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Scripture reading: Matthew 7:13-14; 1 Corinthians 13

Matthew 7:13-14

  The Narrow Gate

13 ‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy* that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

1st Corinthians 13

  The Gift of Love

13If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Sermon Title:   "OFF BROADWAY"              Sunday, February 1, 2009             

        PASTOR HUDSON: This morning marks the beginning

    of a series that we'll be sharing over the next

    several Sundays.  It has to do with the emotional and

    spiritual nature of the church. 

         In the scripture reading Jesus says to work

    diligently to enter the Kingdom of God.  The general

    mentality of making this journey has always been along

    the lines of how difficult it is for us as individuals

    to really get into the Kingdom of God, that you have

    to always work at it. 

         Let's consider this passage in a broad way and a

    narrow way from the perspective of what it means to

    grow in the spiritual walk we have with Christ and to

    become spiritually mature, emotionally healthy and all

    of the rest.

         Part of the reason we do not grow in these ways

    is we play fast and loose with the instructions. 

    We've been given guidelines, we just don't necessarily

    think that God meant it when the guidelines were

    given.  So with that thought in mind, I think Jesus

    calls us off the broad way.  What does it mean to say

    that Jesus calls us off Broadway? 

         In a generation when the church has been enticed

    to look for better means and methods and techniques

    and skills, the Holy Spirit is looking for better

    women and men who will allow the Spirit to move them

    peacefully to transform and carry the church forward,

    that is the heartbeat of this narrow way.  So this

    love-- this journey is foundational.

         The first lesson  to learn as an

    individual on the road to spiritual and emotional

    maturity is to love and understand what love is.  It

    is a commitment to a spiritual call, a spiritual

    discipleship in Jesus Christ with distinct behavior characteristics. 

    To love is to be patient. How patient are we really?  

    Most of us have had our experiences with individuals

    in the church who could use a little

    extra patience. 

         Love is kind.  When Jesus said do unto others as

    you have others do unto you, he was playing out in

    that famous, golden rule the process of loving

    someone.  You simply choose to do things that are

    consistent with the kind of response you would want. 

    Be kind, for heaven's sake, and discover in that

    kindness we live out a love that is not bound only by

    affection and emotions, but as a priority.  We simply

    need to see that way.  Don't misunderstand me.  I'm

    not saying it's simple. 

         We must practice it until the time comes that

    Such attributes are ingrained into our system.  We need to

    practice those things that we believe are priorities

    till they become second nature.

        So let me invite you as we begin our journey not only

    today but in the weeks to come to ask God to prepare

    our hearts to learn some new ways to see the narrow

    way into the Kingdom of God as a way of actualizing

    what really is already our gift.  In the name of the