Keep It Simple : From the Pastor's Desk
Well, you can fill in the blank with the KISS principle: Keep It Simple. There is a great deal of truth in that concept. Life often feels difficult, overwhelming, and complicated. Medical visits, jobs, personal challenges, and countless other situations can quickly become hard to navigate.
More than 36 years ago, as a young seminarian, I took several homiletics classes where I learned how to write and preach a sermon. Rev. Dr. Arthur Just was my professor. As part of the class, we each had to preach a sermon before our classmates and professor.
To this day, I still remember my very first sermon. It was far too long, filled with countless Bible passages and every possible point I thought needed to be included. At the time, it seemed like a good idea to cover as much as possible.
Afterward, Professor Just kindly commented: “You do NOT need to cover the whole counsel of God in one sermon. The people will come back next Sunday.”
As a young seminarian, I had tried to include nearly everything in Scripture all at once. The result was a sermon that was too long, too complex, and honestly, probably painful to listen to.
I share this story because doctrine and matters of faith can sometimes seem difficult to understand and even harder to explain to others.
With that in mind, the Board of Elders has made available ten different booklets titled A Simple Explanation of… Each booklet clearly and understandably covers a different topic or theological doctrine. We hope that you will read them, share them, and pass them along to others who may want to understand the Lutheran Christian faith better.
Soon, these booklets will be available on the display rack along the east wall in the church entrance. Those who have already read some of the booklets have commented on how simple and easy they are to understand.
Keep it simple: Jesus died for the sins of the world, and there is nothing we can do to earn His gift of salvation. He has done it all for us.
Blessings,
Pastor Below
