind their closed door. The closer I got to the apartment, the more I realized that the couple I was coming to visit were the people that were arguing. They were literally screaming at each other. They both were not using very pleasant language, and even worse, the word “vicar” came through much too loudly and much too clearly for my comfort. It was obvious that someone did not want to meet me that day. I didn’t know what to do. I decided that I was going to leave, go back to the church, and phone them to tell them that something came up and I wouldn’t be able to see them that day. Then, just as I was starting to leave, I surprised myself by knocking on the door. The argument stopped in mid swear word, and a pleasant, calm voice sang out, “Who is it?” When she got my answer, the wife opened the door and she and her husband accepted me warmly and graciously. The entire visit was so polite and friendly that it felt very, very bizarre. Their behaviour could not have been more different to what it was just a second before I knocked on the door. Maybe you have seen this, too: a complete and sudden change at the sound of a ringing phone, or the buzz of a doorbell, or a key being inserted into a doorknob. How strange it is that people can shift from their worst behaviour to their best so rapidly! How could it be possible for someone who seems completely out of control one moment to have complete self-control the next? Our Gospel lesson this morning tells us about a sudden change in the behaviour of the disciples. They went from being in the worst sort of shape – depressed, despondent, and dreadful – to something that was very much the opposite. Of course, it didn’t take a knock on the door, but much more than that to make the change come about. It took the sudden, unexpected appearance of Jesus Himself. They saw Him; they heard Him say, “Peace be with you” and everything was as different for them as different can be. The wonderful thing is that this change is not something that they came up with within themselves. It was a gift brought upon them by the presence of Jesus. Thank God that His presence can turn us completely around. Through His own words of peace, Jesus works the best in us! |
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