November 8, 2014- Church at Worship

Pastoral Welcome: Roy Ice

Children’s Feature: Doug Mace

Scripture Reading: 1 John 4:7–10, 16–19, TNIV - Leo and Marco Ferrando

Sermon: For the Love of God  Part 7 — Radical! - Randy Speyer

Sermon Notes:

Nothing warms my heart quite like a good children’s story. Looking back, some of my fondest memories have been spent reading to my kids just before tucking them in bed. From the creative illustrations to the compelling narratives, they just have a way of staying with you for a very long time. In fact, some of these books are more meaningful to a parent than a child. 

Here are lines from a few of my favorites:

“I’ll love you forever. I’ll like you for always. As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” — Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

“You know that place between sleep and awake…the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll always be waiting.” — Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie.

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you’ll ever know.” — Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne.

“’Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’” — The Velveteen Rabbit by Marjory Williams.

So it doesn’t surprise me that when the Apostle John has something vital to share with fellow believers in Asia Minor, he uses these words, “My little children….” In the midst of their fear, worry, and doubt, they needed to be reminded about the basics—in simple, but profound, ways. Today, we explore the latter part of Chapter 4 and encounter the passionate attempt of this “father” to anchor his children securely in the relentless and tender love of God. Our confidence, our hope, our meaning begin and end in the love of God.

Randy Speyer 
Associate Pastor for Care and Counseling